Originally our plan was to travel to Mt. St. Helens to see how the drive was and if her parents would enjoy the trip. We decided not to go this weekend because the weather there was pretty cloudy from looking at the Volcano Live Camera (unfortunately the HD version is always down). It also turned out after more research that the Johnston Ridge Observatory which is the highest observatory wasn’t going to open until May 1st. I was there once before about 10 or 11 years ago, but it was relatively cloudy and didn’t see much.
Since the Mount Saint Helens plan fell through we decided to go to the Oregon Garden which is in Silverton, Oregon. Although the garden would be nice to see, the real reason we were going was for the Oregon Garden Brewfest. As with most of the brewfests in Oregon there were mostly IPAs to taste, but there were a few unique brews as well.
We sampled the following while there:
Block 15 – Nebula, Naked Oat Stout
Calapooia Brewing Co. – Chili Beer (P’s favorite)
Calapooia Brewing Co. – Riparian IPA
Deschutes – Red Chair IPA
Full Sail – LTD02
Full Sail – Keelhauler Scottish Ale
Eel River – Organic Porter
Golden Valley – Red Thistle Red
Laughing Dog – Dogzilla Black IPA
Lost Coast – Tangerine Ale
Oakshire Brewing – Overcast Espresso Stout
Seven Brides – Oatmeal Ellie (my favorite)
Stone Brewery – Black IPA
Rogue – Under Cover Ale
Young’s – Double Chocolate Stout
After a few drinks we decided to wander around the garden, but unfortunately most of the plants were not flowering or had not been set up yet. It might be a nice place to check out in the summer time if we decide to pay a visit to the Silver Falls State Park which is located close to Salem, OR.
Below are a few pictures of the Oregon Garden:
