Oregon Coast hotels

Sipping chocolate at Cacao's near The Heathman Hotel in downtown Portland was only the beginning of our "Epicurean Tour" last Saturday!  In the works for months, Portland Walking Tours teamed up with a few very interested Oregon innkeepers and we headed out to devour the city!

Led by Bob, tour guide with Portland Walking Tours, we covered about 2 mi. of ground.  And thank goodness we did because it helped walk off all the extra bread I ate at Pearl Bakery!...well, I had help! After donning the hair nets and washing our hands we were led to the bakery's kitchen.  Oh wow...not a good combination.  A bunch of innkeepers in a bakery kitchen?...might have seemed like a good combination at the time.  Thank goodness we have manners, don't mind sharing and the fact that at least two of us had camera's kept us on our good behavior.

On to Elephant's Delicatessen and through the back door, we tasted the best tomato soup.  Specializing in sandwich's, salads, soups, cookies, etc., this sweet deli has a little bit of everything for every visitor! 

Some of us know what Portland has to offer to our visiting guests from out of town. Just ask Pam and Carl over at Heron Haus Bed and Breakfast in Portland or former restaurant owner Patrick over at Forest Springs Bed and Breakfast in Gresham and they will concur...Portland is among the leading cities offering that perfect itinerary for culinary travel and culinary experiences in the nation!  Brew pubs of which we got tastes of, offer so many different tastes and types of beers that it's no wonder that Portland is known as the brew capitol of the world.  Toss in a few wineries and a taste at a local gourmet shop and you have found another reason to come here.  Where else in the world can you go and walk in to some place called The Tea Zone & Camellia Lounge and have a cup of hot tea or a mixed drink?...a tea/cocktail....  What a great place and so very unexpected!

So, continuing our noshing fest, we sampled pear and Canadian bacon style pizza all made with local ingredients.  We ate gelato, drank berry soda, ate raspberry tea cookies, tried curried dips with rice crackers, sprinkled finishing salts made of truffles on our palms and lapped them up with flavors so surprising we had to buy some to take home!  A very tasty way to spend a Saturday afternoon in Portland!

So, when you come here to Oregon this year or when you are contemplating on where to vacation or holiday this year, begin with us...your innkeepers that know where all the good food is!  We can tell you, show you, point you in the right direction and help you with your culinary travel plans and help show you how to have that culinary experience of a life time...right here...in Oregon!

Thanks to David and Bob at Portland Walking Tours for our very fun day!  We had a great time!

 



 

Culinary travel makes for some interesting trips.  On Saturday, March 20, 2010, Pacific Northwest Culinary enthusiasts will convene at the Prospect Historic Hotel near Crater Lake, Oregon.  The reason?  A Getaway Beer Tasting Dinner featuring Southern Oregon Brewing and the imaginative cuisine of Prospect Hotel owner Karen Wickman!

The Menu (designed by Karen to complement Tom's and Ander's selections of beers):

Appetizer: Chevre Chaud oozing from within a fluffy pastry purse
Soup:  Smoky Shrimp and Chorizo in tomato base
Salad:  Celery Root and Fennel Matchsticks tossed with hazelnut vinaigrette
Entree:  Rock Cornish Game Hen with spice-rubbed crispy skin and overflowing with Red Potato and Olive Stuffing, accompanied by Braised Brussel Sprouts drenched with Bacon Cider Gastrique
Dessert: Dark Chocolate Tart sprinkled with Sea Salt

Learn more about Southern Oregon Brewing Company while sampling their beers.

Price:  Only $55 per person!

Reservations are required.  Call Fred or Karen at the Prospect Historic Hotel at (541) 560-3664.

The Prospect Historic Hotel is the closest Crater Lake lodging at this time of year.  Plan for a "Play and Stay" trip--enjoy the dinner and stay on for a great breakfast the next morning.  Then take the beautiful drive up to Crater Lake for a little playing in the snow.  It doesn't get more authentic Oregon than this!

Looking for an Oregon culinary weekend?  A romantic bed and breakfast?  Do you embrace Oregon slow food?  And don't want to venture too far away from Portland OR?  How about a short trip west on the Columbia River to the little town of St. Helens, Oregon.

This town's received a lot of hype because of the original Twlight Movie, but there's more to St. Helens than a movie set.  Wandering through the Internet today, I discovered a lovely painting that's currently on display in St. Helens at the Houlton Bakery for the month of February 2010.

