The Honeymoon is Over!

Not really. But we're back from Oregon and return to work tomorrow. Here's a shot of us at Depoe Bay, Oregon, on our "mini-moon" where we saw two gray whales and had a great breakfast.

Thank You!

Thanks to everyone who was with us in body or spirit on our wedding day! We had so much fun and we hope you did too. We'll post a link to photos here in two or three weeks.

All the best!
Janine and Greg

Where's the Wedding?!

The location of the wedding is Stonehedge Gardens. The ceremony will start at 5pm on Sunday. Stonehedge is located at 3405 Cascade Avenue, Hood River, OR.

• From downtown Hood River, head west on Cascade Avenue. The Stonehedge Gardens sign and entrance is approximately 1.8 miles from downtown on the left. If you get to the freeway, you've gone too far.

• From Portland, take I-84 East for about 50 miles to Exit 62 for US-30 toward West Hood River/Westcliff Drive. Go 0.2 miles and take a right on Cascade Avenue/US-30. The Stonehedge Gardens sign and entrance is on the right just past the Yamaha store and the 76 gas station.

Don't be daunted by the road work on the drive up!

Last Minute Hotel Room

We've just got our hands on an extra hotel room in the Hood River Hotel for Sunday night. If you want it, send us an email. Its $119 for the night and it's gone on Thursday morning if there are no takers. Looking forward to seeing everyone!

Weather

Here's the weather forecast for Hood River, OR:

Day...........Conditions..Hi/Lo..Rain
Thursday.....Sunny...........82°/55°......10%
Friday..........Sunny...........80°/53°......10%
Saturday......Sunny...........75°/52°......10%
Sunday........Sunny...........78°/55°......10%
Monday.......Sunny...........79°/55°......10%

And in case you were wondering, Sunday's sunrise and sunset are:
Sunrise: 6:27am
Sunset: 7:44pm

In Town on Thursday, August 30th?

Some folks are arriving in Hood River earlier in the week. Here's a couple of items that you may be interested in:

A family concert in the park on the evening of Thursday, August 30:

Families in the Park at Jackson Park in Hood River - Five Guys Named Moe

August 30, 2007 -- Jackson Park is alive with music and fun this coming August. This will be the summer of them all as we celebrate Families in the Park 25th anniversary. The top 5 most requested groups from all the previous years will be brought in for the 25th year.

This week, it's Five Guys Named Moe.

Bring a blanket or lawn chair and enjoy an evening in the park. Dinners will be available in the park each night at a very reasonable price beginning at 6:00 p.m. along with many other food vendors. Warm-up entertainment will begin at 6:00 p.m. each week. The following performances are brought to Hood River by numerous area business and service club sponsors. All performances are free and families are encouraged to attend together.

A farmers market with live music from 4-7pm on Thursday, August 30. It's at Hood River Middle School (1602 May St. across from Jackson Park). Here's what's expected to be fresh that week:

AUG 30
Veggies, Greens and Herbs: Corn, Cucumbers, Edamame, Eggplant, Favas, Garlic, Onions, Parsley, Hot and Sweet Peppers, Potatoes, Summer Squash, Tarragon, Tomatillos, Tomatoes, Winter Squash, Zucchini
Fruits: Pears, Pumpkins, Grapes, Melons
Plants: Potted bulbs, Herbs, Herbaceous and Woody Perennials, Succulents, Tubers, Trees
Mushrooms: Crimini and Portabella
Meats: Chevon (goat), Pork, Beef, Lamb
Grains and Nuts: Bread, Walnuts

Our Mailing Address

Embarassing to say that the nation's capitol doesn't have the best mail delivery. So we got ourselves a box for the next three months:

Janine Benner and Greg Dotson
611 Pennsylvania Avenue, SE #216
Washington, DC 20003-4303

Ride Sharing

There aren't great public transportation options from Portland to Hood River.

For anyone who wants to share a ride, we can use the comments section of this post. Leave a comment if you're looking for a ride, want to share a ride, or can give a ride between Portland and Hood River (or beyond).

