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Willamette Valley Wah-hu?
Blooming Hill Vineyard Tasting Room
This is Pinot country.
The deep fertile soil, long growing season and cool, wet climate of Oregon’s Willamette Valley are ideal for growing one of wine’s most finicky grapes. It’s no wonder that some of the world’s best, and most expensive, Pinot Noirs are grown here. It’s no wonder we set off to find, and more importantly sample, some.
Stretching from Portland in the North to Eugene in the South, the valley not only includes a whopping 300 wineries but also most of Oregon’s population too. Its close proximity to major cities makes visiting Willamette wine country an easy day trip. Along the way, we discovered something totally unexpected.
A Tale of Two Gardens
Influenced by Shinto, Buddhist, and Taoist philosophies, the natural backdrop at the Japanese Garden in Portland, Oregon, is an artfully arranged tableau.
With extended travels in Europe next on the Everywhere Once agenda, it’s going to be a while before we trek across Asia. In the meantime, Asian-themed and inspired places and exhibits (like the majestic Terracotta Warriors) are whetting our appetites for the sites we’ll see on the continent. Helping to further fuel the wanderlust were visits to Portland’s Japanese and Chinese gardens.
That Old Black Magic
There really is no other way to explain it. We were caught in a web of dark magic. Portland voodoo had us under its spell and it started in the strangest of all ways, with bacon.
I’m normally an adventurous eater because you never really know. Those beaver testicles might just be the most delicious thing I’ve ever eaten. The way I figure it, food is so awesome that the occasional disappointment is well worth the potential upside reward. So why not go for it?
Doughnuts, on the other hand, will always rank a timid one or two out of ten on any objective scale in the adventurous food category. But who is objective when it comes to doughnuts? When you’re jonesing for a sugary fix, taking a chance on an unusual concoction feels like bungee jumping over the piranha infested Amazon. And we were jonesing. Big time.
Meet Brian and Shannon
Fulltime wanderers since 2010, Brian & Shannon are traveling the world on a quest to see everything there is to see . . . at least once.
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