Favorites from the Fruit Loop

The beautiful fall foliage of the Columbia River Gorge hosts the Fruit Loop. Fruit stands, tasting rooms, and u-pick farms in the Hood River area form this loop of fall perfection. I enjoyed a trip around part of the Fruit Loop with family this weekend, here's a few of my favorite Fruit Loop features and stops.

Cider and Views 

The Gorge White House was our first stop, it's namesake is a beautiful dutch farmhouse from 1908. We enjoyed a flight of cider, 8 samples was $12. The ciders ranged from classic apple to cranberry, lemon pear, and blueberry. We sampled ciders a few other places, but this was my favorite place for cider by far due to the variety. Not only was The Gorge White House itself lovely, the view of the fields, orchards, and hills of the Gorge was breathtaking. 

Samples and Apple Cider Donuts 

Like many, I am a lover of samples and I was seeking them out on our Fruit Loop adventure. Packer Orchards boasted the most samples by far from jams, fruit butters, fresh fruit, and even a cookie sampling station. They also had amazing apple cider donuts, fresh and hot, $5 for a half-dozen. 

Animals 

Draper Girls Country Farm had one particular highlight just behind this cottage that thrilled us: goats. They were the most vocal goats I have ever heard! One would start yelling with it's tongue sticking out, and then they would all yell for the next minute. We were thoroughly entertained. You can buy a bag of goat food in the store for $3 to take the yelling to the next level. 

Mt View Orchards also was a delight in the animal category. We saw signs advertising "Carlos and the Pigs". It was a bit of a walk to see the animals (and we may have added a half mile by taking a wrong turn), but it was worth it. Carlos is a huge steer that seemed to have such a gentle spirit. Jaunito and Dorito were two sleepy pigs in the mud. 

Fruit 

Funny thing, I am actually allergic to fresh apples (if you've never heard of oral allergy syndrome look it up, it's kind of interesting), but I enjoyed taking photos of them. Every stand we went to had an abundance of beautiful apples in many varieties. 

If you are looking for something fun to do this fall beyond pumpkin patches, I would definitely recommend the Fruit Loop. The Hood River valley is absolutely saturated with fall colors and you'll enjoy a peaceful country drive with many aesthetic, delicious, and soul-filling stops along the way. The Fruit Loop begins mid-October every year.