1. The weather in the Pendleton area turned nasty today, so the golfers didn't golf and Mike joined Ed and me in the Camry and we blasted through snow squalls on I-84 to LaGrande and then headed through more squalls to Elgin and on east to Joseph, OR.
Our destination was the Stein Distillery. Luckily, the snow wasn't sticking to roads on our way to Joseph, but as we crossed the street to go into the distillery, the wind was driving the snow hard into our faces.
We entered the tasting room, suffused with the smell of bread baking, thanks to the yeast used in distilling Stein's booze, we went to the counter and a friendly, knowledgeable young guy greeted us and offered us four samples to taste. Stein Distillery produces bourbon, wheat vodka, rye whiskey, blended whiskey, and cordials.
After I sampled bourbon, rye whiskey, and a raspberry cordial, I purchase a bottle of bourbon, of 9 year rye whiskey, and of raspberry cordial and bought two cocktail glasses.
It took us nearly two and half hours to drive to the distillery, but Mike, Ed, and I agreed it was a great thing to do. Stein distillery is housed in very handsome building, the guy running the tasting room was superb, and we enjoyed sampling the booze we tried.
2. We returned back to the Wildhorse by a northern route that took us high into the Blue Mountains on Hiway 204. As we reached the higher elevations, the road was snow covered, but I did my best to drive to the conditions and we scaled the peak of this road safely and meandered on down off the mountain and back to where no snow poured out of the skies.
It turned out we did one of my favorite driving ventures: we completed a loop by taking a more southern route into Elgin and over to Joseph and a northern one coming back.
Back at the resort, Ed, Mike, Jake, Lars, and I got together in Ed's room and sipped Pendleton 1910 Rye Whiskey together, shared out day's exploits, and before long headed to the Plateau Steak House for dinner.
3. Dinner was a blast.
I started off with a dry gin martini and a couple of the delicious complimentary rolls the Plateau serves.
Soon, our starters arrived. I enjoyed a splendid Caesar salad without meat.
I couldn't resist ordering the Pendleton Whisky steak, a thick peppered New York strip steak served with a light delicious whiskey infused sauce (or glaze). I ordered crispy Brussels sprouts and tender asparagus for my sides and couldn't eat my entire meal. It was all delicious, far better than any meal I'm accustomed to eating, and a deep pleasure to enjoy in the company of these longtime KHS, Class of 72 friends.
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