Saturday morning will kick off with several raft and kayak slalom events. Boaters must maneuver through a series of gates set up in the middle of Carter Falls, a long Class IV rapid. These races are followed by the Big Air Ramp, a crowd favorite, where kayaks slide 30 feet down to a ramp that launches them into the air to do tricks before landing in the river.

Many more events are scheduled for Sunday. Both spectators and participants enjoy the inner tube slalom, cataraft rodeo, Val’s Volleyball, and the R2 (two person raft) massstart slalom race. Whitewater boaters will also have a chance to check out the raft and kayak manufacturers who attend the event. They bring the latest and greatest gear to test out on the river, your opportunity to try before you buy!

The 30th annual festival will be held May 18th and 19th, 2013.

Helleberg says September is special because the warm weather keeps the last of the summer vegetables coming in with the first of the fall. “September is a fun month to cook because there is so much crossover and so many different things that will work together,” he says. Corn and chanterelles are one of his favorite combinations this time of year. “Fall porcinis and matsutakes are awesome too.”

Helleberg also loves fall for delicatta squash. “It’s like a tiny football, about the size of a hand. It has a sweet, nutty flavor. My favorite way to prepare it is to slice it and toss it with olive oil, salt and pepper and grill it. You can serve it cold or warm.”

When pears and apples start in September, Helleberg uses them for salads, sauces, spreads and fruit butters. “One of my favorite pears is the Asian pear. They are juicy and sweet, and I love to mandolin them over a salad.”

To get the freshest of seasonal bounty, Helleberg recommends hitting farmers markets. “You’re going to get the freshest produce and the highest quality,” he says. He says large local farms are another good bet.

Look for a farmers market near you, and check out more fall bounty at harvest festivals like the Sublimity Harvest Festival,  Hood River Valley Harvest Fest, Champoeg Apple Harvest Day and the Annual Harvest Festival in Central Point.

The setting was Kiyokawa Family Orchards. I have been a fan of this place for a long time, having previously discovered their booth at the annual Harvest Festival along the Hood River waterfront and at Portland area farmers markets. They offer one of the largest varieties of apples, from the well-known honeycrisp to lesser-known heirloom varieties such as pink pearls and elstars.

Upon arriving in Parkdale, we wound our way through the orchard like a maze, following forks to the location of the dinner. We were greeted with a glass of Riesling from Viento Wines and took in a grand view of Mount Hood towering above the valley. Servers wandered the growing sea of people with trays of small bites, such as crostini topped with eggplant jam and anchovy.

After appetizers, we were treated to a tour of the orchard by farmer Randy Kiyokawa. He shared the history of the farm, which has been in his family for generations. As I listened to him speak, I gained a greater appreciation for where our food comes from. He credits the people that work for him, some of whom have been there for decades.

At the end of the tour, we entered a clearing between rows of trees, where our dinner would be served at a grand table. There was something surreal about eating off a white linen-draped table set with mismatched dishes and silverware and vases filled with flowers plucked fresh from the fields.

As my husband and I looked up and down the table with approximately 170 diners, the largest we have ever been seated at, we noted that every face wore a look of utter enjoyment as we eagerly awaited course after course.

Thank you to Kiyokawa Orchards for being such gracious hosts, to Chef Jon Moch of Celilo Restaurant and Bar in Hood River for preparing such a symphony for my stomach, and to all the small farms that provided the food for the meal. Last but not least, thank you to Farm to Fork for bringing events like this to small towns around Oregon, allowing people to sample the bounty that is unique to this state. Bravo!

Thank you to the local Hood River businesses that participated in the orchard dinner:

Viento Wines

Double Mountain Brewery

Wildwood Farm

Hood River Organic

Editor’s note: Travel Oregon is on the road with Farm to Fork during their 2012 series. Read about their other dinners around Oregon. 

Columbia River Gorge:
Rowena Plateau is an easy, 2-mile round-trip hike across the plateau toward the river. Look for an explosion of Balsamroot, bachelor buttons and white yarrow. From the same parking lot at Tom McCall Nature Preserve, take the steep climb up McCall Point, 3.4 miles round-trip. You’ll see the purple lupine and scarlet Indian paintbrush. Ball Point in the Badger Creek Wilderness is a 7.2-mile journey through the dry eastern foothills up to a sweeping viewpoint at 3,250 feet. Expect the signature Balsamroot, lupine and Indian paintbrush as well as prairie star and Death camus.

Central Oregon:
Located on BLM land just north of Terrebone, Scout Camp Loop is a gorgeous springtime desert hike with views of the Deschutes River Canyon. The 2.2-mile loop is steep, but worth the trip for sightings of goldthread, yellow bell and bitterroot. Iron Mountain Trail in the Willamette National Forest is a scenic 5-mile loop with a 1.4-mile lookout add-on. The area is home to more than 300 types of wildflowers, including flax, penstemon, yarrow and saxifrage — all popular with hummingbirds, so look for them, too.

Coast:
The rugged Kings Mountain trail in the Coast Range is a challenging, 5.4-mile round-trip hike. Find beargrass, penstemon, phlox and the rare phantom orchid. The Nature Conservancy’s Cascade Head Preserve offers a 3.4-mile trail to see rare wildflowers, including hairy checkermallow and the Cascade Head catchfly (99 percent of the catchfly’s world population found only here).

And if you’re looking for even more wildflower hikes in Oregon, read Spring in Bloom or Oregon’s Prettiest Wildflower Treks.

Exhibit opening and artist’s reception, May 3, 2013, 5-9 p.m. First Friday on May 3 and June 7, 2013, 5-9 p.m. Exhibit runs through June 30, 2013.

Photo Credits: Still Waters, Peter Mathios; Dog Mountain Trail, Phillip Smith