A Traveler's Photo Journal

Redwoods Road Trip Day 6. The Longest Ride

Posted on August 31, 2016 by volovecto

Lance captured this doe and fawn in Weed, early in the morning before we headed out

We rose pretty early on Sunday for the final stretch home. Lance rose earliest and saw a doe and fawn near the house, capturing them on my camera. When I popped out of bed to see them, they were gone.

Russell cooked us breakfast and we geared up for the long ride. Weed, CA to Portland, OR is approximately 350 miles, a 6 hour drive if taking I-5 the entire way home. Jerome would be leaving the group here to continue south, but Russell rode with us almost to the Oregon border.

Gearing up for the last leg

Packed up and ready to roll

Prior to departing Weed, Russell treated us to his art exhibit at the local library. At least a few of his paintings have ended up on BMW club shirts.

Russell’s artwork displayed in the Weed library

When we headed out, we took Old Hwy 99 north towards Yreka. After Yreka the side road is 263 and follows the Shasta River. It was a very scenic road and a nice alternative to I-5. About 15 miles from the border we bade farewell to Russell and picked up I-5 northbound. For me this is no fun and I’m always looking for side roads, but we stayed on I-5 to make some time, stopping in Grants Pass for lunch and once more for fuel.

After some map consultation and debate, we agreed to leave I-5 for some more enjoyable side roads. Just south of Eugene we took exit 163 towards Curtin, and jumped onto the Territorial Hwy. We passed Lorane, Veneta and Elmira. I was pleasantly surprised as we passed the King Estate Winery, a vineyard I have been wanting to visit, but have not had the chance so far. We were too pressed for time and too messy to enjoy a wine tasting, so we noted the location for a future visit. The road was scenic and much more pleasant than I-5. https://www.kingestate.com/

King Estate from the road (Photo downloaded from Yelp)

King Estate Vineyards (another Yelp photo)

We made our way over to 99W and followed that up through Junction City and Corvallis, then 233 to Dayton, passing several vineyard signs nearly every mile. This is a very beautiful area, with smaller roads, vineyards, and slower traffic than I-5. The sun was getting lower and the temperature began to drop, calling for another garment adjustment.

Four Graces tasting room in Dundee (Photo from the website)

Argyle tasting room in Dundee (Photo from the website)

At Dayton we picked up 99W again, and passed through Dundee and Newberg, pretty much ground zero for the Willamette Valley wine country. On 99W through Dundee you pass the Argyle and Four Graces tasting rooms.

Four Graces in Dundee (website photo)

Four Graces

In Newberg we turned onto the Wilsonville Road, a really nice motorcycle road. By this time it was dark, and I was slightly concerned about deer in the road. We continued on Wilsonville Road out to I-5 and took that into Portland.

The total hours in the saddle on the last day was about 12, with stops for lunch, fuel, map reading and ice cream. Comparing my pre-departure odometer reading to the final reading upon arrival at my sister’s house, my bike registered a total of 1,266 miles for the trip. All the bikes were slightly different, but in the ballpark.

The 1987 K75S performed well, averaging 55 to 60 mpg, with only the clutch cable issue. Once the cable was replaced, all went well. I will be putting together an emergency kit to carry on future trips.

The lesson for today: 12 hours travel time on a motorcycle is just a bit too long for me. My hands and thumbs were sore the next day, so for future rides I will keep that in mind.

Posted in California, Cars & motorcycles, Oregon | 1 Comment

Redwoods Road Trip Day 5. Awesome Motorcycle Roads

Posted on August 30, 2016 by volovecto

An awesome road for motorcycles, California 36. We rode from the western end to the intersection of 3 northbound.

We packed up and were on our way out of Eureka by just past 8 am. As with all three days in Eureka, we rode out in low hanging fog and mist so thick it required many swipes of my face shield. I could have used tiny windshield wipers. Not far south the fog began to clear.

Our route. 36 east to 3 north. Then Gazelle Callahan Rd to Weed.

If you google “best motorcycle roads”, you will surely find California 36. We headed south from Eureka and turned eastbound onto 36 at Alton. The western most part of 36 is just as pretty and has more twists than The Avenue of the Giants. It was really a nice ride as we gained altitude and the fog started to drop away. We passed the Grizzly Creek Redwoods State Park and climbed up the Chalk Mtn range. We saw several deer along the side of the road.

