Wind, Water & Wine – Rufus, OR
“I honestly don’t know why people complain about the wind here” I said as I scanned the perfectly calm, perfectly flat waters in front of us. “I mean this place is perfect!”
It was hard not to agree, at least in the moment. We had landed what looked like the ideal boondocking site in one of the many free COE-managed areas on the banks of the Columbia River. We had a corner of the peninsula all to ourselves with sweeping views of golden hills and the gorgeous river rolling placidly along the sandy beach below us. There were only a few other rigs in the area (all well separated) and I couldn’t imagine wanting to leave.
Of course the fact that the hills were covered in windmills and that this was known as one of the premier windsurfing spots on the Columbia River should have provided a clue of what was to come, but as they say “ignorance is bliss”. So, after a lovely cocktail on our riverfront “porch” and a delicious meal we went to sleep with just a whisper of heavenly breeze through the window.
BAM!!!
I was dreaming about trains, BIG rumbling trains, or perhaps it might have been earthquakes. Either way my dream was making a helluva racket. “Be quiet” I mumbled to no-one in particular.
BAM!! WHOOSH! RUMBLE!
This time I was wide awake. Was that the WIND?? Was the RV really rocking around as much as I thought it was? Was that crashing sound REAL? That’s when the windmills and all the rest suddenly made sense. Right, yes, this is the Columbia River Gorge for goodness sakes, Windsurfing Mecca of the north, the place where winds are SO consistent and SO notorious that when they’re not there everyone wonders where they went.
The next day our peaceful boondocking spot was crowded by day-use folks who’d came out to ride the waves and catch some air on the water. It was fun to watch, but our ideal spot dreams had certainly been shattered in the most windy way. We clearly weren’t going to stay long as I originally imagined, but we did stick around long enough to explore the rather desolate-looking area of Rufus and it ended up surprising us in more ways than one.
Hiking The High Desert Hills
Rufus is located on the very eastern edge of the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area and although it’s only ~100 miles east of Portland it is light-years different in shape and form. Whereas Portland is on the “wet” side of Oregon, this is on the “dry” side and the landscape decidedly reflects that. Instead of thick, wet rainforest-like mountains you have rolling hills, golden and dry, covered in withered grasses and barren as the desert. It feels pretty freaky to pass from dripping waterfalls to this, but that’s the nature of the Gorge. One minute you’re in forest and the next you’re in the desert. Without the river it’d be as dry as a bone here.
We decided to escape the wind one afternoon by exploring along the Deschutes River Recreation Area just ~15 minutes west of our spot. There are many miles of trails here, including a lovely old rail trail that runs high above the river-bank. Practically no-one comes here so you can enjoy a long solo walk amongst the pastel-colored hills that seem to move and change as the dry grasses sway in the winds. It was mostly overcast on our walk with doggie, so I got a little HDR camera-crazy trying capture the subtle colors. Plus we DID see snakes (two of them in fact intertwined in…erhmmm…snakey relations), but the views and solitude were fabulous. Well worth it!
Bring Doggie? YES. All the trails in Deschutes River Recreation Area are dog-friendly.
Tasting Fabulous Wines
Our hike obviously made us thirsty and what better way to quench said thirst than with a touch of wine? Turns out that the desolate hills just 15 mins away on the opposite side of the river (the Washington side) hide an outstanding dog-friendly (really!) winery with sweeping views of the valley.
We moseyed on over the bridge to Maryhill Winery and enjoyed a fabulous tasting ($5) of ~6 wines all of which we both agreed were very high quality (and very reasonably priced) wines. The spacious grounds are green and perfectly manicured and even offer cool music concerts during the season. In the end we bought 4 bottles (including an excellent specimen of Port) and spent at least an hour hanging on the porch with the views. What a total treat!
Bring Doggie? YES. This winery is so dog-friendly they even allows dogs inside the tasting room!
Visiting Stonehenge
I remember rather vaguely reading something about this place a long time ago, but for whatever reason I’d forgotten exactly where it was, so when I saw what looked exactly like Stonehenge off the side of the road I squealed so loud that poor Paul almost lost control of the car. “We’ve GOT to go see that!” I exclaimed.
So, with bellies warmed by wine we drove the few miles over to visit. This extraordinary structure, which seems decidedly out-of-place here, was completed in 1929 as a memorial to the lives lost in WWI. It’s resemblance to the real Stonehenge (in England) is not a coincidence. It’s the exact same size and form and was built by a Quaker pacifist, Samuel Hill who visited the original during the war. Back then it was thought Stonehenge was used for human sacrifice (we now know that to be false) and so Hill built the replica to represent that human lives were still being sacrificed to war.
