When traveling downtown, we either walk or Uber. When out on weekend trips, we normally drive. The appeal of driving is complete flexibility and, the further you go, the more advantaged you are to drive yourself. But, there are some upsides of paying for a ride. In this case, we wanted to spend the weekend at Sagecliffe Resort, a two-hour drive away in eastern Washington. But James had a late Friday meeting, and we have a pretty strongly-held rule that we get a nice dinner Friday night with a bottle of wine. The only way to make that work when heading out for a weekend expedition that is two hours from town is to go Saturday morning.

We decided to try an idea. What if we “Ubered” the longer distance, and brought along a great bottle of wine and a nice meal? Our experiment was an amazing success. We had a great meal in the car and got to enjoy an evening at the resort and listen to some good live music. It was a fun adventure and is yet another tool in our adventure tool kit. It’s a fun way to work around late meetings on Friday and still get to a great weekend away. While more expensive than driving, it was in many ways more fun in that the trip out became part of the entertainment.

Sagecliffe Resort is built in the hills above the Columbia River Gorge, adjacent to the striking Gorge Amphitheater that has hosted bands such as Pearl Jam and The Police. We had a fabulous room overlooking the gorge and enjoyed the meals and entertainment at the resort. We also went on a great hike down to the Columbia River, where we touched our toe in the water for the first time since our Columbia River Cruise in 2012.

Below are highlights from March 31st through April 2nd, 2023. Click any image for a larger view, or click the position to view the location on a map. And a map with our most recent log entries always is available at mvdirona.com/maps.

3/31/2023

Pacific Northwest Limo Position: 47°36.94’N, -122°20.56’W Our Pacific Northwest Limo car and driver ready to take us to Sagecliffe Resort.

Dine In Your Car Position: 47°26.62’N, -121°41.02’W There was a drive-in restaurant near Microsoft that advertised “dine in your car”—we used to chuckle whenever we passed it. But now, having given it a try, it’s not so bad. In our version of “dine in your car” we had a great bottle of wine, a high quality charcuterie plate, and we were underway in the back seat enjoying the scenic trip through the Cascades. A two-hour car trip became a great dinner.

Vantage Bridge Position: 46°56.44’N, -119°58.73’W Crossing the Columbia River on the Vantage Bridge.

Cliffhouse 12 Position: 47°5.99’N, -119°59.84’W Our home for the next two nights, Cliffhouse 12 at Sagecliffe Resort, overlooking the Columbia River gorge in eastern Washington.

Columbia River Position: 47°5.99’N, -119°59.84’W View to the Columbia River from our room at the Sagecliffe Resort.

Great Room Position: 47°5.93’N, -119°59.79’W The wonderful great room in the main building at the Sagecliffe Resort. We found the chandelier particularly striking.

Brian Sacco Position: 47°5.93’N, -119°59.78’W The Sagecliffe has live music most weekends, and tonight was Brian Sacco playing saxophone. We took in the show from a private corner spot near the stage.

Fireplace Position: 47°5.99’N, -119°59.83’W Enjoying the warm glow of the two-sided fireplace in our room at the Sagecliffe Resort near Quincy, WA.

4/1/2023

The Office Position: 47°5.99’N, -119°59.83’W Getting a little work done in the morning in our room at Sagecliffe Resort with a view to the Columbia River gorge.

Sagecliffe Resort Position: 47°5.99’N, -119°59.83’W Sagecliffe Resort and the Columbia River gorge viewed from just outside our room (at left).

Lunch Position: 47°5.94’N, -119°59.79’W Shrimp tacos and a hummus plate for lunch at Tendrils Restaurant at Sagecliffe Resort.

Sangiovese Position: 47°5.93’N, -119°59.80’W Sangiovese grape vines just outside the Sagecliffe Resort main building. The facility is co-located with Cave B winery, whose owners built the resort and the Gorge Amphitheater. Both have since been sold.

The Gorge Amphitheater Position: 47°6.04’N, -119°59.79’W Sagecliffe Resort is adjacent to the striking Gorge Amphitheater concert venue.

Quincy Lakes Wildlife Area Position: 47°6.04’N, -119°59.82’W View from Sagecliffe across the Quincy Lakes Wildlife Area on both sides of the Columbia River gorge.

