TRIP PLANNER: NORTHERN OREGON COAST PG. 94
Razor Clam Recipes
Skiing During COVID-19
Oregon’s Best Hot Chocolate Spots
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volume 65
NASA. Apollo 11. You. Your place in history starts right here.
And you don’t have to make a trip around the moon to discover it. Claim your stake at Discovery West, a mixed-use community alive with the spirit of exploration, with nearby schools, parks, trails, shopping and more. This once in a lifetime opportunity is just waiting for you. Discover your own personal space at discoverywestbend.com or visit our Discovery Pod at the corner of Skyline Ranch Road and Celilo Lane.
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SPOKANE’S
Winter Romance
ALKING THROUGH Riverfront Park along the banks of Spokane River, you know that you’re in a place where winter presents its better self and tradition is time’s gift to its visitors. Kids skate over a ribbon of ice and through the park. Couples stroll past sculptures and the giant Radio Flyer red wagon, reminiscent
of an early holiday gift decades ago. The new Pavilion is lit like a lantern in a Norman Rockwell scene, casting a glow that can be seen from the roaring Spokane Falls down the path. The 110-year-old Clock Tower, wound by hand every week, hits 8 o’clock, as nearby bars and restaurants buzz with a socially distanced clientele.
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Recently, Spokane was ranked number two in America for COVID-safe places for fall travel. Winter is no exception. Mt. Spokane has opened up new terrain for skiers and snowboarders. Its nordic skiing trails are well groomed and offer beautiful vistas. Downtown, the new Hotel Indigo is pristine and serves a French bistro menu in its restaurant, Magnolia. In the grand lobby of The Historic Davenport Hotel, a fire is lit for locals and visitors to enjoy. The annual Christmas Tree Elegance takes place just down the street in River Park Square. In a quickly renovating downtown, boutiques shops such as Cues, Boulevard Mercantile and Lolo are favorites among holiday shoppers. Among downtown shops and Kendall Yards’ refreshingly modern addition, wine tasting has come
to the front of Spokane’s palate. Maryhill Winery’s new tasting room overlooks the Spokane River and the city’s lights from the north bank. Downtown, Barrister, Helix and Cougar Crest are serving terroir by the glass. The broadening diversity of restaurants is one of Spokane’s most compelling attributes. Churchill’s Steakhouse, Zona Blanca’s ceviche, Ethan Stowell’s new Italian Tavolàta, the eclectic Wild Sage Bistro, the elegant Gander and Ryegrass and taco temptress Cochinito are just a few venues on a larger menu. Back out in Sprague Avenue, snow dances slowly in and out of the illumination of gaslight lamps and the neon marquee of the Bing Crosby Theater, where passersby recall the bel canto baritone voice singing “Silent Night.”
Plan Your Trip Today at VisitSpokane.com
Testing the Water photography by Richard Darbonne Wading into the shallow water along the Oregon Coast in search of razor clams is one of the most family-friendly ways to enjoy Oregon’s bounty. Come along with Northwest Wild Products’ Ron Neva as he collects fresh razor clams to sell to restaurants and markets around the state. (pg. 28)
6 1859 OREGON’S MAGAZINE NOVEMBER | DECEMBER
2020
Ron Neva is the owner of Northwest Wild Products in Astoria.
NOVEMBER | DECEMBER 2020
1859 OREGON’S MAGAZINE 7
FEATURES
A winding creek leads toward Mount Bachelor during a colorful sunrise on Cascade Lakes Highway.
NOVEMBER | DECEMBER 2020 • volume 65
74 A Sight for Sore Eyes Feast your eyes on the Cascade Range in winter, without having to brave freezing temperatures or get up before the sunrise. photography by Richard Bacon
58 How to Travel Abroad Without Leaving the Pacific Northwest After coronavirus quarantining for months, we’re betting that wanderlust has struck—and we’ve got the cure. If you can road trip safely, you can hit parts of Europe and Asia, all here in the Pacific Northwest. From Italian-inspired wineries to towns straight out of Europe guidebooks, we’ve got some truly romantic, international-inspired options. written by Kevin Max
65 In 2020, we’ve all learned a lot about what’s really important. To that end, we searched the Pacific Northwest for items that make home more comfortable, outdoor adventures more fun, and bring us together, even when we have to be 6 feet apart. photography by Toby Nolan
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NOVEMBER | DECEMBER 2020
Richard Bacon
The PNW Holiday Gift Guide
HOOD RIVER
MENS WOMENS CLOTHING
SHOES TEXTILES FURNITURE
MENS WOMENS KIDS BABY CLOTHING SHOES TEXTILES GIFTS
DEPARTMENTS
LIVE 18 NOTEBOOK
NOVEMBER | DECEMBER 2020 • volume 65
Say goodbye to 2020 with a roundup of Oregon’s best new music, and curl up with The Unanswered Letter, one Eugene woman’s deep dive into a connection with the Holocaust.
24 FOOD + DRINK
54
Stock up on Italian fare at Cooperativa, Portland’s newest food hall dedicated to pizza, pasta, gelato and more. Then find our favorite spots to drink hot cocoa and your best bet for picking up a roast for the holidays.
28 FARM TO TABLE
Razor clams are delicious, and they are a perfect reason for a family outing to the rainy Oregon Coast. Grab your permits and your clam gun, then read this piece about professional clammers. Bonus: recipes that will put your hard work to delicious use.
36 HOME + DESIGN
Eugene Pavlov
If you seek a more creative approach to building and decorating your home, look to a yurt on Sauvie Island and a low-slung oasis in Southern Oregon wine country. Then learn how to score the same look for less.
44
44 MIND + BODY
Once a collegiate swimmer, Ellie Meyrowitz is the healer of elite runners.
46 ARTIST IN RESIDENCE
Hiroko Cannon doesn’t have to go far to find inspiration—she often just watches the birds in her Eastern Oregon backyard before painting them from memory.
46
THINK 50 STARTUP
Oregon’s Choice Seafood is taking the delicious Pacific Northwest seafood we’ve been eating for years and canning it at its freshest.
51 WHAT’S GOING UP
We may not be doing much traveling these days, but new and expanded hotels are ready when you are.
Hiroko Cannon
Bradley Lanphear
52 WHAT I’M WORKING ON
14 15 102 104
Editor’s Letter 1859 Online Map of Oregon Until Next Time
Nakamoto Forestry uses a tried-and-true Japanese technique to create wood siding that is beautiful and maintenance-free.
54 MY WORKSPACE
Oregon Fruit Products cans the local fruit we love, overcoming pandemics and wildfires to deliver deliciousness to all.
56 GAME CHANGER
When Oregon’s devastating wildfires struck in September, the American Red Cross was prepared with coronavirus-compliant plans in place.
EXPLORE 82 TRAVEL SPOTLIGHT
There is no shortage of beauty in Oregon’s state parks. Head off the beaten path for some new waterfall views.
84 ADVENTURE
Hitting the mountain during the coronavirus may look different than normal—but if you’re itching to hit the slopes, we’ve got the latest information on how to do it safely.
92 LODGING
COVER
Willamette Valley Bed and Breakfast combines all the greatest things about vacation— three-course breakfasts, king-sized beds, private patios—all in the comfort of wine country.
photo illustration by Allison Bye (see How to Travel Abroad Without Leaving the Pacific Northwest, pg. 58)
94 TRIP PLANNER
Most may think of the Northern Oregon Coast as a summer destination, but there are plenty of romantic reasons to visit in the winter. Brave the rain, and be rewarded.
100 NORTHWEST DESTINATION
Wallace, Idaho calls itself the “center of the universe,” and it may be onto something.
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1859 OREGON’S MAGAZINE
NOVEMBER | DECEMBER 2020
Discover
True Health Join a community of care dedicated to your well-being. We’ve been working to raise the standard of health and well-being in the community for more than 160 years. Providence Medicare Advantage Plans offer community-focused care, wherever you go, through a vast network of doctors, specialists, and facilities. Plus, many plans offer personalized hearing services and comprehensive dental options. Enroll now at MyTruePlans.com/print or call (866) 713-2186 (TTY: 711) 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. (Pacific Time), every day.
Providence Medicare Advantage Plans is an HMO, HMO-POS and HMO SNP with Medicare and Oregon Health Plan contracts. Enrollment in Providence Medicare Advantage Plans depends on contract renewal. Providence Health Plan and Providence Health Assurance comply with applicable Federal civil rights laws and do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability, or sex. H9047_2021PHA44_M
CONTRIBUTORS
TOBY NOLAN Photographer The PNW Holiday Gift Guide
SHIRLEY A. HANCOCK Writer Artist in Residence
JEREMY STORTON Writer Beerlandia
RICHARD DARBONNE Photographer Farm to Table
Creating the images for this year’s Holiday Gift Guide combined a number of my favorite aspects of photography: lighting, composition and storytelling. Working with larger groups of products involved everything from using natural light while shooting from the top rung of an 8-foot ladder to building sets that involved multiple lights, reflectors, diffusers and props. Starting with an idea and then constructing an environment that brings that idea to life is always a fun experience. (pg. 65)
On a trip back from the Wallowas, I visited an art exhibit in Pendleton. What I experienced evaporated all thoughts of wildfires and pandemic. Later that day, artist Hiroko Cannon and I sat at her dining room table as she chronicled a journey from global brand illustrator in Tokyo to immigrant and single mom in remote Oregon, to renowned wildlife artist. Her story reminds me how Oregon’s raw beauty gives birth to life and purpose of all kinds. (pg. 46)
There’s a certain magic about Oregon beer. It has the ability to draw us in and take us on a journey. Through the pint in my hand, I’ve gone around the world and back in time. This is the magic of Oregon beer. As a column and a podcast, 1859’s Beerlandia was meant to share these experiences. I hope it continues to serve as a gateway to a greater world. (pg. 24)
About twenty minutes south of Astoria is a strip of beach with the best razor clamming in the state. I arrived at the beach at low tide, about 7 a.m., and the air was salty and crisp with a thick fog. My guide and clamming veteran Ron Neva told me to bring boots or waders. I opted for boots (mistake). After ten minutes of shooting, I was waist-deep in surf. I shot for two hours as Ron weaved in and out of the waves. Being on the Oregon Coast is one of my favorites things, and I picked up some hot tips for digging clams! (pg. 28)
12 1859 OREGON’S MAGAZINE NOVEMBER | DECEMBER
2020
EDITOR Kevin Max
MANAGING EDITOR Sheila G. Miller CREATIVE DIRECTOR Allison Bye
WEB MANAGER
OFFICE MANAGER
DIRECTOR OF SALES
SALES ASSISTANT
HOMEGROWN CHEF
BEERLANDIA COLUMNIST
Aaron Opsahl Cindy Miskowiec Jenny Kamprath Elijah Aikens Thor Erickson Jeremy Storton
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS
Melissa Dalton, Shirley A. Hancock, Sophia McDonald, Ben Salmon, Jen Stevenson
CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS
Bryan Aulick, Richard Bacon, Richard Darbonne, Charlotte Dupont, Bradley Lanphear, Toby Nolan, Eugene Pavlov, Ben Sager, Isaac Turner
CONTRIBUTING ARTISTS
Cate Andrews
Headquarters
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All rights reserved. No part of this publiCation may be reproduCed or transmitted in any form or by any means, eleCtroniCally or meChaniCally, inCluding photoCopy, reCording or any information storage and retrieval system, without the express written permission of Statehood Media. ArtiCles and photographs appearing in 1859 Oregon’s Magazine may not be reproduCed in whole or in part without the express written Consent of the publisher. 1859 Oregon’s Magazine and Statehood Media are not responsible for the return of unsoliCited materials. The views and opinions expressed in these artiCles are not neCessarily those of 1859 Oregon’s Magazine, Statehood Media or its employees, staff or management.
NOVEMBER | DECEMBER 2020
1859 OREGON’S MAGAZINE 13
HONESTLY, FOR MOST of us, saying goodbye to 2020 is good riddance. Small businesses are suffering, many Oregonians were affected by the coronavirus, others were burned out of their houses in the worst wildfire season in history. Travel remains difficult. Friends remain socially distanced. Good riddance, 2020! What’s hopeful as we slide into the final months of this anomalous year? Think of this year as truly the year of giving. For those of us who are in a position to donate to our local and regional charities, this is the year to dig a little deeper or give more time to your favorite cause. On pg. 56, Dale Kunce, CEO of the American Red Cross Cascades Region, gives us a behind-the-scenes feel for the huge effort that Oregonian volunteers and Red Cross put out to soften the blow of those affected by the massive fire complex in the Cascades. If you don’t think your money and time count, this may change your mind. You can also support local businesses through our curated list of local businesses selected for this year’s Gift Guide. Nothing too fancy this year. We focus on the comfort food of holiday gifts—local foods and crafted spirits, the things that make us warm and cozy as we usher in the new year. Turn to pg. 65 to find great gift ideas and to shop local. Even as it will feel somewhat different this season, skiing and snowboarding at some of the region’s top resorts could possibly be a bright spot. There are no friends on powder days. Now, there are no close friends on any snow days. Yes, we will take precautions to avoid transmitting the virus through our actions, we will probably wait in lift lines a little longer and even avoid the bar this year. Ripping is still ripping. Turn to pg. 84, where we’ve put together the guide to skiing and riding during COVID-19. One low point for many fellow wanderlusters has been the restrictions on local and international travel. I feel you. Instead of hanging our heads, we put them together for a feature that identifies areas and towns across the Pacific Northwest that make you feel as if you’ve landed in Europe, Scandinavia or Asia. How to Travel Abroad Without Leaving the Pacific Northwest on pg. 58 will take you to Bavaria, Switzerland,
14 1859 OREGON’S MAGAZINE NOVEMBER | DECEMBER
2020
Jenn Redd
FROM THE EDITOR
China, Austria, Norway and more destinations within driving distance. These cool spots may just do the trick until international flight and travel is safe again. Finally, our music writer, Ben Salmon, reveals his top twenty favorite albums of 2020 from Oregon musicians. Cozy up with your favorite holiday beverage and make a playlist of your top songs from this list. Instead of cards this year, send a song to someone with a note—thinking of you!
1859 ONLINE More ways to connect with your favorite Oregon content www.1859oregonmagazine.com | #1859oregon | @1859oregon
have a photo that shows off your oregon experience? Share it with us by filling out the Oregon Postcard form on our website. If chosen, you’ll be published here. www.1859oregon magazine.com/postcard photo by Masamichi Shiku Views on Dead Indian Memorial Road by Ashland.
ENTER TO WIN bounty prize package
GIVEAWAY Want to win items from this issue’s PNW Holiday Gift Guide? Keep an eye on our social media feeds for a chance to enter.
Enter for a chance to win a bounty prize package from MilkRun! Two winners will each receive two large MilkRun produce boxes and a $100 gift certificate to a Tournant dinner event. Each produce box is chef-curated, with contents changing weekly to feature the freshest seasonal produce available. Contest runs November 5 through December 6. Enter online at www.1889mag.com
NOVEMBER | DECEMBER 2020
1859 OREGON’S MAGAZINE 15
NOTEBOOK 18 FOOD + DRINK 24 FARM TO TABLE 28 HOME + DESIGN 36 MIND + BODY 44
pg. 18 One Fork Farm caramels are a sure cure for the winter blues.
Kathryn Elsesser
ARTIST IN RESIDENCE 46
SILVIES SIMPLY AMAZING SINCE 1883
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In the center of Eastern Oregon, Silvies is only a 4 1/2 hour drive from Gresham (or 5 1/2 hours through Bend) through Prineville. The trip is low stress, little traffic, and beautiful, with a few friendly stops along the way. Just enough time to start to unwind listening to a good book or your favorite tunes.
