Jeremy T. Ringfield's Blog, page 443

Paul’s Slide on Highway 1 near Big Sur opens Sunday

BIG SUR – Highway 1 at Paul’s Slide is set to reopen Sunday, according to Caltrans, which credits favorable site conditions and recent construction progress with the earlier than expected completion. It opens access to the community of Lucia, Camaldoli Hermitage, and residents living within the newly reopened 4.3 miles of highway.

Since Jan. 14, 2023, direct access on Highway 1 through Paul’s Slide has not been possible due to a major slide that displaced an estimated 500,000 cubic yards of material that engulfed the roadway. Earlier this month, Caltrans said the slide location would be ready to open early to mid-July.

“The challenge at Paul’s Slide has always been to repair Highway 1 while movement continues within the slide location,” said Caltrans Director Tony Tavares in a press release. “The completion of repairs and the reopening of a 4.3-mile section of this scenic byway will begin to restore some normalcy for business owners and residents in the area.”

On June 7, repair work at the Dolan Point Side – post mile 29.5 – was completed, four months after it occurred, but it will not change the turnaround point for southbound traffic.

“With the completion of repairs at the Dolan Point Slide, the turnaround point for southbound Highway 1 traffic will remain in place at Lime Creek – post mile 32.1 – until repairs are complete at Regent’s Slide,” said Kevin Drabinski, Caltrans District 5 spokesman. “The northern turnaround point at Lime Creek is well suited as a turnaround location as it offers a good line of sight on approach and provides ample space for large vehicles to turn around.”

Repairs at Dolan Point involved a top-down removal of slide material and reduction of rocks by blasting crews, after which double twist cable mesh was installed along the face of the slope.

“Crews connected the seams of dozens of 150-foot lengths of mesh which were lifted into place by helicopter. This mesh will add an additional layer of protection to the highway below the slope,” explained Drabinski.

Now that Paul’s Slide – post mile 22 – is opening, traffic coming from the south will be able to come as far north as repair work on the Regent’s Slide – post mile 27.8 – will comfortably allow. The southern turnaround point on Highway 1 will move from Limekiln State Park – post mile 21 – northward to just south of Vicente Creek Bridge – post mile 25.3 – where travelers will have a clear line of sight on approach and ample space for large vehicles to maneuver and turn around.

After the reopening at Paul’s Slide, crews will be on site over the next several weeks to remove additional slide material, complete drainage installation and implement erosion control measures. Travelers will encounter intermittent traffic control with only minimal delays during this work.

The contractor for repairs at Paul’s Slide is Papich Construction of Arroyo Grande, according to Caltrans. The total cost of this project is approximately $60 million.

Repair work at the last remaining closure point on Highway 1 will continue at Regent’s Slide where the northern turnaround point remains at Lime Creek just south of the Esalen Institute. Caltrans estimates repairs at Regent’s Slide will be complete by late fall, at which time Highway 1 will once again be open to direct travel along the entire route of the Big Sur coast between Carmel and Cambria.

Tavares thanked the local community for its patience and support during the time it took to repair Paul’s Slide. He said the state agency also wants to express appreciation for the persistence, ingenuity, and resolve demonstrated by Caltrans personnel and contracted crews throughout this process.

Road information and updates can also be found on Caltrans District 5 Social Media platforms: Twitter at: @CaltransD5, Facebook at: Caltrans Central Coast (District 5) and Instagram at: Caltrans_D5.

(Graphic courtesy Caltrans)

LaMonte Wade Jr. addresses special relationship with Willie Mays, absence from SF Giants’ Rickwood Field game

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — When Willie Mays died earlier this week, many Giants players and coaches only learned of the news when it was announced in the middle of their game at Wrigley Field.

Not LaMonte Wade Jr.

He and manager Bob Melvin, who has talked at length of his own kinship with Mays, were among those to be informed before first pitch.

“It was definitely sad news to hear, especially after these last two years getting to know Willie a little bit,” Wade said Thursday on the very site where Mays got his start.

Decades after Mays made his professional debut for the Birmingham Black Barons right here at Rickwood Field, where the Giants faced the Cardinals in a one-off game honoring the Negro Leagues, he took a special interest in another Black player trying to establish himself in the major leagues.

Wade and Mays met only twice, but each time was for an “extended period,” Wade said.

When Mays paid his first visit to Oracle Park since the COVID-19 pandemic, he sought out Wade, calling the first baseman into then-clubhouse manager Mike Murphy’s office. Last year, when Mays made his final visit to the park last May, he rang in his 92nd birthday with Wade, again.

“It’s kind of hard to put into words,” Wade said while addressing Mays’ passing for the first time Thursday. “You go out there and try to play the game the right way. Just go out there and play. And to have a legend like that to be following you, giving you pointers about the game, trying to teach you lessons about the game with what he went through, it’s very special. Something you’ll never forget, for sure.”

Between his personal relationship with Mays and his status as one of the handful of prominent active Black players in MLB, Wade had been talking about this game since it was put on the schedule, Melvin said. He was inactive, however, continuing to nurse the hamstring he strained last month.

“If anybody wanted to play in this game desperately, it was him,” Melvin said. “Once he got injured, my head went to a timeline for this game because he had been talking about it for a while.”

Despite progressing to on-field activities during this road trip, Wade estimated he was still “a couple weeks” away from returning to the lineup. Melvin said he was “at least probably a week away from him playing.”

“I wish I was playing today,” Wade said. “Just being her, though, is very special. To go out there on the field and see all the stuff around there is really cool to see. To share the field with all those guys who came before us, it’ll be very special to go out there today.”

Understanding the significance, Melvin reached out to the league office and petitioned for an exception that would have allowed the Giants to add Wade to their roster for the game without having to reset his eligibility on the injured list. Both teams were able to add a 27th player for the game, but the Giants went with utilityman Tyler Fitzgerald when their request was denied by MLB.

