Travel Oregon

Most weeks, Grant McOmie travels into the great Oregon outdoors to find unique adventures but not so this week. Instead, he’s found his way into the heart of Portland where the natural world is alive and well. Grant visits a unique eco-pub where sustainability is king and where reduce, reuse and recycle provide the foundation of a thriving new business called the “HUB - Hopworks Urban Brewery.”

Folks come from all over to SE Portland’s 29th and Powell to sip a brew, dine with friends and relax in the knowledge that things are different in the newest neighborhood eco-pub.

The HUB is an eco-Pub and it’s a first on the SE Portland brew scene that’s built upon the practices of sustainability, organic ingredients and eco-friendly ideas. The business is the brainchild of Christian Ettinger, the HUB’s Brewmaster (he has fourteen years experience brewing beer,) and alongside his dad, Roy Ettinger, (a veteran architect of forty years experience) the team co-designed the nearly 17,000 square foot eco-pub.

Christian noted that the bones of the building, the old growth doug fir posts, beams and planks were solid, substantial and deserved new life. The old wood became the booths, bar and other varied pieces of furnishings in the HUB. And then there is Christian’s signature statement; scores of bike frames and old wheel rims that were incorporated above the bar and the booths of his pub.

“Every one of these frames was recycled and I’m only about 300 bucks into this – and it really sets the bar apart from anyplace around.”

Downstairs, you could say the same thing about the HUB’s brewery where pesticide-free and fertilizer-free ingredients are staples of the 10 crafted organic beers that the HUB produces each week. In the kitchen, organic ingredients take center stage too – from pizza dough to the sauces to the sandwiches with all the trimmings and more.

In fact, even the heat from the pizza oven is recycled and circulated to heat the heat the pub’s water. “That’s free heat,” said Christian. “Free heat is free energy and lowers our bills but it also lowers our needs to bring in fossil fuels.”

The Hub is one of just three Oregon breweries – out of 80 statewide – that have made the move to produce all organic beer. The folks who work at the HUB are eager to share and explain all of the different ways that they walk the talk of sustainability. So, stop in and enjoy a beer and strike up a conversation! The folks at HUB will be pleased to tell their story - it’s that sort of a friendly, neighborhood place.

To find other Oregon breweries, click here, and select ‘Breweries’.

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“Rain, rain, go away, come again another day.” Have you ever found yourself humming this well-known ditty on a gray April afternoon? Never? Yeah, right! Fact is, endless spring showers that are splintered only by occasional slices of sunshine is the way of life in the northwest corner of the West from March through May. And if you’re new to this country, here’s my best advice: “Get used to it!” Since there’s little to do about it, why not find the beauty — no, make that the delight–in the Oregon outdoors when the rain seems to fall from above in buckets. I suggest you scoot into the hills near Silverton to a state park guaranteed to deliver huge, powerful, surging natural events that captivate your eyes, your ears, and perhaps your soul. At Silver Falls State Park, fourteen foamy white curtains whirl and ripple and tumble and shimmer at one of the most delightful parklands in Oregon. Adam Bacher, an Oregon resident and noted landscape photographer, says he’s lucky enough to capture the falls from every angle. Bacher’s a pro who finds the walking is pure pleasure inside Oregon’s largest state parkland. In fact, across more than 9,000 acres, you will find many waterfalls that boom and seem to shout for your attention. As we hiked, Bacher explained that mountain snowmelt accompanying the annual spring rains builds the south and north forks of Silver Creek to swollen threads of whitewater. The two of us paused just yards away from the full force of the majestic and loud South Falls. “In one afternoon, on foot, you can see three major waterfalls and several smaller ones in less than a mile and a half of easy hiking.” We held tight to the steel guardrail alongside the ten-foot-wide trail and were just about to duck behind the famous whopper waterfall that’s on the Trail of Ten Falls at Silver Falls State Park. Down the Trail of Ten Falls, Bacher offered a photo tip: let each waterfall guide you to their larger scenes: “Each item in nature is in it’s own unique context and so the more of that kind of foreground that I can show, I think the more it enhances the photo…I mean those cracks are literally layers of lava and who knows, a million years apart, a couple hundred thousand years apart…the geology here is just fascinating.” Another incredible way to enjoy this part of Oregon is the Silver Falls Tour Route. Consider it an old fashioned Sunday drive through this corner of the Willamette Valley and make it a day-long affair. It’s a tour once taken, you’ll never forget!

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There are days along the Oregon coast when it seems everyone loves to stroll along the sand with their eyes scanning immediately to the left and then to the right and then in front of them – back and forth they go -  they’re beachcombers and they’re having a blast.

Why not?

When you have a chance to find a shiny shell, an unusual rock or a unique piece of distorted driftwood, who doesn’t relish the idea of seeking treasures from the tides?

But as Grant McOmie has recently discovered, there’s a unique beachcombing adventure that offers the coastal visitor a stunning payoff  - unique glass art!

In the Lincoln City area, folks may cross paths with local resident Wayne Johnson – a self-proclaimed “float wizard” who makes certain that beachcombers have something special to find. Like a secret agent, Johnson stealthily moves among sea-strewn logs and lush beach grass to hide beautiful, colorful glass floats. Johnson said that he a dozen other float wizards hide up to 70 glass floats along eight miles of Lincoln City beaches beginning each October and continuing through May.

Nearby at the Jennifer Sears Glass Art Studio in Lincoln City, you can see the challenge that it takes to create a glass float – in fact, you can even learn how to do it yourself – with the help of local artists like Kelly Howard. Kelly noted, “People always say, ‘anyone can watch the glass blower but we never get to try it.’ Well, here is the chance to do just that. Try it, you may get hooked on it.”

The Jennifer Sears Studio is one of several glass art houses in the central Oregon coast area that’s participating in the glass float project. The glass float project continues along Lincoln City beaches through the Memorial Day Holiday weekend.

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If you’re ready to feel the wind in your hair and the salty spray on your face, Grant McOmie has a Grant’s Getaway that will provide an invigorating outdoor experience.

This week, Grant travels to the Oregon coast to go aboard an outdoor learning adventure with Marine Discovery Tours. We’ll also head indoors to one of the best learning sites on the coast at the Hatfield Marine Science Center.

Marine Discovery Tours specializes in trips that teach visitors more about the ocean, the estuary and all of the marine life that can be found there.

Hatfield is a professional science base that is the home for scores of scientists linked with Oregon State University. The exhibit areas of the center are open to the public and admission is free, although donations are accepted and appreciated.

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