Greyhound buses do run between downtown Portland and Hood River, with three departures per day for a cost of $32.50 round trip. The bus leaves from the old train station at 550 NW 6th Avenue in Portland and drops off near the Hood River Marina, right by the Best Western Hotel (about a mile from downtown).

Let us know if you have any questions or we can help!

Carbon Neutral Wedding

We're working with the Climate Trust in Portland, OR, to offset the greenhouse gas emissions associated with our wedding. If you'd like to offset the emissions associated with your travel to the wedding, we recommend Native Energy. Donations to these organizations facilitate deployment of climate friendly technology and lead to quantified greenhouse gas reductions.

The Father-Daughter Hike!

On Saturday, September 1, Janine and her dad are leading a hike at Hood River Mountain Meadows, a beautiful spot just minutes from downtown Hood River. The hike is 3-4 miles round-trip and offers breathtaking views of Mt. Hood, Mt. Adams, and the orchards of the Hood River Valley. We'll meet at the Hood River Saturday Market (5th and Cascade Streets, see previous post) at 10:00am, pick up some snacks for a picnic, and carpool to the start of the hike. If you're interested, email Janine at Janinebenner[at]gmail.com or leave a comment here.

Running Out of Things to do?

If you love experimental road building technology, stonehenge, Romanian royal regalia and the sculpture of Rodin, the place for you is only 42 miles to the east of Hood River at the Maryhill Museum.

Saturday Activities

We hope you'll spend Saturday, September 1, enjoying all the fun stuff Hood River has to offer.

You can join Janine and her dad Dick for a morning hike to Hood River Mountain Meadows. We'll post more details on Janine's hike soon.

Or you can bike the historic Columbia River Gorge Highway (closed to cars) with Greg. Greg's friend Eric is organizing the trip, including bike rentals, so if you're interested in the bike trip, just email Eric at ewesterkamp[at]gmail.com.

You'll want to check out Hood River's Saturday Market, a street market that showcases work and products from local artisans and growers. There's also music and activities. Saturday market is located at 5th and Cascade, directly across from Full Sail Brewing Company. Market hours are 9 am to 3 pm on Saturday.

If you'd like to get out of town, you can drive the Fruit Loop, a 35-mile, scenic drive through the valley's orchards, forests, farmlands, and friendly communities. Along the way, you'll have the opportunity to meet alpacas, sample some oregon wine, or try a peach milkshake. This clickable map will show you the way.

If you decide to spend the day in Hood River on Saturday, you'll also have some great options. Hood River is famous as a destination for learning to windsurf or kite sail. If the idea of careening across the Columbia River isn't for you, you can wander the town, visit the shops, the the local museum, or the Columbia Art Gallery.

We've Registered

If you'd like to get us something off of our registry, we've registered at Williams Sonoma, Crate and Barrel, REI and Gaiam. You can access the Williams Sonoma, Crate and Barrel, or REI registries through the Wedding Channel. You'll pay the same price, but the Wedding Channel will donate a portion of the purchase price to the charity Doctors Without Borders. For Gaiam, we've registered at the I Do Foundation. For each gift purchased, the I Do Foundation will also donate a portion of the purchase price to Doctors Without Borders. Thanks!

White Water Friday

Join us rafting on the White Salmon river!

Greg's brother Jeff is organizing a rafting trip on the Wild and Scenic White Salmon River on Friday, August 31. Everyone is welcome. The trip is several hours of class III-IV rafting and we'll start around 1pm. The river put-in is about a 20 minute drive from Hood River. We'll use a commercial guide service.

If you're interested in joining us, send Jeff an email at jeff_dotson[at]earthlink.net.

Another Word About Lodging

Hotels in Hood River are beginning to fill up. However, those of you that don't have accomodations don't need to panic yet.

We have a number of rooms reserved at Comfort Suites. Each room has 2 queen beds and a foldout couch and goes for $159 per night. If you are interested in one of these rooms, please shoot us an email. We'll have to let these reserved rooms go on July 15th if no one wants them.