It’s a totally surreal experience to see this thing and definitely should not be missed if you’re in the area.
Bring Doggie? YES. The memorial is open to all and fully dog-friendly.
On our way back to our windy boondocking spot we also stopped at the fruit farms on the Washington side to pick up some fresh produce. There are ~4 big stands along the river (right next to Maryhill State Park) that all offer excellent seasonal stuff at excellent prices. Another stop we didn’t make (but which comes highly recommended) is the Maryhill Museum in the same area. Who knew the little area around Rufus had so much going on??
But in the end the winds got us. One more night of rock-n-roll was enough and so the next day we raised the jacks and drove another ~150 miles to an excellent overnight spot by the river near La Grande (I’ll review both the boondocking spot and the overnight spot in my next 2 posts). This will be the last place we stop before our 2-week reservation in the Wallowas. We’re ready for some mountain-time and to be surprised all over again, hopefully in a good way. Just maybe not so much wind this time, OK?
P.S. Internet access at the Wallowas is pretty much non-existent so my comments will be sporadic (whenever I can hunt down a coffee shop or brewery with WiFi). Please excuse any delayed replies 🙂
As a former windsurfer, I can tell you the strongest winds I have ever sailed in were in Rufus. Using my 2.7 square meter sail ( typical in the Gorge is more like 4.2, and in the midwest maybe 7.0 ) I was barely able to hang on, I suppose it was 40+ MPH that day. Rufus is the last place I would camp 😉 . I usually stayed in Memaloose, which is a lot closer to Hood River and all it has to offer.
I can TOTALLY believe that. In fact wind gusts got to 40 MPH the second day we were here. LOTS of rocking and rolling. That day there were ~10 hard-core windsurfers out and they all said it was a “big” day.
Nina
Windmills mean wind. Strong wind. Write that down. 🙂
Yeah those windmills “might” have been a clue 🙂
Nina
BTW, your photos look particularly artful in this post. Aside from “red shirt” Paul, did you “Photoshop” any. Those in the hills along the river seem ready for framing. Outstanding in any event.
I did HDR (high dynamic range) processing on the hill pics (and two of the Stonehenge pics) to bring out those subtle green/brown colors. For HDR I typically take several different exposure shots of the same place and then combine them with HDR software (I use Photomatix Pro). It takes time, but it’s so much fun!
Nina
Love the “panel” of photos–they look like a painting!
Thanks! It felt very much like a surrealist painting out there. The winds were causing ripple effects all along the hills. Waves of green and gold! I’m happy I was able to capture at least a little of the effect.
Nina
I second Memaloose. Patricia and I stayed 6 days there earlier this spring. Granted the winds hadn’t matured yet to their infamous summer glory. It was a great spot to venture out on day trips to the lower gorge for hiking and waterfalls, fruit farms around Hood River and scenes of balsam root and the river basin in the Rowena area.
One of my blog posts from our time there – http://geocacheoregon.com/2015/04/11/hangin-in-the-hood-river-that-is/
Love the area you are heading to now – Wallowa’s. Spent my grade school years in LaGrande. Majestic scenery up there in the Enterprise and Joseph country. Have a great time!
We’re very familiar with Memaloose. In fact we stayed there for almost 2 weeks on our first visit to the Gorge in 2013. Love that spot!
My review of Memaloose and blog posts from that stay are here:
https://www.wheelingit.us/2013/05/26/sp-campground-review-memaloose-state-park-mosier-or/
https://www.wheelingit.us/2013/05/21/columbia-river-gorge-part-i-wildflowers-lost-lakes-fruity-loops/
https://www.wheelingit.us/2013/05/24/columbia-river-gorge-part-ii-biking-breweries-waterfalls/
This time around we wanted to explore a little east of there, so we decided on Rufus instead. If we come back to this particular area of the Gorge however I think we’ll stay at the Deschutes River Recreation Area instead. It’s much more protected than the COE spot and has hiking trails too.
Nina
We did that same thing in 1996, Nina! We were at Vantage, WA…right where I-90 crosses the Columbia. There is a nice little campground to the north of the highway on the west side of the river (it is north/south there). Same thing: we got there, set up camp and put out our awning. Luckily, a fellow camper told us “You might not want to do that.” They explained to us that the winds kicked up in one direction at sunrise and the other direction at sunset. They weren’t kidding! Fun stuff indeed!
