Bikes & Bottles

Twisty road on the way to Waitsburg, Wash. from Walla Walla

After downloading a bunch of pictures off the camera this morning, I realized I had a bit of catch up to play regarding our recent cycling adventures...a lot of catch up actually!

Way back over Memorial Day weekend, Nick and I went to Walla Walla for a “bikes & bottles” weekend. That is, we had two full days of bike rides and wine tasting.

We left Saturday mid-day and drove to Walla Walla (in the far southeast corner of Washington) where we had a suite at the Marcus Whitman Hotel. It’s a bit more chi-chi than we would have normally chosen, but since we made reservations only two days prior it was pretty much all that was left in town.

If you’ve never been there, Walla Walla is an ideal base for bicycle trips. It’s located between the Palouse region of mild rolling hills to the north and the Blue Mountains to the south and east. The roads are jokingly referred to as “20-foot paved bike paths” because of their extremely low traffic.

Historically, the Blue Mountains represented the last major challenge of the pioneers’ journey west. Having walked more than 1,000 miles of dirt roads and rough mountain trails, the settlers found rest and care at Whitman Mission in the Walla Walla valley.

It must have looked awfully pleasant back then after months of difficult travel. Coincidentally, it still looks good today (even if you only drove a mere five hours to get there). The valley is filled with lush orchards and vineyards, and winter wheat farms cover the surrounding hills.

Sunday dawned partly cloudy and cool. The wind was blowing from the south, so we decided to head into the Blue Mountains in hopes of a nice tailwind for the return trip. Except for missing a turn once or twice, it was an excellent ride.

We climbed to the small town of Weston, Ore. which I think would have been a cute town if it were actually open. (It was Sunday after all.) The town pretty much consists of two cafés, a barber shop and a bank-turned-city hall. It reminded us a lot of La Conner only a little less touristy and more functional for daily living.

Central Station Café, Weston Ore.

The way back took us down a winding canyon to Barrett and through the famous Seven Hills Vineyards back to Walla Walla.

After 50 miles of riding we’d worked up an appetite. Fortunately we passed by an appealing looking taco wagon on the way back to the hotel. A shower and $1.50 tacos were all we needed to set us up for an afternoon of wine tasting.

I don’t remember all the wineries we visited that afternoon, but here are the highlights:

• Basel Cellars – Nothing special about their wine, but the estate is gorgeous. Kind of like Ste. Michelle in Woodinville only perched on a hill.
• Gifford-Herlinger – A one man show. He’s got one wine (which is pretty good) and a modern tasting room. Nick was as enamored by the concrete floors and polished concrete counter tops as he was by the wine.
• Dusted Valley Vineyards – Home of the “monkey wine.” These guys jokingly sent one of their first blends to the Wine Spectator and got a super high rating. Before they knew it people were lining up outside their garage (pre-tasting room) to buy the wine with a sock monkey on the label.
• Pepper Bridge – They only make Cabernet Sauvignon, and it’s expensive. They’re worth a visit though if you’ve never done a vertical tasting.

We had late reservations at 26 Brix that night. Mmmm…foie gras, fava and white asparagus salad, sweetbreads, sesame-crusted ahi, white chocolate bread pudding…all paired with a matching wine…we were in culinary heaven! If you ever find yourself in Walla Walla, this restaurant is definitely worth the skirt!

We rolled out of there way to late and realized we’d have to do a lot of riding the next day to undo the damage.

Monday was a little sunnier but just as windy. Our morning cycling destination was Waitsburg. To get there we rode through mile after mile of rolling winter wheat fields (see the picture at the beginning of this post). A steady tailwind pushed us along, helping us reach speeds of 45+ mph on the downhills. Woo-hoo!

Waitsburg is a neat little town devoted to supplying the needs of farmers (and bicyclists). It was founded in 1871 adjacent to the Touchet River, which presumably provided power for the four-story mill. The remaining brick facades show a lot of the 19th century character.

The return trip was a little more strenuous as we rode over what seemed like incessant rollers with a headwind.

Sunday afternoon tastings focused on the wineries in downtown Walla Walla and on the highway leading back home. We visited lots, but these two were our favorite:

• Morrison Lane – The winemaker makes wine out of classic Italian varietals (nebbiolo, Barolo, etc.) and some not so classic varietals (Cinsault) none of which are grown much in Walla Walla – or anywhere else in Washington for that matter.
• Three Rivers – A big, industrial winery with a lot of depth. We enjoyed their rosé and late harvest gewürztraminer the best.

The only thing that spoiled our otherwise perfect weekend was the sluggish three-day-weekend traffic which started just outside Yakima. A drive that normally takes 4 ½ hours took upwards of seven, not including our stop for pizza in Roslyn.

Guess you can’t have it all!

Comments: