Annual BBQ and Wine Tasting

For our 10th annual BBQ and Wine tasting we wanted to do something different. So we had Alphonse (www.rollingbaywinery.com) doing the honors of serving a variety of wines to our guests. For our musical needs Bert played light acoustic songs along side with Rachel on cello. It turned out to be quite successful. Guests raved about the wines and appreciated the musicians efforts to please everyone. Isabelle's (Hubertina's and Bert's daughter) birthday was celebrated with a sing along birthday song and in return Isabelle sang, shy but not overwhelmed, "Midnight Sun" into the microphone accompanied by guitar and cello. You have to start somewhere!

Next day family and friends could enjoy rafting and a driftboat float. We put in at Hamlin boat ramp to float down to the McKenzie River Inn. The weather was outstanding and the kids loved the excitement.

This weekend also means the spin-off for the summer season and it turned out July as one of the busiest months of the year. Two weeks in July we welcomed back the Weinberg/Reppert reunion and what a great week that was. From Bacchi Ball to Badminton tournaments, from rafting to hiking, this family is able to cram in quite some activities in a week stay. If you work, or start working, in the hospitality business and read this blog, I can tell you right now that guests like these are one of the highlights of being in this business. We are grateful to have them coming back every other year and to share our spot on the McKenzie river with them. With the help and exchange of pictures (thanks Jill!) we can look back on other great and successful summer.

Nice weather and a spring garden

Nice weather and a beautiful spring garden have drawn many guests to our spot on the McKenzie river these first five Months. January and February gave us many sunny day's to bridge the change of seasons from winter into spring. After the first week May was warm and gave us the stunning view on the blooming Azalea's, Camellia's and Rhododendrons.

We are very content with having so many returning guests. Some are coming back every year, others several times a year and other guests return after they stayed with us at the McKenzie River Inn years ago. The connection and contacts we have with our guests is for us unique and is one of the reasons we appreciate being in the hospitality industry. It also means we can rely on a strong following even if this industry is hit hard by the economic decline and accommodation reports are showing 50 to 54% less bookings. So, thank you all for coming back to our spot in the Cascade mountains, it means a lot to us and are always looking forward to your stay with us.

This year we welcome back the Weinberg/Reppert family who have their biannual reunion week in July. We are all excited to see you playing Bacchi ball again in our orchard and having fun going down the river rafting with us. We love to show you the improvements we have made to our facilities and above all the new paint-job.

In the meantime we prepare for our annual BBQ and wine tasting. This year Bert will perform acoustic songs along side with Rachel Barton-Russell on cello and vocals and the latest news is that Hubertina's and Ellie's brother Alphonse will do the honor of introducing a variety of wines. Alphonse is a winemaker for over twenty years and recently opened his own winery with partner David Verwolf on Bainbridge Island called "Rolling Bay Winery". His dedication has lead him to several award winning wines over the last four years. He still follow

classes in wine making to achieve that edge that is needed to make outstanding wines. For guests at the McKenzie River Inn having a taste of the several kinds of fermented grapes is complementary on the days we are having wine tasting and till so far we received raving comments about the Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Chardonnay and Pinot Gris.

Alphonse told me the other day that his blend of Pinot Gris and Chardonnay left him with quite some satisfied customers and the "Pinonnay", as I call it, sold out pretty quick. I'm looking forward to our tenth annual BBQ and to see colleagues, guests, friends and family again.

The river levels are dropping as we speak and this will tremendously improve the (fly-) fishing over the coming weeks. So wade out to cast out a line, or climb in my boat and start fishing. Life is good!

Environmental Law Conference

It was a warm welcome again for our guests for the Environmental Law Conference. Some arrived early, others came in a day later, but everybody was counted for. It was heartwarming to have Agnes Baker Pilgrim and her daughter Nadine amongst them for the third consecutive year. As one of the international 13 indigenous Grandmothers (www.grandmotherscouncil.com) Agnes Pilgrim enlightens the world with her teachings and stories and her visions for our Planet. As a member of this council of extraordinary women and oldest living member of the Eastern Oregon Takelma tribe she travels the world to give her views and provides her wisdom regarding the healing of our injured planet. She also gives her input about ending war and poverty when she speaks with spiritual leaders as his holiness Pope Benedict XVI or his holiness the 14th Dalai Lama. 

