YOU'RE SHARING RON & MARTHA'S GOLDEN YEARS
HOOD RIVER COUNTY FRUIT LOOP
Less than sixty miles from our home in Gresham, near Portland, Oregon, along Interstate 84, Hood River County is home to several wineries, orchards and fruit stands, and many other attractions. We make several short day trips there each year primarily to restock our wine rack. We may stop for breakfast at Multnomah Falls Lodge or in the little town of Cascade Locks. Our first FRUIT LOOP visit is to Flerchinger Vineyards, a small, friendly winery that offers a nice variety of wines. We favor the less dry varieties of wines, and at Flerchinger's we like their Bordheauxd Red (2/3 Cabernet Sauvignon and 1/3 Merlot,) Oregon Halbtrocken (off-dry), Oregon Riesling Blush, Oregon White Riesling, Merlot and Merlot-Cabernet. Then we make a pie stop at River Bend Farm & Country Store, where we may also set out our picnic lunch, if we brought one, on tables thoughtfully provided at the store. Our final FRUIT LOOP destination before heading back home is Rasmussen Farms which offers twenty different kinds of apples. You might wish to also visit Hood River city itself where you will find nice restaurants, antique and specialty stores to browse, or venture across the Columbia River to Bingen, White Salmon, or even further north to Trout Lake, located on the State of Washington. Between White Salmon and Trout Lake is the small Wind River Winery. A return to Portland on the Washington side of the Columbia River provides a different view of the Columbia Gorge. You can have a pleasant dinner at Skamania Lodge and the Columbia River Gorge Interpretive Center near Stevenson.
If you have more time, try riding the Mt. Hood Rail Road to Parkdale, or venturing further up the gorge to Maryhill Museum and the Stonhenge Memorial in Washington across the river from Biggs Junction.