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notebook
Talia Jean Galvin
Tidbits + To-dos
Wild Carrot Herbals
Nomad Mix
Winter is here, and that means a new skincare routine. Enterprise’s Wild Carrot Herbals has the answer to dry skin, with added botanical oils and organic ingredients. Try the new Cosmic Lips lip balms or the Alpen Glow for winter weather protection to help your skin survive 2020.
Arm yourself for the great outdoors with delicious Nomad Mix. This small-batch trail mix has at least one type of seed, nut, fruit and vegetable in each bag. Plus, it’s gluten-free and paleo—it would be vegan except for the local honey used as sweetener. The Tide Pool mix has goji berries and shiitake mushrooms, while Dune features toasted corn and pineapple.
www.wildcarrotherbals.com
www.nomadmix.com
Letterpress PDX Start planning your New Year’s resolutions now—and make keeping in touch with friends and family a priority. Letterpress PDX makes quirky, pretty stationery that will make you want to pick up a pen and send an old-fashioned letter. Our favorite? The Happy Trails snail card. www.letterpresspdx.com
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1859 OREGON’S MAGAZINE
NOVEMBER | DECEMBER 2020
Amanda Siska
Kathryn Elesser
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Momo Cocoa
One Fork Farm McMinnville’s One Fork Farm caramels are the perfect stocking stuffer or post-dinner treat. The company started out making small-batch wildflower honey caramels with salt harvested from the Oregon Coast and wildflower honey, and they’re as delicious as ever.
The lactose-intolerant and vegan crowd shouldn’t miss out on hot cocoa, and Momo Cocoa agrees. The Portland-based company offers eight non-dairy flavors of drinking chocolate, with organic sugar, as well as three types of tea. Or grab an unsweetened basic cocoa and finish it however you like. Then curl up under your favorite blanket and dream of post-quarantine parties. www.momococoa.com
www.oneforkfarm.com
Silvies Valley Ranch
Silvies Valley Ranch for social-distanced rejuvenating Silvies Valley Ranch plays out over 140,000 acres in the Malheur National Forest in remote Seneca. This beacon of luxury and adventure may have the best year-end treat for you and your partner during the pandemic. This year has been tough for everyone. End it with a little healing. The Silvies Retreat & Rejuvenate Package includes three nights in a cabin suite, four days at the spa, sleigh rides, cross-country skiing, hiking, all meals home-cooked and a fireplace soft chair to read and relax in. See also the Snuggle-Up (mega spa treatments) and Winter Adventure (eco-tour and pistol shooting) packages. www.silvies.us
NOVEMBER | DECEMBER 2020
1859 OREGON’S MAGAZINE
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written by Ben Salmon
THE COVID-19 pandemic may have halted live shows, but it didn’t stop Oregon artists from recording and releasing some of their best music. Here are twenty albums released by Oregonians in 2020 that you should hear.
BEST OF
2020 Broadway Calls Rainier Sad in the City While lots of bands compete for air just down the interstate in Portland, the veteran pop-punk trio Broadway Calls continues to be one of the state’s hidden gems, tucked away in the tiny river town of Rainier. On their first album in seven years, the band is loud and fast and politically charged. Drums are thunderous, the bass rumbles and the guitars buzz like power tools bouncing around a mosh pit. But the most striking thing about Sad in the City is the sheer size and sharpness of the hooks that power fist-pumping songs like “You Gotta Know” and “Sick New Truth.” Pop-punk gods, bless Broadway Calls. Long may they run.
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1859 OREGON’S MAGAZINE
Bart Budwig Enterprise Another Burn on the AstroTurf Singer-songwriter Bart Budwig lives at the historic OK Theater in the tiny Northeast Oregon town of Enterprise. He runs the soundboard for concerts there, and he has recorded a whole bunch of bands’ albums there, including his own, which is named after a hangout area in the back alley—all of which is probably why Another Burn on the AstroTurf feels so warm and inviting and lived-in. Cue up Budwig’s melancholy brand of folk-rock ‘n’ soul, close your eyes and transport yourself to the OK’s well-worn dance floor. It’s a trip worth taking.
NOVEMBER | DECEMBER 2020
Capriisun Eugene A Fleeting Now This aptly named album’s eleven tracks breeze by in just over 21 minutes, but they never feel lightweight or forgettable. That’s a testament to Capriisun’s flow, which snakes through a song like a river through a canyon, twisting and turning without beginning or end. Even more impressive is the guy’s beat selection, which tends toward laid-back tracks that are minimalist but memorable. With track times topping out at three minutes and many songs under 120 seconds, Fleeting feels a bit like the sketchbook of a promising artist. Boy is it fun to flip through.
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The Color Study Bend The Color Study
Natasha Kmeto Portland You’ve Never Danced Alone
The Color Study began as Scott Oliphant’s studio project and you can still hear that, even years later. The band’s self-titled debut just sounds wonderful, as if Phil Spector’s famous “wall of sound” recording approach has become a sentient being with a record shelf full of interesting, out-there pop-rock records. (Think Animal Collective if they’d come up in Texas dives rather than East Coast DIY spaces.) According to Oliphant, The Color Study documents and processes a painful failed relationship, but if you don’t want to go on that trip, you can just strap on some headphones and sit at the center of the din, soaking in the sounds as they swirl around.
Mo Troper Portland Natural Beauty Listen to any of Mo Troper’s three full-length albums and you might start to think he’s not a human being, but a well-oiled and productive melody machine capable of spitting out near-perfect pop-rock songs until the end of time. But if you think that, then you need to listen more closely to Troper’s lyrics, which reveal the earnest, honest, vulnerable heart that beats loudly at the center of these tunes. Natural Beauty is sweet ‘n’ salty and endlessly listenable. It isn’t just one of the best Oregon albums of 2020, it’s one of the best by anyone anywhere.
For years now, Natasha Kmeto has been one of the most vibrant and vital artists in the state, thanks to her ear-friendly sound and her forwardthinking point of view. Danced is her first full-length album in five years, and it is worth the wait. Written and recorded entirely in her home studio, the album’s eleven tracks skillfully straddle the lines between futuristic R&B, downtempo dance music and soulful synth-pop as Kmeto breathily sings of love, loss and the complicated nature of life in the 21st century.
Mosley Wotta Bend This Is (Not) All There Is
In Mulieribus Portland Cycles of Eternity
Laura Veirs Portland My Echo The history of music is littered with albums about love, of course, and more than a few breakup albums, too. But on her eleventh studio album, Veirs carves out a niche somewhere in between: “(This) is my ‘my songs knew I was getting divorced before I did’ album,” she said. Written and recorded as her marriage to renowned producer Tucker Martine was disintegrating, My Echo finds Veirs confronting fear, struggle, worry and impermanence in her own distinctly tuneful way. Veirs is one of Oregon’s true musical treasures—only she could make anxious desperation sound so pretty.
For more than a decade, rapper, poet and painter Mosley Wotta has been Bend’s leading artistic ambassador, not to mention an integral figure in the city’s creative scene. He performs all over town, teaches kids how to express themselves and, in his spare time, hits the road to play shows in other places. Concurrent with all of that, he and his beat-making partner Colton Williams crank out excellent left-of-center hiphop with impressive regularity. The latest installment is this EP, which turns down the confrontational chaos of MoWo’s 2019 album What Comes After in favor of a (slightly) more mellow, head-nodding kind of vibe.
This all-female vocal ensemble gives new meaning to the phrase “play the old stuff,” as it typically performs music written before the year 1750. But on Cycles of Eternity, In Mulieribus sets its sights on works by contemporary composers such as Tarik O’Regan and Oregon’s own John Vergin, Andrea Reinkemeyer and Craig Kingsbury. No matter the age of the material, the group sings with stunning clarity and grace, turning challenging compositions and sky-high notes into a breathtaking cascade of sounds.
11 MORE LOCAL ALBUMS TO LISTEN TO Smokey Charles | Hope You Enjoy
Lithics | Tower of Age
Omni Gardens | Moss King
Eyelids | The Accidental Falls
Luther’s Boots | Darkened Road Ahead
Pulse Emitter | Swirlings
Fox Academy | Rabbit
Stephen Malkmus | Traditional Techniques
Ghost Pop | Ghost Pop Vol. 4
Methods Body | Methods Body
Jeffrey Silverstein | You Become the Mountain
NOVEMBER | DECEMBER 2020
1859 OREGON’S MAGAZINE 21
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Bibliophile
Searching for Answers Eugene’s Faris Cassell spent years researching a letter interview by Sheila G. Miller
WHEN EUGENE JOURNALIST Faris Cassell’s husband, Sidney, brought home a letter from one of his patients, she was intrigued. The letter, dated August 1939 and sent from Vienna by Alfred Berger, a Jewish man desperate to escape Nazi occupation and persecution with his wife, reached a California family with the same last name—seemingly sent at random. In her book, The Unanswered Letter, Cassell shares what came next—her yearslong struggle to find out what happened to Alfred and Hedwig Berger. What was the most difficult part of this research? It’s a dark piece of history. The most difficult thing, researchwise, was when we found this trove of letters that had been written by Alfred and Hedwig from the heart of the Holocaust—just the deepest part. When I found that trove of letters they were written on thin, air-mail paper and the writing was uneven and faded and they were written in this style of German writing that isn’t used anymore called Sütterlin. I took them to the German department at the University of Oregon thinking maybe someone there could be helpful, but no one could understand that language there, either. Eventually, I located a survivor here in Eugene, Hilda Geissen, living just a couple miles from my house. She told me about her four years in Theresienstadt, a concentration camp in the Czech Republic. This was a woman in her 80s who was bright and cheerful and sharpminded. As I was leaving, I asked her, ‘I don’t suppose you’d have any interest in helping translate these letters?’ Without a moment’s hesitation she said, ‘Sure, I’d be glad to.’ I’d bring my laptop and we’d sit in her
living room and she would sight-read these letters. It was difficult for her to make out a lot of these scrawls, but she just persevered, and that was an inspiring act. There were recent reports that many people in our country don’t know about the Holocaust, or don’t believe it’s real. Do you hope your book will help prevent that loss of understanding? It’s the natural course of events. There are young people who don’t even know what World War II was, who hardly know that it even existed. I talked to one young person who thought concentration camps were something like a camp she would have experienced. That was appalling. It’s a worry that people can forget how easily life can change and turn about and things will not be the way they used to be. It’s always an issue, for all times, to think about protecting our freedoms and doing the right thing in our everyday life, and to keep our consciences active and sharp and engaged. What made you stick with telling the Bergers’ story when you
22 1859 OREGON’S MAGAZINE NOVEMBER | DECEMBER
2020
Faris Cassell traveled the world to find answers to a letter.
seemed to keep running into walls? When I went to interview the woman who saved the letter the longest, she stopped me as I was about to leave and put her hand on my arm and looked me in the eye and said, ‘I hope you will find out what happened to this family. I really want to know, and I hope you find out and come back and tell me.’ I realized at that moment that what had compelled her to save it was that it was not only a piece of history, but it had touched her heart just as it had touched mine. It was a matter of humans caring about each other, no matter whether in the same era or something in the past. That’s really what impelled me to persevere through a lot of difficult research times and times when I just wanted to give up and throw it all in the wastebasket. This is a story that begs people to think, ‘What would I do if I received this letter? What would I do if I had lived back in those days and this had come to me?’ This is a story about the power that ordinary people have to change the world and to effect extraordinary events in the world. It is a story about our own role and what we can do in this world.
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Mar 7, 2021
New Exhibit
food + drink
Beerlandia
Farewell to Beerlandia written by Jeremy Storton | illustration by Allison Bye IT’S JUST BEER. I told myself that for years. News reports and sales data suggest the same thing—it’s just beer. Craft beer has become a commodity, much like its macro-brewed forefathers. The uptick in competition has taken our focus off the craft and placed it firmly onto the logistics of outwitting our competitors. Perhaps because beer is something no one needs but everyone wants, it’s easy to focus on the score, like fishing in a barrel. My two decades in Oregon taught me otherwise. Beer became a means to explore the world and a way to take people along for the ride. Beer has a way of cultivating conversation and putting us squarely into a state of social flow. This past year has shown us that no matter the color of our skin, the status of our bank account, or the border behind which we reside, we
Cocktail Card
have more in common with each other than not. We need a good tool like beer right now, and we need to use it well. As I look into my rearview mirror, I’m flooded with the people, places and flavors of Oregon that define who I’ve become. As Oregon settled deep into its craft beer groove, I evolved alongside. I now strive to connect people together, and to something better. This may sound strange, but Oregon beer has given me this purpose in life. I now sign off for the last time as the Beerlandia columnist. I’m leaving Oregon—not behind completely, but as a sort of ambassador of Oregon’s good beer. Oregon has much to teach and I will share what I have learned. Thanks to all of you with whom I have shared a story, a meal and a beer. You have meant everything to me, and always will.
recipe courtesy of Archive Coffee & Bar, Salem
• ½ ounce Dr. Bird Jamaican Rum • ¼ ounce Giffard Cassis Noir De Bourgogne • ¼ ounce Tempus Fugit Créme de Cacao
Flat Earth Theory
Shake and strain with a hawthorne and fine-mesh strainer into an Old Fashioned glass. Garnish with fresh nutmeg and Ardbeg 12 Scotch spray.
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• 1½ ounces cognac • ¾ ounce fresh squeezed lemon juice • 1 bar spoon St. Elizabeth Allspice Dram
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food + drink
CRAVINGS:
HOT CHOCOLATE LA PERLITA A cool crisp morning, a creamy True Mexican Mocha streaked with raspberry dust and crushed cocoa nibs, a crunchy-topped hot pink concha—if this is the stuff your autumn dreams are made of, hustle over to Angel Medina’s airy, greenery-splashed oasis inside the Pearl District’s Ecotrust building. Pour-overs are flowing, regulars are exchanging pleasantries and a steady lineup of local chef pop-ups offer everything from exquisite fresh-baked pastries to tender homemade empanadas, tamales and tortas. The shop is also home to Medina’s Reforma Roasters. Photos: Dina Avila
Sarah Schafer and Anna Caporael opened Cooperativa, which sells housemade pasta, pizzas and more.