With a mid-day session lead by William Blair from Infraspect (www.infraspect.com) many topics of the conference were reviewed and discussed among the participating guests. Although we have seen different scenarios in the last three years it always boils down to the impact of the environmental implications of the destruction, pollution and the vast changing of the ancestral lands of the indigenous people and the hurt that is felt because of it. Although we learn more about the perspective of the first Americans it is obvious that environmental issue's and our quest to find solutions for the economic, social and ecological problems are approached from a Western point of view. Here at the McKenzie River Inn it became clear that not bringing their perspective to the program would be an other missed opportunity to enrich the lawmaking process that would give the indigenous people a reflected voice and a hard fought recognition of how they have to deal with the protection of their communities from the above mentioned environmental changes. After all, shared strategies, scientific research and legal input from the many different parties and angles, would more effectively promote environmental protection. 

Thanks to the generous salmon contribution from Tim Hermach of the Native Forest Council, we all enjoyed each others company during a dinner on Saturday prepared by Ellie, William and myself. After dinner and around a crackling fire we talked on a lighter note, laughed at jokes and looked back to the 2009 Environmental Law Conference with the knowledge to have learned from each other experiences facing similar environmental challenges to come to more successful environmental policies. As for the McKenzie River Inn, we can not be more thankful for the wonderful guests we could share our place on the McKenzie river with. Hope to see you all back next year.

Sun and snow

What a great winter it has been, and just when you think it is over it rears it's snowy head. 

A more than usual snowfall in December created a beautiful scenery, snow covered hills, ripe on the tree's, tracks of the local wildlife and birds foraging for food on the feeders. Cedric and Isabelle enjoyed the sledding when we took them up on the mountain for a couple of days and found many other families enjoying the snow and hills. 

Although highway 126 was drive able all the way up to our entrance we had a plow coming in to clean our driveway so guests, who were spending Christmas at the McKenzie 

River Inn, had easy access to their rooms and cabins.  

January counted for many sunny day's here at the McKenzie as well the first week of February. It certainly gave us the opportunity to clean up the fallen branches and an apple tree that fell over in our orchard after it couldn't bare the snow load. Guests staying in the cabins always seem to find an array of activities to do in the wintertime. From skiing at Hoodoo to visiting the falls and hiking the trails or fishing for Steelhead. One of our guests stayed with us last summer and as a birdwatcher (he counted over a hundred different species on our property) hiked the logging trails and returned with some great and sometimes stunning pictures of the local wildlife in this winter wonderland.

This time of year also means allocating time for projects. From upgrading the facilities to remodeling, like the bathroom of one of the cabins. We also start our preparations for the upcoming 27th annual Public Interest Environmental Law Conference at the end of February. We are thrilled to be chosen again as the location for facilitating this event. After a very successful conference in 2008 we expect the return of familiar and also new faces and rumors are that a traditional fish bake might be part of this three day event at the McKenzie River Inn Bed & Breakfast and Cabins.

Apple cider and plum jam

Laborday weekend we pressed 62 gallons (237 liters) of apple juice. Day's before, Bert, Maya and Cameron picked the fruit from the tree's and placed the top filled cans under the carport next to the apple press and tables for processing. It was a very nice, partly clouded day with a temperature hovering around 78 degrees. After Bert picked up the press in Eugene we started pressing at 10 AM and found ourselves cleaning up around 8 PM. Several of our guests made their way to the canopy that day for a taste of fresh organic juice or to give a hand with the press by loading the apples in the hopper or to crush the fruit with the manually operated press. Many topics past for great conversation especially when Mike (tennis teammate of Bert) and his wife joined the action. After making breakfast and routing the cleaning ladies to the cabins and rooms Ellie joined the fun in the afternoon. Bert returned the cider press the next day.

