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The Oregon Escape
There is a place up in the northwest corner of North America called Oregon where things are not business as usual. While everything seems to be getting more globalized and standardized, there are chefs in Oregon busy creating a regional cuisine which not only tastes better, but is better for the environment and for our health.
And while other wine makers endeavor to replicate the taste of European wine, Oregon vintners instead are perfecting their own and believe so deeply that Oregon wine is its own special delight, they had to go and make the labeling laws in Oregon more stringent than anywhere else in the country.
So it may not surprise you that some of the best golf courses in Oregon don’t look anything like Augusta or Shadow Creek or Loxahatchee. Because Oregonians have their own ideas about what golf should be too. Where even though it might be one of the best courses in the world, it is still open to the public.
As is the entire coastline of Oregon. Oregonians believe their beaches are one of their most precious gifts, and are here for everyone’s enjoyment, not just that of a few. And if this all seems a little odd or a little extreme or just plain intriguing, come out and have a look for yourself. Ski down the mountains. Walk up and down the coast. Taste the bounty of the valleys.
Take in the majesty of the desert. And maybe you’ll start to think Oregonians aren’t so crazy after all.
The Oregon Vintner
What would you say if we told you there’s a man in Oregon who’s changing the way wine is made and enjoyed? And that this man has cohorts all over Oregon tending grapes in a way that has made the man, his cohorts and many converts believe that Oregon wine is the most flavorful and some of the best wine in the world? Before you answer, come have a taste. As it so happened one day, a man who came to be known as Papa Pinot fell in love with a curious spirit—the curious spirit being a kind of grape they call pinot. He was so head over heels for the mysteriously delicious fruit and what happens to it when left to sit in a barrel for a bit with some yeast, that he set out to create his own special vineyard just for them.
He searched high and low and as it so happened the grapes with whom he fell in love just so happened to fall in love with the long, cool growing season of the beautiful green hillsides in Oregon. So they settled here to start their life together. And instead of listening to the ways of the European and Californian wine makers, Papa Pinot decided to listen to what his vines had to say. He tended them with care and admiration, not forcing them to be anything but what they wanted to be. And he found that when given the chance, Oregon pinots have many secrets to share. So when you come to Oregon, be sure to try a bottle or seven. Their secrets are delicious.
Have a taste of something different. Plan your visit to David Lett's, aka Papa Pinot's, The Eyrie Vineyards and other pioneering Oregon wineries to sample their labors of love.
Oregon Wine Info -
www.oregonwine.org
The Oregon Golf Enthusiast
For example, the man who gave birth, and not only did he give birth but of all things to a golf course and not only did he not only give birth but of all things to a golf course, but to the finest golf course in the whole entire world—the other 204 golf courses in Oregon tying for a close 2nd. In the beginning there was golf. In Scotland. Some men were dropped off outside a harbor near St. Andrews and started hitting small pebbles with sticks into little vermin holes on their walk into town. Over the years, the game spread east and west. Pebbles were replaced by small, dimpled balls. Sticks by five-hundred-dollar titanium clubs. Vermin holes by multimillion-dollar man-made fairways. But then came the man who remembered what golf was meant to be and created a true links course he named Bandon Dunes after its mother, Bandon, Oregon, on the Pacific Coast. A walking course but with sturdy caddies who don’t mind a little weather if some should come their way. Where you play the land rather than a course. A course which begs the question, is it golf the way it should be or golf the way it could be? And if you don’t believe it, come see for yourself, as the man who created the finest golf course in the whole entire world also made it open to the public.
Come play the land at Bandon Dunes or at any of the other 170 unique public courses in Oregon. For Oregon golf information go to
www.oga.org
The Oregon Chef
As in someone who doesn’t believe in turning rich soil into parking lots for strip malls where we eat food shipped in a can from Timbuktu, but rather in turning rich soil into rich, flavorful beets and berries and hazelnuts and with them concocting delicious, delectable food from your own soil. Amen.