Houlton Bakery loves the orange snail of Slow Food.  I've not been there personally, but Lisa took the time to yelp about Houlton Bakery last July.  And the Houlton Bakery blog (although not really, really current), gives you an idea of the loving touch they put into their breads, sandwiches, soups. . .and all those good foods you'll find at a great bakery.

For the month of February 2010, you'll find artwork by Scappoose artist Maeona Urban and by Jennifer Hanson (mosaic glass artist) on display at Houlton Bakery.  Maeona is a member of the Columbia Arts Guild and her Secret Garden Flowers are superb.

On the romantic bed and breakfast scale, the little town of St. Helens boasts not just one but two romantic bed and breakfast inns.  The Seawright House Luxury Retreat is currently closed for extensive renovation.  Watch for its reopening sometime in the future.

In the meantime, the Nob Hill Riverview Bed & Breakfast provides romantic bed and breakfast accommodations that can more than fit your needs for a relaxing .  (I've written extensively about Nob Hill--an excerpt of that appears here.)

The Nob Hill Riverview Bed and Breakfast is a former physician's home on the bluffs overlooking downtown St. Helens and the Columbia River.  Tana & Matt own this luscious B&B, a cross between Victorian and Art & Crafts construction.  Completely renovated, this stately home on the hill now holds three extensive guest suites and lovely common areas. 

Guests meet for wine or tea and hors d'oeuvres in the afternoons on the comfortable front porch.  If the weather's cool, the parlor and living room also face the river.  

Tana gave us a tour of her B&B.  My goodness!  The Paris Apartment on the top floor has incredible views.  This place is more like a fine boutique hotel than a B&B!  We're staying in the Casablanca Suite--more of a self-catering suite rather than a typical B&B room.  Two bedrooms, a living room, full kitchen, bath complete with a sensuous soaking tub for two with in-line water heater. . .the features go on and on.  And now, on the day we leave, Tana tells me a local massage therapist is available for in room massage. 

Breakfast included fresh fruit with organic yoghurt and scones, a baked stuffed French toast and hormone-free smoked chicken sausage.  Tana uses mostly organic milk, eggs, butter, and other ingredients whenever she can.  Tasty, tasty!

Ever since the Nob Hill Riverview Bed and Breakfast appeared in the November 2008 National Geographic Traveler magazine, Tana says that business has taken off.  Guests arrive by boat at the St Helens Marina or by airplane from the Scappoose Oregon Airport--or drive in from nearby Portland. 

You won't find another bed and breakfast in Oregon like the Nob Hill Riveriew Bed & Breakfast.  What a hidden jewel!

Now here's a real insider's view of what to do for Valentine's Day in Portland Oregon.  "Travel Geek" works at the Oregon Welcome Center at the Portland International Airport.  She's lived in Portland for 30 years, so she knows her way around!

Travel Geek offers a complete Portlander's guide for Valentine's Day with ideas for "Events that Inspire Romance" plus "Places that Fill You with Love" (a Northwest Culinary experience in itself) and "More Pragmatic, Less Romantic (and still fun).  She's taken the time and effort to include extensive links and phone numbers for all her favorites.  This is a must read blog post and you'll find it here. 

If you'd like to round out your Valentine's Day experience, how about skipping on the hotels and trying out a Portland Oregon bed and breakfast?  You'll get an authentic Oregon lodging experience--even if you live in Portland.  You can have a vacation without leaving town! Most innkeepers live in their bed and breakfast and can give you as much (or as little) attention as you'd like. 

In the Portland area you'll find 14 unique inns that are members of the Oregon B&B Guild.  All of them--from the Sandes of Time Bed and Breakfast in Milwaukie or the Rose Cottage B&B in SW Portland,  to the Blue Plum Inn or the Lion & the Rose Victorian B&B in the Irvington District of downtown--and 10 other wonderful Portland Oregon bed and breakfast inns--await your call.

Take Travel Geek's advice and find that Portland Valentine's Day event you want to share with your lovey.  Then put a little icing on the cake with a stay at one of Portland Oregon's best bed and breakfasts!

A road trip to Ashland to prep for our Oregon Bed & Breakfast Guild annual meeting, a few of us decided that we liked being the "visitor" to Southern Oregon.  So, after twenty four hours of planning, meetings and setting up schedules, we decided to find the cheese!

