Behind the Scenes: Hey everyone, help this third grader from Virginia

You can find Lucas’ letter on our editorial page, but because I am the managing editor of an independently owned, regional newspaper, I have the option of answering here — as part of a packet our staff will send once this runs.

Man, I love my job. Thanks for including us in your research, Lucas!

Question 1: Why do you live in your state? What brought your family here?

I moved to Hood River when I wasn’t much older than you — fourth grade. My dad is retired now, but he worked as a civil engineer for the Gifford Pinchot National Forest in Washington State, which is located across the Columbia River from us. What has kept me in Oregon for … oh geez, 43 years … is that my husband and I both grew up here (he’s a fourth generation resident) and we were lucky enough to find jobs right out of college, which enabled us to stay and raise our children. Plus, Oregon is beautiful. We feel lucky to live here.

2: How do you make money? What is your job?

As mentioned above, I am the managing editor of Columbia Gorge News. Our newspaper covers Hood River and Wasco counties in Oregon, and Klickitat County (and more and more of Skamania County) in Washington. It is busy. There is more news to cover than we have reporters to send, but we manage to make it work with help from the community. I just celebrated my 14th anniversary at the paper and still very much enjoy it.

3: What does your state look like?

We have everything here — mountains, valleys, deserts, forests, rocky coasts, rivers and lakes, and lava beds. I’ve personally visited Crater Lake, Oregon’s only national park, more times than I can count. (When your dad is in the Forest Service, you visit a lot of state and national parks on family vacations.) Hood River has views of both Mount Hood (Oregon) and Mount Adams (Washington). We are surrounded by forests. Our area is known for its pear and apple orchards.

4: What do people do for fun?

Outdoor recreation is big here — water sports like windsurfing, kiteboarding, stand up paddling, and kayaking; skiing and snowboarding on the mountain; and hiking and mountain biking. We also have a fun downtown area where people like to shop and eat. Hood River is a popular vacation destination year round.

5: What animals live there?

So many. But in the area around my house, either I or my family has seen: A black bear looking through the window (as in, the bear was checking us out), deer and elk, wild turkeys, skunks and opossums (which have made their home under my kids’ playhouse at various times), coyotes, gray diggers, robins, blue jays, hawks, eagles, vultures, quail … I’m sure I’m leaving something out. I can also see a horse stable from my house, and we have cows in the area, if those count. And I should mention salmon and trout in our rivers and streams.

6: What traditional food / recipes does your state have?

The Gorge has a large Latino population, so I’m going to go with traditional Mexican food — we have so many great restaurants (and home cooks) here. The Mexican food served in Oregon, however, is not Tex-Mex — no side of queso comes with your order. (I once had a visitor from Texas stop by the newspaper office and complain about the lack of queso at the restaurant he’d just visited. I still think it’s weird he expected Tex-Mex in Oregon.) Our Mexican food is more authentic and, obviously, superior. Not that I’m biased in any way.

7: What type of music is native to your state?

To be quite literal with this question, I’m going with Native American tribal music. I’ve had the pleasure of seeing this preformed live a time or two, and it’s hypnotic.

8: Do you have a state athletic team?

We don’t have professional football or baseball teams in Oregon (though we claim the Seattle Seahawks and Seattle Mariners, respectively). We do have the Trail Blazers (basketball), Timbers (mens soccer), Thorns (womens soccer), and Winterhawks (ice hockey), all based in Portland. And don’t get any Oregonian started on college sports unless you like hearing about Ducks or Beavers.

9: What geographic features are unique to your state?

Here in the Gorge, we have the Columbia River separating Oregon and Washington. The “gorge” part of that are deep and steep canyon-like walls on both sides of the river that were carved by volcanic flows over the course of millions of years. Because of this, we have large waterfalls in addition to some smaller falls here. Multnomah Falls is probably the most visited in our area and is located between Hood River County and Portland.

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All right, Columbia Gorge News readers — it’s your turn.