Jim
You were probably in Maryhill State Park, which we checked out while we were over on the other side (and which looks lovely). I guess the winds are just are strong that side of the river LOL.
Nina
Love the Columbia River Gorge! Great pics! Cute pic of Paul. Question: Were you already butt to the wind, or did you reposition after the wind started blowing hard? Our RV model requires us to fill our airbags and raise the jacks before we pull in the slides. Is that how your rig works, or can you pull in the slides with your jacks down? It’s a mad scramble for us when an unanticipated wild wind kicks up in the middle of the night.
We had to scramble and reposition since we had not anticipated the winds (duh!). Rocking was much better once we got our butt to the wind, although we had to keep the slides in for preservation of our sanity. Our coach has the same procedure as yours…it’s a Monaco thing I believe.
Nina
New to your blog. Enjoyed reading about your adventures. Loved seeing that you guys aren’t “retirement” age. Hubbie & I are in our forties and looking in to seeing if full timing is for us. Can’t wait to read more.
Excellent! You’ll find there is actually a big (and growing) group of younger pre-retirement age RVers out there once you get on the road. Lots of the folks in my RV blogs & Resources Link are in this group. Also check out the NuRVers Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/groups/NuRVers/
Nina
LOVE Maryhill winery! My absolute favorite wine is from there – the Proprietors reserve Zin. I guess they’re not having any concerts this year but plan on starting back up again next year. We have stayed at the WA state campground along the river which is really nice – rode the scooters up to Stonehenge one night when there was lightning off in the distance (balmy summer night) and a photo shoot was taking place up there. Really fun to watch.
Very familiar with the Wallowa’s, too. My dad grew up there and we made many family trips back when I was a kid for camping and family visits. My aunt and uncle still live there. Have a wonderful time, enjoy lots of hikes and the beautiful scenery (I’m jealous)! There are some good distilleries out there too…
Safe travels,
Kelli
I have to admit Maryhill Winery was a TOTAL surprise for us. They really make excellent wines…and way out here in the apparent middle of nowhere too. We were very impressed! Maryhill State Park looked lovely too. I can totally understand why you like it there.
Nina
Gorgeous! SO looking forward to your Wallowa’s time! I just love that part of this awesome state!
I am pinning this to my Washington bucket list for when we return from Vietnam. After living and traveling in Asia for a year my dreams of travel are now to really get to know the Pacific Northwest. Thanks for this beautifully written story of what I have to look forward to.
Outside of Asia (where I lived for many years) the PNW is one of my fav places in the world too! Good travels back to you.
Nina
Next time you’ll need to take time for the museum. The permanent exhibits include Auguste Rodin and Queen Marie of Romania. Such eclecticism in such an out of the way location.
We had a family reunion at Lake Wallawa several years ago. Beautiful. Miniature Golf Course is seriously fun. Hiking wonderful. You are in for a treat. Will look forward to your posts.
Hmmm…miniature golf..that could be fun. I noticed several breweries and a distillery in town too. I think we’re going to like Joseph 🙂
Nina
You are heading for a favorite place of ours, the Wallowas. I know you will love it. However, you stayed at another place we often stay, Rufus. It is often or stopover spot on our way north or east. Several times we thought of staying in the free area, but each time the heat was too much and instead we opted for our nice little campground at the mouth of the John Day River, just past where you were staying on the big river. It is a COE campground, inexpensive with our senior pass, with hookups and waterfront sites and great hiking along the river. Check it out sometimes. LePage COE park on the John Day River.
I noticed that park on the way out and wondered if it was nice. We don’t (yet) get to take advantage of that sweet senior discount, sadly, but it’s nice to have another good tip for the area.
Nina
i’ve never heard of the Sonehenge Memorial. Very cool! Thanks for the introduction! We need to return to this area again. Our visit wasn’t long enough last time. Too bad about the wind because your spot was gorgeous!!! Love all the fruit farms…yum!!
Yeah without the wind it would have been a pretty perfect spot. I’m happy we got at least one calm day there. Even with the wind the area is still gorgeous.
Nina
I’m relatively new to your website. I started back with your earliest posts and have been working my way forward. My husband and I are in our early to mid-40s and have been working hard to do exactly what you are doing in 3-5 years. You are such an inspiration to us and we really enjoy your site. Tonight I noticed that you are just down the road from us! We live in the SE corner of Washington and know this area of WA-ID-OR like the back of our hands (we are “real locals”). Let me know if you need any tips or help while in the area. Happy Trails!
