Mount Hood Local Customs

Camping is not just about saving money though it certainly is a way to do that. Not only are your lodging expenses cut by three quarters or more, but you save by not eating out. These meals can be as exciting as you make them. While we generally ate a lot of pasta dishes we also were always on the lookout for local food stuffs. While on the coast of Oregon we stocked up on local cheeses at Tillamook and Blue Heron Cheese factories and in Portland's Bridgeport brewery bought many loaves of their beer bread. We had one of nicest meals at Viento Campground on the Columbia River Gorge when we ate smoked brie, aged cheddar, some local salami, and washed it down with beers we purchased at Belmont Station, Portland's premier beer retail outlet. Yum.

The bottles tasted during our Mt. Hood camping were: 1) Stone Brewing (San Diego) Bitter Chocolate Oatmeal Stout (9.2%)-brewed with bitter chocolate and a 12th anniversary beer-Black oily brew like octopus ink. Thin tan head. Chocolate coffee nose. Big bitter dark chocolate palate with lots of roast coffee bitterness. Long dry bittersweet finish. 2) Stone Imperial Russian Stout (10.8%) Another black beauty from San Diego brewery more noted for hoppy beers. Alcohol even in nose. Big warming alcohol flavor from onset. Coffee/licorice bitter palate. Long dry finish. 3) Black Butte XX-20th anniversary version of their house porter, bought at brewpub in very limited supplies. Brewed with chocolate coffee beans and aged 2 years in bourbon barrels-(10%)-Black oily ale with massive tan head that thins. Licorice coffee nose. Bitter espresso chocolate palate intermingles with alcohol well. Dries slightly in bittersweet finish with some bourbon notes.

You see, camping isn't so bad if you bring the right supplies. ;)