Today was a day to sample the ample agricultural bounty of the area so we set out to visit some farms, wineries, and markets. One of our first discoveries was that the trees we’d yet to identify were hazelnut trees, who knew? We didn’t. Apparently virtually all commercial hazelnuts are grown in the Willamette Valley. There were unending groves that were meticulously maintained. The nuts are harvested with a sweeper that sweeps them into rows, allowing a harvester to pick them up. This means the ground under the trees must be kept smooth and free of any growth.
Lunch was at the Red Hills Market in Dundee, another fantastic joint that serves local & seasonal fare, wood fired items etc. Albacore tuna melt for me, Thai sesame salad for Kari. https://www.redhillsmarket.com/
Here are a few places we went, one of our faves was the hazelnut farm. It made us feel a lil squirrelly.
That night we cruised into McMinnville. Seeing Hotel Oregon reminded us of a trip with our good friends Dave and Mary Ann, Sam B, Sam A, and Hank A. The young gents somehow found a couple on their honeymoon that were holed up in their room, so to speak, and spent the evening harassing them as best they could. This was not particularly surprising.
Dinner that night was at Thistle: https://thistlemcminnville.com/ We may not accomplish much day to day for the good of mankind, but we’re pretty effective at picking restaurants. Gnocchi for me, rockfish for Kari.
Sure do remember Hotel Oregon & good times on that trip with the boys. Somewhere I have some memorable pictures of Kari & Dave toasting each other & window peeking into what they thought was a vacant house only to find it was occupied.
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