Oh sweeet! We’re going to be hanging around Joseph for 2 weeks hiking, beer tasting and whatever other creative stuff we can get up to. We’ve only been here a day and we’re already loving it!
Nina
If you’re interested in the history of the original American’s, the town of Wallowa on hwy 82 is host to the Nez Perce tribal museum and well worth the scenic drive from La Grande. My great-great grandfather on my mother’s side married a Nez Perce so I’ve always had an affinity for the tribe, especially the principled leadership of Chief Joseph http://www.wallowanezperce.org/index.php/history. And if you make it to Wallowa you might as well drive on to Wallowa Lake and the state park at the southern end of the lake. Heaven on earth.
Excellent tips! We’re staying at Wallowa Lake State Park for 2 weeks so we’ll definitely be partaking of some of that heaven.
Nina
Great story, I was laughing out loud. I am glad you took in a few of the sights and that you did t get blown away.
Great post! Love the photos… such gorgeous country. And so many great wineries in the Gorge! One of my favorites is AniChe Cellars (over on the WA side near Underwood – maybe for the next time you’re through the Gorge 😀 ) but I honestly don’t know if it’s their great reds, the all-woman wine maker team, the awesome dogs that hang out at the winery, or the very cool building with the red door… it’s just a nice place. Happy trails!
— Lois
Love hearing about Portland and the gorge. Very much looking forward to hearing about Joseph, too! We spent a week there about 17ish years ago (wow, time flies!). Our daughter was a toddler then. I remember riding a tram up the mountain. The views of the patchwork farms and all else were amazing! I look forward to seeing what you photo out there. The PNW is home. We love living in our diverse area, and are very much aware of all the many treasures. But you have a way of bringing out details in your writing and photos that make me want to get out there and revisit some places we have been in a while! Thank you!
Joseph and Wallowa Lake – Great area! Here is a post we did back in 2010 when we stayed there in July 2010.
Joseph and Wallowa Lake – Great area! Here is a post we did back in 2010 when we stayed there in July 2010. http://www.rjrvtravels.com/2010/07/july-1-2-2010-lemons-to-lemonade.html
LOL. I my husband and I lived just east of there, The Dalles, for many years. When I saw Rufus, I thought What-The-****, why? Your post made me laugh, but reminded me that there is more to the area than just the wind, from which we so gleefully escaped. If you meander back through the area, Walla Walla, WA, is about 2 hours east. It’s a small college, foodie, wine-loving community of approximately 30,000, but have about 100 wineries and most beautiful evening light I’ve ever seen. http://www.wallawallawine.com/#wineries
We love your articles and look forward to being fellow full-timers within 2 years. Thank for all of the information you share.
Ooooo…foodie and winie spot. You’ve definitely got my attention. It’s going on the list!
Nina
Too bad about the wind, but what a great looking place. And the Wallowa’s are so beautiful. We loved our stay at the state park and visiting Joseph.
We just arrived at the Wallowas and I can totally see why so many people rave about it. I’m soooo happy to finally make it here.
Nina
I grew up in Portland (now living in land locked Colorado) and while I don’t miss the rain, I do miss the greenery, water features (especially the gorge), and the diverse environments of Oregon. Thank you for sharing your experiences in the lovely state of Oregon and look forward to more insightful blogs!
Loved the view from your campsite! Too bad the winds made it difficult. We found a boondocking campsite like that with such a great view on Rattlesanke point at Elephant Butte NM. We had calm weather for the first three days, really lucked out. By the 4th and 5th day we moved up into the regular shielded campground and woke up to SNOW… ack!
KarenInTheWoods and Steveio
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(Blog) RVing: The USA Is Our Big Backyard
http://kareninthewoods-kareninthewoods.blogspot.com/
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SNOW!! wow….impressive. We stayed at Elephant Butte several years back and loved it. Of course I remember the WINDS there too.
Nina
You might enjoy the photos that a friend, Stephen, recently took around Joseph – http://stevendempseyphotography.blogspot.com/ .
Nice little stay, tho shortened, and understandably. You’ve gathered some nice new experiences on both sides of the river in that area. And yes, if opportunity allows, do take in Maryhill Miseum. It’s been many years since I was there, but it’s on my list of revisits when I have the chance again.
