Road Trip: Wine, Women, Waterfalls & Kieron Weidner

Wednesday, 29 September 2010 11:32 | Written by Byron

Heather and Kieron on their way to a Columbia Gorge waterfall.

GORGE-OUS DAY: Gawd, I had a great Tuesday.

And why wouldn't I? That's the day I wined, dined and waterfall-ed.

Yes, wine and waterfalls...in one day.

EverGreen Escapes specializes in crafting upscale nature, active and education based experiences throughout the Northwestern U.S. and British Columbia, Canada. And I was lucky enough to be invited along on one of their more popular half-day trips: the Columbia Gorge Wine and Waterfall tour.

It was just a small group—Travel Portland's Laura Guimond, my friend Bette Sinclair, and Heather, a visiting travel writer from Canada. But Evergreen Escapes loves small groups. And our group had a glorious day. The weather could not have been better. And the view? Spectacular.

But what really made the day great was our super cool/super cute guide Kieron Weidner.

Evergreen Escapes call their guides "Escape Artists," but Kieron was so much more.

The knowledgable dude told me more than I've ever known about the Columbia Gorge—and I've lived up and down the gorge most of my life. But his information never felt forced or know-it-all-ish. It was just really interesting stories about one of the most fascinating regions in the world.

Then came the snacks—pastries, herbal tea, and cheese.

After we got misty at the waterfalls that dot the Gorge like so many water faucets, we headed to Hood River and the wineries of Marchesi and Catherdal Ridge. Both of these slightly-out-of-the-way wineries were charming and featured wonderful tasting rooms as well as amazing views of Mt. Hood and Mt. Adams.

And after the waterfalls and the wine we wound down with a quick visit to "Herman" a 10-foot sturgeon that "lives" at Bonneville Dam.

It was a truly unique day and one I won't soon forget. And isn't that exactly what we are all searching for whenever we go out on any adventure?

Evergreen offers all sorts of trips a full day tour of your choice. Whatever the pursuit-bird watching, hiking, sea kayaking, cycling, snowshoeing, rock climbing or wine tasting-an escape can be creatively designed and executed with a commitment to environmental and social sustainability combined with the comfort of tasty northwest "On Safari" meals, fine local wine and luxe lodges.

As Evergreen says, "their goal is to offer locals and visitors alike a transformational outdoor experience that inspires them to respect, revere and protect our planet from the rock face, to the orca, to the wine."

And Kieron and his colleagues definitely deliver. Boy, do they ever.

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