Our friend Fred at The Historic Prospect Hotel in Prospect, Oregon told us that we had to go to Rogue Creamery near Medford in Central Point before we headed back home to Albany and Hood River respectively.  So, of course we always listen to Fred but I think just hearing the word "cheese" was really all it took to head us in the right direction!

So, off we were heading home with a pit stop or in our case a "cheese stop" at Rogue Creamery.  We were in cheese heaven!  Enamored by anything so famously local, down home but good enough to be in almost every gourmet market and local shop in Oregon, Rogue Creamery is the epitome of the perfect Oregon culinary experience.

Perfect for pairing with wine or beer, check out Rogue Creamery's website where "pairing" is as important as the cheese itself.  A nice mild Oregonzola with an Oregon Pinot Noir perhaps?  Chocolate Stout, (my fav) with such beer as a stout or porter?  Artisan cheese from an artisan cheese company focused on sustainability, perfecting the art of making the world's best cheese and sharing it with the rest of us who just simply love cheese!

Follow my recipe below using two of my favorite Rogue Creamery cheese's.  The perfect egg and cheese dish for one!

Shirred Eggs

Butter the inside of a 3 or 4 inch ramekin.  Add one tablespoon of bread crumbs to cover bottom.  Place two thin slices of Rogue Creamery cheddar cheese over the bread crumbs to make a cup.  Add a slice to two of tomato on top of the cheese and break an egg over that.  Crumble a tablespoon of cooked sausage or bacon on top of egg.  Add one tablespoon cream over top then grate two tablespoons of Rogue Creamery Chocolate Stout Cheddar on top.

Bake 375 degrees for about 20 to 25 minutes or till egg is set.

This is a fun recipe because it is so easy and you can change it up by adding fresh crimini mushrooms, small slices of fresh garden zucchini, fresh basil or thyme and change the type of cheese now and then with the same results.  Your guests will be amazed at this sweet little cheese dish.

Is there a trip to Southern Oregon in your future perhaps?  A little culinary vacation?  A taste of Oregon maybe?  Well, if you are visiting Oregon, stop in for some samples and load up your ice chests with some of the best cheeses Oregon has to offer.  If you are an innkeeper heading to Ashland for our annual meeting in March, you can stop too!  Taste the cheese, choose your favorite and load up for your trip home.  The proof is in the cheese...a truly original Oregon Culinary Experience!

• Backcountry Safety Package worth ~$700 from BackCountryAcccess: (New backpack, shovel, probe, and Tracker Transceiver)
• Black Diamond 165 Kilowatt Skis from Wallowa Alpine Huts
• 2 nights/2 skiers at Wing Ridge Ski Tours Huts from Wing Ridge Ski Tours
• And, of course, more prizes too numerous to mention

Need a place to stay for the weekend?  Check out two unique inns offered by the Oregon Bed & Breakfast Guild and combine your love of snow with an Oregon culinary experience.  Both are located in Joseph, OR--only a 6-mile drive from the fundraiser.

Bronze Antler Bed and Breakfast is known for (among other things), incredibly rich brownies that will melt in your mouth.  Heather bakes these from scratch, using Guittard chocolate and farm fresh eggs.  If you're looking for a romantic bed and breakfast, consider making the Bronze Antler B&B your choice.

Belle Pepper's Bed & Breakfast serves those same farm fresh eggs, because they come from Pepper's flock of laying hens!   Belle Pepper's B&B also carries green lodging certification and is recognized by Sustainable Travel International, the Oregon Bed & Breakfast Guild Green Lodging Program and the Green Hotels Association.

Both unique inns are ready for you for Presidents Day Weekend 2010.  Check room availability  for either bed and breakfast.  For more details, visit each inn's website.

Going to be in or near Salem, Oregon, sometime before July 31, 2010?  How about a stop at the Archives Gallery in the Oregon Archives Building?  Images of "ghostly houses" dating from 1859 taken by modern photojournalist Daniel Ray will be on display in the gallery as part of Oregon's 150th birthday celebration (also called Oregon's Sesquicentennial).

The gallery is open daily Monday through Friday, 8 am to 5 pm.  The exhibition closes on July 31, 2010.  The Oregon Archives Building is located at 800 Summer Street NE in Salem.

Here are some of the 13 historic homes on display in the exhibit:

• Montieth House, in Albany.
• Watson House, near Philomath.
• Baker Cabin, in Carver.
• Bybee-Howell House, Sauvie Island.
• McLoughlin House, in Oregon City.
• Brunk House, near Dallas (pictured).
• Oregon State Hospital, in Salem.