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“We were just trying to do anything we can to get him an at-bat,” Melvin said.

The gesture, while ultimately unsuccessful, was appreciated by Wade, who mistakenly believed the league would empathize with their situation.

“I thought it was going to work out. I don’t see why it wouldn’t,” he said. “BoMel really pushed for it and I appreciated him for doing that. But the rules are the rules and you’ve got to follow the rules. But I mean, for something like this, you would think that they would make an exception. I feel like we make exceptions in this league for other stuff, so why not this one?”

Hardly a consolation prize, Melvin found one way for Wade to participate. He enlisted him to take out the lineup card to home plate before first pitch.

“I know it’s not like playing in the game,” Melvin said. “But if there’s anyone you wanted to see play in this game, it was LaMonte.”

Alisal Union to receive $4.7 million grant focused on mental health resources

SALINAS >> A federal grant will provide Alisal Union School District with $4.7 million to expand its mental health resources in schools, including increasing the number of behavioral health therapists on campuses by 45%.

The Bipartisan Safer Communities Act-Stronger Connections grant was approved by Congress in 2022 and has a total of $1 billion to be awarded to state educational agencies with a $119 million allocation for local educational agencies (districts, charter schools and county offices of education).

“Caseloads have burgeoned in recent years, as have the need to provide support for parents and professional development for staff in the areas of social-emotional learning and mental health,” according to a press release sent out by the district.

The grant serves to “promote a positive school climate and culture” through preventing and responding to acts of harassment and bullying, addressing mental health concerns and developing safety assessments and strategies, according to the California Department of Education’s website.

Each school in the district currently has one counselor who provides group and individual short-term counseling focused on developing solutions, according to the press release. The counselors also provide classroom education and activities to further promote mental wellness.

With the grant, the district plans to extend its partnership with Effective School Solutions, a New Jersey-based company that assists districts across 12 states to implement inclusive mental health and behavioral support programs. For the past two years, the company has served six schools within the district, according to Monica Anzo, associate superintendent of educational services.

Alisal Union, in partnership with Effective School Solutions, will offer family therapy, professional development services for staff and parents as well as coach 10 champions at one school.

Ten teachers from Barden Elementary will be identified and coached by an Effective School Solutions coach on the “reset” method, said Anzo. The teachers will be taught how to assist students in learning how to handle and reset their emotions when challenges arise.

The coach will come into classrooms and assess teacher-student interactions to come up with strategies for handling various social and emotional challenges in the classroom.

The AIM Ideas Lab recently administered a survey created by Monterey teens for their peers at Monterey Peninsula and Salinas Valley high schools and showed that 70% of respondents believe mental health education should be taught in K-12 schools and have an emphasis beginning as early as at the elementary school level.

“Some elementary schools have one counselor for 800-plus students, leaving many students waitlisted,” said an anonymous student mentioned in the report.

To combat this type of problem, Alisal Union plans to increase the number of on-site counselors by 45%, given that each school currently only has one counselor. Another social worker for the district will also be hired, raising the total to four workers across the district for the upcoming school year.

“What we’re hoping is the connection (counselors) are building with students, families and teachers doesn’t call for out-of-house reference, so we can deal with it in-house,” said Anzo.

In terms of implementing more of an education regarding various mental health challenges such as self-management, self-awareness and emotional intelligence, Anzo said that even “if a student doesn’t know how to communicate with words, they do it with behavior. They’re trying to tell us something – as the adult it’s (about) how to teach them the skills so they’re able to communicate.”

“As a district we’re trying to build support within our schools,” said Anzo. “This goes along with trying to provide the service so families don’t have to go look for it, it’s already at their community schools.”

Chippy the kitten stops highway traffic in Monterey; CHP officers rescue wayward cat from engine of Prius

SPCA Monterey County took a kitten into their care that was rescued by California Highway Patrol officers.

An officer stopped traffic on Highway 1 in Monterey to help the kitten running in the middle of the lanes last week

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“A motorist saw the scared kitten and I was called to the scene,” said Officer Ryan Moore to the SPCA. “At first I stopped on the left hand side, but when I went to grab the kitten, she ran across the lanes. I immediately thought ‘oh gosh, please don’t get hit!’”

SPCA Humane Investigations Supervisor Jacob Duarte uses tools to help find the kitten hidden in the fuel tank of a car. Duarte had to take a few pieces apart to be able to locate her. (Photo courtesy of SPCA Monterey County)

(Photo courtesy of SPCA Monterey County)

SPCA Humane Investigations Supervisor Jacob Duarte poses with the kitten he found hiding in a Prius. The kitten was taken back to SPCA for food, water and a vet exam. (Photo courtesy of SPCA Monterey County)

Chippy the kitten was named after the CHP officers that rescued her from Highway 1. The SPCA is currently looking after her, and plan to put her up for adoption next week. (Photo courtesy of SPCA Monterey County)

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Knowing that the kitten was skittish and likely to run again, Moore stopped traffic briefly on the highway to save the cat.

However, as Moore attempted to catch the kitten again, she jumped into the wheel well of a Prius and crawled up into the fuel tank. The driver of the Prius, Tom Greely, was on his way to work.

“I was driving to work on Highway 1 right before the Highway 68 turnoff when CHP Officer Moore started the traffic break,” said Greely. “I could see the tiny kitten running on the shoulder of the highway.”

With the kitten hiding out of sight and out of reach, Moore contacted the SPCA for help and SPCA Humane Investigations Supervisor Jacob Duarte arrived on scene to help the kitten.

Duarte said he could hear the kitten, but couldn’t see or reach her. He ensured she was in a place where she would not get hurt with the engine on. Then, for the safety of the kitten and highway drivers, Greely slowly moved the vehicle to a parking lot nearby, with CHP following him with emergency lights on.

