When FitBloggin registrants were offered the chance to attend a pre-conference event touring Nutrilite’s Trout Lake Farm I signed up right away. Trout Lake Farm is the largest certified organic herb farm in North America and who wants to miss that?
That morning I almost didn’t make it. Due to unseasonable fog (followed by unseasonable heat!) my first flight was delayed an hour. Fortunately, Southwest held the connecting flight for a few of us and I got to the hotel with 30 minutes to spare. After dropping my luggage and meeting my roommates it was time to board the bus.
It Starts With a Meal
As we boarded the bus each person had a choice of three lunch options (vegan, gluten-free or standard) along with a choice of beverage. I selected the grilled chicken and arugula wrap and the sides were quinoa, fresh fruit over yogurt, fresh vegetable sticks and a granola bar.
The bus seats were very comfortable and best of all there was a power outlet per seat!
The Nutrilite folks introduced themselves as we left the hotel and went over the handouts that were on the seats. One document was a standard PR release with a menu card for the evening. The second was a list of the bloggers signed up for the tour along with photos and a brief profile. My photo pointed out it was time for an update since it was me at my heaviest!
Multnomah Falls
We watched a video about the sustainable farming methods used at Trout Lake Farm while eating lunch and making our way to the first stop… Multnomah Falls.
Multnomah Falls is the largest waterfall in the state of Oregon at 620 feet total. It was right off the interstate with a lot of visitors stopping to admire the view.
The 30 minute stop was over quickly and we were back on the road. The scenery of the rivers, islands and forests kept me enthralled along with getting to know the bloggers seated around me.
Nutrilite’s Trout Lake Farm
It was about another hour before we arrived at the farm and many of us appreciated the bathroom break before getting back on the bus to tour the farm.
The farm is not small; it’s 700 acres located in an all-organic valley. The primary crops are Blueberry, Echinacea, Oregano, Peppermint, Nettle, Valarian,White Kidney Bean, Dandelion, Lemon Balm, Black Cohosh, and many more.
At the first stop, we got to see lemonbalm, skullcap and echinacea up close. The lemonbalm was fun to smell and taste.
We also took this fun group photo. Can you spot me?
We toured the valley and saw organic milk farms and even an Icelandic horse farm. The views were amazing with Mt. Adams to the North and Mt. Hood to the South.
After a second stop to view the specialized equipment used to prep, maintain and harvest the farm, we returned to the main building for snacks (yum) and a brief presentation about Nutrilite’s history and the needs met by their supplements.
As we left for the return trip, we all received an Athena bag with MyPack supplements to try. The bag itself was awesome but I can’t wait to start trying the products inside this week (There will be an upcoming giveaway)!
Ending the Trip with a Meal
Despite the snacks, we were all looking forward to dinner and happily reboarded our chariot bus for the half hour trip to 3 Rivers Grill in Hood River, Oregon. We split into three tables for our meal and it was fun to meet some other bloggers who had been seated elsewhere in the bus.
We had some wonderful local wines and started dinner off by introducing ourselves to the group. We all had the same salad followed by our choice of four entrees: filet mignon, grilled salmon, vegetarian pasta, or Chef’s vegan choice. There were two dessert choices: panna cotta or a raspberry chocolate something. Obviously, I chose the panna cotta.
Too soon the meal had ended and we were back on the road to The Nines hotel. Hat’s off to Nutrilite for hosting a well-executed event that was first class all the way. You’ll hear more about them later as they also sponsored the closing party.
Here are some more pictures of the day. You can read my overview of Fitbloggin’ 2013 here.
Wow. What a great trip. I don’t know what sounds better, the food or the amazing scenery!
The scenery was pretty amazing, but for some reason I focus on the food…
It was such a great day wasn’t it?! I’ve just linked up my recap post of the day aswell – forgot to do it last week when I posted it originally! Love the photo of us all on the machinery – would you mind sharing? (i’d love it for my scrapbook!)
Hi Helen,
It was great meeting you and your husband on the trip. I’m now following your blog and am so impressed. You should have an email in your inbox from me with the photo!
Wonderful! thanks Kay Lynn!
What a wonderful recap of the day. I’m so sad all over again not to have been able to participate in the tour but I’m glad you all had such a great experience!
It was a good experience and well done by the brand. I’m glad to hear the recap was interesting.