The Hood River Fruit Loop — the snobby foodie

Aug 27

Aug 27 The Hood River Fruit Loop

The Hood River Fruit Loop is a road of vendors that grow and make fruit products. There's seasonal fruit, jam, wines, cider, pastries - you get the idea.

Why should I go here? / Why am I not in Portland?

Hood River is a picturesque area
Free samples!
Nothing beats fresh jam
The cider/wine tastings are cheaper than Napa
Mt. Hood photobombs all your photos

Helpful Tip: Instead of trying navigate using the fruit loop map (in 2015, this is difficult), just pick out a few spots you want to go (and use Google Maps).

Here are some highlights of the fruit loop.

Fox Tail Cider

This place is awesome if you're a cider fan. Even if you're not (I'm not), it's a good way to learn about and experience different types of ciders. The baristas provide you with generous tastings and the prices are reasonable. If you're hungry, try the hummus plate.

Packer Orchards

Go here for your jams and cakes and (most importantly) samples. There are so many things to try and they're so yummy. After wandering around this ship, you'll either want to buy everything or have a belly full of jam.

Cascade Alpacas and Foothills Yarn & Fiber

Cascade Alpacas - This can be a meme of a very unimpressed alpaca.

This isn't fruit, but... if you want feed some cute alpacas, I would definitely make a stop here. There's a little shop where you can buy wool goods, but most importantly, there are baby alpacas! The 75 cents I spent on alfalfa pellets for Hotshot (the alpaca) was money well spent. Also, there's a dog that hangs around the alfalfa with a sad expression on his face.

Fun Fact: Alpacas will not spit at you - llamas do. Also, some alpacas prefer free hay over 75 cent alfalfa pellets.

Baby Lavender Farm

This place makes you feel like you're in a Swedish film. Since it overlooks Mt. Hood, it's very picturesque. A summer dress and straw hat are a must.

Timberline Lodge

This is Mt. Hood. I kept mistakenly calling it Mt. Doom.

Okay, this isn't on the Fruit Loop, but I couldn't end this post without a proper meal suggestion. This is a cute, historic lodge that overlooks scenic Mt. Hood. Drink some tea or have a drink and enjoy the view.

If you like this post, it's likely you'll like my other itinerary posts, like...

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