Hood River, OR

My sister-in-law lived in Hood River for a while and has always spoken fondly of it. Thanks to her recommendations, we visited a few spots we might have otherwise known about, like Ferment Brewing Company and Pine Street Bakery.

Unfortunately our timing was off, and the day we dedicated to a hike was rainy and the expected views were nonexistent. The following day we spent alongside the Columbia River, but the morning fog didn’t clear up until we were just about ready to leave. Nonetheless, I think we saw a good cross section of Hood River living. 

The Good

• Really cool geology. This section of the Columbia River Gorge is known for its waterfalls and landscapes cut by the last ice age. There are tons of interesting rock formations and cliff faces. 
• Really accessible for outdoor activities. It’s a big windsurfing hub and it’s a great spot for Mount Hood, Mount Adams, and Mount Saint Helens access. 
• The town is cute and it’s situated in a scenic area. 
• There are distinct segments dedicated to agriculture and industry. It’s cool that many of the factories are for names that I recognize and like, such as Tofurky and Immersion Research. 
• For any city needs, Portland is only an hour away and Seattle is less than four. 

The Bad

• It’s windy! That’s a benefit for windsurfers but a downfall for everyone else. 
• The town climbs up a steep hill that makes up one of the slopes of the Gorge. 
• The train goes by regularly and could be heard from just about everywhere in town because of the steeply angled landscape. 
• Hood River is located on the south side of the Gorge, which means it has limited winter sunlight.
• Everything is set up for a heavy influx of summer tourism: you have to pay for parking, many stores are seasonally closed, and it’s obvious that the nicest parts of living here get overrun by Portland weekend visitors. I expect that traffic can be bad for the same reason because the access highway is pretty narrow, winding, and windy.
• This is a town for people who like to drink. I enjoy the occasional brewery/winery/distillery, but I don’t need literally every-other business in town to be a drinking establishment. 

The Verdict

Maybe, but for practical decision making that means no. There are a lot of similarities to Wenatchee, WA, including that they both are bordered by the Columbia River. When comparing the two directly, Wenatchee feels a little dumper, but I think Wenatchee is yet to grow into its potential, whereas I think Hood River is already too well known. 

The view of Mount Hood we should have had on our hike. 

The view we actually had. 

The riverfront was set up for heavy summer multi-purpose access. In the winter, we only saw runners and walkers going along the paved path, and lots of young kids playing at the playground and in the sand. 

These stairs were steep and went on forever – at least five blocks. 

After specialty bars, outdoor gear shops were the #2 most common business in downtown. There seemed to be at least one on each block. Bonus: you can see the “HR” Hood River banner that was prominently displayed around town in the top right of this photo.

Rainbow on the Washington side of the river. 

Homes in town were cute, but largely outside of our price range. Rather than living on one of these steep streets, we’d probably look for some land in the agricultural region about 15 minutes outside of town. 

Inside Ferment – a huge brewery overlooking the River and well set up for heavy tourism. 

Free advice offered outside of a seasonal ice cream shop, but the bulletin board was still in heavy use in the winter. 

This gas station-turned-pub was a cool vibe. 

These signs encouraging local produce consumption were slightly off putting to me. It seems like this should be the type of town that already is really locally focused. 

I love the geology at Memaloose State Park. 

Views of the industrial side of town. 

Looking at the mini factory inside of the Immersion Research shop. 

Overall downtown was super cute (especially once the sun came out) and probably felt bigger than most towns with less than 10,000 people because of the tourism. 

Wenatchee, WA – Round 2

Since our quick one-day visit, Wenatchee has been at the top of the list. Thanks to some flexibilities in our schedule, we were able to make another stop and spend a little more time exploring the city.

In round 2, we visited Wenatchee Confluence State Park, Taqueria La Cihualteca, a few downtown shops, including La Vie En Coffee Bar and Bakery, and drove around various neighborhoods. We also attempted to visit a property we’re interested in, and since the road was unplowed we got permission to backcountry ski into it. Unfortunately Vanjie got stuck in a snow ditch on the way there. We got towed out by a nice young Mission Ridge employee on his way to work, but Cameron vetoed another attempt at snowy roadside parking.

There were low snow clouds the whole time we were there, and most of the time it was snowing or raining. Driving around, we saw more of the dumpy side of town, and had multiple run-ins with rush hour traffic. I also did more internet research and have some added concerns about wildfires, annual high temperatures, and high percentages of seasonal vacation homes.

I remain impressed by the landscape and there are tons of state parks in the vicinity that I wasn’t previously aware of. I liked all of the folks we interacted with and lots of people were outside walking, running, skiing, sledding, and shoveling snow. Public transportation seemed great (and free!), and I thought the neighborhoods were cute. 

I’m not fully disenchanted with Wenatchee, but I have an expanded list of the negative realities if we choose to move there. Wenatchee is still on the list of top contenders, but we’re not going to give up on the Goldilocks Project for it just yet.