Gastronomy
Cooperativa written by Jen Stevenson THOSE WHO’VE BEEN poring over photos of past romps through Rome and dreaming of the day they next step foot in Florence will be thrilled to lose themselves in Portland’s new Cooperativa food hall, a little slice of Italy right in the Pearl District. A joint venture between former Irving Street Kitchen chef Sarah Schafer and business partner Anna Caporael, the bright and stylish 5,000-squarefoot hall—set on the ground floor of the Tanner Point building at NW 9th and Northrup—is home to a highly curated cadre of Portland culinary artisans, an onsite bar piloted by bartender Joel Schmeck, and plenty of la dolce vita vibes, Portland-style. Schafer, an ardent Italophile with a soft spot for Florence’s convivial Mercato Centrale, heads up the housemade pasta program, as well as an in-house pizzeria featuring thin crust Roman-style pizzas on naturally leavened pizza dough made with stone-milled heirloom wheats by former Pizza Maria chef-owner Sean Coyne. The market is open from early morning to mid-evening, so whether you’re an early bird in search of a caffeinated wakeup call, grabbing a togo lunch between Zoom calls, or simply can’t stomach another night of home cooking, you’re covered. Sip a Spella Caffé latte with a slice of Schafer’s freshly baked pizza bianca dough dappled with deep purple grapes and dusted with fennel seeds and sugar, shop top-shelf provisions both local and imported from specialty food sage Jim Dixon’s Real Good Food, pack your produce drawer with farm-fresh fruit and vegetables from family-run Evans Farm Produce and Provisions and organic Sparrowhawk Farm, satisfy any pressing salumi, sausage or sandwich needs at Tails & Trotters, and brighten someone’s blustery day with a bouquet of blooms from Coy & Co., the city’s first sustainably certified florist. Then, scoop up a few pints of creamy pumpkin pecan gelato and cranberry orange sorbetto from the Pinolo Gelato case, ovviamente. www.cooperativapdx.com
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721 NW 9TH AVE. PORTLAND www.facebook.com/laperlitapdx
CANNON BEACH CHOCOLATE CAFE Bundle up and venture outside the beach house for a walk through windswept, twinkle-lit downtown Cannon Beach. Stop at this snug chocolate shop to warm chilly fingers by wrapping them around a dark, milk, or chili-infused Mayan hot chocolate. It’s best accompanied by a crisp round of chocolate-dipped shortbread, flaky chocolate croissant or shard of toasted almond coconut bark. 232 N. SPRUCE ST. CANNON BEACH www.cannonbeachchocolatecafe.com
COASTAL MIST Take shelter from the Bandon bluster in top-notch pastry team Nicole Malloy and Kevin and Tara Shaw’s popular downtown sweets shop. You’ll struggle mightily to choose between seasonal delights like fluffy cinnamon pecan caramel marshmallows, scoops of spiced chai gelato drowned in espresso, glossy chocolate shells filled with brandy-spiked white chocolate nutmeg ganache, multi-colored macarons and gingerbread yule logs. A mix-and-match flight of smooth, velvety house drinking chocolates and drinking caramels, crowned with soft puffs of vanilla bean whipped cream, are the pièce de résistance. 210 2ND ST. SE BANDON www.coastalmist.com
ARROWHEAD CHOCOLATES If your holiday plans involve hauntingly beautiful Prairie Creek walkabouts and snow-capped Wallowa peaks, make room in your Eastern Oregon itinerary for a leisurely hot chocolate and hazelnut toffee bar break at Jerry and Tracy Ivy’s cheery downtown Joseph coffeehouse and chocolate shop. Or hop online to order handmade small-batch macadamia nut clusters, s’mores squares sprinkled with alder-smoked sea salt, milk chocolate-glazed orange jellies, dark chocolate cowboy hats, juniper gin truffles, and huckleberry and espresso truffles. 4 S. MAIN ST. JOSEPH www.arrowheadchocolates.com
food + drink BEST PLACES TO
ROUND UP A HOLIDAY ROAST Over the past four decades, beloved butcher Theotis Cason has built a reputation for providing Portlanders with the choicest cuts, and there’s no better time to enlist his expertise than the meaty holiday season. Stop into Cason’s bright, high-ceilinged space in Northeast Portland’s Alberta Commons, brimming with local and organic steaks, chops, thick-cut bacon for punching up Thanksgiving brussels sprouts and sweet potato casseroles, and rib roasts for the Christmas dinner table. 5015 NE MARTIN LUTHER KING JR BLVD. PORTLAND www.casonsfinemeats.com
EOLA CREST CATTLE AND 71X FARMSTORE For a holiday bird or brisket with a side of scenic country roads, wander out to Jennifer and Pete DeHaan’s family-owned McMinnville farm market—named for the family’s first Angus heifer, Scarlett, aka 71X. It stocks more than forty cuts of beef, ranging from mighty Tomahawk ribeyes to tenderloin roasts, as well as Rieben Farm pork chops and links, Wahl Family Farms lamb, and whole chickens and turkeys. Pile your cart with housemade smoked beef jerky, pepperoni sticks, meat rubs and all-natural beef tallow soaps. 7140 SE BOOTH BEND RD. MCMINNVILLE www.eolacrestcattle.com
SISTERS MEAT AND SMOKEHOUSE If hunkering down for the holidays in a cozy cabin, stop at Jeff and Kay Johnson’s Sisters butcher shop to stockpile hearty pioneer-approved provisions—top sirloin and tri-tip for the steak lovers, smoked hams for holiday suppers and soups, freshly ground pork sausages for stuffing and smoked jerkies for between-feast snacking. Schedule your stop-in for lunchtime—the sandwich menu tempts with old-fashioned bologna, a Swiss cheese and sauerkraut-stacked Reuben on marble rye and the smoky provolone-stuffed French Dip with au jus and creamy horseradish, all made with meats smoked and cured in-house by third-generation meat craftsman Brody Waller. 110 S. SPRUCE ST. SISTERS www.sistersmeat.com
HELVETIA FARM MARKET AT MARION ACRES A half-hour drive from Portland proper, this charming red barnhoused Helvetia farm market—run by business partners and farmers Geoff Scott and John Mathia and their families—is just the spot to shop for seasonal organically grown produce and pasture-raised meats for a sustainably sourced holiday feast. Open daily, the market sells incomparably fresh poultry processed in the farm’s own Oregon Department of Agriculture-certified facility, as well as local pork, beef, eggs, and extras like breads, olive oil and honey, and bottles of liquid cheer from Oregon beer, wine and kombucha makers. 23137 NW WEST UNION RD. HILLSBORO www.marionacres.com
Marielle Dezurick
CASON’S FINE MEATS
Grilled shrimp tacos are just the start on a delicious menu.
Dining
Tropicale written by Jen Stevenson IF THERE’S ANYTHING a Pacific Northwesterner needs come November, it’s a piña colada, which helps explain the long line of loyal fans outside Alfredo Climaco’s festive new Northeast Portland cocktail cart and bar, Tropicale. Parked in the middle of The Ocean—a popular micro-restaurant collective that shares the block with Korean hotspot Han Oak and epicurean mecca Providore Fine Foods—Climaco’s festive Caribbean and Latin American-inspired bar is abuzz with blenders toiling nonstop to turn piles of fresh-cut pineapple and organic coconut into rum-laced (or rum-less) liquid gold, served in a hollowed-out pineapple shell and garnished with Salem maraschino cherries and a wedge of grapefruit. The setup may look familiar to those who first encountered Puebla-born bartender and entrepreneur Climaco’s mobile MexiRican cart at Portland events and festivals like The Big Float and Portland Night Market. While his signature piña colada remains the star of the show, drink offerings have expanded to include margaritas both traditional and spicy mango, a mezcal- and Campari-spiked Negrete, and the Tropicalia, a spicy blend of mezcal, Ancho Reyes chile liqueur, grapefruit and lime topped with fizzy Topo Chico. The food menu—created by Climaco’s sister, Viviana Reyes-Climaco—is a succinct and flavorful mix of drinking snacks, small plates and tacos. Start with crispy fried plantains dunked in housemade salsa frita and fresh guacamole sprinkled with crunchy, leggy little chapulines (or pepitas), explore savory small plates like rockfish and scallop ceviche and cochinita pork-stuffed cemitas (Pueblan tortas) slathered with garlicky aioli, then work your way through several plates of grilled shrimp tacos heaped with grilled mango salsa and pickled red cabbage. If you can’t make an immediate trip, perk up waning pre-winter spirits by simply skimming the cart’s Instagram feed, an alluring tropical color-saturated album of mouthwatering food and drink shots accompanied by a tongue-in-cheek tagline that will help inform your order: “No Tenemos Burritos.” 2337 NE GLISAN ST. PORTLAND www.tropicale.co
NOVEMBER | DECEMBER 2020
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farm to table
Farm to Table
Happy as a Clam
Digging for clams on the Oregon Coast is a rite of passage, and a tasty one written by Sophia McDonald photography by Richard Darbonne BEGINNING OCTOBER 1, it’s not unusual to see bootclad families holding strange-looking tubes and wading in shallow surf along the beaches between Astoria and Tillamook. When they lower their tubes into the water, it’s because they’ve just spotted a razor clam, a species found in abundance all along the Pacific Coast. While clamming is great family entertainment (see sidebar), they’re also considered the region’s tastiest clams, which provides good motivation for visiting the beach on a cold and windy day. About 80 percent of the large, gold-shelled clams harvested in a given year are plucked from the sand by recreational hunters, according to the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife. But there are a handful of commercial operations that sell them. Ron Neva, owner of Northwest Wild Products in Astoria, started his company in 2001 after working as a clam digger for someone else. When they told him they didn’t need him anymore, he started his own business. “I remember how surprised I was, when I bought my license to buy clams, that I could buy all this other seafood,” he said. “It just opened up a whole new world.” In addition to buying razors from a handful of people in Oregon and Washington (and finding many himself ), he sells fish, crabs, eels and other products from the sea. He’s in a good spot for this type of business. “In Oregon, Clatsop Beach accounts for over 95 percent of the total harvest and more than likely the total biomass,” said Matthew Hunter, shellfish project leader at ODFW. “This is mainly due to optimal habitat.” The clams live in the sand and feed in the prey-rich waters on this part of the coast. They have no problem avoiding the sun and eager sandcastle builders when the tide is out. They can dig up to 9 inches a minute and bury themselves as far as 4 feet down, Hunter reported. But when the water begins to wash over the sand, they come back to the surface to eat. That makes them easier to spot, and people can dig them up without too much trouble. There are a few differences between commercial harvesters like Neva and someone doing it for kicks. While most hobbyists sink a long metal tube called a clam gun into the sand to trap them, larger operations are required to dig holes with shovels. “They feel like you can hurt a young clam and break its shell 28 1859 OREGON’S MAGAZINE NOVEMBER | DECEMBER
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farm to table
Northwest Wild Products owner Ron Neva searches for razor clams at Sunset Beach on the Northern Oregon Coast.
NOVEMBER | DECEMBER 2020
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farm to table
CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT Neva sinks a shovel into the sand while searching for razor clams at Sunset Beach. Oregon razor clams can only be sold in-state. Clam diggers drive their vehicles onto the beach. Neva sells 15,000 pounds of Oregon and Washington clams each year. Commercial clam diggers use a shovel instead of a clam gun and must return small clams to the sand.
easier with a gun than a shovel,” Neva said. While individuals must take the first fifteen clams they find, commercial diggers are required to return any animals smaller than 3¾ inches to the sand. There are also notably different rules about what can happen to clams harvested in Oregon versus other states. The ones Neva buys from Washington can be shipped anywhere in the U.S. “Our clams that were dug up in the morning can be eaten by someone in New York that night,” he said. On the other
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hand, animals from Oregon can only be sold in-state, because the beaches are not federally certified as safe for harvesting. It’s frustrating to Neva that Oregon clams can’t go elsewhere. Especially now, with so many people unemployed, he’d be happy to put them to work hunting clams if he could sell the food in other states or even overseas. But for now, the Oregon market is pretty full. Neva alone sells as many as 15,000 pounds of clams from Oregon and Washington per year. In Oregon, the ten-year average for the
farm to table
number harvested annually is just under 1.4 million clams, according to Hunter. With sales of Oregon products restricted to the state, Neva has plenty of clams to sell in his shop and restaurant, Hurricane Ron’s. He likes to put them in the deep fryer or pan fry them. “You’ve got to cook them for around a minute on each side,” he said. “If you overcook them, they’re tough, and they cook very fast, especially in a deep fryer.” Chef Alex Jackson from Portland’s Dóttir, who grew up harvesting razor clams in
Alaska, also likes them fried. One of his favorite recipes pairs clams with stewed green tomatoes, making them a “primo end-ofsummer bite,” he said. Chef Kari Shaughnessy, owner of the new Mac Market in McMinnville, combines razor clams with lamb and pasta for an Oregon take on surf ’n turf. The lamb can be cooked ahead of time, which means you can braise it one day, hunt clams the next and combine everything at home that night for a superb meal. NOVEMBER | DECEMBER 2020
Most of Oregon’s beaches are open for clam hunting year-round, with the exception of Clatsop Beach, where the season runs from October 1 to July 14. That means right now is the perfect time to give it a try. “Razor clam harvesting is a great family activity,” ODFW’s Matthew Hunter said. “It is one of the few outdoor activities that has a low capital investment, a high chance of success and isn’t strenuous.” All sport hunters over the age of 12 must carry a clam license. The maximum harvest is fifteen per person, and all of those clams must be kept in a separate bag or bucket, Neva said. Beyond a storage container and a license, all you need is a clam gun or shovel for finding them in the sand. “I always suggest that people either go with someone who has gone before or look at the ODFW websites for ‘how to dig’ tips and pointers,” Hunter said. “These include videos as well.” Before making a trip to the coast, check to make sure ODFW hasn’t shut down the season due to an outbreak of biotoxins. Take a little common sense, too. “Keep an eye on the ocean and don’t go out there in rough conditions,” Neva said. People have been swept out to sea while clam digging because they stopped paying attention.
Illustration: Allison Bye
DIG YOUR OWN RAZOR CLAMS
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farm to table
Razor Clams with Stewed Green Tomatoes Dóttir / Portland Alex Jackson SERVES 5
Braised Lamb and Razor Clam Pasta from Mac Market.
Oregon Recipes
Crazy for Clams Braised Lamb and Razor Clam Pasta Mac Market / MCMINNVILLE Kari Shaughnessy SERVES 4 • 1 pound good quality fresh or dried pasta, preferably tagliatele • 1 pound lamb shoulder • 2 quarts whole milk or whey, or feta brine • 2 pounds fresh razor clams • 2 tablespoons capers, chopped • 2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced • 1 Calabrian chili, chopped • 2 tablespoons sherry vinegar • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil • 1 cup dill • 3 tablespoons butter • 4 tablespoons breadcrumbs The day before serving, preheat oven to 300 degrees. Put the lamb shoulder in a dutch oven and season liberally with salt. Add milk, whey or feta brine as a braising liquid. Cover in foil or a lid and put in the oven until super tender, about 5 hours. Once tender, leave in the braising liquid and put in the fridge overnight to keep meat juicy. The day of serving, take the meat out of the fridge and bring to room temperature. Shred the lamb with your hands and set aside. Reserve the braising liquid.
Place razor clams in a bowl with cold water to cover. Add a couple tablespoons of salt and let the clams soak for about 30 minutes to clean them. Once done soaking, strain from the liquid. Heat a skillet over medium-high heat and add clams. Quickly pour in a half cup of braising liquid and cover. As soon as your clams open, turn off the heat—just a couple minutes. Let cool in the pan and then remove the clam meat from the shell. Discard the shells and chop the clams into bite-size pieces, removing any part of the clam that still has grit in it. Put the meat into a bowl and toss with your garlic, capers, Calabrian chili, sherry vinegar and olive oil. Bring 6 or so quarts of water to a boil. Salt pasta water well. Cook pasta according to the package instructions for an al dente noodle. In the meantime, heat about 3 cups of the braising liquid in the dutch oven you cooked your lamb in. Add the shredded lamb and razor clam relish. The goal is to heat all of this through and reduce the liquid slightly— this will be a brothy pasta. Once pasta is al dente, add pasta and ½ cup pasta water to pot, as well as the cup of dill. Stir quickly over a low heat, allowing noodles to finish cooking in the sauce. Turn heat off and add butter, stirring quickly to emulsify sauce. Taste for salt and adjust. Divide into 4 bowls and top with breadcrumbs.
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• 5 cleaned razor clams • 5 green tomatoes • ¼ cup brown sugar • ⅛ cup sherry vinegar, or any nice vinegar you have on hand • ¼ cup chicken stock • Capers • ½ bunch chopped lovage or curly parsley • Salt to taste Place brown sugar in a sauce pot and set over medium heat. Once it has melted, add the green tomatoes and sprinkle with salt. You want the tomatoes to break down a bit but keep their texture. Roll tomatoes around in the brown sugar for awhile so they break down a little bit but keep their texture. Once that happens, deglaze with the sherry vinegar and cook until the mixture is nice and glossy. Repeat with the chicken stock until you’ve achieved a stew-like consistency. Taste and add salt if necessary. Season the razors on both sides with salt. Bring a sauté pan up to medium-high heat and give a drizzle of neutral oil to prevent sticking. Add your clam, but be quick! Cook one side for about 45 seconds then the other for 30 seconds. Add a small pat of butter and swirl the clam around. Remove the clam and plate it. If a razor clam overcooks, it becomes chewy. Spoon a good amount of the stewed green tomatoes on a plate just off center and lay your razor clam alongside it. Sprinkle with the chopped lovage and eat while still warm.
