Wednesday, October 1, 2014

Hops Fest


















Top: Gap (similar); Jeans: Gap (on sale!); Flats: Report (on sale!); Bag: GiGi New York; Sunglasses: Kate Spade NY

Ben and I are obsessed with the Columbia Gorge, if you couldn't tell from our endless photos of day trips out there. We fell in love with a little town called Hood River, home to Full Sail Brewery, a smattering of wineries, 35 miles of fruit and u-pick farms, a wild wind that blows through it that makes it a home to wind surfing, and the base of Mount Hood. Hood River is a small, historic town that we first explored on a wine-tasting day trip. We went back for our anniversary and what would become our engagement. And have just kept racking up the trips since - a brewery trip, a fruit picking trip (or 3), a drive to see the waterfalls, a family sightseeing trip, and this past weekend: Hops Fest.

As it's the hops harvest season out in farm country, all of the beers on tap from many different Oregon breweries featured a ton of hops. Right up my alley and perfectly in line with my double IPA deadened taste buds. We tried breweries that we know and love and then sipped on some new beers from breweries farther south and east of our tasting radius. All in all it was a great festival with amazing food from local vendors (Apple Valley BBQ to name just one fantastic restaurant out in Parkdale) and it was a great price. $10 general admission with four tasters (3 oz plus of beer per taste) and only $1 a taster after the first four. We spent a good three hours just tasting, chatting with some random alums we met there, and then one of Ben's colleagues from medical school. I apparently missed seeing an old friend from high school that was there at the same time (what a tiny world) and I'm sure a whole host of other people that we sort of knew. If you get all of the breweries from Oregon in one spot, you're very likely to see everyone you know that loves beer in this surprisngly small state. 

Ben and I ended the trip window shopping house along some of the main streets of Hood River and looking up their appraisals online. Oh to have a historic home overlooking a wind-whipped river and craggy mountains in the Cascade Range. For now (and for the next 10-15 years), we'll keep on dreaming, and visiting. 

14 comments

  1. I love how beautiful it is with the view and a brew (be it beer or coffee) in hand. I've often thought about doing a little staycation there, and it's particularly lovely this time of year!

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  2. I love those ladies hats in the beginning!!! I need one of those STAT

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  3. I love the Gorge, too! We don't do as many day trips out there now that we live on the west side, but there are so many great hikes in the area.

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  4. such beautiful landscapes and cute shirt. Hood River seems to have a lot going on in the small town.

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  5. Oh my! How much fun does this look! LOVE the photos!

    Anna
    alilyloveaffair.com

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  6. I love Hood River, too. Looks like a fun time at Hops Fest!

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  7. Now this looks like my kind of event :) Loving your striped shirt!

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  8. I really like the DKNY DY4561, thanks!

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  9. Looks like you had a lot of fun! I've never been but it looks like a place that I would love to visit! And I love your photos!


    Katherine Lou
    http://www.wanderhour.com

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  10. The Cats by Rayban. Loooooooooove.

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  11. This looks like so much fun!

    xo

    www.laurajaneatelier.com

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  12. Beautiful! Hope you'll stop by my blog & follow along!

    www.LoveOlia.com =)

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