As quoted by The Oregonian writer Ruth Mullen, Daniel Ray states, "Some of the Oregon homes I photographed may be gone in the next few years," Ray said in a statement. "It is still possible to visit most of these ghostly residences that were built before the Civil War."

Now, to make this a real outing, how about skipping the Salem Oregon hotels and staying at one of three Oregon Bed and Breakfast member inns near Salem.  Two of these bed and breakfasts might even have "ghostly" presences of their own!

The Feller House is only 22 miles outside of Salem in a lovingly restored late-1860s farmhouse.  This historic photograph (at right) gives you an idea of what it looked like in the 1860s.  Owners Barb & Arnie are anxious to show you their loving restoration of this historic home.  Two fine guestrooms and a wholesome breakfast await you each morning. 

Think there are ghosts at the Feller House?  You'll just have to decide for yourself after a night's stay!

Another historic Oregon bed and breakfast not very far from Salem Oregon hotels is the Independence House Bed & Breakfast in Indepdence, Oregon (pictured at left).  This home was built in 1895 and is both completely restored and on the National Register of Historic Places.  Innkeeper Cheryl Gaston can show you how this house has been restored.   Three lovely restored guestrooms await you.

Is the Independence House occupied by ghosts?  Cheryl mentions clinking beer glasses in the dining room, but decide for yourself!


Another Salem Oregon hotels option is the Hopewell Bed & Breakfast (pictured at right) located a bit farther out from Salem, but a great jumping off location for exploring the Willamette Valley.  This farmhouse is much more "modern" (hey, built in 1927!) than the other two bed and breakfasts near Salem Oregon, but still provides charm and that great Oregon innkeeper hospitality.  Give Mike or Penny a call and pay a visit to their 12-acre farm.

Whatever you decide to do, remember that Oregon Bed & Breakfasts offer some of the best lodging in Oregon and make a great alternative to Salem Oregon hotels when staying near the Oregon capital!

Sometimes I just can't help myself when I find something amusing on the internet.  Who doesn't like Tillamook cheese?  It's hard not to enjoy something so uniquely Oregon.  You'll find Tillamook cheese in use from our Astoria Oregon bed and breakfast inns to the Bend Oregon bed and breakfast inns and even all the way to the Prospect Historic Hotel (our Crater Lake lodging member). 

So here's the new video from Tillamook Cheese as they take their Loaf Love Tour.  The website's entertaining too, but the videos (one of the loaf tour, one of the making of the Baby Loaf VW buses) are fun too.  You'll find them both on the website.  Here's one:



Culinary tourism is the new buzz word and our Oregon Bed & Breakfast Guild member inns are embarking on our own message, letting our guests know that when you stay with us, you're going to have a very local food experience.   And Oregon-made Tillamook cheese is part of that experience!

"Loaf thy neighbor" and tell that someone special "I loaf you" and while you're at it, check out some of our bed and breakfast lodging in Oregon.  We'll loaf you too!

Whenever my husband Bill & I travel we try as often as we can to stay in bed and breakfast lodging.  This week we spent three days and nights at Heron Haus-- a Portland Oregon bed and breakfast in a beautifully restored 1904 Tudor style home in hills of Portland just over the trendy Pearl District.

It was a dual-purpose stay.  Bill had appointments at the Casey Eye Institute (part of the OHSU hospital/clinic complex on the hill in Portland Oregon).  I was in Portland to attend a meeting of the Oregon Bed & Breakfast Guild board of directors--conveniently held at Heron Haus.  Driving time to the Casey Eye Institute was quick--about 12 to 15 minutes--making this Portland Oregon lodging a good choice for someone in town for medical appointments, especially with the privacy and space that the Heron Haus affords its guests.

The common areas of Heron Haus are extremely spacious--plenty of room for a dozen innkeeper-board-members to hash out the Oregon Bed & Breakfast Guild's business.  Innkeepers from Crater Lake, McMinnville, Hood River, Portland, the Oregon Coast and Eastern Oregon all came together for two days of productive work (and fun) in a very gracious setting.  Wireless internet?  Of course--and no additional charge as found in many metropolitan hotels.

Pam and Carl, owners of Heron Haus, moved into this Portland Oregon lodging about a year ago.  They're putting their own flavor on this beautiful property.  Just looking out the 2nd and 3rd floor bedroom windows at night over the lights of Portland Oregon was a treat.  But this bed and breakfast is well appointed with spacious rooms, private baths, fireplaces--so tucked away from the bustle of the city but so close to freeway access that it's very convenient.