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farm to table
The Wild Man Razor Clamwich
Homegrown Chef
Living on the Edge
SERVES 4
written by Thor Erickson photography by Charlotte Dupont “HEY THOR, LET’S GO on a razor clam hunt. I’ll pick you up at 6 a.m.!” Scott hollered loudly as we got into our cars after a busy night at the Lincoln City restaurant where I was sous chef and he was a waiter. “Is that like a snipe hunt?” I asked. It was the early 1990s, I was new to the Oregon Coast, and I’d never heard of razor clams. “Bring a shovel, boots and gloves,” he added. “See you at 6.” Aside from working as a server, Scott was also a self-proclaimed “planetary herbologist,” specializing in all kinds of herbal substances and requisite disciplines, from astrology and palm reading to a blend of Eastern medicine and “cosmic diagnostics.” Tall and lanky, with a pencil-thin Errol Flynn mustache, he could read people like books and was persuasive. In contrast, he was also an avid sportsman, known as “Wild Man” by the clamming and crabbing community. Scott was yet another example of the broad spectrum of people living year-round on the Oregon Coast. Razor clams, named after the straight razor to which they bear a strong resemblance, are typically about 6 inches long and can be found up and down the coastline. Armed with our tools and permits, we arrived at Agate Beach, a small stretch of sand just north of Newport. As we pulled up to the parking lot, Scott rolled down his window to ask advice from another clammer. “Hey, Wild Man!” the clammer shouted. “Yer just in time for low tide.” We parked and walked until the clams began to “show.” This was evidenced by the “V” in the sand when the waves recede. At the bottom of the V is an air bubble, which means a clam’s under the surface. Wielding the shovels, we’d quickly dig 12 to 18 inches into the sand, then reach in with our hands to gently grab each fragileshelled prize. For their part, the clams offered a challenge, speedily burrowing into the thick, wet sand to evade capture. While I continued to dig and chase clams, Scott moved farther south to find his own spot. Each time he harvested a clam, he’d yell, “Xay-ghin-la!” (pronounced high-GEEN-la), which he later explained means “victory” in Hutyéyu—the language of the Siletz tribe. An hour or so later, Scott returned—wearing a celebratory headband fashioned with kelp and branches he had gathered. He’d reached his legal limit for clams. Before leaving the beach, Scott led me in a prayer of thanks. “Sand, ocean, sky, earth, universe and all of its bounty,” he proclaimed. The exuberant expression of gratitude for what we’d gathered and would eat was a fitting tribute. That day for lunch, I prepared fried razor-clam sandwiches. Here’s a recipe for these delicious, cutlet-sized shellfish, guaranteed to make any wild person thankful. 34 1859 OREGON’S MAGAZINE NOVEMBER | DECEMBER
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FOR SAUCE • ¼ cup Sriracha sauce • 1 tablespoon soy sauce • 1 tablespoon sesame oil • 1 clove fresh garlic, minced • ½ cup mayonnaise FOR CLAMS • Four large razor clams, cleaned (If you don’t have fresh clams, you can buy them frozen) • ½ cup of flour • 1 tablespoon granulated garlic • 1 tablespoon smoked paprika • 2 eggs, beaten • 2 cups panko bread crumbs • Vegetable oil for shallow frying • Salt • Pepper TO SERVE • 4 soft sandwich rolls • 1 ripe tomato, sliced • 2 cups shredded iceberg lettuce • 1 cup kimchi FOR SAUCE Mix the Sriracha, soy sauce, sesame oil, fresh garlic and mayo into a smooth sauce. Set aside. FOR CLAMS Towel-dry the razor clams and season with salt and pepper. Mix flour with granulated garlic and smoked paprika. Coat each clam with the flour mixture, then dip it in egg and coat it with panko. In a deep pan or skillet, fry clams at about 370 degrees for about a minute until golden brown. TO SERVE Toast the rolls in an oven to golden. Liberally spread the sauce on both sides of each roll. Assemble each sandwich with razor clam, tomato, shredded lettuce and, finally, kimchi. Serve immediately.
farm to table The Wild Man Razor Clamwich is a perfect winter treat.
NOVEMBER | DECEMBER 2020
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home + design
The couple’s goals for their new home were straightforward. “We wanted a forever home. We wanted a simple, modern design and a lot of outdoor space.”
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home + design
AT LEFT The 1,600-square-foot Talent home is simple and modern. ABOVE The home’s roofline reverses at the halfway point, creating interest.
Creative Approach These resourceful Oregon homeowners embrace their rural settings—and creative pursuits—with modern home designs written by Melissa Dalton
Photos: Ben Sager
Talent: A streamlined home for winemakers CARMEN NYDEGGER and Joe Chepolis wanted a fresh start. After eighteen years in Salt Lake City, Utah, the couple decided to trade careers for new adventures in wine country. “We were really drawn to Sonoma, but then of course had to remind ourselves, we’re not millionaires,” joked Nydegger, who worked as a costume supervisor and stylist in the film industry. Fortunately, the Southern Oregon wine scene was also on their radar. Nydegger’s immediate family lives in Talent, and the couple visited frequently for holidays and wine tastings, even getting married on her mom’s property. When her mother offered to sell them part of her land so they could build a house, that 7-acre lot proved to be the ideal location for a reset. The couple’s goals for their new home were straightforward. “We wanted a forever home. We wanted a simple, modern design and a lot of outdoor space,” Nydegger said. The resulting house, designed by Carlos Delgado Architect and built by Bret Snyder Custom Construction, is long, lean and all one level, perched on a hillside to take in treetop views and the valley, with Medford in the distance. The shed roof reverses halfway down the building’s length, giving it an airy appearance, and the flat plane will be perfect for future solar panels and a rain catchment system. At around 1,600 square feet, with a master suite and two additional bedrooms that can flex as an office or studio, the home skews to the smaller side. “We’re seeing people really wanting to go smaller,” Delgado said. “It’s not a tiny home, but it’s definitely a smaller home than NOVEMBER | DECEMBER 2020
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Photos: Bryan Aulick
home + design
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP A yurt on Sauvie Island was the perfect project for this enterprising couple. A center cube supports the elevated sleeping platform. The yurt’s modern and minimal style is unexpected.
what we see in the inventory in our area.” The rectangular organization is efficient to build, with no unnecessary jogs in the floorplan, or wasted space. Design itself expands the interior. Dropped wall heights at the entry and pantry create separation but don’t enclose tightly. Skylights spill natural light into the core, and vaulted ceilings in the living room lift the eye up and out the large windows. “We wanted to bring the outdoors in and have that be the focal point,” Nydegger said. The couple’s eye for design—she sews and makes jewelry, and he makes furniture—and their knack for finding deals on interior finishes kept project costs down. “We’ve got champagne taste and a beer budget,” Nydegger said. They scored hickory flooring for $4 a square foot, brought the vintage Preway fireplace from Salt Lake City, and Chepolis fashioned several furniture pieces and finished the home’s built-in shelving in places. Having so much outdoor space, including an expansive deck and covered carport, means the couple have plenty of room for all of their creative pursuits. Since getting settled in 2017, they’ve started their own wine label, called Sound & Vision Wine Co., and will soon clear an acre for grapes. The covered outdoor area protects Chepolis when he’s in his workshop, and the deck was great for socially distanced, appointment-only wine tastings this summer. “I have absolutely no regrets about the move, or about changing careers at all,” Nydegger said. “I love, love, love our little hillside nook up here.” 38 1859 OREGON’S MAGAZINE NOVEMBER | DECEMBER
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Sauvie Island: A couple DIY a modern yurt In 2014, Zach Both bought a 2003 Chevy cargo van off Craigslist, gutted and renovated the interior for camping, and documented the process on a website called The Vanual, to help enterprising DIY-ers do the same. After living on the road for two-and-a-half years, Both—who’s a filmmaker and creative director—and partner Nicole Lopez decided to move to Portland, thanks to her job offer at a local hospital. The new destination inspired a new project. “We were going to be settling down, or at least staying in one spot for a while, and we wanted to try to build something on our own, and so we decided to go for a yurt,” Both said. After the success of the van, “it seemed about time to try something a little bigger, a little more ambitious.” First, the couple needed land with a good commute to Lopez’s work. A plot for lease on acreage in Sauvie Island, a wildlife refuge and agricultural preserve 10 miles north of Portland, proved close enough to downtown ramen joints, and also benefited from views of Mount Hood, Mount St. Helens and Mount Adams. “Those would all be viewable from our front door, and so that alone was convincing enough for us to choose that specific location,” Both said. They bought their yurt structure from Rainier Outdoor, a Tukwila, Washington-based company
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home + design
that’s been in the business since 1896. They were impressed with the craftsmanship, sturdy materials and perfect circular dome at the top of the yurt. The build started over a week in the fall of 2018— they mixed 127 bags of concrete to pour the rebar-reinforced foundation footings. Next came the pressure-treated wood and SIPs (structurally insulated panels) to form the yurt’s platform, a sizable 30 feet in diameter. The remaining build process was accessible for construction newbies, and the yurt went up over a weekend with help from friends and family. “I would say almost all of our friends and family had barely picked up a drill before,” Both said. Once the roof rafters, insulated vinyl membrane and oculus were in place, the party camped inside on the last night to celebrate. For the interior, Both and Lopez’s goal was to subvert expectations, veering toward modern and minimal, rather than
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rustic or boho. A cube at the center hosts the kitchen, bathroom and utility components, and supports an elevated platform for the bed. That way, occupants can walk the full circle of the 730-square-foot yurt, and the space reveals itself en route. They did all the finish work themselves over six months, from refinishing the salvaged wood flooring, to painting the lattice wrapping the perimeter, to plastering the drywall and installing the sleek IKEA kitchen. When the project wrapped in early 2019, Both documented everything for a web guide, called Do It Yurtself. As for the couple’s next project, “the possibilities are endless,” Both said. “It could be a tiny house. It could be a cabin, maybe a tree house. We’re definitely people who are drawn to more alternative-style homes and being able to experiment, especially if it involves an opportunity to put our own little spin on something that historically has been done one certain way.”
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home + design
Bryan Aulick
A raised platform for the bed provides a peaceful retreat.
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Ben Sager
home + design
A beautiful interior, like the Talent kitchen, doesn’t have to be expensive.
DIY: Tips for Budget-Friendly Interiors HOMEOWNER CARMEN NYDEGGER shared her process for finding great deals on interior finishes. STUDY The couple first pinpointed their aesthetic with the help of design magazines and websites. After compiling pictures of their favorite schemes, they’d figure out the components that made up the look. “We’d see the crazy, most expensive version of everything,” Nydegger said. “Then, we’d study those and figure out, ‘OK. How can we get that look without spending that money?’” SHOP AROUND Finding a good deal can require a lot of legwork, by either visiting stores in person if possible, or scouring websites to compare prices. DON’T RULE ANYTHING OUT Nydegger and Chepolis had assumed they’d have to buy a less-expensive material for their flooring. “We thought we were going to need to go with more of a laminate, or something, to be a little more cost effective,” Nydegger said. Then a spontaneous trip to research hardwood 42
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prices led them to find their beautiful hickory flooring at a great discount. MIX HIGH AND LOW The couple spent more for materials that would be a focal point in the design. For instance, instead of buying two quartz slabs for their kitchen counters, they covered the sizable island with one, and used the remaining stone in a bathroom. The perimeter counters in the kitchen were then covered with a heavy-duty plywood/laminate combo. “That saves us a ton—just being willing to get creative and come up with something else,” Nydegger said. TAKE YOUR TIME “If you’re in a hurry, it’s going to be hard to get good deals on things because you’re just going to see exactly what you like, and buy it,” Nydegger said. “We would pick out the expensive thing that we liked, and then shop around until we found something that was almost identical for half the price. I think that really saved us a lot on our interior.”
home + design
Plant Accessories The modern yurt has forty-five houseplants and counting— check out these Oregon products for decorating with plants
Have a plant start? Take it out of the old jam jar and tuck it into one of these Tiny Planters with Attached Saucers from Sandbox Ceramics, a one-person studio in St. Helens known for its minimalist shapes and serene finishes. www.sandboxceramics.com
No need to watch your step if you lift those plants off the floor with a quirky stand from the Portlandbased Wildehaus. Ranging in height from 10 to 22 inches, the airy geometric shapes and punchy colors are fun without the visual clutter.
“My name really is Mudd, I promise. It’s just a wonderful and serendipitous coincidence that I am also a production potter,” said Katie M. Mudd, owner and maker of an eponymous ceramics line out of Portland. Check out the 4-by-4-inch hanging planter in blush, its pinky hue sure to contrast nicely with your favorite trailing vines. www.etsy.com/shop/KatieMMudd
Toby Nolan
www.wildehauspdx.com
With such an elegant shape and beautiful finish, this brass watering can from Pistils Nursery can be used for display after the plants have had their drink. We especially like its narrow spout, which improves aim and ensures there’s more water in the soil and less on the floor. www.pistilsnursery.com
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mind + body
The Runner Whisperer Once an NCAA swimmer, physical therapist Ellie Meyrowitz now thrives on investigating running injuries written by Kevin Max photography by Bradley Lanphear
Ellie Meyrowitz considers herself a “long-distance hobby jogger.”
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mind + body
ELLIE MEYROWITZ GREW UP in Sun Valley, where a world of recreation was there for the taking. Skiing, hiking, trail running and camping were just outside the door. As a 14-year-old skier, Meyrowitz broke her wrist, then found that flying down the mountain at great speeds was psychologically harder to go back to after recovery. Meyrowitz took up swimming and soon was competing at the highest levels in Idaho. She went on to swim for Indiana University, competing in the 200 and 400 freestyle events. Eventually she pursued a career goal of becoming a physical therapist, something she had known she had wanted to do for years. After earning a bachelor’s degree in exercise science from IU, she took the next step with a doctorate in physical therapy from Nova Southeastern University in Florida. Practicing in Bend, Meyrowitz has created a name for herself as the runners’ whisperer. Working with elite runners who train and live in Bend, she found her expertise in high demand. Though statistics vary widely on the number of runners who are injured each year, a study from Harvard Medical School puts it somewhere between 30 percent and 75 percent. A joint investigation between the Harvard Medical School and the National Running Center explores possible explanations—“from modern running shoes to stretching, running frequency, weight, biomechanical misalignment, and muscle imbalance,” the study noted. These are the kinds of investigations that Meyrowitz undertakes with each client. A knee injury could be related to the spine
as much as her stride or the new shoes her sponsor sent. “My brain works well for runners,” Meyrowitz said. With other sports injuries, there are usually specific events that directly relate to injuries, such as a fall, a muscle tear or repetitive motion. With runners, however, pain manifests itself in mysterious ways. “I like to investigate the sources of problems where runners have been running 80 miles a week for a long time but, on Monday, they suddenly can’t run 2 miles,” she said. As part of her investigative process, she noted, she never chases pain. “Pain can be at the knee, for example, but that’s not where the source is,” she said. “I like to discover the true source. I ask myself, ‘What do I see wrong in this body that relates to this pain?’ My client’s goal becomes my goal.” Because of the growing population of runners in Bend, Meyrowitz keeps a busy schedule but finds time for her own recreation and family. “Am I a weekend warrior?” she laughed. “I would consider myself a long-distance hobby jogger.” As a mom to a 7-year-old son, she also mountain bikes, hikes and skis. Every summer, though, she returns to a medium she knows best—water. “I try to find two new lakes in the summer. I love swimming in open water.”
“Pain can be at the knee, for example, but that’s not where the source is. I like to discover the true source. I ask myself, ‘What do I see wrong in this body that relates to this pain?’ My client’s goal becomes my goal.”
