Portland Spoke – The Official Blog of Travel Portland

When the weather heats up in the Pacific Northwest, the best way to cool down isn’t necessarily with a crisp beverage (though we do have plenty of great micro-brewed and -distilled options). The preferred method is an all-ages cocktail of water, wind and elevation that adds up to white-water rafting on the Clackamas River.

Located 30 miles east of Portland, this mountain-fed waterway gushes with class III and IV rapids in the springtime, when the currents coming off Mount Hood are particularly strong, and lower-powered class III waves from May to August as the weather gets warmer. Winding through old-growth forests, creatively named rapids like Sling Shot, Hole-in-the-Wall, Toilet Bowl and Bob’s Hole get the adrenaline pumping for rafters as young as 10 years old, while allowing paddlers of all ages plenty of time between whitewater to catch their breath (or even take a dip into the river’s crystal-clear waters).

There are several rafting outfits on the Clackamas. Blue Sky Rafting has been paddling Oregon’s rivers since 1998, and offers half- and full-day intermediate-level trips along the Clackamas that come with everything you need (including a barbecue lunch for full-day trips). All Adventures Rafting, whose guides have been licensed for upwards of 30 years, offers similar packages. And All Star also plies the Clackamas on weekends in May and June, and offers midweek runs for groups of eight or more, as well.

The best time to dip your toe in the whitewater may be during the Upper Clackamas Whitewater Festival (May 18-19). With slalom events, inner-tubing fun, and a catboat keep-away game, this 30th-annual event is fun whether you’re dripping wet or on dry land, and an excellent way to soak in summertime in the great Northwest.

Cherry blossoms and rhododendrons herald spring’s arrival within Portland, but if you’re really into flowers, you’ll want to feast your eyes on the many wildflower patches around the region — natural beauties that you won’t find anyplace else.

Bursting with color in late April and early May, the Camassia Natural Area in West Linn was carved out thousands of years ago by the great floods, but it’s a natural work of art that’s stood the test of time. A 16-mile drive south of downtown Portland, the 26-acre preserve can get muddy in the springtime, but from its trails you’ll see more than 300 different plant species and plenty of familiar birds flocking overhead.

About 10 miles west of Portland, Beaverton’s Cooper Mountain Nature Park features 3.5 miles of gravel trails — excellent footing from which to explore the 231 acres of prairies and woodlands. The trails also offer views of the Chehalem Mountains and Tualatin Valley, showing off Oregon’s natural splendor with bursts of wildflowers all around.

Looking for more blooms? Travel Oregon offers a guide to more wildflower hikes around the state.

Hikers will tell you there are two kinds of trails: one, where the trek itself is the payoff, and the other, which leads to a grand reward. While you don’t have to lace up any boots to enjoy the North Willamette Wine Trail (April 13-14), the path’s bounty of riches means you can enjoy both the journey and the destination. This weekend-long open house of more than 20 wineries, vineyards, tasting rooms and cellars offers everything from rare bottles to one-of-a-kind demonstrations, all unique to one of the country’s most vibrant winemaking valleys.

Home to around two dozen vintners, North Willamette Valley’s wine country is approximately 20 miles from downtown Portland and boasts both stunning scenery and palate-pleasing wines. The North Willamette Wine Trail Weekend, which runs the second weekend in April each year, is the ideal time to visit the wineries, which range from small boutiques like Ardiri Winery to large estates like Shafer Vineyard Cellars. Winding along the wine trail reveals riches far beyond the vine — food pairings, live music, tours and hands-on activities also abound.

And then there’s the wine. Known for some of the world’s best pinot noir grapes, the valley’s wines — sought after the world over — are abundantly accessible along this route. From new releases to reserve labels, there are tastings aplenty along the trail, with barrel tappings by winemakers a common sight throughout the weekend.

Passes are now available, with options for weekend-long ($45) or Sunday-only tickets ($30).

Curated by NASA, this exhibit explains the science behind the out-of-this world eyepiece that orbits Earth, beaming down photos that have helped us better understand the cosmos and our place in it. Visit the Washington County Museum’s new home in the Hillsboro Civic Center to take in color photographs showcasing Hubble’s most stunning discoveries, as well as a model of the telescope itself. (more…)

Fireworks at Mt. Hood Ski Bowl, courtesy of MtHoodTerritory.com

It’s beginning to look a lot like winter — especially when you take a peek at the peak of Mount Hood on Portland’s horizon. Just a 90-minute drive from the downtown, the mountain sits right in the city’s backyard and makes for a heck of a winter playground. In fact, there are a number of different ways to enjoy Mount Hood’s wonderland of snow.

For skiing and snowboarding, Mount Hood Meadows, Mt. Hood Ski Bowl and Timberline can’t be beat. Meadows, with 11 lifts, 85 runs and a three-mile stretch of uninterrupted downhill, has a trail for every level of skier. Ski Bowl, with the largest night ski area in the country, keeps snow-hungry riders shushing for hours. And Timberline, a national historic landmark, is as popular for its relaxing lodge as for its runs. (more…)

Sure, there’s no place like home for the holidays, but there’s no place quite like Hood River, either. This pretty little burg is an hour’s drive over(-looking) the Columbia River and through the Mt. Hood National Forest woods from Portland — and still holds dear to holiday traditions of years gone by.