Looking back down into the foggy valley from near the top of the Chalk Mountains along CA 36

At the top we looked back to see the fog down below and the sun coming out. We stopped to make the usual garment adjustments. I had used my heated grips earlier, and we were now starting to shed layers.

Shedding layers after climbing out of the foggy redwoods on CA 36

My K75 looking east along CA 36

We followed 36 east, passing Dinsmore, Mad River, Forest Glen and finally turning off 36 at 3. My favorite part of this section of 36 was just west of Dinsmore. As usual, the best motorcycle roads, the ones that are the most fun, are narrow and twisting, and impossible to stop for still photos. A GoPro camera mounted on the bike would have been perfect.

Stopped at the intersection of 36 and 3. We headed north, and I removed my jacket liner.

We stopped again at the intersection of 3 to remove more layers. We had left the redwoods behind and were into pine trees and farm land.

We stayed on CA 3 for quite a while, stopping in Weaverville for fuel. Hwy 3 passes along the west side of Trinity Lake and runs through the Trinity Alps Wilderness. There were more great sections of road for bikes, climbing and winding through pines headed to the summit. The section of 3 just south of the Scott Mountain summit was wonderful. We made another stop descending down the other side, with a pullout wide enough for photos.

The pullout along Hwy 3

At the bottom, before reaching Callahan, we turned northeast off 3 and onto Gazelle Callahan Road, headed towards Gazelle. The terrain had flattened out, with farms on both sides. The roads were straighter as well.

Our destination was Weed, CA, and the home of friends of Joe and Katy. Russell and Kathe graciously extended a welcome to our group of road weary travelers with 5 bikes. At least we don’t have the loud pipes or late nights of a wild bunch, and truly live up to the Mild Bunch legend. (I can’t take credit for that term, but like it enough to pass it along).

Jerome waits for me to photograph Mt. Shasta

One quick stop along the road for a picture of Jerome with Mt. Shasta in the distance.

Looking east along Gazelle Callahan Road

We pulled into Russell and Kathe’s place at around 3 pm and made ourselves at home. We covered about 230 miles, and were on the road for 7 hours, with short stops only for fuel and garment adjustments. We had to skip lunch, not finding any suitable options. Today I learned what a tar snake is, and that it is very important to avoid them.

Russell is also a BMW guy and has a gorgeous bike that put ours to shame. They also have a nice view of Mt. Shasta from their deck.

Russell and Kathe’s beautiful home in Weed

Mt Shasta from the deck

A hummingbird

We greeted Russell all wearing about t-shirts sporting Russell's own artwork

We greeted Russell all wearing our t-shirts sporting Russell’s own artwork

Team spirit

The back of our t-shirts with Russell’s original artwork

Our host’s beautiful bike

The final evening light on Mt Shasta

Posted in California, Cars & motorcycles | 1 Comment

Redwoods Road Trip Day 4. Just Messing Around

Posted on August 29, 2016 by volovecto

The Samoa Cookhouse

Friday was our “messing around”day. It’s a good idea to keep at least one day as an unscheduled free day because we always find something we’d like to do.

We started our day having breakfast at the Samoa Cookhouse, an historical point of interest for my family. My great grandmother Hannah worked at the cookhouse as a cook from about 1907 to 1912. At that time the Cookhouse was on a wharf at the end of the pier. There was a fire during the time my great grandmother worked there.

http://www.samoacookhouse.net/

Memorabilia at the Samoa Cookhouse

The breakfast is served family style, and you get whatever they made that day. We had biscuits and gravy, scrambled eggs, pancakes and sausage (for those that wanted it).

Lance passes me the scrambled eggs served family style at the Samoa Cookhouse

From Samoa we headed to Willie’s house, the Airhead member who offered us a spare clutch cable. The Airhead group publishes a guide with members listed by city and state. It’s a wonderful network of people ready to help other Airheads. Jerome was carrying that guide with him. A very smart move.

Airhead directory

While my K75 is not an Airhead, I was traveling with Airheads and Lance was able to make an Airhead clutch cable work on my bike, at least temporarily. So we descended upon Willie en masse, as invited. He had a spare clutch cable for us to carry and gave us some advise on good roads to ride.

