During the Oregon Trail portion of our trip, activities will include summer snowboarding (!) at Mt. Hood, kitesurfing in the Columbia River Gorge and more wine tasting.

We’re staying in a glass house on the River that I call a little bit Dwell magazine, a little bit “Deliverance” for its out of the way locale in the woods. No neighbors, no lights, and no one can see the house from the driveway. In fact, one can’t see the driveway from the road—when you pull into it, it seems as if you’re driving right off of a cliff because you can’t see the driveway beyond the hood of your car. E had to get out of the car and make sure the road was in fact there before I pulled in.

For the next few days, it’s just E and I and whatever hawks and other woodland creatures live in these woods. Serious quality time awaits.

On our way in, we stopped off at the local market to pick up some snacks for the house. While we unpacked, I made E a quick chicken sandwich with a store-made rotisserie chicken before we headed to the River to play. This was not a gourmet meal, but what made the snack tasty was the view. Our glass box in the woods has views of the River from every (right) angle of the house. I served up the sandwiches at one of the cozier sitting areas near the kitchen.

We ate in oversized leather lounge chairs, overlooking the River with binoculars in one hand, a glass of wine in the other, and acres and acres of green mountains ahead. “Nothing beats this,” E declared.

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