We stayed on the second floor in the Ko Room.  Comfy king-sized bed, huge walk-in closet, sitting areas, private bath, and plenty of windows (with shutters) to let in the light.  We had the chance to peek into most of the other rooms (6 total).  All are beautiful and serene, and many have hillside views over the city.

If you're a business traveler, you'll find everything you need at Heron Haus without the cookie cutter approach.  If you're on vacation, Pam & Carl will make you feel right at home.  Give them a call at (503) 274-1846 or visit them online at the Heron Haus to book your reservation.

Want to know why some people choose to stay in bed and breakfasts when they travel?  What is it that makes some of us yearn for the coziness and warmth of that "home away from home?"  Well, hopefully if you haven't stayed at an Oregon Bed and Breakfast before...we can convince you to try it out.  We promise you will like it and once you've been pampered a bit, fed a few homemade chocolate chip cookies and poured a nice glass of Oregon's premier Pinot Noir...you will be sold!

The whole idea of the Bed and Breakfast idea of course dates back many years and was mostly a European idea.  In the recent past, the eastern US was the place to visit for that perfect Bed & Breakfast experience.  However, since the 1980's, the idea of the B & B as has grown and flourished all over the US with the advent of the big hotel stay becoming "sterile" and "unfeeling" of guests needs.  Warmth, coziness, homey...whatever "feeling" most B & B's are going for these days, the attraction is there, the feel good, feel at home, feel like I love being pampered are just a few of the main reasons to book that B & B stay.

Some hotels are trying and succeeding I might add in really trying to provide their guests with as much homeyness as possible.  But, there is just something about waking up in a bed that's over 100 years old and used to belong to someone's favorite aunt that brings that B & B stay to reason.  There is something about laying in that bed each morning and smelling that delicious scent of coffee brewing, smelling those homemade hazelnut scones baking in the oven and somehow know that's part of your breakfast.  And, that "good morning, did you sleep well" caring attitude that you just can't get from a big hotel that will leave you never wanting for anything less is amazing.

Owned by innkeepers, most inns offer the best of the best in whatever region they are in.  In the know about where to find the "best" dinner, brew, outdoor activities, wineries, etc., these innkeepers live in their inns!  They live in these communities and hold stake in what happens here and are proud and excited to share all that they know and love about where they are! 

New ideas...maybe but you know we love our jobs and we love catering to our guests.  Any men out there not sure about the whole Bed & Breakfast stay yet?  Well, finding the right inn for you isn't too hard.  With more innkeepers sticking their doilies in the drawers and instead of dusting the knick knacks, they are now getting rid of them, you will be happy to find that we have catered to the male type of guest more often than not.  Don't be surprised to see a well stocked guest fridge with some local beers or specials that include a fishing or golf trip.  We're there for you too!

An Oregon Pinot Noir and a local artisan cheese platter may be waiting for you at your next visit to an Oregon Bed and Breakfast.  A simply unique style, simply unique architecture, comfortable and perfect...that's your next B & B experience!

The Prospect Historic Hotel was just published in the 2010 Annual Calendar for Saif Corporation, one of the largest Workers Compensation Insurance carriers in Oregon with over 50,000 members. The Project Director and Photographer for Saif visited the Hotel earlier this year and must have shot a zillion photos!   The Hotel was 1 of 14 companies selected out of over 50,000 for our historic significance and claims records.

Congratulations Fred and Karen.  You've done the Guild proud!!

Winter fun.  Time to start thinking snow!  Oregon ski resorts are open for the season.  Cross country skiing, backcountry skiing and snowshoeing are available in many areas across our lovely state.

And how about some winter fun in Halfway Oregon?  Here's a YouTube clip of a family having a blast with their snowmobile in Halfway--all the way across the state near Hells Canyon.


The little giggle at the end is especially cute.

Need a place to stay in Halfway?  How about the Inn at Clear Creek Farm?  This Oregon bed and breakfast is currently the most easternly member of the Oregon Bed & Breakfast Guild and still in the state of Oregon (barely!).  And practically the only bed and breakfast in Halfway--but definitely the only one inspected to the Oregon Bed & Breakfast Guild's quality assurance standards.  Give Vicki a call toll-free at 866-430-6003 and she'll be happy to tell you more about visiting Halfway in the wintertime.

