Angels Rest Hike

Saturday we loaded up for a hike in the Columbia Gorge. We have the book 100 Hikes in Northwest Oregon and found the Angels Rest hike. It was described as "Moderate" with an elevation gain of 1500 feet and a distance of 4.6 miles round trip.
We went straight up the mountain from the parking area. It was a cloudy day so the views were a little dark but the trees and bushes were lusciously green. There was many switchbacks and believe it or not lots of people. Every type of person you can imagine. Old people with leather sandals, serious people with walking poles, families with like 17 children and then us. Once at the top it was you, the sky above and the river valley below, it was lovely.
We realized that we could add a side trip to something named "Devil's Rest" so we took that trail and found an old beat up picnic table to eat our lunch right next to a babbling brook. We walked and walked and realized that we were steadily going downhill BUT we were on the wrong side of the mountain. So - needless to say our devil's rest turned into a hell of a hike out of there just to meet up with our original trail that would lead us back to the car.
After four hours of hiking we stopped at Edgefield and sat outside for a cocktail. I had a delightful Greyhound and the cow enjoyed a couple of IPA's.

Me and my shadow!

Wow! Every single day last week was so beautiful that I could see my shadow. This was wonderful. Not only is it warming up but it is staying light until 9:00 pm or so and we have the ability to be warm when we take an evening stroll around the neighborhood.

The pictures are from my typical daily walk. I head out of the house and head west towards the river. I take a lap around the crazy "off leash" area for the pooches right next to the river. These hounds make me laugh and smile. Every one of them chases something. There is one terrior that actually uses his mouth like a baseball mitt and catches the damn thing in mid-air. My favorite part of the walk is when I circle around the old church - dating back to the 1900's or so. I just love all the trees and folige that is bursting with color. I then head through the woodsy park. This is where the cow and I go play frisbee or paddle ball. There is a ton of picnic tables and open spaces for fun!

I love my shadow and my shadow loves me.

Indie Wine Fest

The cow and I joined approximately 200+ other enthusiasts at the Indie Wine Festival. We spent the afternoon sipping wine from small scale producers that create less than 2000 cases per year. It was held at Urban Wine Works in the NW area of Portland.
We sampled many Pinot Noir's but the surprise of the day were the Rose’s and Viognier’s which are being grown in Eastern Oregon near Hood River and Yakima Washington.
Many restaurants were offering various small bites. We sampled a chilled asparagus soup with crab that was delicious. There was an artisan pizza maker that brought his own brick oven to the event. My favorite foodie was the Cheese lady. She is opening a cheese store in the wine city of Carlton (super cute town - this is where the cow and I spent his birthday) called Horse Radish. She was offering various styles of blue cheese for sampling. My favorite was a very, very soft/liquidy blue that simply melted in my mouth. As I am writing about this little slice of goodness my mouth is watering.
We purchased a few bottles and after three hours of sampling we decided it was time for a cocktail and food.