Explore Oregon

The 79th Annual Sisters Rodeo

Sisters Rodeo Photojournal 2019 written and photographed by Jessica Smith Every summer during the first week of June, professional cowboys and cowgirls travel to Oregon to compete in the Sisters Rodeo. The show has been around since 1940 and has remained a favorite among contestants because of the sizable purse offerings (up to $10,000) awarded to winners in each category. For decades, the world-class talent has attracted crowds from miles away, and this year was no exception. With rodeo organizers making this year’s tickets available online, the already-popular event sold out a week before opening night. However, those lucky enough to secure tickets were in for a treat, with sunny blue skies, plentiful food and drink from various vendors, and stunning displays of athleticism by both the animals and the competitors.  

A guide’s list of Oregon’s best climbing destinations

written by Peter Madsen Ancient seismic upheaval and and the erosive work of bygone lakes and rivers have carved many of Oregon’s striking landscapes. As a result, pockets of great climbing opportunities abound, according to Cliff Agocs, a rock guide certified by the American Mountain Guides Association. Also the co-owner of Timberline Mountain Guides, Agocs, a Bend resident, has traveled Oregon extensively in search of new climbing opportunities. And he’s yet to climb everything. Here, Agocs provides readers with some of Oregon’s best climbing destinations, including route varieties, rock type and other considerations. Most of Oregon’s climbing destinations are home to local climbing communities that set and maintain interesting routes. Respecting the local climbing ethics is one of the keys to enjoying an area without “blowing it up,” Agocs said. A great place to begin research is www.mountainproject.com, an REI-funded online climbing guide. As a general rule, Oregon’s wealth of…

Tiny House Sheltered Nook

Sheltered Nook’s Tiny Houses

written by Jen Stevenson If Tiny House, Big Living is your HGTV catnip, or your favorite recurring daydream is to KonMari all of your worldly possessions and downsize to a 385-square-foot dwelling, this Bay City tiny home hamlet is just the place to hole up for a beautiful late spring weekend. Husband-and-wife team Hank and Dee Harguth’s first foray into the hospitality industry was in 2005, when they began hosting bicyclists making their two-wheeled way along picturesque Highway 101. A simple bed-and-breakfast followed in 2013, and today, the Harguths’ vision has evolved into an eco-friendly village that attracts road trippers both near and far, charmed by the novelty of tiny home life, the resident ducks and chickens that casually waddle the 3-acre property, the misty morning walks through 200-acre Kilchis Point nature reserve a mere block away, and the proximity to popular coastal destinations like Cape Meares and Nehalem Bay…

Northwest Destination: Touring the Tri-Cities

Learn your atomic history and so much more in Eastern Washington’s biggest surprise written by Kevin Max This trip marked the first time I had spent meaningful time in Tri-Cities (Kennewick, Pasco and Richland). I came for the history and the story of the Hanford Site B Reactor and found an engaging culture all around Hanford. If you’re as fascinated with the history of WWII as I am, the Manhattan Project National Historic Park at Hanford nuclear site is on your agenda. Schedule your tour in advance, as the free four-hour experience begins with a short film at the visitor center on the edge of the park before boarding a bus to the site 40 stark miles northwest. The experience still feels a little cloak and dagger more than seventy years after its mission began. One of three pieces of the once-secret Manhattan Project—the other sites are Oak Ridge, Tennessee…

Trip Planner: The Northern Oregon Coast

The northern coast of Oregon is more than just Haystack Rock written by Sheila Miller Picking your favorite part of the Oregon coastline is like picking your favorite flavor of ice cream. It’s all pretty great, and some of it depends on what you grew up with. This spring, I decided it was time to mix it up a bit. As a native Portlander, I spent my youth near the northern border of the state. But there are wonders as you leave your comfort zone. I set out to find them on the Northern Oregon Coast. From Gearhart to Garibaldi, we spent some time exploring the northern Oregon coastline. It’s a lovely drive filled with hidden gems. Along the northern coast, Highway 101 winds through lush, green state parks and then cuts inland to Nehalem Bay, passing boat marinas and small antiques shops and running parallel to a railroad track…

