The plan was straightforward: I would spend most of July in Oregon. There were multiple facets to the plan: we would visit a few colleges with my son hoping it would kick-start him into thinking about life after high school (he will be a junior this fall); he would also attend a basketball camp just outside of Portland; we would stay with my wife’s sister, who lives in Portland; I would spend several days in the Willamette Valley, meeting up with some old friends and possibly making a few new ones; the month would culminate with the International Pinot Noir Celebration in McMinnville, where I would be one of the invited members of the media. And I would ride my bike. A lot.

That was the plan, until Beryl hit. Yes, Hurricane Beryl hit Houston the night before I was to leave, knocking out power to over two million people in the Houston area, including us and my in-laws. [At some point, I should write about how despite being viewed as “the energy capital of the world” Houston more resembles an undeveloped country due to the insatiable greed of both the power companies and the politicians who are supposed to be monitoring them.]

We decided to delay the trip and scrambled to keep a few of the original pieces intact. My son missed the basketball camp in Oregon, but we were able to find him one in Tacoma (three hours away); the number of college visits was reduced to two; my visits to the Willamette Valley were drastically reduced; I have been able to ride my bike some; IPNC is still on the schedule, starting tomorrow.

Although I plan to write quite a bit more about my trip in the weeks to come, I thought I would post a few photos of my trip so far.

I have been able to put in a few miles on my gravel bike, riding in and around the city of Portland, which has included some great views of Mt. Hood.

As I type this, my son is up in Washington, at basketball camp.

After a couple of days in Portland, I drove down to the Medford/Grants Pass area of southern Oregon to Troon Vineyard, which is a remarkable place.

While still a work in progress, the changes at Troon since I was last there three years ago, have been remarkable.

I was also able to squeeze a bike ride in while at Troon. Always a plus.

Back in Portland, I threw together a blind tasting of sparkling wines for my sister-in-law’s neighbors, then repeated it a few days later.

Wedged in-between was a visit to Domaine Serene with some good friends.

It is surprisingly rare to have my wife with me in wine country.

Our friends also hooked us up with one of the ultimate hookups: a night at the newly opened Black Walnut Inn in the Dundee Hills…

Executive chef Chase Williams walked us through all ten courses. Amazing.

The beef tartare and champagne pairing was sublime.

As was the tomato and Garnacha pairing.

A very happy (and full) group after dinner at Anthology/Black Walnut Inn.

I did manage to squeeze another tasting in. Cho winery is the first Korean-American owned winery in Oregon, and the wines were fantastic.

Winemaker/owner David Cho.

Another bike ride, another shot of Mount Hood.

I’ll be back with more soon, including, hopefully, pics and details of IPNC. Oregon doesn’t get hurricanes, right?