Blueberries, blackberries are ripe on this Staycation

• Published August 06, 2008

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I'm here in familiar digs -- Hood River, Ore. -- on my nine-day "Staycation," and the local blueberry crop is coming off the vines and pretty directly into my mouth.

Blueberries, raspberries, huckleberries --- I love them all. I found out today that you can freeze blueberries without much loss of flavor. This probably isn't news to a lot of you, but a vacation -- even a Staycation -- is a time to learn new things.

I did some math today -- I figure I'm going to save about $400 in gas because I decided to stay in the Northwest instead of going to Yellowstone National Park this week. You can buy a lot of blueberries for $400 -- just kidding.

I've been out of South Sound since Friday evening, so I don't know the status of the local blueberry crop. South Sound blueberries are always excellent, so hit the bricks and find some for eating now and freezing for later. I suspect wild blackberries are ripening well right now as well. Blackberries are the curse of the Northwest, so we might as well enjoy the berries -- especially in cobblers and pies.

I zipped over to Oregon's Deschutes River -- a one-hour drive from Hood River -- and pestered the trout from 7:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. today. NO ONE was on the river, and the wild redsides were biting. More on this in Friday's fishing column. I did find some ripe blackberries on the way home....

It's back to the Oregon coast -- Oswald West State Park -- for some more surfing tomorrow. A nice, clean swell is rolling in. I could get used to this Staycation deal.

Chester Allen