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4 questions for my upcoming guests :)
1. Hood River. Is Full Sail Brewery the main/best brewery? Or are there others? Or....is a winery better?
2. When we go out to Hood River...we want to take 84 to drive along the columbia river...then hit up a brewery or winery in Hood River --- is there anything else to do there? My question though...is it worth it to come back the other way? Taking 35-26 so we can drive Mt. Hood? We haven't actually done this yet since we have only been here 4 months...so I thought I'd ask the pros (you guys)...so is it worth it? Or should we come back the other way. I know the sun is setting super early now..but if we head out there first thing in the morning, we should be able to be on our way back before the sun sets around 4:45.
3. The coast...we were originally going to do Cannon Beach since that's where DH and I have been, but when Jeff&Em suggested the Tillamook cheese factory, that sounded fun. My question is, though...how long does that take? DH has class until noon on Friday (the day we want to do the coast)...so we'd get out there by 2pm at the latest. Sun sets at 4:45pm. Is that enough time to tour the factory, check out the octopus tree/lighthouse, and check out the beach for a few? I know it will be cold so we won't be on the beach long..but it just seems like it'd be pointless to hit the beach if it's after dark... what's the point of going to the coast if you can't see the ocean? So, how long does the tour take?
4. Portland City Grill. They don't have prices on their webpage...are they expensive for dinner? My friend arrives on Thursday around 4:30pm...so I thought it'd be fun to pick her up from the airport and then go there for dinner, but if it's super expensive, we might just hit it up another night for drinks.
thanks!!!
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Re: 4 questions for my upcoming guests :)
Hey Daisy!
1. Full Sail is definitely the biggest and closest to "mass produced" brewery in Hood River. You can tour the actual brewery area which is a cool tour. is it the best beer there? that's debatable. But the tour is worth it I think. There are several wineries there that are nice as well. We are wine club members at Cathedral Ridge and love it there. The grounds are picturesque and the wine is very yummy.
2.While driving out 84 take the extra time and drive the scenic Columbia River Highway that parallels the interstate. You'll see a lot more waterfalls that you literally drive right past and you'll see Multnomah falls that way as well. I think it's an 11 mile detour but so worth it. As far as finishing the loop around Mt. Hood it really depends on the weather. If's it's rainy I'd say no since you probably wouldn't see much of the mountain anyways.
3. The Tillamook Cheese Tour is a do it yourself tour, no organized tour and it can be as quick or as long as you want. It's neat but personally if I was showing someone the coast and only had a few hours of daylight I wouldn't waste it at the cheese factory. The Oregon Coast is BEAUTIFUL and listed in 1000 places to see before you die. Take advantage of the beauty of it. I would hit up Cannon Beach and Ecola State Park and go from there if you have time to do something else. Also I think the cheese factory is open until at least 6 so you could probably squeeze that in at the end of the day.
4. The Portland City Grill is overrated in my opinion for food. The service is not known to be great and the food is pricey. I recommend that place for drinks and maybe apps but i wouldn't spend the money for dinner there. And definitely sit in the bar area, not the restaurant side.
1. Full Sail is fun and it's the best, IMO. Nothing else fun in Hood River though. take 84 out and stop at Multnomah Falls, take some pictures, then go to Hood River. It's a very pretty drive, but there's nothing else worth seeing IMO.
2. I personally wouldn't drive over the mountain...it will be dark and those roads freak me out at night.
3. The Tillamook tour is ok, it's fun if you haven't done it before, plus really interesting to see how they make the cheese! And...lots of ice cream, yummm. I would leave Portland at 12:30, get to Tillamook at 2:30-3:00, walk the beach quickly (bring hooded sweatshirts!) and then do the cheese tour last, then drive home. And, stop at the Chateau Bianca on your way home and dink some yummy wine : )
4. PCG...do happy hour in the bar, not dinner in the restaurant. Happy hour appetizers are $2-$6 and they have a wide variety of little snacky foods. I would go on Sunday because they do happy hour from 4pm-close. Seriously get there at 3:30 and stand by the elevators, it won't let you onto the 30th (I think?) floor until exactly 4:00 hits, but at that point the lobby will be PACKED with people. The view is awesome, and it's a nice treat for out of town people to see our gorgeous city!!
I was going to tell you if you had more time for the beach to go down to Pacific City when the tide is out and you'll be able to see TONS of starfish down there, its so pretty. But with limited time, and not know when the tide is low it would be difficult.
I also agree not to take the mountain back home because the road scares me as well. It could even get stuck in a snow storm driving at night, we did in September one year heading to Bend, and it sucks and visibility is not so good.
As for everything else, I've got no idea. Have a blast thou with your guest!
#1 I don't know. I've never been to the brewery before.
#2. If it was summer I'd drive up to Mt Hood from Hood River and come back on 26. But in fall/winter I'd just stick to the waterfalls. Take exit 18 on I84 and follow the old Columbia River hway. Google it to find a map. There are tons of nice trails and waterfalls along the way that you can stop at. I like Latourell falls a lot as well as Bridal Veil falls. The view from the Women's Forum is not to be missed as is a visit to the Overlook House.
#3 The coast is approx. 1.5 hr drive from Portland. I would hit up the beach first if the weather is nice. Cannon Beach and Ecola State park are good. The Nehalem Bay winery is always a fun stop. And the Cheese cake factory is nice to stop for a while. If you want to sample more wine you can go to the blue heron in Tillamook as well.
#4 I've never had dinner there. I agree with happy hour. Other favorite restaurants are Andina (in the Pearl), South Park, and Red Star.
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#2. I would stick to the waterfalls unless it is a nice day. You can always start a part of the famous "Fruit Loop" and do U-pick apples/pears and such.
#3 Not a super fan of Tillamook Beaches, but the factory is ok. There is also a cute place on 101 called Blue Heron that has a petting zoo thing and much better cheeses than the cheddar.
#4 HH for sure here. Don't go for dinner. Too much $$$