Columbia River Gorge Hotels

In 2003, riding on years of success protecting the Yuba River, the South Yuba River Citizens League, SYRCL, decided to plan an environmental film festival.  Seven festivals later, the Wild and Scenic Environmental Film Festival is the largest event of its kind in the US.  The goal is to become the premiere environmental film festival in the world.  Each January, screening begins for the most important and inspirational environmental films available today, as well as host a variety of environmental activists, filmmakers, and celebrities. Wild & Scenic® works to inspire audiences to make positive changes for a healthier world.

The On Tour program began in 2004 because of the many requests to share the festival beyond Nevada County. Today Wild & Scenic® On Tour is shown in communities across the United States … reaching over 85 towns and cities in 2008-2009.

With a growing public awareness for the environment, the festival aims to increase this groundswell through inspiring and educational films which hopefully will motivate people to go out and make a difference in their community and around the world.

The Hood River Valley Residents Committee (HRVRC) was formed in 1977 when a few residents gathered to discuss Hood River County's impending attempt to rezone the upper valley into one-acre home sites. Through grass-roots organizing and effort by local citizens, the proposal was rejected. HRVRC was formed.

On August 26th and 27th, the Crag Law Center and the Hood River Valley Residents Committee will be hosting the Wild and Scenic Environmental Film Festival on Tour.

This will be the third time that the Wild & Scenic Film Festival has come to Hood River, Oregon. This year’s films will be shown outdoors in downtown Hood River at The Ruins at Springhouse Cellar. The Ruins, a picturesque amphitheater, are the remains of a historic Hood River distillery.



Sorry for this last minute notice.  Hope you can join us for this inspiring film festival.  Some of the Mt Hood Bed and Breakfast inns of the Oregon Bed and Breakfast Guild still have rooms available. 
 

The 2010 Hood River cherry crop is amazing.  We have been picking about 10 pounds of fresh cherries every few days and they become the main ingredient in many a tasty breakfast treat here at the Old Parkdale Inn.  We’ve been making cherry crepes, cherry scones, cherry cobblers and of course placing big bowls of cold, crisp cherries on the table to nibble on before, during and after breakfast. 

One of our guests’ favorite though, is the Double-Crust Cherry Tart and as promised here is the recipe.

1 cup (1/2 lb.) butter, room temperature
2 large egg yolks
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cup yellow cornmeal
1 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1 1/2 pounds fresh cherries, rinsed and pitted
2 Tbs. quick-tapioca
1 Tbs. lemon juice

In a bowl, with a mixer on medium speed, beat butter with 3/4 cup sugar until smooth. Beat in egg yolks.  Stir in flour, cornmeal, baking powder, and salt until will blended.  Divide dough in half.  Press one portion over bottom and up sides to rim of a 9-inch tart pan with removable rim.  Place other portion on a lightly floured piece of waxed paper.  Set aside.

In another bowl, mix cherries, tapioca, lemon juice and remaining 1/4 cup sugar.  Let stand for 10 minutes as you roll out second portion of dough with a lightly floured rolling pin into a 10-inch round. 

Pour cherries into tart shell.  Invert round over cherries.  Press edges into rim of tart pan, pinching off any excess.  Sprinkle tart lightly with sugar.
Place tart pan on a baking sheet and bake on the lower rack of a 375 degree over until top is golden brown, about 35-40 minutes.

Cherries are finding their way to the breakfast tables of the member inns of the Oregon Bed and Breakfast Guild in Hood River and the Columbia River Gorge.  Make your reservation today and see what culinary delight they're cooking up.
 

The Hood River Valley is certainly known for having thousands of acres of fruit of which cherries, blueberries and peaches are finding their way to the fruit stands now.  We also have some amazing flower farms, one of which, The Gorge White House, has glads, daisies, cone flowers, snapdragons, Oriental lilies, lavender and more. 

The dahlia fields at the Gorge White House have begun to bloom and it is a photo op you won’t want to miss.  They will be in their seasonal display until the first frost.  Pick out your favorite and order tubers to be picked up or delivered next year at planting time. 

In the fields behind the dahlias are u-pick blueberries just now coming on and in their fruit stand are cherries, cut flowers, and raspberries.  The peaches should arrive early next week.

In the White House itself is a lovingly restored bar that now serves up wines and micro-brews produced right here in the Columbia River Gorge.  Enjoy by the taste, the glass or the bottle all at one stop! 

If you had to pick just one place to visit in the Hood River Valley, The Gorge White House would be it.  Just minutes from Mt Hood Bed and Breakfasts and Hood River Lodging, this is really a one stop, enjoy all, location.  After a hearty Hood River Valley Bounty Breakfast at one of the inns of the Oregon Bed and Breakfast Guild, consider a picnic on their patio or in the fields.

When it is hot in the valleys there is nothing like a ride on the Magic Mile chair lift on Mt Hood, Oregon's tallest peak at 11, 240 feet.  The majestic mountain can be seen from Portland, the Willamette Valley, the Hood River Valley and the Columbia River Gorge and is an easy day trip from any of the Oregon Bed and Breakfast Guild member inns in these regions.

Take the lift to the mountain’s 7000′ level – no skis or snowboards needed but if you do need a ski fix there are but a few places in the world where one can summer ski and on the Palmer Glacier on Mt Hood is one of them.  The spectacular view of Mt. Hood, Palmer snowfield, and nearby Mt. Jefferson is one you’ll soon not forget. Allow 30 minutes to ride up and ride down, or 2 hours if you choose to ride up and walk down.  The temperature can be cool on Mt. Hood, even in the summer. Please dress appropriately for current weather conditions.  

The Oregon Coast has many world renowned courses and many Oregon Coast Bed and Breakfast inns to drop your clubs after a sunny day on the course . 

Was that too much information?  You really can have a golf vacation in Oregon, teeing off at some of the best courses in the country, staying at quality Oregon Bed and Breakfast inns while all along exploring Oregon.

What do you think of when we say the word "Lavender"?  Aromatic, fragrant, relaxing, soothing are a few adjectives that come to mind.  Leave the hustle and bustle of daily life behind, visit an Oregon Lavender Farm and prepare to relax.  During the weekend of July 9-11, 2010, over 30 Lavender Farms in Oregon will open their farms to tours, workshops and celebrations, many including food and music, during the peak of the lavender season.  

I may be a little bias but my favorite lavender farm is Hood River Lavender Farms as it is just 8 miles from the Old Parkdale Inn Bed and Breakfast.  Recently selected for inclusion in the Central Cascades Geotourism Project, Hood River Lavender Farms is a certified-organic u-pick lavender farm situated on the top of Straight Hill surrounded by orchards and offering amazing views of Mt. Hood, Mt. Adams and the Hood River Valley below. It has a large wildflower garden (Oregon native wildflowers) in the center of the farm. Due to the climate and location, over 70 varieties of lavender are present, including two unique lavenders grown only here, with a cute Lavender Shoppe on the farm where many luxury lavender items (including lavender oil distilled on site) are created and sold.

The farm is home to the annual Lavender DAZE Festival, July 10-11, 2010, featuring live music, local wines, 20+ local artisan booths, craft classes, kid activities and more. Picnic lunches are encouraged. Truly a unique and beautiful experience.  The bed and breakfast inns of the Mt Hood and Columbia River Gorge region, all members of the Oregon Bed and Breakfast Guild, have rooms available for the perfect, romantic weekend getaway. 

Can't make it to the Hood River Valley?  No problem as there are plenty of Lavender Festivals planned this same weekend across Oregon.  And certainly a bed and breakfast of the Oregon Bed and Breakfast Guild near the one of your choice.
 

Head east on I-84 out of Portland, through the Columbia River Gorge, where the spectacular river canyon opens up to the rolling high desert wheat fields of the Columbia Basin.  It is stunning, big skies and vast views.  Rock formations left over from the Ice Age Missoula Floods, floods that shaped the landscape and the Columbia River Gorge.  And wind, sometimes gentle but often times strong.  The perfect place for hundreds of wind turbines.  Oregon’s goal:  to capture 20% of our energy needs from the wind. 

Traveling south off the Interstate into the heart of Oregon, along the John Day River, be sure to explore the three units of the John Day Fossil Bed National Monument.  It's like taking a journey into ancient Oregon where paleontological research is ongoing.  Millions of years ago the west coast states, Oregon, Washington, and California were sea beds and the fossils discovered throughout the monument are evidence to that.

Oregon Bed and Breakfast Guild Member Inns located in Central Oregon:



Featured in the Ultimate Northwest Magazine's 150 ways to Celebrate Oregon, The Inn at Juniper Ridge overlooks the Strawberry Mountains. Explore our thousand acres, or drive to Magone Lake, the John Day Fossil Beds or Kam Wah Chung.  Their ambience is tranquil and comfortable, their style Western.






Pioneer hospitality awaits you at Wilson Ranches Retreat B&B in North Central Oregon on a 9,000 acre working cattle ranch, three miles west of the small town of Fossil, Oregon.  Lifetime memories are created on scenic horseback rides, cattle drives, hiking and 4X4 sunset ranch tours in a geologically and historically rich area with a magnificent view of the Cascade Mountain Range. Enjoy the John Day Fossil Beds National Monument, bass fishing, river rafting, and golfing

The town of Hood River, the hub of the Columbia River Gorge, is known in the world of sports at the windsurfing capital of America. Stiff prevailing winds and the Columbia's strong river currents combine to create a kind of wind tunnel that makes for legendary windsurfing and kitesurfing conditions.  South of the city, above the pear and apple orchards of the Hood River Valley, the massive glaciered peak of Mount Hood rises to fill the horizon, a perfect postcard image of Oregon. 
 
Where can you ski in the morning and windsurf into the afternoon and evening?  And it's blossom time in the Hood River Valley.  Take the Fruit Loop, a 35 driving tour through the valley's orchards, forests and quiet communities.  Stroll the quaint shops, breweries, and wine tasting rooms in downtown Hood River.  The innkeepers of the Oregon Bed and Breakfast Guild will provide unique accommodations, a superb Northwest Culinary experience, and tips on where to dine and explore.