Think Oregon

Yvonne Michaud Leads An Active Life

written by Mackenzie Wilson People often tell Yvonne Michaud she’s an inspiration. Well-meaning strangers stop the 26-year-old in the grocery store to congratulate her on shopping for eggs or whatever else happens to be in her cart. She knows they have the best intentions, but the Independence resident doesn’t need or want praise for living an independent life. In 2013, while Michaud was living in Texas, she was mountain biking on a familiar trail when an expert-level section proved to be too much. She hit a bump that flipped her back tire over the front, tossing her to the ground. “Immediately, I just felt loud static and tingling from my waist down,” Michaud said. Alone in the woods, she was able to pull her cell phone out of her Camelbak and call 911. When firefighters arrived, Michaud told them it felt like she was laying on a rock, but after they…

Trip Planners

WEEKEND WANDERINGS: SOUTHERN WILLAMETTE VALLEY

We are exploring the wonders of the Southern Willamette Valley. written by Jen Stevenson EN ROUTE Junction City, known for its popular 57-year-old summer Scandinavian Festival, also has a robust wine-tasting scene, so take a scenic detour off the interstate, rochambeau to see who gets designated driver duty, and start sipping. Sample estate pinot noirs and pinot gris at Walnut Ridge, where the 25 acres of dry-farmed vineyards are surrounded by bucolic pasture land and forest, then continue up the road to Pfeiffer Winery, a former chicken ranch and sheep farm where you can sip small-lot pinots in the peaceful water garden. A cork’s throw away, a personable flock of Katahdin-Dorper sheep graze the vineyards at rustically charming appointment-only Antiquum Farm; book the tour and tasting a few days ahead of time. Five minutes north, find lushly landscaped Brigadoon Wine Company. Uncork a bottle of riesling, unpack your picnic and…

Food+Drink

Beerlandia: Oregon Brews Traveler

written by Jeremy Storton My foot begins to tap anxiously and I keep looking at my watch. I don’t look at the time, but the date. This is how my beer wanderlust begins. Many of us need to take occasional breaks from the humdrum of our lives, or discover some perspective that will improve it. Perhaps we seek adventure or need to affirm what we have is still pretty good. Nonetheless, the road calls and distant lands beckon. This is the premise for wine-tasting weekends or unspoken trips to Vegas. For me, the thirst for good beer experiences is unquenchable. My wife and children are often my companions as I drag them to another brewery for lunch. They wait patiently while I gab with another brewer about process, flavors and beer culture blah-de-blah. They are good sports and usually get a glass of wine or ice cream, respectively, out of…

Things to do in Oregon

Tidbits + To-dos

Each issue we scour the state looking for the best local products and events to share with you. Here’s our list for January and February. Black Butte Ranch Jam You know Black Butte Ranch as a perfect spot for a Central Oregon getaway. Did you know it also sells its own housemade jams? Made with Oregon strawberries, raspberries, blackberries and marionberries, they’re a great gift for the Oregon fan in your life. www.blackbutteranch.com FisherPoets Gathering Since 1998, fisherpoets and their fans have gathered in Astoria to tell stories, sing songs about the commercial fishing industry, filling the area’s taphouses, galleries and restaurants from 4 p.m. to 11 p.m. on February 23 and 24. The event also includes workshops on Friday afternoon and Saturday morning, and a Story Circle, at which fisherpoets tell oral histories and show fishing films. www.fisherpoets.org wool& Discover the magic of wool clothing with wool&, a new…

Food+Drink

Little Bean offers a revolutionary dairy-free alternative

written by Michelle DeVona Restaurateur Micah Camden has done it again. Best known as co-founder of Blue Star Donuts, Little Big Burger and Boxer Ramen, he’s also behind Super Deluxe, a drive-thru burger joint that has had fast food zealots smitten since it opened this year. Despite all this, Camden’s latest project, Little Bean—a chickpea ice cream company—may be his wildest yet. As he neared 40 years old, Camden realized he couldn’t eat the way he did in his younger days, especially when it came to dairy and gluten. “I’ve always had an aversion to soy because of the Monsanto stigma. When I started going down the rabbit hole of what a dairy replacement could be or should be, I was able to find out that the genetic properties of a soybean was almost identical to that of a chickpea. And I thought to myself, this is the bean.” Curious…