Traffic was bad enough that Cameron was able to take this photo of the Wenatchee welcome sign. 

We spent the night at Wenatchee Confluence State Park. Cameron used to shower here when he was a raft guide, and it’s about 2 miles to walk into downtown. 

Cute skunk sighting alongside the Apple Capital Recreation Loop Trail. 

Footbridge that goes over the train tracks and connects downtown with the riverside trails. 

The downtown buildings, like this theater, have some character. 

There’s a large building dedicated to land trusts. It’s a bad photo, but there’s tons of public land nearby. 

The “road” leading to the property we were interested in. The realtor sign is getting devoured by snow. 


We never made it up that road because the van got stuck and needed the help of a kind stranger to get back in the road. 

I was hoping for a clear day to get a better sense of what’s the full vista is, but it still looked nice even with the low clouds. 

Tons on trails and events being advertised. 

I was trying to gauge if I might befriend the patrons of La Vie En – I think I could find a social group here. 

I think many Washingtonians choose to have a summer home in the Wenatchee area to enjoy the abundance of water sports. 

There are lots of bridges around thanks to the two rivers. 

Bellingham, WA

I have been trying to move back to Bellingham since the day I left. Throughout the Goldilocks Project, the City of Subdued Excitement has been the one to beat. Despite Bellingham being the only place on the list that I have previously lived, we wanted to revisit it with new scrutiny. That said, it was hard to judge a city that I once knew so intimately.

One of the appeals of Bellingham is its two downtowns. We spent an evening in Fairhaven and one in main downtown, sprinkling in a mix of checking out old and new businesses. We skied at Mount Baker for a day, and of course, despite the weather I went for a walk along the waterfront while eating Mallard ice cream.

Walking around, the city felt dumpier than I remembered. It also was colder and damper than I remembered. It still has the same appeal it’s always had – proximity to water and mountains, environmentally focused, a true college town with an abundant variety of entertainment, and so much more – but maybe my priorities have changed.

The Good

• The City of Subdued Excitement is a truly excellent nickname for Bellingham. You can have a lazy day at Boulevard Park and then spend the evening at a live show, mixed in with just about anything in between. 
• Really beautiful (on a nice days). I love seeing Mount Baker from a kayak in Bellingham Bay. 
• I am culturally aligned with the general population: environmentally and actively minded. 
• We have friends and family who currently live here.

The Bad

• I already know about all of the local secrets, so the fun of discovery is severely lessened compare to other possible choices. 
• It’s pretty expensive to buy a home. That’s partially because there’s a lot of Seattle money moving into the area, but I also think the waterfront creates an up in costs. I’ve expressed before I’m not a water person, so I’m not really willing to pay extra for something I don’t want or need. 
• Seems like Bellingham has already peaked and it’s starting to experience the negative side effects of growth. All of the people who I know currently living in Bellingham have expressed interest in leaving for this reason.
• You don’t have to go far to find land for sale, but it gets extra dreary in those areas, especially as you head east towards Mount Baker Ski Area. 
• Speaking of Baker, it’s about 1.5 hour drive from Bellingham and it is a kooky ski area. If I was picking my town based solely on skiing, Bellingham/Baker would be very low on the list. 

The Verdict

No. 

Wow, did I just write that about my beloved Bellingham?! I really struggled with this one and even got kind of emotional over it but ultimately decided that Bellingham was the perfect college town for me when I was in college. I don’t want to sully or override those memories, and I want the new chapter of my life to be completely independent of that past one. 

The fish and chips bus in Fairhaven has now converted to a taco bus. 

One of the bummers of nostalgia is not being able to appreciate what is there now – without knowing anything about it, I disrespect Chubs Hut for replacing Rocket Doughnuts, but leaving the iconic rocket. 

Fairhaven is still really stinking cute, especially this plaza outside of Village Books where they have a seasonal farmers market and outdoor movies. 

Bellingham had a nice seasonal farmers market (independent of the Fairhaven market), but so does every other place we’re seriously considering. 

There are a handful of smaller museums, but Mindport has always been my favorite. It’s just a few bucks to get in and it’s a hand-on art and science space. 

No one knows if it’s Mallard or Mallard’s, but they have great quirky ice cream flavors. This time I went with black sesame and quince. 

Somehow I have never seen a show at the Mount Baker Theater. 

Nor have I watched a movie at the Pickford.

Oh no – I may be starting to rethink my verdict as I go back through these pictures. There’s something charming about the art and trash bins in the restaurant alley. 

Although I was complaining earlier about new businesses taking over, it was nice to check out this new cocktail bar, Galloway. 

Railroad Street is the hub of cheap eats. Cameron and I once attempted a crepe eating challenge at AB Crepes. 