Hood River Holidays (Nov. 30 – Dec. 24) gives visitors plenty of reasons to stop, stroll and shop the city’s quaint stores and boutiques, as well as kick back within its restaurants and pubs for a bit of holiday revelry.

Festivities begin at 6:30 p.m. on Nov. 30, with a holiday parade, live music, kids’ activities and the hristmas-tree lighting all heralding the arrival of Santa.

The month-long celebration fills every inch of town with holiday spirit, from boat parades featuring festively lit watercraft, to rides on Mount Hood Railroad’s Polar Express, which transports believers in the Christmas Spirit straight to the North Pole. New events are being added to the festival all the time, so be sure to check the Hood River County Chamber of Commerce website before you pack your sleigh.

Random notes on some recent experiences — an exhibition, a play and a hike – filled with dramatic peaks (both figurative and literal) that are rooted in history and culture, and enriched by the written word:

• In his insightful review of The Body Beautiful in Ancient Greece — on view at the Portland Art Museum through Jan. 6 – Bob Hicks of Oregon Arts Watch reminds us that “it was a painted urn, after all, that inspired Keats to poetry.”  And while seeing The Discobolus might conjure up memories of a long-ago art history class, Hicks notes that “You can’t bring back the past. You can only glimpse it and try to understand it, dimly. Still, The Body Beautiful reminds us that a great deal of what began in Greece is still a vital part of us.”
• Earlier this month, Hicks waxed poetic about August Wilson, who wrestles with a more recent past in Seven Guitars, part of Wilson’s 10-play cycle that illuminates the African-American experience. The terrific production at Artists Repertory Theatre runs through Nov. 11. (A quick side note for fans of Wilson: Portland Playhouse will stage King Hedley II Dec. 6-30).

Ruckel Creek Trail

• I was lucky enough to catch a Friday-night performance of Seven Guitars, followed a couple of days later by a hike in the Columbia River Gorge, where I covered a portion of the Ruckel Creek Trail. It’s a challenging climb, but one that yields a particularly nice reward, best described by the great William L. Sullivan: a “strange, hummocky, moss-covered rockslide” pockmarked with pits that “were dug at least 1,000 years ago, evidently as vision quest sites for young Indian men.” For further inspiration — plus helpful maps and deft descriptions — check out Sullivan’s indispensible guidebook, 100 Hikes in Northwest Oregon & Southwest Washington.

Photo by Dave Shea, via Flickr

Adding to the list of all that Portland-area visitors and residents have to be grateful for is the annual Wine Country Thanksgiving (Nov. 23-25). During Oregon’s premier tasting and cellar-stocking event, more than 160 wineries open their doors to the public, offering samples of favorite labels and special vintages. From Dundee-based White Rose Estate’s 2010 Pinot Noir, which was just named the year’s best wine by Portland Monthly, to Dayton-based Sokol Blosser’s Evolution White, a fruity splash that pairs great with a variety of dishes, there are literally hundreds of wines to choose from.

The holiday weekend festivities include live music, food and wine pairings, and the opportunity to visit with winemakers at some of Oregon’s top wineries — including many not usually open to the public.

The easiest way to wind your way is with the Willamette Valley Mobile Wine Tour. This smartphone-optimized website uncorks all the info you need to organize a Wine Country Thanksgiving road trip, including vineyard hours, wine details, contact information and GPS-assisted maps. It’s amazing when you think about it: Thirty years ago, when the event was first launched, such an innovation was unimaginable. But today, the wine is still a timeless treasure.

Photo by Kathe Worsley, via Flickr

Just when you think you’ve seen everything, you realize for the past eight years you’ve missed the West Coast Giant Pumpkin Regatta (Oct. 20, 2012). Exactly what it sounds like, this annual series of races consists of paddlers piloting a gaggle of ginormous gourds through a water course on the Lake at Tualatin Commons. The event makes its ninth splash on Saturday, Oct. 20, kicking off with a giant pumpkin parade and weigh-off, followed by a full day of costumed contestants plying the shallow lake in 1,000-pound pumpkin boats.

On dry land, a costume contest, live music, face painting, pumpkin carving, pie eating contest and pumpkin golf will keep the laughs coming at this free, family-friendly event. Located just 13 miles (20 minutes by car) southwest of downtown Portland, Tualatin is a great starting point for an autumn adventure in the Willamette Valley, complete with foliage and farm stands — but the most eye-popping sight of the day will probably be those paddling pumpkins.

Image courtesy of the Hood River County Chamber of Commerce

Seated at the confluence of the Columbia River and the fertile Hood River Valley, the town of Hood River is perfectly positioned to allow visitors to pick and choose from exhilarating activities and delicious food. These two offerings are highlighted each year with the Hood River Harvest Fest (Oct. 19-21). The weekend-long, old-fashioned fall celebration has been happening for 30 years and offers many ways to get a taste of Oregon, no matter which flavor is your favorite. (more…)