Visiting with Willie, a fellow Airhead who invited over and gave us a spare clutch cable to carry with us.

Visiting with Willie, a fellow Airhead who invited us over and gave us a spare clutch cable to carry with us.

We traveled the short distance south from Eureka to 211, and took that to Ferndale, a small town known for its Victorian architecture. We stopped here to stretch our legs and walk up and down the main street.

We classed up the main street of Ferndale!

Main street Ferndale

One of the buildings along main street Ferndale

Victorian Inn in Ferndale

Ferndale is only a few miles from the coast, so we drove the narrow country lane out to the Lost Coast along the great Pacific Ocean.

My beautiful K75 parked along the Pacific Ocean

Joe and Jerome contemplate the great Pacific Ocean

True to a messing around day, we headed back to Eureka with no clear destination in mind, other than a stop at AAA for maps. A quick google search for best restaurants in Eureka provided a lunch spot name, Brick & Fire. We had a lovely lunch and I can now recommend Brick & Fire without reservation. The grilled oysters were wonderful.

Brick & Fire….a bistro. 1630 F Street, Eureka, CA

Inside the Brick & Fire

Grilled oysters at the Brick & Fire in Eureka, CA

Friday’s ride was a good test for the makeshift clutch fix, which performed well. It was also our last night in our rented mid century modern house, with a rather long riding day to follow.

What I learned today: The BMW K75 is affectionately referred to as “the flying brick”. Airheads are classic BMW’s with opposing twin engines that are air cooled.

Posted in California, Cars & motorcycles | Leave a comment

Redwoods Road Trip Day 3. The Avenue of the Giants

Posted on August 26, 2016 by volovecto

Riding the Avenue of the Giants

The agenda for the day was to ride the Avenue of the Giants in Humboldt Redwoods State Park and have lunch at the Lost Coast Brewery in Eureka. We accomplished both. The northern entrance to the Avenue of the Giants is just 30 miles south of Eureka. While Eureka was smothered in low hanging fog, it cleared a few miles south and we drove through farm land headed south.

The ride was beautiful and peaceful, and we saw lots of big trees.

Jerome’s bike during a moment of quiet in the big trees

We made our way south towards the Visitor Center. They have a nice setup with photos and information about the history of the area, the logging and a cross section of a tree that fell in 2006. They have the rings marked with moments in history, showing the long life and significance of the trees.

A cross section of a big tree at the visitor's center

A cross section of a big tree at the Visitor Center.

Tree cross section marked with an historical time line.

The Visitor Center, run by the Humboldt Redwoods Interpretive Association, has many black and white photos, displays, and a gift shop.

Black and white photos in the visitor’s center

From the Visitor Center we headed south towards Myers Flat and the drive thru tree. There is a $4 fee for the privilege.

It was starting to warm up, so we took a break in the shade of the trees.

I am standing at the base of this giant tree, for scale.

After a short break, we headed back north towards the Lost Coast Brewery.

Lost Coast Brewery in Eureka

Our group having lunch at the Lost Coast Brewery, still happy and relaxed.

After lunch at the brewery, we walked around the small historical district of Eureka.

Old town Eureka

After lunch and strolling around the old town, we returned to the brewery parking lot, only to discover the K bike had another problem. The reason for the clutch cable adjustments of the previous day became evident. As I pulled in the clutch to get the bike off the center stand, the cable snapped. Between Joe’s spare clutch cable and Lance’s mechanical abilities, we got the not quite right sized clutch cable jury rigged and headed back to the house. Jerome had a copy of the Air Heads directory, and we called Willie, listed in the directory as a member residing here in Eureka. He offered up a cable and we agreed to meet at his house the next day.

Lance installs a spare clutch cable Joe was carrying in the parking lot of the brewery.

What I learned today: Riding a vintage bike should only be done in a group.