The following weekend Hubertina and Ellie (with the help of Cedric and Isabelle) made jams and sauces from the fruit of orchard. The kitchen transferred from a decent looking cooking facility into a sticky and sweet fruit smelling bubbly damp canning factory and avoidance was the key word if you did not participate. The end result was another year supply of preserved fruit that was nicely displayed with the dried fruit on the table in the dining room of the lodge. When we open a jar this winter it will remind us of the hard labor everyone put in these two weekends of September. We are sure our guests will appreciate the taste of a blend of five different kinds of plum on a Belgium hazelnut waffle or English muffin or the with blueberries and cinnamon topped off pears as an opener for breakfast.

Summerfun

Early this morning swarms of Mayflies above the grapes danced their way into reproduction. At the waterfront guests sipping their coffee at one of the picnic tables while enjoying the river view. I walk around with my point and shoot camera trying to capture the new paint job on the lodge and cabins. After all I like to show off the results on this blog. Hubertina did a fabulous job putting the color combination together and the feedback from guests has been great so far. So has been the quality and flexibility of our paint contractor who went the extra mile adding trim pieces and doing shingle repair. Thanks Virgil (www.OpusInc.us)), also for being creative with the shop doors and your help putting up gutters! It really shows!
After yesterdays hot weather we are in for a new one. Over a hundred degrees! Last time I wrote a posting about our annual BBQ party I reported something similar. Today we experience a nice breeze though, making it more bearable.
I'm making my way into the orchard. A sweet fruity smell welcomes me. I disturb a black tail deer, munching on apples that lay on the ground. We make eye contact and she takes of into the forest. It's going to be later than last year, but we are going to have a huge harvest, the fruit tree's are loaded. Ellie told me a few day's ago she's on her last jar of plum jam for our guests breakfast, reminding me at the same time that we lost two plum tree's this year. Hopefully pressing for apple cider won't be at the same time as the wine crush on Bainbridge island. You have to keep them separated!
I walk past the canopy and take a peek at my drift boat. There is some wear and tear on the chines, but the hull let the under layer of green paint shine and make this old timer look great. This summer I started guiding for myself and James, our web master (www.bigapplewebdesign.net) did a great job putting a web site together for my guide service (check out: www.bertsguideservice.com). In June there was some big water in the McKenzie and it was tough getting that nymph to the bottom. I have been enjoying it tremendously and always look forward to the next trip. Alright, with this hot weather we are calling it the "dog days" for a reason, making the fishing really slow, but we also know this weather won't last and can go out and hook a few!
I'm making it back to the drive way and follow the path to the river front. After a two hundred feet I stand in front of the lodge. The darker green paint on the shingles gives it a more distinguished look especially with the white trim, ..I like it, ....one more picture!

Hot Party

When it comes down to parties you do want to have good weather. In previous years we could rely on ideal weather conditions, not to warm not to cold. As far as I can remember only 2004 gave us some drizzle in the morning. This years annual BBQ and commemorating the Inn's being in business for 30 years was the hottest party on record. With 98 degrees (37 Celsius) and a high humidity our guests were in for a challenge. Although people showed up at four PM, most came in later, as was the five man's band just when the temperature dropped to more desirable conditions. Friends from Idaho and Portland Oregon, family from California, some arriving the day before, joined the festivities. The Olympic Trials in Eugene added excitement to the conversations especially for those who just came back from a day spend at Hayward Field. A variety of courses and side dishes where available in a buffet style set up close to the rivers edge. Later in the evening the temperature dropped as a breeze introduced some thunder clouds. With a smaller crowd, but bigger topics, the setting was compromised to the canopy when sprinkles fell and a showcase of lightning behind the butte lighted up the sky and the roaring river. With just a handful of people left we decided it to call it a day after it was said that it was an other great party and anniversary at the McKenzie River Inn. Next day many enjoyed the cooler temperatures as they were floating down the river in an original wooden McKenzie drift boat bringing an end to an weekend full of socializing and interaction. We are very appreciative of all guests showing up and especially the persons attending to the chicken, ribs and salmon as well the man and women who help preparing the side dishes and setting the tables to make this event an other success. Also many thanks for the musicians entertaining us with songs from the sixties to present. See you all next year!