Columbia Gorge

The Gorge is a 40-mile wind tunnel where the Columbia River cuts through the Cascades — rainforest on the west end, high desert on the east. In forty miles you cross more micro-climates than most states have, and the vineyards follow: cool pinot and chardonnay at Mosier’s edge, warm syrah and cabernet around The Dalles. Hood River tasting rooms double as kite-surf lookouts; the wind is a local character. Dog-friendly patios are the rule, not the exception.