There is a chef called Greg Higgins who rode out west—on his bicycle—and when he got to Oregon, as one might imagine after having biked all the way from New York, he was very hungry. Down in the valley there were organic hazelnuts and squash, broccoli and herbs, apples and pears, beets and berries. And over to his right in the huge open spaces were big, beautiful beef roaming freely about, munching on grass. On the coast he found fresh line-caught salmon and cod, pink shrimp and Dungeness crab. And as his belly grumbled away, he had a crazy idea. He called up Cory Schreiber and Vitaly Paley and other Oregonian chefs, who too were hungry to create something extraordinary, and they made a pact. Their goal: to create an Oregon cuisine using local wine,* meats, fruits and vegetables.
Food full of unique Oregon flavor and the peace of mind that the rich Oregon soil would stay rich Oregon soil. And not to their surprise, after a while, people began to say, “Let’s eat Oregonian tonight. And tomorrow night. And the next night.”
And now it is easy to find delicious Oregon cuisine: Come to Oregon.
The Oregon Conservationist
Suppose a river dries up and takes beautiful salmon with it, and suppose there’re lots of people who really care about their rivers and their salmon and will do anything to bring them back—even forget their differences—well then you’d be talking about the people in Oregon and here’s their story.
Once upon a time there was an Indian tribe who lived in synch with the cycle of the Umatilla River in Oregon. For thousands of years, the river told them when to hunt deer, when to pick huckleberries, when to dig for roots—the river was very bossy. But the most important thing the river did was fill up with big, beautiful salmon. But one day the river began to quiet down and eventually the salmon disappeared. So the Umatilla Tribe did what every good Oregonian would and set out to bring back their river. They went to the nearby farmers who had been using water from the river for their crops and asked for their help.
Now, they could have argued back and forth about whose water it was but of course they both knew that if one had fish and the other did not have crops, the fish would not taste truly satisfying. And if one had crops and the other did not have fish, the crops would not grow so proudly. So they instead did things the Oregonian way: They worked together and didn’t stop until they found a solution. And now when you visit the Umatilla in Oregon, you will hear the river barking orders loudly once again—along with occasional whispers of, “It’s good to be back.”
Come explore Oregon’s outdoors. Oregonians have a special appreciation for their environment and are very eager to share it with you.
For Eastern Oregon Travel info go to
www.eova.com.
Oregon Business
Everybody loves Oregon. We’re that gorgeous green state above California filled with trees and free thinkers. You come here to explore. To see where the trail ends. You come for the pristine beaches and mountains. You visit the wineries. Shop in the cities. Swing clubs on the links. Eat the cuisine. You come here to escape your hectic world, finally to unwind and then to rejuvenate. You come to Oregon for vitality. The thing is, when you’re here, you realize that this is exactly how you imagine the good life to be, so when it’s time for you to leave, you kind of feel like you’re leaving your home. And you want to come back.
What if you planted your business here? Your family? Your life?
Oregon is filled with diverse industries powered by like-minded companies that want to lead the way, and do. That’s why Oregon’s largest demographic is the young creative set. The 21-35-year-old forward thinkers who are educated and skilled enough to work anywhere in the country, but choose Oregon. Businesses based here enjoy financial benefits designed to make running a company easier and more successful. Oregon’s worker’s compensation rate has lowered every year for the past twelve, and it’s more than 50% lower than California’s.
No other state can say that. Our ports and transportation of goods are streamlined for leading efficiency. Oregon’s tax system also favors you. There’s no sales tax, inventory tax, state business or occupations tax. Energy costs are also low, up to 50% lower than those of our southern neighbor. In fact, Oregon is in the lowest 25% of overall business costs in the nation. So thriving here isn’t a matter of if, it’s a matter of when. When will you decide that your business belongs here? That your family belongs here? That you belong here?
It’s beautiful in Oregon. Come visit for a week and let us show you.
For more information go to
www.oregon4biz.com.
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