Think Oregon

A native plant nursery does vital work to protect Oregon’s habitat from invasive species

interview by Catie Joyce-Bulay | photography by Talia Jean Galvin The Confederated Tribes of Umatilla Indian Reservation Native Plant Nursery grows sixty-two varieties of native plants used to revegetate compromised landscapes while preserving a tribal heritage of these “first foods.” In 2016, the nursery was selected as the pilot nursery for the Oregon Sage Grouse Initiative, a collaboration between state and federal agencies and private landowners that will provide more habitat for the threatened sage grouse. Manager Gail Redberg has worked at the nursery since 2011.  The Sage Grouse Initiative has been an important project you’ve been working on for a while—where are you in the process? Last November, we collected seed from Roaring Springs Ranch in the Steens Mountains. We are currently growing out the seed and will be using those plants for several projects on the ranch, including revegetating a historic lek [an area where sage grouse congregate] abandoned a…

Business

Downtown Portland’s New Hotels

written by Sheila G. Miller If anyone needs a sign that Portland is officially becoming a “big city,” that sign may be found downtown, on Southwest Alder Street. The city’s design commission in May gave the go-ahead for a twelve-story Moxy Hotel at Alder and 10th Avenue. The hotel, part of the Marriott brand, is expected to go into a space currently used as a parking lot with food carts lining the perimeter. According to Willamette Week, all food carts were told to leave the space by October 7. A larger section of the city’s famous Alder Street Food Cart Pod, on Alder between 9th and 10th, is also likely to be the site of a new hotel. The Oregonian reported that a luxury, five-star hotel is proposed for that lot. The hotel, proposed by BPM Real Estate Group, would be thirty-three stories and would have offices, condos and a food…

Trip Planners

WEEKEND WANDERINGS: MID WILLAMETTE VALLEY

Exploring the Mid Willamette Valley written by Jen Stevenson EN ROUTE As you fly south for the winter (weekend), detour east of Salem for a slice of caramel apple pie at the Willamette Valley Pie Company, or meander on to charming small-town Silverton for cinnamon roll pancakes and crispy fried chicken with brown butter syrup and Sriracha honey atop a golden buttermilk waffle at Gather. After a lovely late-fall hike in Silver Falls State Park, tuck into a piping-hot smoked pork shoulder and pineapple-topped Pine & Swine pizza at The Old Oak Oven food cart. Then cross the street to Silver Falls Brewery for a pint of Catamount Trail Ale. A few miles north, in Bavarian-esque Mount Angel, Oktoberfest may be over, but you can still wash down authentic handmade German-style bratwurst, bockwurst and knockwurst with an authentic German beer at Mt. Angel Sausage Company. EAT + DRINK In the…

Music

2018 Local Oregon Albums You Need To Hear

Oregon AlbumsPut these 2018 Oregon albums on your list written by Ben Salmon Haley Heynderickx, I Need To Start A Garden | Portland It took Haley Heynderickx quite a while to write, record and release her debut full-length, and that’s because she took the time to get it right. The result is a record full of wondrous, well-crafted songs that twist and turn in unexpected ways, but never outrun her gift for distinctive melody. I Need to Start a Garden is not the loudest or brightest or most expensive-sounding album to come out of Oregon in 2018, but it might be the most powerful. Chanti Darling, RNB Vol. 1 | Portland For a while, Chanticleer Trü has been an electrifying force within Portland’s music scene, talked about with breathless anticipation by those in the know. In other words—the city’s been waiting for him to bust out. With Chanti Darling, Trü…

Home+Garden

Products for a Modern Traditional Look

Get a modern traditional look with these products written by Melissa Dalton Handcrafted in California, the Stellar tile collection from Sonoma Tilemakers offers a bevy of field sizes, including a 2-inch by 8-inch rectangle tile. Available in 108 colors with names like “Old Soul” and “Retro Khaki,” these tiles easily bridge the gap between modern and traditional. Available at United Tile in Portland. www.sonomatilemakers.com Everything old is new again, especially at Heath Ceramics. The Coupe line was introduced in 1948 as the first dinnerware style for the iconic California-based pottery company and continues to impress today as a “modernist classic.” It looks equally good stacked on open shelves or plating your next dinner party. www.heathceramics.com With the Purist kitchen sink faucet, Kohler blends a classic bridge profile with clean lines and minimal detailing. The high arch is bound to clear the tallest pots sitting in your sink and even rotates…