Once in the parking lot, Duarte could hear the kitten more clearly without highway traffic nearby. He used a camera on a wire to help locate the kitten and had to remove a few car parts, but was able to get her safely.

The rescue delay made Greely over two hours late for work, but he said saving the kitten was worth it.

“At first I had a moment of ‘why did this cat pick my car of all cars,’ but it was a really heartwarming reinforcement of the good in society,” Greely said. “The CHP officers were so great, Jacob was amazing, and together we made a difference and saved this little kitten.”

The kitten was named Chippy, to honor the CHP officers who helped her and she is recovering at the SPCA and has gone through exams. She will be available for adoption next week.

 

40 fun facts about ‘Purple Rain’ as Prince’s triumph marks its 40th anniversary

Jon Bream and Chris Riemenschneider | (TNS) Star Tribune

MINNEAPOLIS — Lordy, Lordy, “Purple Rain” is 40, and Prince’s hometown is not going to let you forget it.

This weekend’s Celebration 2024 at Paisley Park is centered on the 40th anniversary of His Royal Purpleness’ landmark album and film (officially released June 25 and July 27, respectively). So are Friday and Saturday’s reunion concerts by his old band the Revolution at First Avenue. So is a hefty new book by Twin Cities music journalist Andrea Swensson, “Prince and Purple Rain 40 Years.”

With all that and lots more happening around the anniversary, we bring you 40 fun facts about “Purple Rain.”

1. Like many things in Prince’s career, “Purple Rain” was a big risk. The movie with a first-time star, first-time director, first-time producer was made for $7 million and grossed $68 million during its theatrical run.

2. “Purple Rain” won an Oscar (for best original song score), led to four Grammys for Prince, and its blockbuster soundtrack spent 24 consecutive weeks at No. 1 with four Top 10 singles.

3. “Purple Rain” was the second movie Prince shot. During his 1982 tour with the Time, a crew helmed by music video pioneer Chuck Statler filmed concert and offstage footage for an unfinished project known as “The Second Coming.” The 16 mm footage remains in Prince’s vault.

4. After the success of the album “1999” in ’82, Prince’s management contract with the L.A.-based firm of Cavallo, Ruffalo & Fargnoli was about to expire. He wouldn’t sign a new deal unless they got him a movie. “‘And it can’t be financed by some drug dealer or jeweler,’” Bob Cavallo remembered Prince saying. “‘It has to be a major studio and my name has to be above the title.’”

5. The film’s producers talked with David Geffen and Richard Pryor about financing the picture. Football hero Jim Brown ran Pryor’s company and wanted to wait until Prince “got more famous.” Said Cavallo: “Prince is not a guy who waits.” So the rookie movie producers invested $1 million of their own money and negotiated a three-picture deal with Warner Bros.

6. Emmy-winning William Blinn, executive producer of TV’s “Fame,” was hired to draft a screenplay based on Prince’s vision. Blinn said Prince “wanted a picture that would shock you.” The tentative title: “Dreams.”

7. Cavallo wanted to hire “Reckless” director James Foley, who was booked up but recommended his film editor, Albert Magnoli, then only 30.

8. The movie’s original female lead Vanity quit two weeks before filming was to start. There was no clear reason why. Co-producer Steve Fargnoli simply said “business reasons.” Director Magnoli said she received a better offer from Martin Scorsese to appear in “The Last Temptation of Christ.”

9. More than 750 young women then auditioned. After her tryout, Patricia Kotero of Santa Monica, California, flew to Minneapolis to meet Prince. “He asked about my experience,” she told the Star Tribune in 1984. “And he looked at me very seriously and said, ‘Do you believe in God?’” She got the part and a new name — Apollonia.

10. The only professional actors in the movie were Clarence Williams III of TV’s “Mod Squad” (who portrayed the Kid’s father) and Olga Karlatos of “Once Upon a Time in America” (the Kid’s mother).

11. Actor Don Amendolia flew in to conduct acting classes for the musicians in a St. Louis Park warehouse. Three days a week for three months, they did improvisational exercises and recited monologues from “The Streets of New York” and “Cloud 9,” the play that had previously brought Amendolia to the Twin Cities at the Cricket Theater.

12. The Minnesota Dance Theatre offered dance lessons to cast members — “six years of training condensed into six months,” MDT’s John Command said. In return, Prince & the Revolution played a benefit concert for the financially strapped troupe at First Avenue on Aug. 3, 1983, raising $23,000.

13. Many of the soundtrack’s songs were debuted and recorded at that Aug. 3 concert. Three of those live recordings were cleaned up and used on the album: the title track, “I Would Die 4 U” and “Baby, I’m a Star.”

14. That concert also was Revolution guitarist Wendy Melvoin’s first public performance with Prince. She was 19.

15. The movie did not have a definite title until Prince played “Purple Rain” that night, new even to director Magnoli. As Magnoli told Rolling Stone: “I asked Prince after, ‘What is that song? He said, ‘I just wrote it with the band.’ I said, ‘That’s the song, the anthem song!’”

16. While the audience noise was mixed out of these songs for the soundtrack, listen closely and you can hear some of it toward the end of the title track on the album, including a fan’s faint “Woo!”

17. The members of the Revolution remember rehearsing those songs so exhaustively in the buildup, bassist Mark Brown, aka BrownMark, says in Swensson’s book, “I mean, ‘Purple Rain,’ I could fall asleep and play it.”

18. Prince’s iconic guitar solo in “Purple Rain” was entirely improvised, and two minutes longer than what wound up on the record. “”I knew what he was doing was taking people to another place,” Revolution drummer Bobby Z says in Swensson’s book.

19. One name that stands out on First Ave’s guest list for that show: R.E.M. guitarist Peter Buck, in town recording the future classic “I Will Dare” with his pals the Replacements.