Ellie Meyrowitz
Physical Therapist Age: 41 Born: Sun Valley, Idaho Residence: Bend
WORKOUT “I like to call it ‘grab it and go.’ I am a fulltime working mom so when I see a moment I can sneak in something for myself I do it. Fitting fitness into my life functionally is where I am. Going out to breakfast? I will run and meet the family there. Crosby, my son is 7, so I often find myself running behind him on mountain bike trails.”
NUTRITION “I grew up a meat-andpotatoes girl. Habits die hard! I have been slowly changing my diet to eat less meat and increase veggie dishes as more of a staple. If I were stuck on an island and got one food to eat for the rest of my life, I would say pasta of any kind. My favorite snack is cheese and truffle Marcona almonds.”
INSPIRATION “I am inspired by my family, as each day I learn from them how to be better. Crosby doesn’t know how to quit because he has never done it. My husband, Jeff, supports all of my goals, which inspires me to be more.”
— Ellie Meyrowitz, physical therapist NOVEMBER | DECEMBER 2020
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artist in residence A detailed look at Hiroko Cannon’s painting of a flicker resting on sumac. Cannon takes particular care on the bird’s eyes.
For the Birds Hiroko Cannon takes inspiration from right in her Pendleton backyard written by Shirley A. Hancock
ROUNDING THE GRAIN HILLS that drop into Pendleton—a car stuffed with life possessions, husband and baby boy—Hiroko Cannon gaped at her new home. Then she cried. Cannon was 5,000 miles and a cultural chasm from her career in Tokyo as a graphic designer and illustrator for global brands. “Don’t worry,” her husband joked. “I hear there’s a taxi here.” 46
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artist in residence
Almost forty years later, Cannon laughs at the memory. “I’m very glad I’m in Pendleton. The people taught me Oregon history, culture, landscape—even casseroles and Jell-O salad,” she laughed. “They’re kind and encouraging.” Cannon said Pendleton embraced her as a new resident, immigrant and single mother after her husband died, and helped her rediscover art after a twenty-year hiatus raising children. No more illustrations for Sears or Toyota. Now Cannon paints the birds of Eastern Oregon in their native habitat. Her work is known for its precision, authenticity and whimsy. She studies her birds for hours, making mental notes about their habits, quirks, food and migration patterns. “I get to know their personality. I want to capture their unguarded moments,” Cannon said. “Is this bird a smarty? Or a little dumb but cute? I want to find their true nature.” Fans are driving hundreds of miles to see Cannon’s third solo exhibit at the Pendleton Center for the Arts, held over through November 8. “A lot of artists work in wildlife, but when you look at Hiroko’s work, your brain practically vibrates between taking in the beauty of the image and trying to comprehend the craft that went into creating it,” said Pendleton Center for the Arts Executive Director Roberta Lavadour. Watercolors are considered the most temperamental medium. Fluid and unpredictable, they even bedeviled Vincent Van Gogh. He dissed his early watercolors as “full of imperfections, que soit … I am still very dissatisfied.” Cannon is fearless with her watercolors, though she admits to wearing “two pairs of old lady reading glasses and holding my breath for some lines.” That’s because she wields the tiniest brushes made, some producing a millimeter of color. “One secret thing,” Cannon said, “you must get the eyes just right. I use the smallest brush to give each bird one human eyebrow. A smile with upward stroke or straight, showing the bird is eager. But all of my birds have wise eyes. They have a serious life, constantly finding food, worrying about predators, migrating through fire and strong winds.” Before the invention of binoculars and cameras, the founder of wildlife painting, John James Audubon, shot his specimens. He used wires to position them in “natural” positions he observed in the field. Then he painted. Cannon studies live subjects, snapping pictures in her brain. She can observe, store and recall an image faster than most people download a document on the computer. “I’ve been that way since I was a child in Osaka,” Cannon said. “My camera is my brain. I can feel what I observe, and that feeling restores the picture in my mind—like opening a file.” Cannon also uses skills honed at the Setsu Mode Seminar art school in Tokyo. Leading fashion illustrator Setsu Nagasawa taught her to work fast, creating movement and flow. Cannon is constantly observing, at Pendleton’s River Parkway, the Umatilla Indian Reservation, along the Columbia River, and at remote outskirts off the Boardman bombing range.
FROM TOP Hiroko Cannon’s painting of sagebrush and California quail. Cannon started as an illustrator in Tokyo.
“Even when I’m driving or taking out the garbage, I see things,” she said. One of her favorite spots is just steps outside her North Hill home studio. Cannon and her partner, a biologist, have created a terraced garden that reflects a quiet, Japanese aesthetic. Everything has purpose to nurture life. Birdhouses, bundles of twigs for bees, small ponds of water with fish that eat mosquito eggs, and hundreds of native plants provide shelter and food for hundreds of bird species. The first bird she drew was in Japan, for a Toyota dealership in Yokohama. The city bird is a seagull. “It turned out pretty good!” she said. That memory, and years of observing Eastern Oregon birds, helped Cannon pick up her watercolor brushes again and enter an amateur art show—where, years later, she now has her one-woman exhibit. “I may have gotten lost if I were still in Japan,” Cannon said. “They just rush to change. Here, when people bump into me at the grocery store and say they like my art, it just makes me so happy.” NOVEMBER | DECEMBER 2020
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STARTUP 50 WHAT’S GOING UP 51 WHAT I’M WORKING ON 52 MY WORKSPACE 54
pg. 54 Oregon Fruit cans local favorites at its Salem plant.
Eugene Pavlov
GAME CHANGER 56
UNTIL THE CURTAIN GOES UP, LET’S PROTECT OREGON CULTURE TOGETHER. If you donate to any arts and culture organization in Oregon, you have a secret weapon in the fight to save the groups hit so hard by the pandemic: Oregon’s cultural tax credit. Started nearly 20 years ago, the cultural tax credit gives Oregonians the opportunity to direct a greater portion of their tax dollars to fund arts and culture. Tax dollars they will pay anyway. The funds have never been more needed. Learn more at CulturalTrust.org, by calling the Oregon Cultural Trust at (503) 986-0088, or by consulting your tax preparer.
startup
Tempting Tuna
Fresh tuna and the origin of the boat-to-table movement written by Kevin Max ABOVE Oregon’s Choice cans seafood at its freshest. AT RIGHT SueAnna Harrison grew up the daughter of a fisherman.
SUEANNA HARRISON spent her childhood on Newport’s docks, running up and down them and looking for sea lions. Sometimes, barefoot, she’d get a hook caught in her foot and her dad would come to the rescue. That was all in a day of a commercial albacore fisherman’s daughter in Newport. The trawlers, the docks and the bayfront were her neighborhood. Today, Harrison, 36, is the owner of a sustainable canned seafood company pulling from the local waters off the Oregon Coast. Oregon’s Choice Gourmet brings pole-caught fish from Newport fishermen to a cannery in Charleston, on the southern Oregon Coast, where whole fillets are packed into cans for markets. “There’s a huge difference between the fish that we’re catching here and the supermarket brand,” Harrison said. “Ours is sashimi-grade albacore tuna packed in whole fillets in the can. It’s sealed and cooked once in its own natural juices. … It’s just clean, wild fish in the can.” While Ocean’s Choice got started with albacore tuna, the company has quickly expanded to salmon, Dungeness crab, pink shrimp and oysters, all locally and sustainably caught. Its products are sold online and in select grocery markets such as Market of Choice and Whole Foods. No doubt the tuna industry has taken a hit in recent years as food scientists found unhealthy levels of mercury in the storebought brands. Typically, big brands sell older, net-caught tuna with higher levels of mercury in them. The older the fish, the more mercury accumulates. But because of tuna migration 50
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patterns, the younger tuna—juvenile tuna with low levels of mercury—swim in the waters off the Oregon Coast, where Oregon’s Choice fishermen find them. Oregon’s Choice had its roots in the 1980s, when Harrison’s dad, the entrepreneurial Captain Herb Goblirsch, bought a 48foot tuna trawler and began setting out from Newport harbor. Harrison remembers her father being gone for nine months out of the year, sometimes chasing tuna all the way to New Zealand. It was his attention to process that began his legacy. Landing tuna by hook and line, Goblirsch handled the fish carefully to prevent bruising. To lock them in at peak freshness, he bled and flash froze them immediately for a better-tasting tuna. He would often stay out to sea until he filled up the 17-ton hold of his boat. Back on the docks, fish buyers noticed a qualitative difference in the taste of Goblirsch’s albacore and clamored for them. “My first job was to call this big long list of people who wanted to be the first to know when he was coming in with his albacore,” Harrison recalled. Soon, Goblirsch decided to begin canning his fresh catch for a broader audience. That began the boat-to-table movement and the founding of Oregon’s Choice Gourmet. “He was the first fisherman to start canning his own fish under his own brand,” Harrison said. Now, as Oregon’s Choice Gourmet expands into retail markets across the country, Harrison said that quality and freshness will guide its growth. “Oregon’s Choice isn’t going to be the biggest tuna company,” she said. “We want to be the best.”
what’s going up?
Wildhorse Resort & Casino’s new expansion features a bowling alley.
New Digs When travel returns, these hotels around Oregon will be ready for us written by Sheila G. Miller WE HAVEN’T MADE a lot of trips this year—fingers crossed 2021 will have us hitting the road and taking to the skies. Many Oregon hotels are ready for visitors, and new ones are around the bend. Wildhorse Resort & Casino just east of Pendleton has just completed a major expansion that will provide even more options for visitors. The resort, operated by the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, already features golf and gaming, and now it will offer a Family FunPlex, the centerpiece of which will be Quaking Aspens Lanes, a twentyfour lane bowling center. The expansion also includes a 3,000-square-foot food court and a new arcade. In Portland, work continues on the Ritz-Carlton Portland, the city’s first five-star hotel. The hotel and condo building is being built on the footprint of the city’s former downtown food cart pod. It’s expected to be completed in 2023, and will have 250 rooms as well as more than 130 condominiums. Finally, Hyatt House Beaverton is under construction near the new Beaverton Central MAX Station. The five-story, 125-room hotel is expected to be completed in late 2020 or early 2021, and is part of an effort by Beaverton to revitalize its downtown core.
what i’m working on
Coming Out of the Woodwork Nakamoto Forestry’s yakisugi siding is popular and durable interview by Sheila G. Miller
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what i’m working on
YOU HAVE SEEN yakisugi (also known as shou sugi ban) siding before—the charred, burnedlooking wood graces the side of more and more buildings as it becomes a trend on homes and businesses alike. Nakamoto Forestry, a Japanese company with a base of operations in Portland, is the largest manufacturer of yakisugi and the only company in the United States that authentically mills and heat treats the wood. Bill Beleck, the general manager for North American operations and co-owner of Nakamoto Forestry, grew up in Eugene and studied abroad in Japan. He never thought, growing up during the Spotted Owl era, that timber would be a career possibility for him. But it’s been a fit. He started as a reclaimed wood exporter, then partnered with the Nakamoto family to bring shou sugi ban siding to customers in the United States. The company controls the entire process, from planting the trees to delivering the siding to a job site. And in addition to its good looks, the material is durable as well. The treatment leaves the siding ready for years without maintenance, water resistant and rot and bug resistant as well. Oregon State University’s marine science building in Newport features Nakamoto yakisugi siding, as does a new project in North Portland. Why does your company use Japanese cypress and not local woods for the siding? Western red cedar is under pressure. It’s an overharvested species. Also, Japanese millwork is different from American millwork. They’re not willing to change their traditional millwork to lower the price point, whereas Canadian and American mills will churn out a lowergrade product for a lower price, of course. The Japanese only do a specific millwork pattern and type of drying. We’ve also found other species have different grain patterns. We’ve tested red cedar and pines and larches and it just isn’t quite the same. Why should people consider yakisugi siding? It lowers the lifetime cost and it lowers the carbon footprint over the lifetime of siding material by burning it, because it doesn’t have to be painted and stained—it’s burned instead. It makes it rot preventative, and it also casehardens the wood so that it doesn’t move as much, which is important for the exterior. The case hardening prevents oxygen from penetrating into the wood so it also slows down flame spread. Nakamoto’s siding comes in different levels of char, and is often used as an accent.
That seems timely, given the wildfire season we just had. We’ve been going through flame spread testing, getting certified, for the past two years. We read the tea leaves a long time ago. The world’s
changing and so we’re adapting. Once the wood is heat treated, it tests to Class A—the highest fire retardancy level. Unburned wood will test to Class C. How does the treatment work? The wood is put into a hot box and heated up for about 2 minutes, dramatically, up to about 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit. That’s different from, say, Finland, which has another type of technology—a two or three-day steam-and-dry kiln cycle at about 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Is there room for innovation in a company based so strongly on tradition? The lumber industry is very conservative, and the reason is that there are so many pitfalls associated with millwork, especially exterior millwork. There is a defined appearance and weathering patina that develops with this product over decades, so the expectation is that it will look a certain way after thirty years or fifty years. So if you change anything, you don’t know what it’s going to look like in thirty years. I’m not very interested, personally, in reinventing the wheel. Why would we? I was a remodel carpenter for several years and every single engineered product from twenty to fifty years ago that I came across was rotted or falling apart or faded. It’s the traditional, organic, natural materials that really have the best durability in my experience.
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my workspace
For eighty-five years, Salem’s Oregon Fruit Products has been canning our state’s fresh berries and other fruit. The plant employs about sixty people year-round and 120 at its busiest time each summer.
Gabino Gispert, the vice president of operations for Oregon Fruit, said his job is different each day—he is responsible for making sure the plant runs smoothly, the equipment is functioning and the company is on target to produce enough canned fruit to keep up with the sales department. And even though the company’s history is long, it continues to innovate. Oregon Fruit recently added blueberries in juice—at half the calories that other cans of the same fruit and juice have—and plans to add more fruits to that line. For the food service industry, the company has introduced a dragonfruit-mango compote for lemonade. It has also started selling fruit purees for use in fermentation and brewing.
My Workspace
Canned Joy
Oregon Fruit’s eighty-five-year history is just the beginning written by Sheila G. Miller photography by Eugene Pavlov 54
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my workspace
It’s a challenging job no matter what—his experience in other agriculture prepared him, but he’d never worked for a company that has so much fruit to process in such a short period of time. “We start with blackberries, then boysenberries, and they all seem to be coming at the same time,” he said. “You can’t tell the plants, ‘Stop, because I’m busy!’ You need to find solutions on the spot.”
This year, though, has been particularly interesting. First, the COVID-19 pandemic required Gispert to implement safety measures that would allow his team to stay safe in the workplace. That meant face shields and masks, but also reorganizing when people have lunch and finding physical dividers to separate workers. The company has been able to buy fruit from farms that were struggling for similar reasons—and because other companies weren’t able to buy as much fruit as usual. Then came the fires, which meant sending home some staff due to hazardous air quality. But the plant has remained open. “The big difference was in all the preparation that was behind the scenes,” he said. “It was a big challenge this year.”