I was also told that I should put together an emergency kit to carry with me. Here is the suggested parts list for the emergency kit:

clutch cable
inner tube (larger size of your two tires)
oil
3 Bosch spark plugs
zip ties
electrical tape
tire pressure gauge
hose, for possible gas siphoning

Posted in California, Cars & motorcycles | 1 Comment

Redwoods Road Trip Day 2, 101 South

Posted on August 26, 2016 by volovecto

Packing up the bikes, early muster

After a relatively early muster of 8 am, we hit 101 headed south. I had read about a good breakfast stop in a local magazine, the Spoon, so that was our first stop.

The Spoon, in Langlois, Oregon

After eggs and about 3 pots of coffee, we hit the road again, south on Highway 101. This stretch of highway is absolutely gorgeous, but we had portions of dense fog, and moments of scenery.

One drawback of motorcycle touring is the amount of messing around it takes to pull over, remove gear, and dig out the camera from the saddle bags for photos. Many great photo ops whiz by, just memories on the internal hard drive. That’s life. We made a few stops for photos, but some of the best photos are in my mind.

We had portions of sun, and a lot of fog along the coast

The first hiccup came with the K bike. I had trouble shifting and finally got stuck in 3rd gear. We pulled over and Lance jumped into action. Before I knew what was happening, he was under the bike fixing the cable tension so I could shift again.

Lance coming to my rescue and fixing the clutch cable on the fly.

Once repaired we were back on the road, continuing southbound. From 101 South, we took the Prairie Creek State Park park that runs through some of the redwoods. It was a very scenic road, with some blue skies and fingers of mist reaching up from the coast.

We stopped at one Big Tree. It was impressive.

Continuing towards Eureka we followed 101 south until the turnoff for Mad River Brewing in Blue Lake. Right after pulling off 101, Joe’s 1983 R100CS’s odometer turned over to 100,000 miles. We had to stop and document this momentous occasion.

A pit stop for refreshments and Corn Hole, and then a short 30 minute drive to our destination.

We rolled into Eureka at about 5 pm. The house we rented through vrbo.com was exactly as advertised and very nice.

A grocery run and we were in for the night. We toasted a successful day (meaning all bikes were still running) and 100,000 miles.

After forty years of riding motorcycles I still had the capacity to learn some lessons. Here is what I learned today:

Preloading. The manual art of a small amount of pressure on the shifter prior to clutch engagement.
K bike right tilt. After engine shut down, tilt the bike slightly to the right while you remove your helmet and gloves (30 seconds) to allow the oil in the cylinders to drain back into the crankcase.
Earplugs. I am now an earplug convert. It makes for a much quieter ride.
Reaffirmed the appreciation of heated hand grips.

Posted in California, Cars & motorcycles, Oregon | Leave a comment

Redwoods Road Trip, Day 1

Posted on August 25, 2016 by volovecto

The “before” picture. Probably the only one that will not have helmet hair in the photo

The idea for a motorcycle road trip to the Redwoods came last fall when I read an article about the Lost Coast in the October 2015 issue of Sunset magazine. With the purchase of my “new” 1987 BMW K75S in March, it made the trip even more necessary. No better way to break in a new bike than a road trip. Unfortunately, a shorter ride just two weeks prior to departure revealed a mechanical issue. But the problem was fixed by mechanic extraordinaire Dirty Nick, and the repaired bike was delivered the night before departure.

My sister and I left her house in St. Johns, Oregon at 9 am on the first day of the ride, headed to Lake Oswego to pick up the three other members of our touring group.

IMG_7928 (2)

There were the two of us, on my 1987 BMW K75 and my sister on her 1978 BMW R80. We met up with her sweetie Joe on his 1983 BMW R100C, Jerome on his 1983 BMW R100RT, and Lance on his 1990 Kawasaki ZR550 Zephyr, the youngest bike on the tour.

The first part of the first day was banging out some mileage on Interstate 5 southbound. I don’t enjoy riding the bike on the interstate, but it was the best option for getting some miles under our belts headed to our campsite at Bullards Beach, Oregon.

We followed I5 southbound to 38, a little south of Eugene, and turned west towards the coast. The smaller roads are always more fun, and this one cruised along a river through a valley and was very scenic. As we approached the coast, the fog bank hugging the Pacific Ocean coastline was in evidence before we even hit 101 and turned southbound at Reedsport and Winchester Bay.

