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We recently spent a crisp, fall weekend in the Columbia River Gorge, which lies on the border between Washington and Oregon. As we took in the stunning views, tasting wine and peeking behind the scenes of Maryhill Winery, we quickly realized that a winery might just be the perfect activity to discover the essence of a place. Wine, after all, is more than just crushed grapes. It is the warm sun that ripens, the earth that influences its flavors, and the many hands of the people who harvest and tinker with the grapes until it reaches the final product, a bottle of wine. And while you're at its source, you might as well take a taste. And taste we did, and as we discovered which wines suited us, we also discovered the place from which they came.

To the uninitiated, art after 1950 can be tough to wrap your head around. Artists moved away from just a pretty picture and expanded their repertoire to include the likes of dripped paint, text on walls, boxes made of plywood or dropped the visual entirely and went conceptual. I've often overheard museum goers scoff at these works and mutter "I don't get it." or "That's not art." or, my favorite, "I could have done that." (My reply to this is criticism, by the way, is "but, you didn't.")

I appreciate that the desire to understand or "get it" is innate or perhaps pounded into our heads as schoolchildren. However, as an adult, I find pleasure in not understanding everything around me. There's a joy in looking at a work of art whose meaning is not immediately grasped or deplete of meaning entirely. I love that the artist gives us, the viewer, some of the control to allow the meaning to be what we make of it, depending on the attention we chose to give. And, I'll admit, I often let myself stop worrying about what it all means and just take pleasure in its beauty.

If you're one of these skeptics, I encourage you to not skip the modern wing on your next museum visit and take some time to acquaint yourself with some great American artists. Stop worrying about what it all means and just give yourself an afternoon of pure, unadulterated experience. But, don't take my word for it, let these five artists change your mind about the value of that art that you don't quite understand.

Bend, Oregon may not be on your radar, but if you're a beer lover, spirit drinker or coffee aficionado it should be. In just a quick 48 hours, I had sipped three local beers, tasted locally made vodka and gin, and learned the art of coffee cupping. For those of us who like to drink, Bend may just as well be called the sipping capital of the world.

Somedays we all need a little travel inspiration and what better place to put it other than right your desktop. I've done a lot of local travel this fall, including a whirlwind trip down the coast of Oregon and boomeranging into the interior to see Bend and Portland. I saw lighthouses, ice cream, waterfalls, seafood and some of the best beer in the United States. (More on all of that in the coming weeks.) Goonies fans might recognize this view at Ecola State Park just south of Astoria, OR where countless movies have been filmed. I imagine right now it's misty and rainy, but on a crisp September day it was shimmering in golden sunlight. I highly recommend a visit.

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Enjoy!