Prince performs “Purple Rain” during the 46th Annual Grammy Awards on Feb. 8, 2004, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. (Richard Hartog/Los Angeles Times/TNS)

20. First Ave received $100,000, a new stage and stage lights as payment to close for a month for the movie shoot, Thanksgiving to Dec. 20, 1983. The stage Prince humped in the movie is more or less the same one used at the club today.

21. Extras for the performance scenes filmed at First Ave had to show up at 7 a.m. and sit in the recently shuttered, unheated Academy Theater across from the nightclub. They were paid $35 with a free box lunch for a 12-hour day.

22. News media were not allowed on the set for any of the filming in Minneapolis, which began on Nov. 1, 1983. However, reporters and photographers attended the Aug. 3 concert at First Ave.

23. The movie was shot in 32 locations in and around Minneapolis. More scenes were shot in Los Angeles, including the backstage situations (actually soundstages) and scenes at the Huntington Hotel, where Apollonia takes a room.

24. Apollonia’s opening scene has her arriving via a Greyhound bus to First Avenue in a $37 taxi ride, which she cannot afford. In real life, the bus station was just around the corner.

25. In the famous scene where the Kid urges Apollonia to “purify” herself in Lake Minnetonka, the “lake” was actually a stretch of the Minnesota River in Henderson, Minnesota.

26. The filmmakers were running three weeks behind and had to meet a strict deadline or be replaced, per their insurance company. So Cavallo arranged for five cameras to hastily shoot the performance scenes at First Ave. For Prince, it only one or two takes. “You know how perfect Prince was,” Cavallo recalled in 2019, “if there was a spot he had to land on with a body spin, it was exactly the same every time.” The deadline was met.

27. Syndicated newspaper-turned-TV movie critics Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert, both gave thumbs-up to “Purple Rain.”

28. Minneapolis is never mentioned in the movie until the closing credits. The Lake Minnetonka reference and some “Land of 10,000 Lakes” license plates are about as close as the movie gets to suggesting its locale.

29. On the “Purple Rain” soundtrack, the party-starter opener “Let’s Go Crazy” was actually a deeply Christian song to Prince. “The de-elevator was Satan,” he told Chris Rock in a 1997 MTV interview. “It was, you know: ‘Stay happy, stay focused, and you can beat the de-elevator.’”

30. “Darling Nikki” was the song that prompted Tipper Gore, wife of U.S. Sen. Al Gore of Tennessee, to create the Parents Resource Music Center in 1985 and all the subsequent “Parental Advisory” labels on CDs and tapes. She heard their 11-year-old daughter listening to its, um, self-gratifying lyrics.

31. “When Doves Cry” was the project’s first single and Prince’s first No. 1 hit, but it was the last track finished for the soundtrack. Prince labored over its production, leading to its rare omission of a bass guitar part.

32. After earning auspicious notices as Prince’s foil in “Purple Rain,” co-star Morris Day signed a three-film deal with 20th Century Fox in 1984. The Los Angeles Times reported that Day passed on an offer to portray Little Richard, turned down a Disney film called “Off Beat” and read for “The Color Purple” and for Ron Howard’s “Gung Ho.” He ended up with small parts in Richard Pryor’s “Moving” and Andrew Dice Clay’s “The Adventures of Ford Fairlane.”

33. “Purple Rain” was available on VHS in 1984 while the film was still in theaters. A DVD version arrived in 1999, followed by Blu-ray in 2007, a remastered version in 2016 and a 4K Blu-ray due next week.

34. The “Purple Rain” soundtrack was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2011 and, eight years later, named to the Library of Congress’ National Recording Registry.

35. Random samplings of famous artists who’ve recorded their own versions of the songs: Dolly Parton, Bruce Springsteen, Pearl Jam (“Purple Rain”); Beyoncé, Mariah Carey (“The Beautiful Ones”); Patti Smith, Ginuwine (“When Doves Cry”); Foo Fighters (“Darling Nikki”); Incubus and the “Sing 2″ cast (“Let’s Go Crazy”).

36. But Prince wouldn’t let Weird Al Yankovic touch these songs. Pop music’s cult-loved satirist told the Star Tribune in 2019, “Legally, I could go to the estate and ask permission. But ethically, I wouldn’t do it because I’ve always respected the wishes of the artist. And Prince made his wishes exceedingly clear.”

37. In 2015, Prince purchased the house in south Minneapolis used for exterior shots of his residence in the movie. He paid $117,000 for the rundown 1913 abode at 3420 Snelling Ave. He never lived in it. His estate arranged for it to be rehabbed and made available as an Airbnb rental.

38. Chris Rock convincingly declared Prince the winner in his feud with Michael Jackson as pop’s reigning king of the 1980s. “There’s not a bad [song] on ‘Purple Rain,’” the comedian said. “‘Thriller’ is allegedly the best album of all time, and that has at least two bad songs on it. There’s no ‘Baby Be Mine’ on ‘Purple Rain.’”

39. More than 25 million copies of the “Purple Rain” album have sold in 40 years. That makes it around the 45th bestselling album of all time (“Thriller” is No. 1 with more than 70 million).

40. “Purple Rain” was the last song Prince performed at his final concert, on the Piano & a Microphone Tour in Atlanta on April 14, 2016.

©2024 StarTribune. Visit startribune.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

Pacific Northwest travel: Summer fun in Oregon’s Hood River Valley

You’ve got to love a country drive called the “Fruit Loop.”

This popular weekend road trip in Oregon’s orchard and vineyard-packed Hood River Valley, about 60 miles east of Portland, explores the broad base of Mount Hood just south of the mighty Columbia River Gorge. It’s a wonderfully scenic spot with views of two snowcapped volcanoes, Oregon’s Mount Hood and Washington’s Mount Adams. The fertile soils found at the base of Mount Hood and rarefied, glacier-fed water sources create a lush growing environment, and the valley abounds with grapevines and apple, pear and cherry trees — a landscape that’s as pretty as the signage on a vintage fruit crate.