The cooler temps and low hanging fog forced a roadside garment adjustment, a not uncommon occurrence. Highway 101 runs along the coast, or just inland, passing through small towns and tourist destinations alike.

Our touring group makes it to Bullards Beach State Park campgrounds

We were headed to Bandon Oregon, and the Bullards Beach State Park campground. We had reserved two yurts for the night. I’m not a big fan of camping, unless it glamping, but the yurts were nice. It is only mild camping, as they have a small heater and electricity. We arrived right at 5 pm, having been on the bikes from 9 to 5, with a few stops. I have a two hour bum, so need to stop stretch at least once every two hours. The K bike has a large tank and gets great mileage, so the fuel stops are more frequent than the K bike would need.

The bikes parked outside the girls yurt

The yurt interior. We rented these for $40 per night.

The five of us split into two yurts, a girls and a boys. Once unpacked we headed the two miles into Bandon for dinner. Bandon has a cute very small old town where we enjoyed a seafood dinner on the harbor. I tried another Oregon Pinot Noir which I found very smooth and to my liking.

IMG_7940 (2)

Clam chowder at The Loft

Wine in a can and chocolate by the campfire. Wine in a can travels much better in a motorcycle panier than a bottle

Wine in a can and chocolate by the campfire. Wine in a can travels much better in a motorcycle saddle bag than a bottle.

Back at the yurts a campfire brought out the usual assortment of campfire stories, with the addition of canned wine, not on my regular wine list.

Joe, a former Boy Scout leader tells stories by the camp fire

We covered approximately 250 miles on our first day. Gas receipts showed we ranged between 40 and 60 mpg. My K75 was averaging about 55 mpg.

Posted in Cars & motorcycles, Oregon | 1 Comment

Oregon Summer Beach Weekend

Posted on August 15, 2016 by volovecto

Rockaway Beach, Oregon

It’s hard to beat the Oregon Coast for a wonderful summer weekend getaway, and the first weekend in August is about as much of a good weather guarantee as you can hope for. We had a picture perfect weekend at Rockaway Beach, Oregon to celebrate my sister’s birthday.

Rockaway Beach is about 50 miles south of Astoria (at the mouth of the Columbia River), and 15 miles north of Tillamook, Oregon. It is literally a wide spot in the road, and cannot even boast a stop light. The beach is typically Oregon; wide, grey and dog friendly. Just a few shops make up the business district, plus one train stop on the Oregon Coast Scenic Railroad. http://www.oregoncoastscenic.org/

My sister rented a house for the weekend and we brought the food and wine. I was in charge of the birthday dinner and had brought a side of fresh caught King Salmon. I really wanted to find a local farmer’s market for some fresh vegetable, so we drove south to Tillamook to have a look around. Tillamook is known for it’s cheddar cheese, and the Tillamook Cheese Factory.

Tillamook is known for its cheese, and the cheese factory

The cows that produce the milk that makes the cheese

Driving around the back country roads we stumbled upon exactly what I was looking for; an organic, farm fresh, honor system vegetable stand. With fresh peas in my possession ($3) we headed north again to start the dinner prep.

Roadside organic vegetable stand.

Farm fresh organic veggies.

The honor system.

Dinner was grilled King Salmon on sliced red potatoes and onion, asparagus, fresh peas, topped with Dungeness Crab. It was great. We enjoyed this with a selection of fine Oregon Pinot Noirs.

King Salmon grilling over briquettes. I’m not a fan of gas grills.

Organic farm stand peas

Grilled King Salmon, red potato slices, aspargus and Dungeness crab.

The 5 Oregon Pinots we enjoyed; Montinore Vineyards, Elk Cove, Laurel Ridge, Feyja and

The 5 Oregon Pinots we enjoyed; Montinore Vineyards, Elk Cove, Laurel Ridge, Freja and Coelho.

Between the group of us we brought five different Oregon Pinot Noirs: a 2014 Montinore Estate Pinot, a 2014 Elk Cove Vineyards Pinot, a 2013 Laurel Ridge Reserve Pinot (by far the best value), Freja Pinot, and a 2013 Coelho Winery Pinot. My sister scooped the Laurel Ridge Reserve from a grocery outlet for $10, listed for $38 on the website. It was very tasty, and an incredible value. The Montinore and the Elk Cove were between $25 and $30 bottle, and very good.