Vineyard Path Position: 47°5.95’N, -119°59.83’W The path from the main building to the Cavern Rooms runs through the vineyards.

Cavern Rooms Position: 47°5.96’N, -119°59.88’W The Cavern Rooms of the Sagecliffe Resort appear to be part of the original resort, with the cliffehouses where we are staying added later.

Trailhead Position: 47°5.92’N, -119°59.85’W At the trailhead for a hike down to the Columbia River. It’s quite cold today, with strong winds, so we’re bundled up.

Flood Basalt Lava Position: 47°5.99’N, -119°59.96’W Six to 17 million years ago, ancient volcano eruptions sent basalt flows into this area forming rock layers up to 2,000 ft (600 m) thick and creating the canyon. The thick layers, visible in the foreground and distance, are slowly eroding.

View to Sagecliffe Position: 47°5.99’N, -119°59.96’W Looking back up to Sagecliffe Resort and the Cavern Rooms, just left of center.

Wanapum Lake Position: 47°6.28’N, -120°0.35’W This section of the Columbia River flows through Wanapum Lake, created in 1963 when the Wanapum Dam was built.

Abandoned Car Position: 47°6.39’N, -120°0.67’W An abandoned car along Wanapum Lake, part of an old homesite in the area.

Toe in the Columbia Position: 47°6.38’N, -120°0.69’W Jennifer dipping a toe in the Columbia River. We’ve not been on the river since our Columbia River cruise in 2012.

View Upriver Position: 47°6.38’N, -120°0.69’W Looking north upriver across Wanapum Lake.

Waterfall Trail Position: 47°6.28’N, -120°0.04’W We returned back to the resort on the Waterfall Trail loop, with some great views to the Gorge Amphitheatre in the distance.

Fitzpatrick Waterfall Position: 47°6.17’N, -119°59.90’W The Fitzpatrick Waterfall along the waterfall trail flows year-round.

Caymus Cabernet Position: 47°5.94’N, -119°59.80’W A delicious steak dinner and a bottle of Caymus Cabernet for dinner at Tendrils restaurant in Sagecliffe Resort.

Pianist Position: 47°5.93’N, -119°59.78’W A fairly talented, and dexterous, pianist was the evening’s entertainment in the Sagecliffe Resort great room.

Sunset Position: 47°5.93’N, -119°59.79’W Sunset over the Columbia River Gorge. We really enjoyed our weekend at Sagecliffe Resort.

4/2/2023

Cave B Position: 47°5.86’N, -119°59.78’W Looking across the Cave B vineyards to the Columbia River Gorge as we depart Sagecliffe Resort to return to Seattle.

Grandfather Cuts Loose the Ponies Position: 46°58.39’N, -119°58.22’W The sculpture Grandfather Cuts Loose the Ponies, also known as the Wild Horse Monument, by American artist David Govedare. The artwork, atop a bluff near Quincy WA, consists of 15 life-sized steel horses conceived in memory of the wild horses that once lived in the area and is among the most-viewed artworks in the state.

Scenic Overlook Position: 46°58.42’N, -119°58.29’W The view north up Wanapum Lake from the Scenic Overlook of the Columbia River.

Vantage Bridge Position: 46°58.41’N, -119°58.29’W The Vantage Bridge seen from the Scenic Overlook of the Columbia River. The bridge carries I-90 over the river—we’ll be crossing it soon on our way back to Seattle.

Keechelus Lake Position: 47°20.62’N, -121°21.85’W A frozen Keechelus Lake, with fresh snow on the mountains beyond, near Snoqualmie Pass.

Snow Position: 47°23.75’N, -121°23.79’W Fresh snow is falling as we approach Snoqualmie Pass. This is the tail end of a major storm system that dropped many inches of snow over the Cascade Mountains this weekend.

Season Over Position: 47°25.04’N, -121°24.65’W Despite the fresh snow, much of the Summit at Snoqualmie ski resort is already closed for the season, with only a few chair lifts operating.

Click the travel log icon on the left to see these locations on a map. And a map of our most recent log entries always is available at mvdirona.com/maps.