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Help in a Hurry
When wildfires hit Oregon hard this year, the Red Cross Cascades Region was there written by Sheila G. Miller WHEN WILDFIRES RAGED through large swaths of Oregon in September, it left many of us stunned, unsure of our next step. Not Dale Kunce and his band of employees and volunteers with the American Red Cross. Kunce is the CEO of the American Red Cross Cascades Region, which serves Oregon and Southwest Washington. The team mobilized with incredible speed, helping the thousands of displaced Oregonians find shelter and food in spite of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. “We’ve been preparing for this since really late March or early April,” Kunce said. “We created new trainings around how we would adapt our 100-year history of responding to natural disasters (around COVID-19).” The local American Red Cross had already tested out its plans with smaller wildfires earlier in the season. But on September 8, Kunce found himself in the parking lot of the Oregon State Fair & Expo Center, ash falling from the sky and a long line of displaced families waiting for help. For Kunce and his organization, those dress rehearsals came in handy—dozens of volunteers showed up to help and thousands of evacuated Oregonians got help, and quickly. “Everybody held their corner,” Kunce said. “It was really important that we pulled together as a volunteer team.” One in ten of the volunteers who responded, Kunce said, were evacuees themselves. Some believed they’d lost their own homes. “They worked,” he said. “They said, ‘This feels good. This is something I can do right now. There’s nothing else I can do about my house, but I can do this.’” Traditionally, evacuees would have been put up in a high school gym or some other large, open space. Buffet lunches and dinners would be set up. Not this year. “We had to become an Expedia and an UberEats overnight,” Kunce said. Instead of opening a buffet to hundreds of people, hundreds of individually boxed meals had to be secured and handed out. Instead of standing in the front of a huge room and looking out over the hundreds of evacuees, volunteers had to secure hundreds of hotels and then check in on them individually. Kunce said overnight, the Red Cross secured thousands of hotel rooms, as staff from around the country called them up, asked how many rooms were available, then bought all of them. “Everybody who needed a safe place to be got a safe place to be,” Kunce said. “Everyone who needed a hot meal got a hot meal. And that, to us, is success in how we judge our mission as a success or not.” For those who lost homes, the American Red Cross has been working with county, state and federal officials to find better, longterm housing. Kunce pointed out that moving forward is a really 56 1859 OREGON’S MAGAZINE NOVEMBER | DECEMBER
2020
Photos: Scott Dalton/American Red Cross
game changer
FROM TOP American Red Cross volunteers Sean and Kristen Flanagan speak with a Gates resident in September in front of the home where she lived that burned down in the recent wildfires. American Red Cross volunteer Eric Carmichael gives hand sanitizer to Elena Perez at a supply pick-up location in Lyons for residents affected by wildfires.
individualized process—it often depends what type of resources families had before they lost homes. The Red Cross continues to help not only 1,000 families displaced by the wildfires, but people who experience everyday tragedies like house fires. Kunce said financial donations continue to be the best way for us to help those in need. “Flexibility is still the most effective,” he said. “If I have 1,000 T-shirts that somebody donated, maybe the thing that people need is not a T-shirt.” For example, a man who was evacuated determined his house had not burned. He couldn’t get home because his truck windshield was broken, Kunce recalled. “We bought him a new windshield,” Kunce said. It isn’t that he doesn’t appreciate the generosity of other types of donations, but money can often solve a problem more directly. “The recovery has to be individualized,” he said. He also recommended signing up as a volunteer. Further, if you have something of value you think might be useful to the Red Cross during these crises, he suggested picking up the phone to find out. “We take a lot of in-kind offers for stuff,” he said. “That’s because we have identified a need, and we’re going to pay for it regardless, so if you donate that specific thing, that money can go somewhere else.” More than anything, though, Kunce has been impressed by how generous Oregonians have been with each other. “Oregonians as individuals and as companies are extremely generous,” he said. “It has reaffirmed my belief in what it is to be an Oregonian. … It’s different when it’s your neighbor. It’s a neighbor you haven’t talked to yet, it’s a neighbor you haven’t introduced yourself to, you’ve just waved at across the street, and then the neighbor shows up with exactly the thing you need at the exact right time.”
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HOW TO
TRAVEL ABROAD WITHOUT LEAVING THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST
TWELVE PLACES IN THE PNW THAT TRANSPORT YOU TO OTHER CULTURES written by Kevin Max | illustrations by Allison Bye
FOR THOSE OF US with wanderlust, the pandemic greatly curtailed our travel plans, confining us exclusively to local destinations, and only those where it is safe to go. Thankfully, the Pacific Northwest brings with it many amazing proxies for foreign travel. In this piece, we explore the regions, towns and venues throughout the Northwest that share some stunning similarities with their European, Scandinavian and Asian counterparts. If you can’t hop on a plane right now, jump in your car and satisfy your wanderlust while contributing to the local economy. Here are twelve places that will transport you abroad.
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Washington
Leavenworth BAVARIA
Poulsbo NORWAY
The sons and daughters of Norway are alive and well in the tiny Norwegian town of Poulsbo on Washington’s Kitsap Peninsula. Known as Little Norway on the Fjord, Poulsbo was first settled in 1875 by Ole Stubb, a Norwegian immigrant born in Naustdal, Førdefjord, Norway in 1821. More Norwegians flocked to the area for land and fishing in Liberty Bay, then called Dog Fish Bay for its abundance of dogfish. The town was built to resemble
the small seafaring towns of Norway. Today, Poulsbo punches above its weight with craft breweries such as Valhöll Brewery and Slippery Pig, with its culture-conscious Norwegian Sunburn amber rye. Hit Marina Market for Norwegian foods or kick back at Poulsbohemian Coffeehouse with some of the best views on Liberty Bay. When festivals are back in swing, plan to visit during Viking Fest, Midsommer Fest or Julefest.
AT LEFT Poulsbo is known as Little Norway on the Fjord, for good reason. (photo: Brittany Kelle Photography) ◦ ABOVE, AT RIGHT Bavarian architecture in Leavenworth’s downtown core transports you to Europe. (photo: Icicle TV)
There are few places outside of Germany that evoke Bavaria in such a demonstrable way as Leavenworth. In the Cascades of Central Washington, Leavenworth is a Bavarian village of Alpinestyle architecture along its downtown core on Front Street. If not for the signs in English, you’d swear you were in a small Bavarian mountain town. Lined with bierhauses and biergartens serving steins of beer, and German restaurants such as München Haus and Bären Haus with bratwurst and schnitzel on the menu, chocolate shops and a nutcracker museum, this town will transport its visitors to the southern Bavarian town of GarmischPartenkirchen in the Alps. Each year, Leavenworth’s signature event, Oktoberfest, is a rollicking good time with accordions, oompah bands and outdoor biergartens.
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Winthrop
SCANDINAVIA Winthrop is a two-season escape to the vast network of ski trails of Norway, where parents send their kids outside in the morning and tell them to be back in time for dinner. It’s a place where ski trails connect towns and people in a culture that hearkens back to Norway, where Nordic skiing is the national pastime. In the Methow Valley and on the edge of the North Cascades, a Scandinavian ethos pervades the community-run trails and the remote-but-civilized feeling of the valley.
The winter snow and tons of ski trails in Methow Valley invoke a Scandinavian ethos. ◦ BELOW, AT LEFT Seattle’s ChinatownInternational District is buzzing with restaurants and markets. (photo: Visit Seattle/ Alabastro Photography)
Seattle’s Chinatown-International District CHINA, JAPAN
Chinese people first immigrated to Seattle beginning in the late 1850s, finding work on the docks, as fishermen and in canneries. They fought persistent racism and the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 to build an enclave of Chinese culture on the south side of Seattle, which, in 1998, earned the sanctioned title of Chinatown. Today, the International
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District is nearly half Asian, with a plurality of Chinese. Vietnamese, Filippino, Japanese and Koreans are the next populous ethnicities. Enter the west side of the district through the Historic Chinatown Gate on King Street and through its Paifang-style arches, composed of 8,000 ceramic tiles made in southern China, and lose yourself in herb
shops, markets, galleries, rice bowls, Chinese candies and collectibles. For Japanese submersion, head to the Uwajimaya supermarket on 5th Avenue South and transport yourself to a bustling market setting in Japan. Take home the authentic ingredients for traditional udon or soba dishes and soak in the flavor of Japanese culture.
Oregon
Bandon
SCOTLAND The Oregon coastal town Bandon on the Sea sounds like it was swept off the coast of the British Isles. Bandon Dunes Golf Resort proves the case. This rolling course in a rugged traditional Scottish links design was built on gorse-choked cliffs overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Its chief architect is David McLay Kidd, a Scotsman and second-generation golf celebrity. His father was a
longtime superintendent of the famed Gleneagles course in Scotland. The course has wide fairways, but the fast links style is merciless. Balls roll forever. The rough is difficult—natural sagebrush—and you must sink your putt or your ball may end up far from its intended destination. “Golf as it was meant to be” is Bandon Dunes’ motto and a nod to its origin in Scotland.
Mount Angel BAVARIA
AT LEFT If it’s that Italian wine lifestyle you seek, DANCIN Vineyards will deliver. (photo: DANCIN Vineyards) ◦ BELOW Oregon’s Mount Angel throws a huge Oktoberfest and has a Glockenspiel Building to prove its Bavarian roots. (photo: City of Mount Angel)
Wine Country ITALY
In Oregon wine country, you can travel to Italy and France without leaving the I-5 corridor. For an Italian experience, go to DANCIN Vineyards, in the verdant hills west of Medford. The vineyard makes Barberas, Sangioveses and ports through traditional
Oregon’s Bavaria is centered in Mount Angel, along the western flank of the Cascades. Bavarians had already immigrated to this rural area in the 1880s when Benedictine monks from Engleberg, Switzerland established Mount Angel Abbey, a Benedictine monastery. Mount Angel is a translation of the Swiss town, Engleberg. Nonetheless, Bavarian culture is a compelling force, and soon Mount Angel became Oregon’s Germanic enclave. The centerpiece of German culture is Mount Angel’s Glockenspiel building, with carved figures and a working town square clock. Naturally, Mount Angel is home to an enormous Oktoberfest every year and a Wurstfest in February. Take home locally made wurst from Mount Angel Sausage Company and continue the festivities with friends and neighbors.
winemaking techniques. Its vineyard tasting room and piazza-like setting is a beautiful place to take your love, don big sunglasses and your best shoes, order a thin-crust pizza from the pizza oven and drink a bottle of classic Italian wine in a setting reminiscent of Piedmont.
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Wine Country FRANCE
Likewise, if you need to escape to France to sip its burgundies and pinots, cut your travel time to a quick drive to Domaine Drouhin in the Dundee Hills, where Veronique Boss-Drouhin plies her French winemaking family tradition. The Drouhin family roots go back to the 1880s in Beaune, France, the heart of the Burgundian wine experience, where Joseph Drouhin, Veronique’s great-great grandfather, began buying vineyards and making excellent wines. That rich family tradition continues in both Beaune and the Dundee Hills, where you can sit
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back, look over the vines transported from France and truly have one foot in the terroir of Beaune. Other wineries in Oregon where French winemaking is de rigueur include: Phelps Creek Vineyard in Hood River, where French winemaker Alexander Roy is the director of winemaking; and Chapter 24 Vineyards, where renowned Burgundy vingeron Louis-Michel Liger-Belair consulted the winemaking team that also included Michael Etzel, winemaker at Beaux Freres, another Oregon winery with Dijon clones and Frenchstyle wines.
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ABOVE, CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT Domaine Drouhin has true French winemaking roots. Redmond’s Porter Brewing is a cask ale lover’s dream. The Jennings Hotel in Joseph is the best basecamp for your Oregon Alps adventures. (photos: Domaine Drouhin, Cj Juan/Porter Brewing Company, The Jennings Hotel) ◦ BELOW The Wallowas are often referred to as Little Switzerland.
The Wallowas SWITZERLAND
The Wallowas in Northeastern Oregon are often called Little Switzerland for their size, shape and feel. Accessed from the mountain arts community of Joseph, visitors can plan day hikes with water, a sandwich from Old Town Cafe and chocolate from Arrowhead Chocolates, then off you go into Eagle Cap Wilderness, a smaller-scale Alpine outing. If you’re going to make the trek all the way, you might as well go big—either with a multiday wilderness camping experience, or use the Scandinavianesque The Jennings Hotel as your refined base camp for healthy day hikes up to breathtaking wilderness tarns.
Idaho
Ketchum AUSTRIA
Real Ales ENGLAND
The 3 Legged Crane Pub and Brewhouse in Oakridge. (photo: Melanie Griffin/Eugene Cascades Coast.org
Sometimes just the culture of one venue can completely transport you to a different place. Such is the case with The 3 Legged Crane Pub and Brewhouse (formerly Brewers Union Local 180) in Oakridge, where real ale is served British-style from the cask and firkin. Hand-pumped like pubs in England, cask-conditioned ale retains its yeast once pit into casks, where it undergoes a secondary fermentation while cellaring in casks and served at an optimal 53 degrees—slightly warmer than most Oregon craft styles. The journey to the tiny hamlet of Oakridge will add to the experience, as will the mountain biking if you want to challenge yourself in a different way. Perhaps the only other bold experiment with real ale pulled from casks in Oregon is Porter Brewing Company in Redmond, where patrons can sit down to small-batch caskconditioned imperial pints of real ale.
Sun Valley Resort was the brainchild of Count Felix Schaffgosch, an Austrian who scouted the West on behalf of Averell Harriman, Secretary of Commerce under President Truman. He soon created the famed Sun Valley Resort in the image of great ski resorts of Austria. The feeling is certainly old-school Europe. The service level is modern American. Stars from the golden era of Hollywood (Ingrid Bergman, Clark Gable, Gary Cooper) adopted Sun
Valley as their new place to be seen. A second generation of actors such as Bruce Willis, Demi Moore and Arnold Schwarzenegger are also Sun Valley aficionados. If you’d like a more modern version of how stars visit Sun Valley, book the new Limelight Hotel right in downtown Ketchum and be close to all the famed restaurants and taverns. Its outdoor, heated pool in the shadow of the famed Bald Mountain is a great spot to après ski in style.
Boise has a strong Basque community, and its culture is nowhere more apparent than on the Basque Block and the Basque Museum & Cultural Center. (photo: Basque Museum & Cultural Center)
Boise
BASQUE COUNTRY One interesting facet of Boise takes us right into the Basque country of northern Spain. The Basque Block in old downtown Boise has a cultural center, a Basque museum, and Basque market dancing events, restaurants and Basque
descendants, originally drawn to the area for silver mining and sheep ranching. Some prominent Idahoans are of Basque descent and can be found eating lamb stew and Basque peppers at Bar Gernika on S. Capital Boulevard.
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Historic Frank Miller House
Photo by Jeannette Knower/KnoHerPhotos
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The PNW Holiday
written by 1859 Oregon’s Magazine staff photography by Toby Nolan WE’VE LEARNED A LOT about ourselves in 2020—what we need to comfortably subsist during a quarantine, and what we can do without. So in this year’s holiday gift guide, you won’t find much in the way of fancy purses or high heels, men’s shaving kits or bow ties. It’s not that those things aren’t lovely. They are. But what we’ve come to recognize about life in 2020 is that the best gift is togetherness—whether that’s over cocktails, in the kitchen, or out in the elements.