Little Cheerful is also on Railroad and it is possibly the best breakfast place in town. Normally you have to wait to be seated, but it was sparsely attended on Tuesday morning, meaning there were two free tables.

Mount Baker is a wird ski area, but there are great hikes in summer. 

Updating the List

I mentioned in passing in my last post that Gig Harbor and Kirkland, WA were now off of the list but I didn’t give a good reason why. Both are affluent outskirts of the greater Seattle area, and having been to both in the past, I already know what the downsides are going to be: too congested, too gloomy, too white, too boogie, and not enough of a ski-focus. Although I was holding onto hope that we’d return to our old stomping grounds, I already know what my life is like in those types places and there’s a reason we chose to leave it the first time around. 

I’m a completionist, but we’re also getting a little tired of the unknown. We’re honing in on what it is we want, and aren’t feeling enthusiastic about adding miles to the van just to check off locations that we’re fairly certain won’t be the ultimate. If you’ve read my recent posts, you’ve noticed that each “yes” is given more begrudgingly. We’re more than halfway through, but I think there’s a good chance we’ve already visited our final destination. 

There are a lot of yeses, but I think I was being too generous initially:

• Steamboat Springs, CO – too much of a resort town. 
• Mountain Green, UT – there are still circumstantial family reasons why we might choose to live here, but unless something big changes in my parents’ plans in the next six months, this is not a top contender. 
• Port Angeles, WA – after visiting for Christmas, Cameron and I agreed to take it off of the list. There are too many downsides and we can come up here to visit family any time we want to experience the upsides of PA.
• Fort Collins, CO – I have not thought about it in months, and I think all of the benefits will be found elsewhere. 
• Leelanu and Benzie Counties, MI – it’d be great if we were looking for a summer vacation home, but I want a place that’s ideal year-round. 
• Taos, NM – still in the top 3. 
• Missoula, MT – also still in the top 3. 
• Boise, ID – this one is a struggle for me. I hate to love it, but ultimately I think it’s been eked out of the top 3 list. 
• Wenatchee, WA – as I write this, we are seriously considering ending the Goldilocks Project early to buy a particular property that’s 10 minutes away from Mission Ridge, the local ski area. It’s definitely in the top 3, and likely the current #1. 
• Olympia, WA – there are a lot of conveniences if we chose Olympia, but I can’t quite bring myself to love it. 

Cameron especially is experiencing a lot of FOMO, and worries that if we don’t act now we’ll miss out of a really cool house or property. I also feel that way a little (see comment above about potential Wenatchee purchase), but I keep reminding myself that we’ve seen excellent listings in all of the top spots. Even if we miss out on the particular ones that are currently available, there will still be something worth considering when we are ready to make decision. 

Assuming we do move forward with the grand van plan, there’s only one place I definitely need to go to – Bellingham, WA, but that will be an easy visit. I am still interested in a few spots in Oregon and New England, but if we end of skipping these spots I won’t be too torn up about it:

• The Canadian towns: Okotoks, Calgary, Ottawa, Carleton Place, and Russell – it will be challenging to work through the logistics of living in another country, and I have a hard time believing that any of these places will be so perfect that it’s worth that effort. For one, I know getting that far north is going to mean limited winter sunlight. It might also be a challenge just to visit because of international work restrictions and traveling with a rabbit. 
• Leesburg and Reston, VA – these are commuter cities into D.C., and from what my parents recall from living there ~30 years ago, the population density and summer humidity are not going to be my cup of tea. 
• Sherwood, OR – it’s a suburb of Portland, and Portland just doesn’t do it for me.

That potentially leaves just 10 places left! Hopefully by next summer we are making final decisions. 

We've spent a lot of time in Washington State this month. Doesn't Vanjie look cute in the snow outside of our Port Angeles house?

We've had some van issues to deal with lately (the big one being a failed heater pump), which might be contributing to our readiness to be done with the Goldilocks Project.

Good thing Cameron was able to fix the heat, because we've been in a lot of snow lately. 

I'm also looking forward to having a house to hang up all of my art. I added some to the van last month, but I have so much more that I love.

Pancake is also getting angsty. She's had lots of space to run around during the holidays, but now that she's back in the van she's getting in some trouble, including jumping off the back of the bed to end up in the garage without a way of getting back up by herself. 

I had a fun time spending two weeks in Port Angeles, and I especially liked backcountry skiing at Hurricane Ridge, but Port Angles isn't our just right. 

The nice thing about Port Angeles, is that since we have family here we don't need much of an excuse to come back regularly. 

We did do a quick pop over into Gig Harbor, which is a cute but excessively-bougie town.

I love the Pacific Northwest, but hate the gloom (despite how beautiful it can be). I think Wenatchee, WA could be a great compromise. 

Plus I love the big beautiful mountains in Washington State. If we move here, one day we'll summit Mount Rainier (assuming it doesn't erupt before then).