Anchoring the Hood River Valley is the charming former timber town of Hood River, regarded as one of the top windsurfing and kiteboarding hot spots in the world. It’s also a burgeoning foodie destination for Pacific Northwest travelers, who come here to savor meals crafted from fresh locally-produced ingredients.

I explored the Hood River region with my family last summer, with a scenic riverside lodge as home base. For four days, we enjoyed nearly nonstop recreation, eating, drinking, sightseeing and fruit-picking fun.

The “Fruit Loop” trail in Oregon’s Hood River Valley includes Mountain View Orchards, which is known for its lush stonefruit. (Ben Davidson Photography)

Getting to Hood River from Portland was half the adventure. Landing at Portland International airport after an easy flight from SFO, we picked up a rental car and headed east into the scenic Columbia River Gorge on Interstate 84.

Our first stop was lunch at the charming Sugarpine Drive-In, a casual eatery in a renovated 1920s gas station set along the banks of the Sandy River in Troutdale, just outside Portland. The walk-up or drive-up patiocafé offers salads, cans of Buoy pilsner and Underwood wine, frosé (frozen rosé slushies) and a lineup of sandwiches that included a waffle grilled cheese. The star attraction is the soft serve ice cream — milk- or plant-based — in cones or their signature sundaes.

Continuing east up the gorge, we took in lush forest and river views, passed double-tiered Multnomah Falls — one of 70 waterfalls in the area — and exited the interstate four miles west of the town of Cascade Locks to visit the Bradford Island visitor center of the Bonneville Dam.

From the visitor center’s outdoor platform, visitors can watch the spectacle of salmon and other fish swimming up a fish ladder — steelhead and sockeye salmon in early summer and chinook and coho salmon in September. Up to 250,000 fish pass through the ladders each day during high season, which runs from August to November. You’ll also learn about how the Columbia River produces more hydropower than any North American river — five billion kilowatts of electricity each year, providing power for 80 percent of the Pacific Northwest.

Run by members of the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation in Oregon’s Cascade Locks, Brigham Fish Market specializes in smoked salmon and other wild, native-caught fish from the Columbia River. (Ben Davidson Photography)

We indulged in plenty of sockeye spectating before heading for Cascade Locks to buy packets of smoked salmon at the Brigham Fish Market. Run by members of the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, the market specializes in wild, native-caught fish from the Columbia River: spring salmon and sturgeon in spring; summer chinook, sockeye and steelhead in summer; and fall chinook, coho and steelhead in autumn.

It was late afternoon when we arrived in the charming town of Hood River. With its historic buildings and a downtown lined with galleries, restaurants and pubs, it’s a perfect hub for full immersion in Pacific Northwest living. Our lodge, the Hood River Inn, provided a comfy river view room perched right above the water’s edge, with excellent breakfasts served on a broad deck overlooking the Columbia River Gorge.

Oregon’s Hood River Inn offers waterfront lodging in the town of Hood River in the Columbia River Gorge. (Ben Davidson Photography)The Fruit Loop

There are some 35 miles of scenic country roads to explore in the Hood River Valley, whose rich agricultural heritage goes back to 1855, when the first fruit trees were planted. Today, there are 14,500 acres of pear, apple and cherry orchards covering the valley floor. The valley grows more d’Anjou pears than anywhere in the world.

You’ll find several dozen farmstands selling freshly picked fruit, produce, jams, syrups and honey. U-pick orchards offer apples, pears, strawberries, cherries, blueberries, peaches and pluots — and even lavender at one farm. Wineries, breweries and cideries round out the options.

A must-do first stop is Pearl’s Place Fruit Stand, just three miles south of Hood River on Highway 35. The stand carries local apples, pears and cherries — including coveted Rainier cherries — plus peaches, berries nectarines,plums and more. Pearl’s also carries handcrafted baskets, local wild honey, Oregon-grown hazelnuts, dried fruit snacks. U-pick strawberries are available from July through September and apples from August through October.

Housed in a historic 1940s-era factory, the Fruit Company has fascinating exhibits on the valley’s agricultural history. You can certainly drive here, but it’s far more fun to take the historic Hood River Railway or a railbike excursion. Be sure to check out the Fruit Company’s orchard tours in an open-air shuttle.

Traipse along the Hood River Valley’s “Fruit Loop” trail via car or take a ride aboard the historic Hood River Railway or one of its railbikes. (Ben Davidson Photography)

July is the peak of cherry season, and local favorite u-pick orchards include Kiyokawa Family Orchards, Packer Orchards and Draper Girls Country Farm. The largest u-pick orchard in the Hood River Valley, Kiyokawa Family Orchards dates back to 1911. The orchards offer breathtaking views of Mount Hood and plenty of picnicking possibilities as well as, of course, apples, cherries, pears and Asian pears. Kids love the play area, and the fruit stand offers award-winning pies, turnovers, local honey, jams and fresh cider.

Sips and shops

There’s no shortage of vineyards producing top notch wines here. The tasting room at the Grateful Vineyard offers pours from its boutique winery, craft cidery and microbrewery. The southernmost vineyard in theColumbia Gorge AVA, their specialty is high-elevation sparkling wine.

Marchesi is one of Hood River’s premier wineries, with exceptional Italian varietals, including barbera, dolcetto, pinot nero and pinot grigio. Vintner Franco Marchesi produces award-winning wines reminiscent of those produced in his birthplace in Northern Italy’s Piemonte.

The Gorge White House is situated in a beautiful 1908 Dutch Colonial home in the heart of the Hood River Valley. A part of Hood River’s booming hard cider scene, the beer and cider tasting room offers the family farm’s award-winning apple-pear, blueberry and perry — made with pears — hard ciders. The Gorge White House also offers u-pick flowers, fruit and a food truck serving delicious farm-to-table pizzas and sandwiches.

