Abberz

Ape Cave Adventures We packed up and departed the Vagabond Lodge this morning, grabbed some breakfast and lunch fixins at the local grocery store and got on the road towards Mt. St. Helen's National Volcanic Monument. With nothing but a map and some vague directions from my Lonely Planet book we found our way without too much difficulty. Lola climbed higher and higher into the mountains and got the chance to flex her All-Wheel-Drive muscles as the snow got deeper the higher we climbed. The views down to the Swift Creek Reservoir deep in the valley were absolutely gorgeous. As we made our way through the Gifford Pinchot National Forrest we became concerned that the road to Ape Cave would still be closed for the winter. Soon our fears were confirmed. Less than 3 miles from ... read more

Good Morning, Portland! We woke up yesterday and were soon on the road. We wanted to hit a couple more wineries before heading to Portland. First stop was the Carlton Wine Studio. It's kind of a winery co-op of sorts. There are 8 winemakers working under one roof sharing pressers, bottling equipment, and barrel storage. It gives you an opportunity to taste a few different wineries in just one stop, but we weren't overly impressed with the tasting there. Next stop was Domaine Drouhin. Drouhin is a famous French wine maker who was impressed by the quality of grapes coming out of Oregon and sent his daughter, Veronique, to open a winery. It combines proven French techniques with the unique benefits of the Oregon soil, which produces some of the best Pinot grapes around. Drouhin winery ... read more

Francis called this afternoon, shortly after I had hit the snooze button for the second time, he always has a way of knowing I'm still sleeping and should get up, to tell me about his day. Francis, "Guess who I talked to today." Me, "Amy, my jeweler at Tiffany's?" Francis, "No, Ron Lachini" In my half-wake state, "Who?" "Ron Lachini." "You talked to MR. LACHINI?" Lachini Pinot Noir was one of the first significant wines in our relationship. My 25th birthday was about 6 weeks into our relationship and Francis and I got all dressed up and he took me to my favorite restaurant in Seattle, Ray's Boathouse. At this point I knew nothing about wine and we were still in the getting to know you phase of our relationship. With the help of the sommelier ... read more