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1 Allsop Home & Garden Solar Tea Lanterns www.allsopgarden.com $29.99 each
3 Allsop Home & Garden Gem Light Solar Lantern www.allsopgarden.com $35.99
5 Throwboy 1984 Pocket Pillow www.throwboy.com $14.99
2 Sackcloth & Ashes Camp Coast blanket www.sackcloth andashes.com $109
4 Oregon Lottery Scratch-its and Washington’s Lottery Scratch-offs www.oregonlottery.org www.walottery.com prices vary
6 Wildehaus Big Squat 10” Plant Stand www.wildehauspdx.com $52
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1 Favor Jewelry Top Knot Crown Hair Pin www.favorjewelry.com $44 2 Material + Movement earrings www.materialand movement.com $124 3 Clean Wit Industries Minted Rose and Lavender + Lemongrass soaps www.cleanwit industries.com $8 each 4 Material + Movement necklace www.materialand movement.com $254
5 Wooly Beast Winter Wonderland candle www.woolybeast designs.com $14.99 6 Wooly Beast Bearded Man soap www.woolybeast designs.com $7.99
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1 Felton & Mary’s Artisan Foods BBQ Prayer Box www.feltonandmary.com $38.99 2 Marshall’s Haute Sauce Hot Sauce Sampler www.marshallshaute sauce.com $35 3 Rogue Creamery Oregon Blue www.roguecreamery.com $17
4 Rogue Creamery Mount Mazama Cheddar www.roguecreamery.com $12 5 Jacobsen Salt Co. Raw Honey Sticks www.jacobsensalt.com $5 for 10-pack 6 Durant at Red Ridge Farms Culinary Lavender www.redridgefarms.com $10
7 Durant at Red Ridge Farms Cyprus Black Lava Sea Salt www.redridgefarms.com $15
10 Salt Blade Seattle Stick, Tuscan Salami, Porcini & Sage salamis www.saltblade.com $15 each
8 HEW Woodworking Salt Cellar www.hewwood working.com $110
11 Durant at Red Ridge Farms rosemary fused olive oil www.redridgefarms.com $24
9 MADRE Legume linen napkins www.madrelinen.com $42+
12 Durant at Red Ridge Farms Apero Vinegar Trio Pack www.redridgefarms.com $25
15 Oomph No. 3 Sofrito and No. 6 Shiitake Umami cooking blends www.oomphcooking.com $13.99 each
13 Alchemist’s Jam Marionberry fruit spread www.alchemistsjam.com $10 14 Ground Up Oregon Hazelnut butter www.grounduppdx.com $16
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1 The Bitter Housewife Classic Bitters Kit www.thebitterhousewife.com $30
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8 Freeland Spirits Gin www.freelandspirits.com $35.95
1 2 2 Skunk Brothers Spirits Smoke Jumper Bourbon www.skunkbrothersspirits.com $39.95
7 Headwind Vodka www.headwindvodka.com $21.95
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6 Raising the Bar DIY artisan bitters kit www.raisingthebarnw.com $26
4 4 Mary’s Mixers Bloody Mary Mix www.marysmixers.com $12.99
5 Freeland Spirits Dry Gin www.freelandspirits.com $35.95
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1 Revival Tea Company Northwest Breakfast loose leaf tea www.revivaltea company.com $24.99
5 Wildwood Salted Brown Butter Texas Pecan Brittle chocolate bar www.wildwood chocolate.com $12.75
2 One Stripe Chai Original Chai Concentrate www.onestripechai.com $16
6 HEW Woodworking Creamer www.hewwood working.com $120
3 MADRE Tomato linen napkins www.madrelinen.com $42+ 4 Wildwood Berry Berry chocolate bar www.wildwood chocolate.com $13.95
7 The Oregon Farm Table Cookbook by Karista Bennett www.powells.com $24.95
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8 SeaBear Smokehouse Smoked Wild Salmon Trio Gift Box www.seabear.com $42
9 HEW Woodworking Butter Box www.hewwood working.com $75
10 Salish Lodge & Spa Huckleberry Syrup www.salishlodge.com $9.95
11 Salish Lodge & Spa Buttermilk Pancake Mix www.salishlodge.com $9.95
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1 Pendleton Point Reyes Towel for Two www.pendleton-usa.com $89.50 2 Benchmade 595-1 Mini Freek www.benchmade.com $310 3 Finder Summer Winter Tote www.findergoods.com $92
7 Dovetail Workwear Multipurpose Work Gloves www.dovetail workwear.com $25 8 Dovetail Workwear Freshley Overall www.dovetail workwear.com $129
4 Danner Logger 917 www.danner.com $230
9 Dovetail Workwear Givens Workshirt www.dovetail workwear.com $69
5 Grayl GEOPRESS Purifier www.grayl.com $89.95
10 Puffin Coolers Beverage Jacket www.puffincoolers.com $15.95
6 Hydro Flask 15L Soft Cooler Pack www.hydroflask.com $174.95 72 1859 OREGON’S
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A SIGHT FOR SORE EYES photography by Richard Bacon THE CASCADE RANGE and Central Oregon’s landscape are beautiful year-round, but there’s nothing like a dusting of snow to take the beauty to the next level. Richard Bacon braved freezing temperatures and early mornings to share these sweeping vistas with 1859.
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After two weeks of cloudy skies, fresh snow covers the mountains from a view on Tumalo Mountain.
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Mount Washington glows during a winter sunrise along the Santiam Pass. AT LEFT, FROM TOP A 0-degree winter morning at Smith Rock. A vibrant sunrise contrasts with snow at Elk Lake.
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Sunrise at Todd Lake after a fresh snowfall the night before.
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TRAVEL SPOTLIGHT 82 ADVENTURE 84 LODGING 92 TRIP PLANNER 94
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travel spotlight
Chasing Waterfalls Finish 2020 strong with excursions to Oregon’s lesser-known waterfalls written by Sheila G. Miller EVERYONE KNOWS Oregon’s most popular state parks—many coastal parks see upwards of 1.5 million visitors each year. But many of Oregon’s lesser-known state parks hold a quiet beauty of their own, and they’re worth checking out. Make the end of 2020 count with a visit to some of this state’s lesser appreciated waterfalls. White River Falls State Park east of Tygh Valley on Highway 216 has a starring feature—White River Falls, a 90-foot waterfall. It also has a short trail that leads hikers to a historic hydroelectric power plant deep in the canyon. Looking to bag another waterfall? Try Munson Creek Falls State Natural Site, near Tillamook, which features the tallest waterfall in the Coast Range and old-growth forest. There’s a short hike winding along Munson Creek, and during the winter you can see spawning salmon in the creek. Finally, Golden and Silver Falls State Natural Area near Coos Bay is off the beaten path, but trust us, it’s worth the gravel road through dense forest. The two waterfalls are accessible by easy hikes, and you’ll truly feel like you’re in the middle of nowhere.
White River Falls State Park features a 90-foot waterfall.
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Shred safely at Oregon’s Mt. Bachelor. (photo: Anelise Bergin/Mt. Bachelor)
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SKIING DURING A PANDEMIC WHAT TO EXPECT AT SKI AREAS THIS ANOMALOUS SEASON BY MARCH OF 2020, the winter ski season was already in play. Though a long eight months separated the onset of the pandemic in the United States and the opening of ski areas in the Pacific Northwest, two things came into focus: this virus wasn’t going away soon and ski areas would have to make significant changes if they wanted to safely open to guests for this anomalous 2020-21 ski season. Also, in a perverse way, this could be the best year on record for ski area season passholders. Being on a mountain, in the open air, is one of the safest places to be during these times. Skiing and
written by Kevin Max
snowboarding are essentially individual pursuits of recreation in the great outdoors and a psychological savior through the duration of winter. “As ski season approaches, resorts are incorporating virus prevention into their winter operating plans, again turning to science and also learning from summer operations in the U.S. and from our peers in the southern hemisphere,” Kelly Pawlak, president and CEO of National Ski Areas Association, said in this year’s annual report. So what’s different this season? What changes should winter warriors expect during the pandemic?
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SEASON PASSHOLDERS RULE The first change is how ski passes are being sold and marketed this year. Prices are lower and forgiveness is greater. Day passes are all but gone. At Crystal Mountain in Enumclaw, Ikon Pass renewal fees were discounted by $200, double the discount from the prior season. The Ikon Pass includes more than thirty resorts across the United States, including Crystal Mountain, The Summit at Snoqualmie and Mt. Bachelor in the Pacific Northwest. Under the Ikon Pass, passholders who didn’t use it this season, for whatever reason, have the option of deferring until the next season, no questions asked. Mt. Bachelor created a new Passholder Promise for this season, under which passholders receive a voucher for ski days if the mountain is closed for extended periods and full refunds before November 20 for any reason. Passholders rule at many resorts, especially this year. Because of social distancing and maximum crowd regulations, ski areas such as Stevens Pass make online reservations for onmountain time mandatory. Under its season Epic Pass, Stevens Pass (and others) allows passholders priority for reservations. Using a time-based reservation system will also help ski areas manage parking, which has been a pain point due to the popularity of skiing and snowboarding.
TRANSPORTATION WILL REQUIRE PATIENCE Mountain shuttles and buses will be the front line for civility or chaos. Those who opt for communal transportation should expect less capacity, longer waits and, possibly, reservations required.
AT RIGHT Seek solitude at Schweitzer Mountain Resort in Idaho. (photo: Schweitzer Mountain Resort)
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THE REST. UNLOCK ACCESS TO THE NW’S LARGEST PLAYGROUND — Come explore the sixth–largest ski resort in North America offering 4,323 acres of skiable terrain and the only 360° summit experience in the Northwest. Season passes and day tickets available now.
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SPECIAL SECTION
FACE COVERINGS ARE MANDATORY No matter how you get to the ski area, remember your face covering. The NSAA is requiring its member ski areas to follow CDC mandatory mask guidelines for both indoor and outdoor spaces. Local, state and federal guidelines apply to all ski areas. Plastic shields do not meet the standard at ski areas. The good news is that many snow riders are already accustomed to wearing face coverings while on the mountain, so making it mandatory should not significantly change the culture.
Face coverings will be mandatory on and off the slopes this season.
MAINTAIN A SKI’S-LENGTH APART Social distancing meets skiing. One obvious change is how lift lines are managed. Nary a resort has used fluid dynamics well to manage the herd of riders in lift lines. This season, skiers and snowboarders will be required to maintain at least 6 feet in buffer to the next person, creating a seemingly long tail. All things considered, the tail of one set of skis to the boot of the next set of skis is typically around 6 feet. This may not seem like a derivation from the norm unless you’re counting time. Snowboarders queuing before dropping into terrain parks should also maintain at least 6 feet from the next boarder.
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Make tracks, make memories.
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A QUICK GUIDE TO NAVIGATING THE 2020-21 SKI SEASON Day passes may be rare this year.
Gondolas like this one at Crystal Mountain will also be subject to social distancing. (photo: Crystal Mountain)
Make your reservation for ski times well in advance. Season passholders will be able to defer their passes to next season without penalty. CDC-defined masks are mandatory. Plastic shields are not sufficient. Shuttles will be more sparsely seated and take longer. Masks are mandatory. Maintain a social distance of at least 6 feet in lift lines. Unless a group is a family, lifts will accommodate fewer people per chair.
LIFTS WILL CARRY FEWER PEOPLE UPHILL If you’ve put on 15 pounds for COVID-19, fear not. Ski lifts will feel more roomy this season. Because of social distancing guidelines, those who are not family could be limited to one per chair, or two per quad chair. Vail Resorts, of which Stevens Pass is a member, announced at the end of August that masks will be required in all areas of their resorts and lifts will either be single or double occupancy for quads. Ear buds with music, podcasts and audible books are made for this. You may wait a few minutes longer, but no longer than a Tim Ferriss podcast humble-brag. Though resorts in the Pacific Northwest have many chairlifts, there is only one enclosed lift—the Mt. Rainier Gondola at Crystal Mountain. Expect to see that gondola loaded with fewer people to conform to state and federal guidelines. As always, maintain a safe distance from other skiers and snowboarders on the way down.
Gondolas will also be subject to social distancing. Take an open chairlift when possible. Maintain safe distances while descending. Restaurants and bars, if open, will enforce social distancing and mask requirements, except while eating or drinking. Avoid crowded local bars and restaurants. Be civil. We’re all in this together.
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FEWER INDOOR AND MORE OUTDOOR TABLES AT RESTAURANTS On-mountain eateries, if open, will look like phase 3 restaurant seating—farther apart and outdoors as much as possible. NSAA calls for increased cleaning and disinfecting for restaurants, restrooms, ticket offices and rental shops. If your ski vacation contemplates patronizing local bars and restaurants, consider making that pasta dish or trying a new steak rub at your accommodations instead of putting yourself and others at risk in the general population. For many, this season will test your ability to maintain civility. Always try to be the better person and ski and ride with a clear and open mind.
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Photo by Northwest Rafting Company
The inn’s five suites all have large, private patios facing north onto a lovely communal lawn and garden, an ideal setup for staycationers seeking a weekend slice of the country life, a luxurious change of scenery for the family quaranteam, or an intimate private wedding venue. Strict safety and cleaning protocols are in place, so feel secure that rooms sit empty for at least twenty-four hours in between guests, pillows are rested for several days and each room has its own central air system.
FEATURES Less than ten minutes from downtown Newberg, the inn is also minutes from must-visit wineries like serene and stylish L’Angolo Estate and Domaine Nicolas-Jay, which recently opened a new appointmentonly winery and tasting room on an enchanting forest-ringed 53-acre property in the Dundee Hills. Beer lovers, plan on a pint or two in the outdoor beer garden of awardwinning Wolves & People Farmhouse Brewery, set in an old barn in ownerbrewer Christian DeBenedetti’s family filbert orchard.
DINING The DeFrancias’ three-course breakfast is served daily, and will send you on your merry wine-tasting way fully sated and ready to sip. For picnic provisions, stop in Newberg at cheesemonger Kristen Kidney’s new Good Company Cheese Bar & Bistro for cheeses, charcuterie and accoutrements from Oregon and beyond, or get grab-and-go lunch items from Division Street Grocers at See See Motor Coffee Co.
AMENITIES No luxury was spared in the inn’s suites—each has a king-size bed with warm and cozy European-style split duvets, a 50-inch flat-screen television, complimentary high-speed wi-fi, an individual climate control system, and a large bathroom with radiant-heated tile floors, soaking tub for two, separate tiled shower with full-size toiletries, and housemade soaps and bath salts.
Photos: Marcus Berg/ Unique Angles Photography
ROOMS
Lodging
Willamette Valley Bed and Breakfast
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP Willamette Valley Bed and Breakfast is tucked away in Newberg. Breakfast is a multicourse affair. Every detail, including art, has been carefully considered. King-size beds and radiant-heated floors await weary travelers.
written by Jen Stevenson IF AN OREGON wine country staycation sounds like a welcome sanity saver right about now, Dan and Maureen DeFrancia’s tranquil Newberg bed and breakfast is just the home away from home you’ve been looking for. It has strict safety protocols, serene orchard strolls, three-course breakfasts, champagne check-ins and cheeky hen house wine bar murals. The low-slung, dusky blue inn blends seamlessly into the rural landscape, but most local farmsteads don’t greet visitors with a glass of pale pink sparkling wine and a bag of buttery popcorn, a tour of the art-splashed great room and garden, and the promise of a lavish farm breakfast in the morning. Dan DeFrancia’s decades of experience in high-end hospitality, including a six-year stint at St. Helena’s famed five-star Meadowood Napa Valley resort, show in the careful design of each of the five suites. King beds are made up with plush European-style twin duvets and luxurious pillows rested for several days between guests, gas fireplaces provide flickering flames within seconds, and the roomy bathrooms feature heated floors and deep soaking tubs best paired with Maureen’s homemade lavender bath salts. Pulling from her background in art and retail, Maureen masterminded many of the inn’s imaginative artistic details, sprinkling each suite with sunny acrylic artwork by Eugene artist Jo Morton, commissioning a whimsical wine bar mural for the side of the hen house (a.k.a. Chick Inn), milling fragrant soaps by hand and crafting the playfully elegant glass and metal sculptures planted throughout the gardens and the exquisite Bellagioesque blown glass canopy above the inn’s front door (wait until sundown to take a peek). The DeFrancias take the “breakfast” part of the bed-and-breakfast experience very seriously; each morning, the duo and Bailey, a poodle, and Ripley, a springer spaniel-border collie mix, rise with the sun to collect eggs from the coop and pluck seasonal fruits, vegetables and herbs from the property’s orchard and garden. All are incorporated into a lavish three-course breakfast that might start with warm homemade cinnamon crumbtopped apple muffins and bright mango strawberry smoothies, and finish with a gardenvegetable-studded smoked salmon hash crowned with a silky-yolked fresh hen’s egg. 23535 NE OLD YAMHILL ROAD NEWBERG www.willamettevalleybandb.com
everyone needs a remote-workcation
So why not come work here in Seaside? Just book a house or hotel with Wi-Fi and it’ll be like you’re working from home. Except you won’t be at home. You’ll be here. Then when you have a coffee break, or lunch break, or the work day is done you can go for a bike ride, or hop into a kayak, or fly a kite, or walk the Promenade, or just stroll along the miles of easy-to-socially-distance beach with incredible views and gorgeous sunsets.
seasideOR.com
EXECUTION: SEASIDE REMOTE WORK-CATION 1/2 PAGE HORIZONTAL FILE NAME: seaside_1859_8.25x5.06_remote_workcation_coronavirus.indd PUB: 1859 FINAL TRIM SIZE: 8.25” wide x 5.06” tall
Unwind at the spa, relax around the �re pit or �nd your next outdoor adventure at Salishan Coastal Lodge. Book Direct and Save 15% salishan.com/o�ers
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Winter on the Water Head to the Northern Coast for a cozy, romantic escape written by Sheila G. Miller
SO OFTEN, we think of the Oregon Coast as a destination for the summer. But that’s shortsighted. Yes, the Oregon Coast has a penchant for winter storms that splash water against the windows and rattle the bones of buildings with wind. That’s part of the charm. There’s nothing more cozy—more romantic, even—than curling up with your special someone and watching the waves crash outside your homey weekend escape. To that end, we planned a long weekend along the Northern Oregon Coast, between Astoria and Seaside. 94
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The Astoria-Megler Bridge is one of many landmarks you’ll love on the Northern Oregon Coast.
