The lovely thing about living in Oregon Wine Country is that every small trip can turn into a vineyard tour. I don't recall having a plan for that day but as we drove home to Hillsboro, Oregon from Corvallis after our grandson's graduation at Oregon State University we found ourselves on the backroad. It was a beautiful summer day and we are retired so we have a lot of time to do as we want.
We wandered up Oregon Highway 99W which runs north and south through the Willamette Valley west of the I-5 corridor. The pace is slow and the wineries are plentiful. It was just a matter of take your pick! In this particular case we happened on to Illahe Vineyards near Salem, Oregon. Illahe is a relatively small vineyard with a setting that took my breath away. While we did buy a couple of bottles of wine, the biggest treat was the way the winery left everything out in the open so the whole process was visible.
A very old Tommy Dorsey record was on the turntable and we just wandered around during the tasting taking it all in. It makes me smile everytime I think about that beautiful day.
We wandered up Oregon Highway 99W which runs north and south through the Willamette Valley west of the I-5 corridor. The pace is slow and the wineries are plentiful. It was just a matter of take your pick! In this particular case we happened on to Illahe Vineyards near Salem, Oregon. Illahe is a relatively small vineyard with a setting that took my breath away. While we did buy a couple of bottles of wine, the biggest treat was the way the winery left everything out in the open so the whole process was visible.
A very old Tommy Dorsey record was on the turntable and we just wandered around during the tasting taking it all in. It makes me smile everytime I think about that beautiful day.
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| A view and the tools of the trade plus a bicycle gear! I didn't know how any of it worked so maybe that gear is important. |
I hope your summer is as wonderful as ours. Be well!
b+
This part of Oregon is home to several Native American tribes. The word "Illahe" is Chinook for earth, place or soil.
What a lovely day and memory. Makes me smile. :)
ReplyDeleteMe too!
DeleteHi Barbara,
ReplyDeleteGreat article. 2 years ago we spent the entire summer traveling the west coast, including Oregon, it is beautiful.
My wife and I retired early (at 50 years old) and are now enjoying travel and new hobbies. We chronicle our travels at http://www.WeBeTripping.com.
One of the things I wish I’d had before I retired was an app to count down the days until it happened. As a techy guy, I am creating an app that does it (the basic app will be free and will work on iPhone and Android). It is in development now, but it would be good to get your feedback on the idea: http://www.CountUsDown.com/Retirement.
All the best,
Steve Miller