Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
The most protected waters in the Gorge are at Vancouver Lake near Vancouver, and at Horsethief Lake near the Dalles bridge,
but here strong winds may make it difficult for the beginner to return to the upwind launch area. A good place to learn is The Dalles
Riverfront Park, just across the river in Oregon, where you can take lessons and rent equipment in a relatively protected location.
Board rentals are also available in Stevenson and Bingen, Washington, and Hood River, Oregon. If you just want to watch, the best
place is near the Spring Creek Fish Hatchery three miles west of Bingen, where you may see upwards of 300 boarders on a windy
August day.
Several good places for intermediate-level boarders are near Stevenson, Home Valley, Bingen, and Avery Park (east of Horseth-
ief Lake). Avery Park is especially good because it has a long, straight stretch of river that gets nicely formed waves.
Expert-level conditions can be found at Swell City, four miles west of the Bingen Marina; the Fish Hatchery, 3.5 miles west of
White Salmon; Doug's Beach, 2.5 miles east of Lyle; Maryhill State Park, where the river is less than a half mile wide; and the
east end of the river near Roosevelt Park. Experts head to The Wall, 1.5 miles east of Maryhill State Park.
For general information on the sport, contact the Columbia Gorge Windsurfing Association (541/386-9225, www.cgwa.net ) in
Hood River, Oregon.
More than 50 sites provide access on both sides of the Columbia River; check with local shops for details. For up-to-date wind
conditions, listen to radio stations 104.5 FM and 105.5 FM, or check with windsurfing shops in Hood River, Oregon-the center of
the windsurfing universe. On the Web, head to www.windance.com for live Gorge “windcams” and weather updates. Showers are
available at the Lyle Merc store or the Bingen School Inn.
YAKAMA RESERVATION
Toppenish is the capital of the Yakama Indian Nation and the commercial center for the 1.37-million-acre Yakama Reservation
(509/865-5121). The tribal council decided in 1994 that the correct spelling for their tribe is Yakama, rather than Yakima, although
it is formally known as the Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakama Nation. The reservation is home to approximately 5,000
Native people from 14 different tribes and bands, along with another 20,000 non-Indians. The Yakamas run several businesses
including a furniture factory, a juice bottler, orchards, ranches, a casino, and a sawmill. The westernmost edge of the reservation
includes land within the Mount Adams Wilderness, and a permit is required for camping, fishing, or hunting.
ICE WINE
While a disaster for many, for some Washington vintners, crystalline frost over ripe grape clusters is a beautiful sight. In these
parts, such a picture portends the prospect of ice wine, an intensely flavorful and sweet concoction that can only be produced when
the stars align just so to give wineries the chance to create it.
Ice wine is pressed from grapes that have frozen while still on the vine. In order to make this happen, vineyards must take a
gamble. They'll reserve a selection of grapes past harvest time, protecting them with nets from hungry birds and other critters, and
hope that the frost falls before the grapes go bad. If the weather doesn't cooperate, the vine's precious cargo is lost.
If it does, the grapes must be picked immediately so they can be squeezed while still frozen. When a grape freezes on the vine,
it's only the water in the fruit that seizes up. The sugars and solids in the grape remain unfrozen. So when it is pressed, that fruit
yields only a fraction of the liquid a normal grape would, but it is a highly concentrated juice.
Ice wine is prized not only for its smoothness and flavor, but also for its rarity. Because it is produced so infrequently and be-
cause the grapes yield much less ice wine than normal wine, expect to pay a premium. But if you have the means, do give it a try.
It is the smoothest dessert wine you'll ever sip.
Search WWH ::




Custom Search