Four legged guest Moxie shows interest in the birthday cake

Walks on the beach are a big part of any beach weekend. Oregon beaches are all open to dogs, a very nice change from Florida. My sister’s new best friend Scooter enjoyed the weekend. She found Scooter through Pixie Project. http://www.pixieproject.org/

Scooter on Rockaway Beach

Another Oregon wine, King Estate Pinot Gris.

Posted in Family, Oregon | Leave a comment

I am CAT

Posted on July 11, 2016 by volovecto

Fred

On a recent visit to my family, I captured this photo of my sister’s cat Fred. I thought it was the epitome of catness, so I had to share it. We have had many beloved cats over the years, so I’ve included some of their photos here. Some are still with us, a few have crossed the rainbow bridge.

Josephina

Bailey

Tom

Wee Willie Winkie

Miss Beatrice

Blondie

Angelina

Barcley

Wee Willie in the apple tree

My mother with Tom in his older years

Kitties at peace

Posted in Family | 1 Comment

Willamette Valley wine tour and Happy Birthday Katy

Posted on June 3, 2016 by volovecto

The beautiful view of Lachini Vineyards

The two biggest wine tasting weekends here in Oregon’s Willamette Valley are Memorial Day and Thanksgiving. This year, as happens frequently, my sister’s birthday fell on Memorial Day weekend. Her choice for a birthday celebration was a guided wine tour in the Willamette Valley (WV). Having been born and raised in Portland and the Oregon Coast, we consider ourselves “locals”, and have spent many years exploring the WV and a large number of its vineyards. The guided tour was suggested mostly so no one in our group had to drive, but it turned out that we locals who thought we knew almost everything about the WV wine region, could still learn a thing or two by having a guide. We ended up visiting four wineries we did not know, and had a wonderful time.

Hyland Vineyards

My sister hired Great Oregon Tours, and our driver and guide was Camille Gonzales, a very personable and knowledgeable woman. We met her in Portland, after having picked up our boxed lunches at New Seasons. There were seven of us in our group which included my two sisters, my mother, and three guests of the birthday girl; Joe, Lance and Wendy.

Tasting at Hyland Estates

me and Lance at Hyland

Our first stop was the Hyland Estates tasting room in Dundee, Oregon, where we tasted five wines; a 2014 Riesling, a 2014 Chardonnay, a 2013 Coury Pinot Noir, a 2014 Pommand Pinot Noir, and a 2015 Rose. The flight cost $15, but could be applied to the purchase of a bottle. Three of us bought the 2015 Rose for $24 (only $9 after the tasting fee), a very nice choice for a hot afternoon.

My sister Katy at Hyland Estates

Hyland rose

Our second stop was the Purple Hands Winery, Latchkey Vineyard (http://purplehandswine.com/). I doubt we would have found this vineyard on our own, as it was far up a winding gravel road. It was one of my favorites of the day.

Purple Hands sign

Purple Hands Winery Latchkey Vineyards tasting room and the Great Oregon Tour van

We tasted six different Pinot Noirs, each one with a full page description including the elevation and type of soil the grapes are grown in. The flight here was also $15, but you had to purchase $100 to get the tasting fee returned. I bought one bottle of the 2014 Le Nouveau Monde Prestige Pinot Noir for $90, then added a $20 glass to get my $15 tasting fee applied. It was really nice to compare six Pinots in a row. After the tasting I walked up into the vines accompanied by the owners German Shepherd.

The six Pinots we tasted at Purple Hands

Purple Hands Pinot

The vines behind the tasting room at Purple hands

In full celebration mode we headed to our third tasting at Lachini Vineyards, which turned out to be my favorite of the day. You couldn’t find a more scenic vineyard with the tasting room located on 45 acres near Newberg, Oregon. (http://www.lachinivineyards.com/)

Lachini sign

Lachini vines

The tasting fee at Lachini was $20, but it included 9 different wines and they put out a fantastic spread of food. We didn’t even open our boxed lunches as the Lachini owner was making pizzas and shrimp in the outdoor oven, while his kids stocked the hors d’oeuvres table with cheeses, breads and chocolates.