And Apple Valley Country Store has freshly baked desserts and more than 50 housemade jams, jellies and syrups. The shop also offers a wide variety of local foods and handmade products — we picked up a lovely quilted trivet by Hood River-based artist Rhonda Harris.

Hood River bites

Sixth Street Bistro’s farm-to-table pub menu focuses on local producers and ingredients, many of them grown organically in the Columbia Gorge or greater Pacific Northwest. The wine list includes many Columbia Gorge wine producers, and the bar’s 12 taps offer some of the best Oregon and Washington beer and cider.

Hood River’s original brewery, Full Sail Brewing is perched on a bluff overlooking an epic wind and kitesurfing scene. Enjoy their handcrafted brews, which kicked off Hood River’s huge brewery scene, and pub food on the outdoor patio. It’s elevated pub fare — burgers with Tillamook cheddar and housemade bacon jam, salmon fish and chips, and mac and cheese made with Gouda, roasted garlic and artichoke hearts. And free, guided brewery tours are offered daily at 1, 2, 3 and 4 p.m.

Ferment Brewing is the newest kid on the local beer scene. This taproom enjoys a scenic second story space on the Hood River waterfront. They pair their handcrafted beers and kombuchas with food that features local ingredients and housemade fermented condiments including kraut, pickles and kimchi ranch.

The fun, waterfront Solstice Wood Fire Cafe delivers river views alongside its creative wood-fired pizzas. The Siragusa Pear pizza, for example, is topped with local pears, blue cheese and caramelized onions, while the popular Country Girl boasts local cherries and housemade chorizo, and the Yakima pairs Northwest asparagus with prosciutto and goat cheese.

Oregon’s pFriem Family Brewers is known for its award-winning beer and pub fare inspired by its Hood River Valley setting. (Ben Davidson Photography)

PFriem Family Brewers — pronounced freem —  is a Northwest- and Belgian-inspired 15-barrel brewery, restaurant and tasting room. Founded in 2012, the brewery has racked up medals at the World Beer Cup and Great American Beer Festival. And the pub fare ranges from PNW mussels with a kimchi vinaigrette to a pulled pork sandwich made with lager-braised pork shoulder, gochujang barbecue sauce and Blue Bus Kraut-chi.

And Riverside, at the Hood River Inn hotel, is known by locals as a small farm business incubator whose cultivated relationships with local farmers, creameries, vintners, brewers, fermenters and fishers creates dynamic dishes.

Getting outdoors

One of the top sports towns in the nation, Hood River attracts wind and watersport enthusiasts, road and mountain bikers, fishers, campers, hikers and whitewater kayakers — and there’s plenty of choices for active, outdoor fun.

My daughter and I settled on a three-hour Twin Tunnels e-bike ride with Hood River-based Sol Rides. The highlight of this guided tour through the Columbia River Gorge and Hood River Valley was the gorgeous view along a car-free section of the Historic Columbia River Highway State Trail between the towns of Hood River and Mosier.

The Hood River Inn patio and waterfront walkway offer expansive views. (Ben Davidson Photography)

Prefer waterfalls? The Columbia River Gorge is famous for its dramatic, lofty waterfalls. A great way to see these cascades without the hassle of driving is to join the Sasquatch Shuttle. The two-hour narrated van tour includes stops at six attractions, including Latourell Falls, Horsetail Falls and Multnomah Falls, where you can hike up to a viewing platform midway up. (Chances of Sasquatch sightings, though, are slim.)

If You Go

PLAY

Bonneville Dam: Entry to the dam is free. Open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily on Bradford Island; www.nwp.usace.army.mil/bonneville/.

Hood River Fruit Loop: A convenient website — hoodriverfruitloop.com — and print-your-own guide outline many of the farmstand locations and valley events.

Traipse along the Hood River Valley’s “Fruit Loop” trail via car or take a ride aboard the historic Hood River Railway or one of its railbikes. (Ben Davidson Photography)

Apple Valley Country Store: Hours vary by season and staffing, but the store is typically open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily from June through October at 2363 Tucker Road in Hood River; applevalleystore.com.

The Fruit Company: Reserve your tickets ahead, then hop aboard the Mount Hood Railroad ($27-$67) or a railbike ($199 for two people) at 110 Railroad Ave.; www.mthoodrr.com. The Fruit Company Museum is at 2850 Van Horn in Hood River;www.thefruitcompany.com.

Kiyokawa Family Orchards: The orchards are open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekends from July 6 through Aug. 18; 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekends from Aug. 23 through Nov. 3; and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily from Nov. 4 to 24. 5625 Hutson Road, Parkdale; https://kiyokawafamilyorchards.com

Pearl’s Place Fruit Stand: Open for the season from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekends at 1860 Highway 35, Hood River; https://pearlsplacefruit.com/.

Sasquatch Shuttle: The waterfall loop ($25-$35) runs twice a day; sasquatchshuttle.com.

Sol Rides: This tour company offers a Twin Tunnels & Beyond ($89) tour that departs at 9:30 a.m. daily from Sol Rides headquarters at 13A Oak St. in Hood River. Find details on its bike rentals and cycling and winery tours at solrides.com.

SLEEP

Hood River Inn: Rooms at this Best Western Plus property at 1108 East Marina Way in Hood River, start at $223; https://hoodriverinn.com. The hotel’s Riverside restaurant is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner daily; riversidehoodriver.com.

EAT & DRINK  

Brigham Fish Market: Open from 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday-Thursday and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday-Sunday at 681 WaNaPa St. in Cascade Locks; http://brighamfish.com/.

Ferment Brewing: Open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. weekdays and 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. weekends at 403 Portway Ave. in Hood River; fermentbrewing.com.

Full Sail Brewing: Open daily from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. at 506 Columbia St. in Hood River; fullsailbrewing.com.

