It’s Spring Break, and I have to confess, this year the Whiskey Lover husband and I were a bit selfish. Okay, a lot selfish. We took ourselves on a little get-a-way, which means our boys were not included on this trip! The little dude stayed with Grammie and Grandpa while the teen was with his dad, which meant, ahhhhhh, a night of child-free sleep, eating and drinking what we wanted, and quiet r&r sitting in a 21 and older hot tub at the beautiful Skamania Lodge! 

We made a last minute decision to do this little vacation just a week prior, and, being the budget savvy (some might even call me cheap) wife I am, I headed to Groupon and found an incredible deal for the Skamania Lodge! And booked it immediately. We enjoyed drinks at the River Rock lounge, went into the town of Skamania and ate a DELICIOUS dinner at the Red Bluff Tap House (while also watching the Final Four championship game, rooting for the Gonzaga Bulldogs!), then came back to the lodge to enjoy the hot tub and then relax in front of the fire place in our room. It was delightful! 

Then we headed to Hood River, OR the next morning. I had never been to Hood River, and it was just short 30 minutes away. I was excited to taste some wine a the Cathedral Ridge Winery and boy, oh boy, oh boy! Their wine did NOT disappoint! It was sooooooo good!!! I particularly liked their Rusty Red Reserve (with the black Lab on the label!),  their Cab Franc, and their Riesling.

Then, it was off to the Hood River Distillers Inc. Oh WOW! Should you get the chance to take a trip and do a tasting there, you’ve GOT to do it. (And here’s a secret, I did not try any whiskey!!!) So, this Whiskey Lover’s Wife did not join in tasting whiskey with the hubby. NO, instead I tried the Pear Brandy, three different fruit liqueurs, and a Nordic peppermint spirit called Ullr. Oh my lanta, soooo good! Josh was impressed with the whiskey’s they carried, purchasing the McCarthy’s (from Clear Creek Distillery) Single Malt Whiskey. “McCarthy’s Oregon Single Malt Whiskey is distilled in a Holstein pot still using one pass distillation, this premium, non-chill filtered product is then barrel-aged in air-dried Oregon oak barrels. The result is remarkably smooth for a 3-year-old whiskey.” I am going to assume that Josh will have something to say about the smokey peated flavor of this whiskey on his Whiskey Lover’s Blog.  He also purchased the Hood River Delicious Apple Brandy, because once it is gone, it’s gone! I had to have the Clear Creek Raspberry liqueur (because it tasted like jam off a spoon! Oh my!!!!) and the Ullr. I told Josh I really loved the Ullr because it tastes like toothpaste, which kind of is totally true, but makes me giggle because when my sister and I were younger, she used to like drinking mouthwash! hahahaha! That’s the truth! I can’t even make that up! SO, I am willing to bet that my sister is going to love this!

To finish off our trip, we stopped by the Edgefield McMenamins in Troutdale, OR to try their whiskey from the distillery on that property. Josh purchased the Single Malt Hogshead Whiskey, and the barley for that whiskey comes from Vancouver, WA. While Josh enjoyed a distillery tour, I enjoyed this Pear Royale drink! I would love to tell you what was in it, because it tasted like a little sliced of heaven, but honestly, I have no idea. I just sat back, enjoyed the flavor and made small talk with the bartender! (I always tend to draw people into some great conversations, and I learned that this young man would be traveling to Japan soon and was excited for his upcoming adventure! Totally cool! I shared with him our plans for Scotland this summer, and we had a great little conversation about travel!) Soon, Josh was back from his tour and we were ready to go eat at the Black Rabbit restaurant on the property. We ate a lot of great food on this trip! And luckily, I have an amazing hubby who woke me up at 5am today to make me go lift weights with him since I was complaining that my pants were tight! You know, eating and drinking good things does come with a price!

During our little get-a-way, I was able to talk to Josh about all I had learned at my Saturday Gottman leader training on the “Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work”, and it was great to refresh our communication skills and engage in thoughtful and deep conversation. (If you’d like more info on that, or to talk with me about marriage coaching and learning the tools and techniques to have and maintain an awesome relationship, visit me at www.staciestoneycoaching.com)  What a wonderful two days spent re-connecting while also allowing for Josh to get his whiskey tasting on!

Oh, and our little dude said he didn’t really miss us at all because he had more fun at Grammie and Grandpa’s house…and he enjoyed his little get-a-way as well!!!

Thanks for reading this week’s adventure with the Whiskey Lover’s Wife!