Lachini outdoor oven

Katy at Lachini

My sisters and Wendy tasting Pinots at Lachini

It was the prettiest spot on the tour, and very much a family affair. I bought a 2014 Cuvee Giselle Pinot Noir and 11 year old Giselle herself signed the bottle. They had to force me to leave the beautiful grounds of Lachini where the people were friendly and the dog waited for you to throw her ball.

The Giselle for whom the Cuvee Giselle Pinot Noir is named

Lachini fire pit

glasses at Lachini

After a short break from wine where half the group relaxed at a brew pub and the other half visited a Starbucks, we made our way to the last wine tasting, Privé Vineyard (www.privevineyard.com)

Prive Vineyards

Just like in Argentina when we toured four vineyards in one day and were too overwhelmed by the end to get much out of the last one, the same happened here. Prive was our fourth stop, and my taste buds were pretty much wiped out. The tasting building was very French looking with wonderful cheeses and a local French bakery selling fresh baked goods. Lavender plants surrounded the building and a very friendly yellow lab named Stella greeted guests.

The tasting fee at Prive was $15, typical for the day. We tasted six wines, including two barrel tastes of the 2015 Le nord Estate Pinot Noir and the 2015 Le sud Estate Pinot Noir.

My sister and her sweetie Joe

For myself I would limit vineyard visits to a maximum of three in one day. I just can’t be enthusiastic by the fourth tasting.

We were all very happy with our guide and it was nice to visit four vineyards we did not know. We ended the evening with birthday cake at my sister’s house.

Although four wine tastings was my maximum on Sunday, by Monday afternoon my sister and I were ready to visit one more vineyard. The two of us made a special trip to Patton Valley Vineyards in Gaston, Oregon. I had recently enjoyed a bottle of 2012 Lorna-Marie Pinot Noir at a Florida restaurant and wanted to see the vineyard where that stellar wine had been produced.

Patton Valley sign

We thought that at 430 pm on the Monday of Memorial Day Weekend we might be their last customers, but we were wrong. As we tasted four wines, more people came in.

The tasting included a 2015 Pinot Noir Rose, a 2014 Queen Bee Pinot Noir, a 2012 10 Acre Pinot Noir and a 2013 Single Barrel Syrah. Also included in the tasting were two beers, made with Patton Valley estate Pinot Noir grapes and yeast from the vineyard, cask aged for 1 year. These were the Upright Brewing Four and the Upright Brewing Oregon Native. I’m not a beer drinker, although I did taste one at their urging. It still had too much of a beer taste for my liking. I bought one bottle of the Queen Bee Pinot, the proceeds going towards the upkeep of the vineyard bee hives. It was light and summery, buzz words: Black Cherry, Orange Blossom, Nutmeg, Cinnamon and Fig.

I mentioned how I had enjoyed their 2012 Lorna-Marie Pinot Noir and was told it was no longer available, sold out. A little while later after a search of the store rooms, four bottles of the 2012 were discovered (a wine club member order that had been canceled before shipment).

The two bottles of 2012 Lorna-Marie Pinot Noir that I scored at Passon Valley

The two bottles of 2012 Lorna-Marie Pinot Noir that I scored at Patton Valley

me at Patton Valley

This was the only vineyard of the five we toured that included a logo glass with the $15 tasting. With my purchase of three bottles, they waived the tasting fee for both my sister and me. As we prepared to leave at 5 pm, the phone rang and I heard the very friendly woman pouring the wine say yes, she would wait for them.

Patton Valley vines

Patton Valley

It was a very enjoyable and successful Memorial Day/birthday celebration Willamette Valley tour, and we would recommend Great Oregon Tours for anyone interested in seeing the heart of Oregon wine country.

Posted in Family, Food and Wine, Oregon | Leave a comment

First Ride

Posted on June 2, 2016 by volovecto

L on K75 at Montinore

This past March I purchased a classic motorcycle sight unseen, but at the recommendation of my sister. It is a 1987 BMW K75. It wasn’t until this Memorial Day weekend that I got to see and ride my new bike here in Oregon, where it will stay. Portland is a short ride from the prettiest area you could wish to ride, Oregon’s Willamette Valley. I was quite happy with my new bike, and we had perfect riding weather.