Gorge White House: The tasting room is open seasonally — from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Thursday-Monday during the summer, for example, with limited hours in the fall. Closed December-February. 2265 Highway 35 in Hood River; thegorgewhitehouse.com

Grateful Vineyards: Open daily from noon to 6 p.m. at 6670 Trout Creek Ridge Road in Mt. Hood. Make reservations at gratefulvineyards.com.

Marchesi Vineyards: Open daily from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. at 3955 Belmont Drive in Hood River; marchesivineyards.com.

pFriem Family Brewers: Open daily from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. at 707 Portway Ave., Suite 101, in Hood River; pfriembeer.com.

Sixth Street Bistro: Open from noon to 8 p.m. Friday-Monday at 509 Cascade Ave. in Hood River; sixthstreetbistro.com.

Solstice: Open for lunch and dinner daily, except Tuesdays, at 501 Portway Ave., Hood River; solsticehoodriver.com.

Sugar Pine Drive-In: Open from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday-Monday at 1208 E. Historical Columbia River Highway in Troutdale, Oregon; sugarpinedrivein.com.

What to stream: Hit the open road with these motorcycle movies

Katie Walsh | Tribune News Service (TNS)

With Jeff Nichols’ “The Bikeriders” roaring into theaters, the urge to explore the cinematic open road with more motorcycle movies is strong, especially the titles explicitly referenced in Nichols’ film. Inspired by the 1968 book of photos and interviews by Danny Lyon, “The Bikeriders” is an imagining of Midwestern motorcycle culture in the 1960s, from Chicago to Milwaukee to Gary, Indiana.

In the film, the leader of the Vandals, Johnny (played by Tom Hardy) is inspired to start a motorcycle club after watching the iconic Marlon Brando film “The Wild One” on TV. This 1953 film is the original outlaw biker film and the ür-text for the image of the modern biker, with the leather jackets and caps inspiring many a movie that came after it. Based on a short story and news article about a 1947 motorcycle rally in Hollister, California, “The Wild One” was directed by László Benedekt, and made Marlon Brando a star. Rent it on all digital platforms.

Marlon Brando in the 1953 movie “The Wild One.” (TriStar Studios/Zuma Press/TNS)

“The Bikeriders” also references the iconic 1969 counterculture movie “Easy Rider,” featuring Dennis Hopper and Peter Fonda as two bikers on the road in the Southwest. Directed by Hopper, the independent film was one of the movies that signified the shift from the studio system to the edgy filmmaking of the New Hollywood in the 1970s. This is a classic — stream it on Showtime or rent it on all digital platforms.

Three years before he appeared in “Easy Rider,” Fonda first became a counterculture and Harley-Davidson icon after starring in Roger Corman’s “The Wild Angels” in 1966. Nancy Sinatra, Bruce Dern and Diane Ladd also co-star as Southern California Hells Angels and the women who love them. Rent it via ScreenPix on YouTube, Prime Video, Roku, iTunes, etc.

Related ArticlesMovies | ‘The Bikeriders’ review: Who needs a story when you have a cool motorcycle gang? Movies | Column: AI is coming for Hollywood Movies | Review: ‘Tuesday’ is a dark fairy tale led by a staggeringly good Julia Louis-Dreyfus Movies | She’s 94 years old. But June Squibb is scooter-driving action hero in ‘Thelma’ Movies | ‘Fancy Dance’ director Erica Tremblay talks about creating complex Native stories Star Austin Butler also referenced two 1980s cult films as inspirations and references for his performance in “The Bikeriders.” The first is the 1984 Walter Hill movie “Streets of Fire.” Set in a retro 1950s-styled dystopian city, the film stars Diane Lane as the lead singer of a rock band who is kidnapped by a rogue biker gang led by a menacing Willem Dafoe. With songs by Jim Steinman, and an ultra-stylish aesthetic, “Streets of Fire” is one of the coolest movies ever made. Rent or buy it on all digital platforms.

Butler also cited another Dafoe flick as inspiration, the 1981 movie “The Loveless,” which was both Dafoe’s first film and the first film of director Kathryn Bigelow, who co-directed with future “Twin Peaks” producer Monty Montgomery. “The Loveless” is more of a tone poem, a moody meditation on the aesthetics and style of the biker, with Dafoe as Bigelow’s leather-clad model of motorized masculinity. Stream it on Prime Video, Tubi, Kanopy, or rent it elsewhere.

For something a bit more recent, check out all seven seasons of the FX series “Sons of Anarchy,” about an outlaw motorcycle gang. Created by Kurt Sutter, “Sons of Anarchy” stars Charlie Hunnam in the lead role, along with Katey Sagal, Ron Perlman, Tommy Flanagan, Jimmy Smits, Drea de Matteo and other memorable character actors in supporting roles. Stream it on Hulu or purchase it on iTunes or Amazon.

(Katie Walsh is the Tribune News Service film critic and co-host of the “Miami Nice” podcast.)

©2024 Tribune Content Agency, LLC

Horoscopes June 20, 2024: Nicole Kidman, start planning your next move

CELEBRITIES BORN ON THIS DAY: Alisan Porter, 43; Nicole Kidman, 57; John Goodman, 72; Lionel Richie, 75.

Happy Birthday: Relax. Take time to think, rejuvenate and put a plan in place. Refuse to let your emotions spin out of control. Put your energy into learning and fulfilling your dreams. Stop making excuses and start planning your next move. Be honest and set a budget that offers opportunities to do things your way. Say no to temptation and yes to a healthy lifestyle. Your numbers are 3, 12, 21, 26, 35, 39, 47.