The inn is near the Pine Ranger District with 260 sqaure miles of accessible National Forest, 155 miles of snowmobile trails and 85 miles of backpacking trails.  Is that enough to get your heart started or what?

Join innkeeper Vicki for a hearty breakfast and let her tell you about the best places for viewing wildlife (plenty of it and very visible from fall through spring).   With six rooms to choose from--in house and outlying cabins too--bring your whole crowd along and take over the inn for a week! 

Expand your horizons past the Oregon coast hotels (save them for another trip) or the Oregon Wine Country lodging (another wonderful romantic getaway Oregon style).  A trip to Halfway Oregon in winter is one you'll remember for years to come!

So begins a series of posts proclaiming the diverse talents of our innkeepers as they prepare their inns for the holidays.  Fabulous dinners, festive decorations and joyful, if not playful, gatherings for you, your families and friends.  The Innkeepers of the Oregon Bed and Breakfast Guild are busy preparing their inns for your arrival.

A sampling of Thanksgiving dinners.  This one being served at the Arch Cape Inn and Retreat and a link to their blog for full menu:

Butternut Squash Bisque
Juniper Brined Turkey Breast
Seared Sea Scallops



Thanksgiving Day Dinner Food Fest at the Prospect Historic Hotel and Dinner House and the complete menu:

Roast Turkeys - basted from the inside with Karen's secret sauce
Fred's Wild Rice Dressing
Sweet Potato Streusel

And a grand selection of pies at both inns

Feast on meals prepared with the very best of Oregon's bounty and be pampered in these unique Oregon bed and breakfasts.

Arch Cape Inn and Retreat offers exceptional Oregon Coast Lodging and the Prospect Historic Hotel, Crater Lake Lodging.  You might even be able to take the short drive to Crater Lake to witness its beauty in winter.  A glorious sight.

Watch for more Holiday Events and Specials from the inns of the Oregon Bed and Breakfast Guild

Whether you are just passing through, planning to stay or just haven't made up your mind yet, consider visiting one or more of Oregon's quaint villages, small towns or even the big city! Boasting historical districts consisting of vintage homes, downtown buildings and bed and breakfasts from Jacksonville to Albany and from McMinnville to Astoria, finding that perfect place to dine, explore and stay overnight isn't hard!

This time of year is when you find native Oregonians holding on to the edge of their seats.  I've seen and heard them for myself in all their anticipation as they ponder the snow conditions up on Mt. Hood, is there still good hiking found in the hills near Corvallis or is too wet, should we get our skiis out yet and head on over to Mt. Bachelor or Hoodoo or, should we just sit in a little coffee shop in the Pearl and think of trying a new restaurant to have dinner in tonight?

Oh...just so much to chose from!  So, where does one start?  Native or visitor to Oregon? Well, I say one must always start with the food!  I could end this blog right here and just tell you to start in Jacosonville and get on the epicurean bus and eat your way through Oregon!  However, I will suggest that you just take your sweet time and begin at the Jacksonville Inn Bistro and have the Butternut Squash Soup made of course with locally grown ingredients and topped so heavenly with creme' fraiche.  Then, work your way up to Albany and dine at Sybaris where Matt Bennet has cornered the farmer's market on all that is local and so fresh that his menu changes monthly allowing him to prepare and serve only what is in season in the Willamette Valley.  Taking that epicurean trail, you could continue on up in to McMinnville and have a burger and tots on the roof top at The Oregon Hotel and discover why the McMenaman brothers are so famous. After that pitstop, go on and check out brew pub after brew pub and learn why our beer here in Oregon is so popular all over the country. Wherever you choose to dine, taste or sip, you will learn why Oregonians just love it here.  Small town or the big city...doesn't matter...the foods always good in Oregon!

Finding that perfect inn on the trail is part of the fun too!  Some of Oregon's most famous foodies are found right in the kitchens of these Oregon Bed and Breakfasts!  There is nothing like coming in from skiing, snowshoeing, or even wine tasting and seeing the roaring fire in the fireplace and a dish of warm cookies and that special bottle of Oregon Pinot Noir waiting for you.  Choosing Oregon Wine Country or a Mt. Hood Bed and Breakfast as a place to warm up this winter sounds like a good place to stop the bus and get off!

Don't miss your bus and hope to see you on the trail as you visit Oregon this winter.  Stay warm and well fed!