Freeland Whiskey

Spring Whiskey Events Around Oregon

MARCH 25 Distillery Startup Workshop Mon, Mar 25 – Fri, Mar 29 Corvallis Corvallis, OR MARCH 28 The Eastburn’s Whiskey Cocktail Dinner | 4 Courses Thu, 6:00 – 8:30 PM EastBurn Public House, 1800 E Burnside St Portland, OR MARCH 30 Poor Man’s Whiskey (Band) Sat, 8 – 10 PM The Belfry, 302 E Main Ave Sisters, OR APRIL 7 Whiskey distilling and blending workshop with master distiller Molly Troupe Sunday Freeland Spirits, 2671 NW Vaughn St Portland, OR APRIL 13 Wine, Whiskey and Women: The EXPO!  Sat, 4:00 – 8:30 PM Willamette Heritage Center, 1313 Mill St SE Salem, OR APRIL 28 Hands-On Whiskey Making Class Sun, 10 AM – 3 PM New Deal Distillery and Tasting Room, 900 SE Salmon St Portland, OR AUGUST 25 Hands-On Whiskey Making Class Sun, 8 AM – 5 PM New Deal Distillery and Tasting Room, 900 SE Salmon St Portland, OR

gravel riding

Gravel Riding Calendar 2019

WASHINGTON Cascadia Super Gravel (Olympia) — March 30 www.racecascadia.com Vicious Cycle’s Gran Fondo Series wwwrideciciouscycle.com Ephrata — March 17 Goldendale — April 14 Beezley Burn — April 27 Leavenworth — May 19 Ellensburg — June 16 Winthrop — Sept. 21 OREGON Oregon Gorge Gravel Grinder www.oregongravelgrinder.com Gorge Gravel Grinder (The Dalles) — April 7 Cascade Gravel Grinder (Bend) — April 26-28 Oregon Coast Gravel Epic (Waldport) — May 4 Sasquatch Duro (Oakridge) — May 18 Oregon Gran Fondo (Cottage Grove) — June 1 Oregon Trail Gravel Grinder (Sisters) — June 19-23 Oregon Triple Crown — May 4, May 18, June 1 www.oregontriplecrown.com Ochoco Roubaix — Aug. 24 www.ochocogravelroubaix.com IDAHO Rebecca’s Private Idaho—Queen’s Stage Race: A multiday festival that finishes with a race on Sunday. The main event (The Big Potato) covers a little more than 90 miles. www.rebeccasprivateidaho.com Camps: Rebecca Rusch’s Academy offers three gravel-riding camps this summer. www.rebeccarusch.com Wildhorse…

gravel riding

Gravel Ride the PNW

Get off the pavement and into backcountry on gravel roads across the Pacific Northwest by Kevin Max I climbed the last hundred feet out of my saddle, my bike tires spitting up a gravel road with Ponderosa pines towering overhead. I had gotten used to the feeling of pleasure and pain commingled in my body. Wide vistas of Idaho’s Pioneer Mountains narrowed to the width of the gravel road as I pushed up the last big climb of Rebecca’s Private Idaho, the brainchild of cycling legend and Ketchum, Idaho, resident Rebecca Rusch. Nothing seemed harder. Nothing seemed more gratifying than this, my introduction to gravel riding.    Gravel, in its forms of speech, has described scratchy voices and roads to dead-end residences. Now, gravel is an honorific describing a burgeoning trend in cycling and some of the best ways to experience the Pacific Northwest through either competitive races, group rides…

Spokane

Northwest Destination: Spokane Rising

Spokane is the right jumping-off point for outdoor adventure and sophisticated city life written by Cara Strickland If you’re looking for an outdoor enthusiast’s paradise, you’ll find it in Spokane. Five ski resorts, seventy-six lakes and five national parks are within driving distance, a river runs through the city, and the Centennial Trail offers 37 miles for hiking and biking with a mountain backdrop. If you’re feeling a little less extreme, you can stroll through one of Spokane’s many parks, including the crown jewel, Manito Park, which boasts 90 acres of gardens, a conservatory and a duck pond, plus two playgrounds for your little ones. Bring a picnic and enjoy the rose garden or get some zen in the Japanese garden. Just a couple blocks away, you’ll find Rockwood Bakery, a staple of Spokane’s historic South Hill neighborhood, known for its freshly made, decadent baked goods and quiche. Just down…