ARIES (March 21-April 19): Listen, but don’t trust or believe everything you hear. Abundance comes from intelligent investing and spending only on necessities. Saving will lead to peace of mind and the freedom to enjoy lifestyle options that add to your comfort and joy. Protect against insult or injury. 5 stars

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Look at the big picture. Don’t let anger set in when a positive attitude will help you get your way. What you put out, you will get back. Play to win, and act out of compassion and understanding. Compromise will lead to optimum results. Romance is favored. 3 stars

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Look at every angle before moving. Learn from experience and trust only reliable people and sources. Invest more time in getting the facts, restoring rather than replacing and delegating your time to what matters most. Take advantage of offers from institutions. 3 stars

CANCER (June 21-July 22): Participate, get moving, highlight health and tighten up your routine to capture what keeps you in shape and looking and feeling your best. Join groups that encourage you to set an excellent example for loved ones while expanding your friendships, and you’ll receive compliments for your contributions. 3 stars

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Enjoy activities and events that excite you, and you will meet people who can make a difference in your life. Challenge yourself to end situations that cost you emotionally or financially, and redirect your money and energy into something beneficial. Opportunities will unfold. 5 stars

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Get a second opinion regarding purchases, contracts or medical issues. Discipline will be required when dealing with emotional problems or anyone giving you a hard time at work or home. Concentrate on taking care of your needs and personal growth. Think before you act. 2 stars

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): An opportunity to travel, learn or change course is apparent along with misinformation. Refrain from making a snap decision, or you may hit a dead end. Do your due diligence before you cut ties or commit. Don’t feel pressured or overreact to situations. Bide your time. 4 stars

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Pour your heart and soul into something creative that satisfies you. Your energy and a spirited attitude will turn something you enjoy doing into a lucrative pastime. Don’t allow anyone to stifle your plans. Follow through, and a positive change will transpire. Romance is favored. 3 stars

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Keep your thoughts to yourself and be observant. You’ll have to be smart with your money and commitments. Joint ventures or shared expenses will be difficult to deal with due to overreacting or emotional interference regarding taking the necessary protocol. Patience will help stifle drama. 3 stars

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Collect your thoughts and prepare to change your routine or whatever stands between you and what you want. Don’t miss out on an opportunity because you are reluctant to take a chance or address your fear or issue with someone or something. Make your move. 3 stars

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Consider what’s important to you, and participate in events and activities you feel passionate about. Refuse to let anyone pressure you into changes that aren’t beneficial. It’s up to you to choose the opportunities that suit your needs. 4 stars

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Control your emotions when dealing with work-related matters or matters that can influence your reputation. Focus more on personal and home improvements that will enhance your life and encourage you to pay more attention to your physical and financial well-being. Romance is in the stars. 2 stars

Birthday Baby: You are caring, outgoing and sensitive. You are generous and impulsive.

1 star: Avoid conflicts; work behind the scenes. 2 stars: You can accomplish, but don’t rely on others. 3 stars: Focus and you’ll reach your goals. 4 stars: Aim high; start new projects. 5 stars: Nothing can stop you; go for gold.

Visit Eugenialast.com, or join Eugenia on Twitter/Facebook/LinkedIn.

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How to watch the Giants’ Rickwood Field game, on TV or Oracle Park’s screen

The Giants will travel to Birmingham, Alabama, for Thursday’s game against the St. Louis Cardinals at historic Rickwood Field.

The event includes an extensive slate of pregame ceremonies honoring the late Willie Mays and the other 180 future Hall of Famers who passed through the 114-year-old ballpark.

The teams will wear throwback uniforms representing Negro Leagues teams the San Francisco Sea Lions and the St. Louis Stars.

First pitch is scheduled for 4:15 p.m. PT, and the game will be televised nationally on FOX.

It will also be displayed on the scoreboard at Oracle Park, which will open its gates for fans at noon. Admission is free, but capacity limits will apply. The park’s usual bag restrictions will be in effect: Backpacks, large bags and hard-sided coolers are not allowed.

Remembering Willie Mays: Where to find all the coverage about the SF Giants legend’s life and career

The Bay Area — and baseball fans everywhere — are reeling from the death Tuesday of former Giants superstar Willie Mays at the age of 93.

Mays was already on the minds of many as the Giants and St. Louis Cardinals prepared to meet Thursday at Rickwood Field in Birmingham, Alabama, the ballpark where Mays got his start as a 17-year-old in the Negro Leagues.

Here is a look at all the stories and photos the Bay Area News Group published about The “Say Hey Kid” and the Rickwood Field game by our current staff as well as some of our former All-Stars.

And we’re not done yet. Please come back here to check for more, or at www.mercurynews.com/sports.

Enjoy

Willie Mays obituary: “Say Hey Kid” captured the imagination of fans with both his bat and gloveSF Giants, from one generation to the next, remember Willie Mays: ‘One of the true icons of the game’Rickwood Field game: Willie Mays will forever be a Giant, but his roots are in BirminghamAt Willie Mays Plaza, SF Giants and baseball fans celebrate life of a legendSF Giants wear Willie Mays patch, what other ways can they honor ‘Say Hey’?Sports world reacts to Mays’ death, from Barry Bonds to emotional KNBR radio callKurtenbach: There’s good, great, and then there was Willie MaysPurdy: Was Willie Mays the best baseball player ever? He was simply the bestMcDonald: Why the one and only time I talked with Willie Mays was so specialThe Catch: How Willie Mays explained his signature World Series playSF Giants legend, MLB Hall of Famer Willie Mays dies at 93 years oldPhotos: Willie Mays throughout the yearsMLB denies SF Giants’ appeal for LaMonte Wade Jr. to participate in Rickwood ClassicThe murky origin of Willie Mays’ Willie Mays draws tribute at Oakland Coliseum — site of his final hitWhy Willie Mays represents more than his accomplishmentsBochy, Melvin share their Willie Mays memories ahead of Rickwood ClassicSF Giants’ game in Alabama will be a tribute to Willie Mays, Negro Leagues history, much moreFour decades later, SF Giants manager Melvin is returning to Rickwood Field