Okay, so I'm guilty.  Lock me up and throw me in a hot bubble bath and oh yeah...don't let the door hit ya on the way out!

In one of my previous blogs, I commented on how one of my guilty pleasures is a lovely, long soak in an old tub with lots of bubbles and a little denial.  Well the denial thing was just added cause I am hours away from our sweet inn and enjoying being "the guest" at The Cannon Beach Hotel on the gorgeous Oregon Coast. 

We had one free day to "get away" so we jumped in our car and headed north.  The Cannon Beach Hotel is an Oregon Bed and Breakfast Guild membership hotel and offers the choice of four different lodging facilities for your stay in Cannon Beach.  Whether you choose a private room complete with a fire place and a huge old soaking tub or a beach cottage the entire family can enjoy, you will love the whole beach, cottage, pampering experience.

Walking around the beach town of Cannon Beach was the highlight of our afternoon.  The cottages, the art galleries, the breweries and the beach just a few steps away was perfect.

So for tonight, I soak in bubbles, eat luscious food, sip sweet wine, listen to the waves at the beach, and sleep soundly. For tomorrow takes us home, back to reality and Albany and of course to do what we love most...innkeeping!

Father's Day Weekend, July 18-19, and August 15-16, 2009 are free entrance dates to Crater Lake National Park in Southern Oregon.   Amy Sienicki, a reporter for ABC affiliate Channel 12 in Southern Oregon recently provided a video report of Crater Lake.  Her June 19th video report also has some interesting footage of Crater Lake.

To view Amy's story on the KDRV website, click here.

She also reported about how busy road crews are getting the Rim Road around Crater Lake open for the season.  The current estimate is that the road will be open by 4th of July weekend (2 weeks away).

If you're planning a trip to Crater Lake, the Oregon Bed & Breakfast Guild has a lodging in Oregon alternative for you.  Most people think about staying at the Crater Lake Lodge, located inside the national park near the rim of Crater Lake.  However, only 28 gorgeous miles down the road in the little town of Prospect, Oregon, is the Prospect Historic Hotel--our answer for Crater Lake lodging.

This hotel is the closest bed and breakfast to Crater Lake and well worth the drive.  Owners Fred and Karen Wickman run the historic hotel as a bed and breakfast, but they also have a dinner house serving a full array of meals--and prime rib every night of the week.

So give Karen or Fred a call and book your reservation--maybe in conjunction with the free entrance weekends to Crater Lake National Park.  Toll-free is 1-800-944-6490.  Local is (541) 560-3664. 

Personalized service, wonderful food, an historic setting, walking distance to local waterfalls--the Prospect Hotel makes a great Oregon getaway vacation spot.  And there's even free wireless Internet access if you just have to stay connected while you're relaxing.

Ok, so I never and I mean "never" eat doughnuts.  Well, just this one time I ate one.  But it was a vegan doughnut.  So, does that count???

My last 24 hours in Portland have been full.  And I really mean full in every sense of the word.  For my husbands birthday, we headed north and my goal was to check out as many little "out of the way" cafes and restaurants we could.  So I had a doughnut this morning at Voodoo Doughnuts.  I have wanted to try these doughnuts ever since moving to Oregon especially when I found out that it's an Oregon Wedding Site.  I'm serious!  Let me just say it was an experience and we may do it again.  But, our culinary tour created by "me", began last evening at OMSI.  

OMSI is one of those kind of museums that entertains the entire family.  However, last evening it was open only to adults 21 and over.  Serving wine, beer and distilled spirits, the museum offered an OMSI After Dark experience that allowed us to set off rockets, build and fly paper airplanes, control a robot and watch electricity go through your hand and make your hair stand on end.  Well, that could have been the beer or wine but it was still fun to watch.  Star Parties, the CSI Crime Scene Exhibit and the After Dark events are happening at OMSI all summer long.  

Leaving the museum, we needed a little something to start off the "food" part of our tour.  We happened upon The Clarklewis.  This restaurant was a loading dock in a former life and now serves up tasty items such as Blue Bird Farm Farro Soup with Rapini, Pecorina and Extra Virgin Olive Oil and Saute'ed Sand Dabs with Oregon Asparagus, Fresh Bay Shrimp and Vermouth Butter.  Wasn't on my list, but it is now!