SOUL, InSPIRED
w w w . t rav ela s t or i a . c o m
Buoy Beer Company
Fort George Brewery
trip planner
CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT Fort George Brewing serves its beer from atop a hill overlooking the water. At Lewis and Clark National Historial Park, you’ll find a replica of Fort Clatsop. Buoy Beer Company sits right on the water.
Day BREWS • VIEWS • BOSNIAN FOOD Astoria is a small city, but it outpunches its weight in great breweries. Buoy Beer Company sits right on the mouth of the Columbia River in an old cannery building. In addition to tasting the top-shelf beers, this brewery slings a variety of seafood options and, when you’re allowed in the building (post-coronavirus), a floor window to see seals. If you’ve got nice weather, sit outside and watch the ships pass through. Or head up the hill to Fort George Brewery, which has an upstairs dining room with pretty views and tons of beer options. This cozy spot is open to limited in-restaurant dining during the COVID-19 era, so grab a seat by the window and watch the world go by. Astoria Brewing on the trolley line has been brewing up delights since 1997, and Reach Break Brewing is a new addition to the brewing game in Astoria—but you can taste at all of these spots, and fill a pretty delicious day. Nevertheless, even in the blustery winter weather, it’s important to get outside. In 1805, the Lewis and Clark expedition reached the mouth of the Columbia, and Meriwether Clark wrote in his journal about the “great joy in camp.” You can retrace the explorers’ steps and learn about the Native 96 1859 OREGON’S MAGAZINE NOVEMBER | DECEMBER
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Americans who called this area home by visiting the Lewis and Clark National Historical Park. Visit the Fort Clatsop replica, then hit the trails. There are more than 14 miles of trails here that help you trace the same paths that the explorers did more than 200 years ago. The 6.1-mile point-to-point Fort to Sea Trail is exactly what it sounds like, and the South Slough Trail is a 3-mile loop that takes you through forests and at one point, a boardwalk over a wetland restoration area. Finish your day with a life-affirming, stick-to-your-ribs dinner. The “taste of Sarajevo” at Drina Daisy is a rare experience—think simmering beef stew with paprika and crunchy filo dough pies filled with rich spinach and cheese. There’s nothing pretentious about this spot—just good food. Belly full, head to the Cannery Pier Hotel & Spa, right on the water. You’ll find comfortable rooms, epic views and lots of thoughtful amenities. Or try the Hotel Elliott in downtown Astoria. This boutique hotel in a historic building brings a bit of panache to town. Plus, there are heated bathroom floors and some rooms have a fireplace, so you’ll feel particularly cozy.
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OREGON COAST`S MOST INSPIRING BOUTIQUE HOTEL
Our hotel is a curated experience of art and lifestyle, bringing inspiration to your next adventure. Whether you are visiting Seaside for work or play, Saltline meets your needs and inspires you to make the most out of your stay. Enjoy our world class amenities including saltwater pool, on site SPA, boutique style fitness center, bocce court and fireside patio. 250 1ST AVE SEASIDE, OR 97138
WWW.SALTLINEHOTEL.COM
Seaside Visitors Bureau
trip planner
Seaside Aquarium’s touch tank gets kids close to sea creatures.
Day Even a wintry coast weekend calls for some culture. In Astoria, there are a variety of stops to satisfy any hankering for history. Start at Fort Stevens State Park, which was a military fort that guarded the mouth of the Columbia River from the Civil War until the end of World War II. The huge park—4,300 acres—has a massive campground, as well as a lake, a disc golf course and other offerings. But it’s the history that makes this place a must-see. The remains of the fort are perfect for a morning scramble, especially if you have children with you. The Japanese used a submarine to shell the fort in 1942, the only time a military base in the Lower 48 was attacked by Axis Powers during the war. Here you’ll also find the wreck of the Peter Iredale, a ship that ran aground in 1906 and has been slowly deteriorating and sinking in the sand ever since. After your time at the fort, swing up to the Astoria Column at the top of Coxcomb Hill. The 125-foot column is covered in art depicting the exploration and development of the Northwest. You can climb to the top of the column, built in 1926, and match your fear of heights with incredible views. Had enough history for the day? We get it. Head south a half hour to Seaside, Oregon’s most quintessentially kitschy oceanfront town. You can easily spend an entire day or more enjoying Seaside’s family-friendly fun, whether you have kids in tow or not. Fortify yourself with lunch at Osprey Cafe. This spot is off the beaten path of Broadway, where the city’s arcade and boardwalk attractions are swarmed with tourists. Breakfast is served all day, and you’ll find specials like smoked razor clam chowder and other seafood delicacies. After, head to the main drag for some old-fashioned fun. Make sure to visit the beautifully 98 1859 OREGON’S MAGAZINE NOVEMBER | DECEMBER
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Don Frank
HISTORY • KITSCH
NORTHERN OREGON COAST
Don Frank
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EAT Drina Daisy www.drinadaisy.com Bridgewater Bistro www.bridgewaterbistro.com Side Road Cafe www.sideroadcafe.com Osprey Cafe www.facebook.com/ospreycafe
STAY Cannery Pier Hotel & Spa www.cannerypierhotel.com Hotel Elliott www.hotelelliott.com Gearhart Hotel www.mcmenamins.com/ gearhart-hotel
PLAY Lewis and Clark National Historical Park www.nps.gov/lewi/index.htm Fort George Brewery www.fortgeorgebrewery.com Buoy Beer Co. www.buoybeer.com Seaside Aquarium www.seasideaquarium.com Cape Disappointment State Park www.parks.state.wa.us/486/ Cape-Disappointment CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT Seaside’s promenade offers all the fun of the coast. Astoria’s column depicts the Northwest’s exploration. The Peter Iredale ran aground in 1906.
crafted carousel, which runs year round. Some of the attractions may have altered hours due to coronavirus or winter, but you’ll still get a good feel for the city by taking a stroll along the promenade. Plus, the Seaside Aquarium is open at 9 a.m. year round, except on major holidays. Don’t miss the opportunity to feed the seals and, if you have kids along, visit the touch tank to get up close and personal with sea anemones, starfish and sea urchins. For dinner, swing through Gearhart. This traditional enclave of the Portland fancy set has relatively few food options, but Pacific Way Cafe will deliver what you seek, with Seafood Louie or a nice cioppino. If you’re looking for something a little more laidback, you’ll want to swing through the Gearhart Hotel, a McMenamins hotspot that offers low-key cocktails and food at the Sand Trap Pub. If golfing is your thing, know that there’s also an eighteen-hole golf course here. If you’d like to stick close to Astoria, fear not—there’s a sweet, high-end restaurant there for you too. The Bridgewater Bistro combines glorious views of the Astoria-Megler Bridge with a
menu filled with the fresh seafood you expect, as well as several items you wouldn’t—think braised short ribs and a Mayan salad that features beets, yams and quinoa.
Day PIG ’N PANCAKE • HIKES • LIGHTHOUSES Is it really a visit to the Oregon Coast if you don’t eat at Pig ’N Pancake? This staple has locations in both Astoria and Seaside. If you’re looking for something a bit less traditional, try Side Road Cafe in Warrenton, which stocks a bunch of vegetarian and vegan options including biscuits and gravy, plus Sleepy Monk coffee. If you still have a bit of wanderlust, cross the Astoria-Megler Bridge to the Washington side and head for Cape Disappointment State Park. Stretch your legs with a hike up to the North Head Lighthouse on a bluff overlooking the Pacific Ocean. These are the views that will stay with you. NOVEMBER | DECEMBER 2020
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northwest destination
Idaho Tourism
The Route of the Hiawatha takes riders across steel trestles and through tunnels.
Wonderful Wallace
A historic town at the center of the universe written by Kevin Max
A CLASSIC AMERICAN historic throwback with a modern flair, Wallace, Idaho bills itself as “the center of the universe,” and it might as well be. The entire silver mining town is on the National Register of Historic Places, sits in the green rolling hills between the Silver and Lookout mountains on the South Fork of the Coeur d’Alene River and has a story to tell that is universal for Western towns during the nineteenth century. The well-preserved historic downtown encompasses such buildings as original brothels, turnof-the-century churches, Queen Anne and Victorian homes, a Carnegie library, a Northern Pacific Railroad depot, an Elks temple and too many incarnations of the civilized West to count.
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WALLACE, IDAHO
northwest destination
EAT Blackboard Restaurant www.blackboardmarketplace.com COGS Gastro Pub www.facebook.com/ cogsgastropub 1313 Club www.1313club.com Muchachos Tacos www.facebook.com Albi’s Gem Bar and Restaurant www.facebook.com/dgdbkderoos
STAY Lux Rooms at the Silver Corner www.airbinb.com Stardust Motel www.stardustmotelwallace.com Historic Jameson Inn www.facebook.com/ historicjameson
PLAY
Photos: Idaho Tourism
Trail of the Coeur d’Alenes parksandrecreation.idaho.gov/ parks/trail-coeur-d-alenes Route of the Hiawatha www.ridethehiawatha.com Oasis Bordello Museum www.zjdarrah.wixsite.com/ oasisbordello Sierra Silver Mine Tour www.silverminetour.org
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP Downtown Wallace is full of character. Head underground for the Sierra Silver Mine Tour. A manhole cover declaring the city the Center of the Universe.
Just 48 miles southeast of Coeur d’Alene, the town of 776 residents punches far above its population for intrigue. While relatively remote in Idaho’s panhandle, Wallace has all of the requirements for the claim “center of the universe.” Recreation abounds with world-class trail networks. The Trail of the Coeur d’Alenes is a rambling, 73-mile rails-to-trails paved path that begins in Plummer, southwest of Wallace, and ends just 8 miles east of Wallace in Mullan. The spectacular Route of the Hiawatha trail is fine gravel and extends 15 miles over steel trestles, through ten tunnels and jaw-dropping scenery. Closed until Memorial Day 2021, Hiawatha, another rails-totrails project, is worth the wait. This trail begins in Roland, 25 miles southeast of Wallace. Day passes are required and come in at approximately $13 per adult. Back at the center of the universe, Wallace’s streets are filled with antique shops, museums, silver mine tour trolleys, small hotels, restaurants, bars and breweries. For lunch, try the
Blackboard Hotel Restaurant, which has grilled sandwiches, soups, salads and wine in a classic restored department store. If you’d like to sample local beers, check out Wallace Brewing or COGS Gastro Pub. For dinner, head to Muchachos Tacos for unconventionally good steak and duck tacos alongside homemade guacamole. No visit would be complete without getting into Wallace and Silver Valley’s history. Grab a map at the chamber of commerce and take a walk back through time, when captains of industry built large Victorian homes with vast porches. Learn about silver mining through an underground Sierra Silver Mine Tour. Come back up to city grade for a trolley tour behind the hardworking and sordid history of this working girls town. If you lose yourself during your visit, navigate to the corner of Bank and Sixth streets, and when light traffic has cleared, place your feet on the manhole cover and look down. Now you are at the center of the universe. NOVEMBER | DECEMBER 2020
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1859 MAPPED
The points of interest below are culled from stories and events in this edition of 1859.
Astoria Seaside
Milton-Freewater Hood River Portland Tillamook Gresham
Pendleton
The Dalles La Grande
Maupin Government Camp
Pacific City Lincoln City
Baker City
Salem Newport
Madras
Albany Corvallis
Prineville
John Day
Redmond
Sisters Florence
Joseph
Ontario
Bend
Eugene Springfield
Sunriver Burns
Oakridge Coos Bay Bandon
Roseburg
Grants Pass Brookings
Jacksonville
Paisley
Medford Ashland
Klamath Falls
Lakeview
Live
Think
Explore
24 Archive Coffee & Bar
50 Oregon’s Choice
82
White River Falls State Park
26 Arrowhead Chocolates
51
84
Mt. Bachelor
28 Northwest Wild Products
52 Nakamoto Forestry
92
Willamette Valley B&B
36 Sound & Vision Wine Co.
54 Oregon Fruit Products
94
Fort Stevens State Park
46 Pendleton Center for the Arts
56 Red Cross Wildfire Response
100 Wallace, Idaho
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Wildhorse Resort & Casino
2020
MUSEUM FROM HOME
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Exhibits, talks, and family fun—now online! Stay connected and stay curious about Oregon’s past, present, and future.
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Until Next Time
Through Gates written by Sheila G. Miller | illustration by Cate Andrews
WHEN I THINK of Oregon, I think of the little towns that dot this beautiful place. I was raised in Portland, and I live in Bend. But my heart has always been with these tiny, sometimes odd spots around the state. These are the places people move for any number of reasons—to get away from people, to start new, to get into nature. Maybe they were born here, maybe they retired here. But these towns, not the big cities, are what make Oregon special. I remember the first time I saw the sign at the entrance of Gates. I had just moved back to Oregon after about ten years on the East Coast, and I felt like a world-weary 27-year-old after my time in New York City. I was headed to Bend to start working at the newspaper here. I knew nothing about Gates—but I was drawn to the sign, a shiny spot among the trees, almost iridescent. A coppery script welcomed me, above a bright blue river, an outline of the mountains behind, and jigsaw-cut trees. It was elaborate. At first I was confused—driving through this town, population 513, all I could think was that the city had spent its entire budget on the pretty signs. Over the past decades, I have driven through Gates hundreds of times. Not just Gates, of course. Detroit, Mill City, Lyons, Mehama, Vida, Blue River … these secluded spots flashed past my windshield regularly as I traveled for work, or for pleasure. I admit—they were rarely my destinations, but they felt like home nonetheless. Here was the bakery where I’d grab a snack for the trip back across the pass, there was the last chance to grab gas for 50 miles. Hey! That VW Bug is parked in front of that restaurant every time I drive past! I wonder if that café is still running a live bird show? Do we have time to stop and look 104
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at the ornaments at the Christmas Treasures shop? Every Bendite has idled in a long lineup in these towns when the pass has closed for some reason. Many of us have gotten out to stretch our legs, have a look around. We’ve tried to detour around the main highway in search of a faster route. We’ve seen the proud little schools, the careworn RV parks, the carefully preserved cabins along the Santiam and the McKenzie. I get it now. I understand why Gates put up its elaborate sign. There is a quiet pride to these communities, mostly old timber towns that remained as the timber industry changed. The people here wanted those of us driving through to know that it was a special place—that Gates, and all the rest of these spots, matter. The devastation these towns, and others, saw this September from wildfires can’t change that. Yes, we’ve got our work cut out for us—thousands of people around our state have lost everything. They’re facing a long winter and beyond trying to piece their lives back together. Recreation in these precious places won’t look the same for a long time. But fires can be extinguished. You can’t knock down the spirit of Oregonians. And that sign? I saw a video from the days following the fires, and it was still standing.