Also, many hotels have blocks of rooms that are being held for other weddings in Hood River during Labor Day weekend. Unreserved rooms are released from these blocks earlier in the summer. For instance, Best Western and the Columbia Gorge Hotel will release extra rooms 30 days before Labor Day weekend (July 31st or so). The Hood River Hotel will release extra rooms 45 days before Labor Day weekend (July 15th or so).

Please let us know if you are having any trouble finding a place to stay.

Worth at least a three-day trip!

The City of Hood River is only an hour and a half drive from the Portland International Airport. It is located in the middle of the Columbia River Gorge, a spectacular river canyon cutting the only sea-level route through the Cascade Mountain Range. There are many fun activities in and around Hood River: hiking, sightseeing, mountain biking, windsurfing, shopping, visiting museums, camping, fishing, boating, wildlife watching, birding, rock climbing, wine tasting at the area’s vineyards, and more.



And since you’ve come all the way to Oregon, you might as well drive an hour west from Portland and go to the coast or tour the Willamette Valley vineyards as well!

Book Your Lodging Early!

There are a lot of accomodations to choose from in and around the town of Hood River. However, it is a popular destination, especially during August and September, so it pays to plan early. While there are many cute bed and breakfasts, many of them have only a few rooms.

In town: Staying “downtown” is definitely the most convenient to restaurants, shopping, and the wedding site (which is just a few minutes west of downtown). Here are some good options:

Hood River Hotel: Beautiful historic hotel in downtown Hood River. Many of our guests will be staying here.

Oak Street Hotel Charming hotel on one of the town’s main streets.

Inn at the Gorge B&B: Beautiful Victorian house within easy walking distance of Downtown Hood River.

Columbia Gorge Hotel: Probably the fanciest hotel in Hood River, and only a short drive to downtown and to the wedding site.

Lakecliff Bed and Breakfast: Gorgeous B&B right on the Columbia River. (We almost had the wedding here.) Only a few minutes to downtown and the wedding site.

Villa Columbia Bed and Breakfast: Located in a cute neighborhood within easy walking distance to downtown.

Hood River Bed and Breakfast: Small bed and breakfast just 3 blocks from downtown Hood River.

Gorge View Bed & Breakfast: Small B&B just a few blocks from downtown. Caters to windsurfers.

Best Western Inn: This hotel is located on the shores of the Columbia River, just a few minute drive from downtown.

Comfort Suites: Also a quick drive to downtown.

Vagabond Lodge: Hotel on the outskirts of town.

Out of town: There are a number of great places within a 15-20 minute drive from Hood River. Many of these will be quiet and offer beautiful views, but staying here will involve some more driving.

Mosier House: A Benner family favorite, this quaint B&B is just a 15 minute drive from Hood River in the tiny town of Mosier.

Mt. Hood Hamlet Bed & Breakfast: Located in the town of Parkdale, in the beautiful Hood River Valley, about 20 minutes from Hood River.

Old Parkdale Inn: Located in Parkdale.

Panorama Lodge: Located on a hill right out of town.

Pheasant Valley Orchards B&B: A 10 minute drive from downtown Hood River, located on a working farm and winery.

Sakura Ridge B & B: A 10 minute drive from downtown Hood River, located on a working farm.

Seven Oaks Bed and Breakfast: A 10 minute drive from downtown.

Vineyard View B&B: Located next to a vineyard about 2 miles from downtown.

Joslyn House Bed and Breakfast: Two miles from Hood River, just across the Columbia River in Bingen, WA. (The bridge to Bingen is a toll bridge.)

Vacation House Rentals: Another option, especially if you are thinking of extending your stay longer than just the wedding weekend, is renting a house in Hood River. Below are a few vacation rental websites, which offer anything from apartments to five-bedroom houses in and around Hood River. A good place to look is in the neighborhood a few blocks west of downtown.

Gorge Central

Hood River Vacation Rental

Vacation Rentals/Hood River

The Hood River Chamber of Commerce is also a good source of information about places to stay and things to do in Hood River. Please let us know if you have any questions or are having trouble finding a place to stay.