Stumptown Coffee and our Voodoo Doughnuts got us going this morning as we headed to Portland's Northeast District.  Taking the bus, we landed near La Buca (google for info), and after attending an art show, we sat and dined on several varieties of olives, crusty bread, balsamic vinegar, olive oil and of course an Oregon Pinot Noir.  This little cafe was not on my list either but you know how lists go.  Two of the cafes on my list have closed, one for remodeling.  So, we made a new list and headed for the Morrison Bridge. The Montage in Portland is directly under the bridge and offers up frog legs, gator bites, and blackened catfish.  The location was worth the walk and with it's interesting menu, it stays on our new list of places to dine.

Didn't eat the Mancakes but saw a Neo Blast Omelet, a BLT and burgers on the menu.  Stepping Stone Cafe is located in the North West area of Portland and serves "Mancakes" with a challenge to finish them all.  If you do, your picture goes on their "wall of shame".  So, we just tried the safe tomato and Gorgonzola soup. 

Gnocchi with wild mushrooms and white truffle oil and an angel hair pasta dish finished our list at the London Grill in the Benson Hotel, downtown Portland. With dining options that include a secret back door that leads to the private cellar,  you can dine surrounded by over 6,000 bottles of wine.  In the lower level of the Benson Hotel, this restaurant was the perfect night cap to end this "foodies" culinary tour of Portland, Oregon.  

So, I encourage you to make your list, don't feel obligated to stick to it, and enjoy a "full" day exploring one of the most sought after culinary tourist destinations in the Pacific Northwest.  

You'll find four Oregon Bed and Breakfasts that are members of the Oregon B&B Guild here in Wallowa County.  All four are dedicated to supporting local agriculture and sustainability of our local farms and ranches:

Barking Mad Farm Country B&B and the Alder Slope Bed and Breakfast are both located between Joseph and Enterprise, Oregon, on the high ground (called Alder Slope) with commanding views of the countryside.  Barking Mad Farm is also an Oregon lodging pet friendly B&B.

In the town of Joseph you'll find both Belle Pepper's Bed & Breakfast and the Bronze Antler B&B.   These two B&B utilize farm-fresh eggs generously produced by 22 laying hens who live at Belle Pepper's Bed & Breakfast.  We even encourage our guests to take home a dozen or two.

As much fun as a stay at the Oregon Coast hotels can be, a trip to Northeastern Oregon is something that can be fun, educational and tasty too.  Ask your innkeeper about Source Tours when planning your Eastern Oregon vacation this year.

The winegrowers of the Columbia River Gorge invite you for a weekend in the Gorge.   Straddling the mighty Columbia River, the Columbia Gorge Growing Region includes the fertile soils of both Washington and Oregon and intimate tasting rooms are open and featuring new releases, vineyard tours, horseback riding, artisinal treats, live music and more!  Here are just a sampling of events and activities this Memorial Weekend in the Columbia River Gorge.  For a list of all winery events visit the Columbia Gorge Winegrowers Association website

Pheasant Valley Winery ~ Hood River ~ Come early for authentic Hawaiian BBQ provided by Reed Acol Catering (Sat. & Sun. only). Be among the first to sample our new release 2007 Tempranillo. Partake in barrel tasting and a tour of Hood River’s first and only organic vineyard

Phelps Creek Vineyards~ Hood River ~  Great wine begins in the vineyard! Join us for our 4th Annual Vineyard Open House. Come tour our spectacular hillsides planted with Pinot Noir and Chardonnay with vigneron Bob Morus or go for a hayride through the vines

Cathedral Ridge Winery ~ Hood River ~  On Saturday May 23 we will be joined by Mountain Shadow Natural Meats for a Burgundy, Beef, Brats and Blues event from 1 - 4pm.  Live music by The Connally Group


Dry Hollow Vineyards ~ The Dalles ~ Dry Hollow Vineyards celebrates the release of its white wines:  Vin Blanc de Table, featuring Sauvignon Blanc, Smith-Cerne Vineyard, and 2008 Chardonnay, McDuffee Vineyard.  Horseback rides around the vineyard, weather permitting.

So much to see and a long weekend make for the perfect time to visit.  Choose a unique Oregon bed and breakfast over a Columbia River Gorge hotel and let the bed and breakfast inns of the scenic gorge area provide all your lodging needs.  The 80 miles from Portland to The Dalles is filled with the spectacular scenery of the Columbia River Gorge Scenic Highway and over 20 wineries. With majestic Mt Hood visible from many locations, the many activities and a stay at an Oregon Bed and Breakfast inn you are sure to have a memorable and fun-filled getaway.