Humbling is a good way to describe Stonehenge. An amazing site indeed.
I’ve enjoyed La Grande too, tho not enough. And the Wallowas, you’ll love it there. I could stay there for a month of exploring. I hope you have the time to do Hells Canyon while in the area. An experience all it own. Enjoy!
Too bad for the wind because your boondocking spot looked wonderful. Had no idea about a Stonehedge replica being in this part of the country. Beautiful photos Nina.
The next time you’re in the area don’t miss the Maryhill Museum it’s really an amazing find along with those great wineries!! Also just up the hill in the tiny town of Goldendale is one of the best restaurants we’ve found in our travels…The Glass Onion, all local produce and meat! It’s where we discovered an awesome port from one of the local wineries that we had to hunt down!!
I was eyeing some of the eateries in Goldendale on Yelp. If we had been able to stay one more day we would definitely have gone there. Cheers for the tip on Glass Onion. That’ll be a definite target for us in the future!
Nina
Wow! Yes, the winds… sounds like our experience in Borrego Springs this Spring and all of the Owens Valley in California. Can’t wait to get back to the PNW this Fall and we will be sure to visit these places. Love the Blog and your guidance!
Ed
Hi Nina,
Just wanted to take a moment to thank you for your recommendation of Cape Blanco. John and I have taken a post as hosts at Hughes House for the month of June. We are enjoying it very much. Have met several nice and interesting people. We look forward to the adventures to come the rest of the month.
Eva
Sooooo happy you’re enjoying the job and the area! It’s one of our favorite places in the country. We’re going to miss terribly not going there this year.
Nina
You captured well the beauty and diversity of the Gorge — it’s a favorite for us. You already know about Maryhill Museum and The Glass Onion, but not sure if you’ve been to the petroglyphs in Columbia State Park across the river. Gorgeous area!
Argh no! We totally missed the petroglyphs! Yet another item to come back for.
Nina
Hi there, I follow your posts and appreciate your adventures in anticipation of my own. I plan to launch full time in October. About the Gorge,,,thirty years ago I was there at an all inclusive (young, old, men, women, children) nude beach on the Columbia on a calm and sunny day when it became apparent that a fast moving squall was headed east, and fast! Funniest thing; everyone got dressed and ran to their cars and got soaked! The sign to the trail heeds “Beware of Bares”
HA! I love it!! I guess that infamous beach no longer exists?
Nina
It’s still, there. Rooster Rock.
Great post.
I understand butt to the wind to protect the windshield but do you always pull in your slides in heavy wind, is that to protect the slidetoppers?
Yes, in high winds the slide toppers billow out and make a bunch of noise as they flap around in the wind. So, it’s infinitely quieter with the slides in. Too high wind can also cause the material to tear.
Nina
Darn it – one of those “too good to be true” spots! Your photos really rock the views though. I love watching tall grasses in the wind, they always remind me of waves on a lake. I’m excited to see and hear about your time in Joseph. It is high on our list of places to see, as is the John Day are from your past travels there. Love the Stonehenge memorial and that so much is dog friendly.
If you haven’t already, consider the Greek Orthodox convent on US 97 north of Goldendale. Did I mention Greek? As in baklava? As in awesome goat cheese, pastries and stuff? Plenty of pull out spaces along the highway, be on right just past the state park (Brooks I believe).
Oh YUMMMMMY!!!! Thanks for the tip!
Nina
So fun to follow youse guys. But looks like you ought to have a secretary, Nina! Great photography!! Remember one day we hope to host you by our creekside home with a creek near Mt. Shasta, and that I spend weeks housesitting in Portland paradise. Re pdx, there’s a great cheap rotary sushi place on NE Weidler and 14th, oddly named Marine Polis sushi, or some such. My first stop in Portland after Baumann’s marvelous fruit and plant spot in Gervais, down 99E!! Cheers, -Kathi and Michael and two kitties
Totally unrelated but I am 16 years old going to high school and working. my dad is looking to move in to an rv. I love the idea it would be a cool experience. We are looking to stay in places for months at a time. There are tons of questions but my only concern is schooling. I love to move around (new schools exit) but I am not the kid to be home schooled. I love high school there for home school is not an option any thoughts or answers?
Hi Tate,
I’m not really familiar with schooling options on the road, but I know another fulltime RV family who travels with teenagers and who would probably be the perfect people to answer your questions. Check out this blog and contact them here:
http://ditchingsuburbia.com/
Nina