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Oregon / Wash Road trips - advice on length of time ?



 
 
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  #1  
Old June 21st, 2007, 10:36 PM posted to rec.travel.usa-canada
- Bobb -[_2_]
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 550
Default Oregon / Wash Road trips - advice on length of time ?

Looking to fly into Portland, OR or Seattle, WA and do a road trip: (
planned for May and had to postpone - on again )down the coast to
California line and then back via I-5 freeway. I'm in Boston and asking
local AAA reps here about details gets me maps/hotels but no real "local
advice".
Allow 7, 10 days ? 2 weeks ? more ?

http://www.aaaorid.com/travel/travel_drive_planning.asp
then chose road trips - Northwest Area

I like:
1. A Journey Around the Olympic Peninsula
2. Washington Cascade Loop
3. Grand Pacific Northwest
and looking for advice - for each - how much time to allow ? The drives
themselves aren't long but IN YOUR OPINION , how long to spend in each
area ? Any nearby recommendations ? We're not hikers ( bad back) but do
love scenic " walks" / drives/ views.

Fly into Seattle or Portland - any reason to pick one over the other ? (
It's gonna be a loop either way )
Originally was going to fly to Seattle and drive down the coast and then
fly home from San Jose, but I've earned 4 free tix - each is only a round
trip - NOT a multi city, so rather than BUY tickets and not use these
freebies, we're gonna make it a northern loop and skip California this
year.

How about Amtrak's Coast Starlight - anyone done that ? Scenic ride ? Any
better/worse than taking I-5 ?
I just checked and the train fare from Seattle,WA to Eugene,OR is only
$42 pp. Maybe drop the car and take the train back to start ?

I imagine snow melt will be mostly gone and all roads open - any other
reason to pick either July ? August ? Sept ?
Thanks very much for local opinions - and how about your favorite
restaurant to stop for breakfast or lunch ? On the water ?


  #2  
Old June 22nd, 2007, 03:42 AM posted to rec.travel.usa-canada
Kay Lancaster
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 22
Default Oregon / Wash Road trips - advice on length of time ?

On Thu, 21 Jun 2007 17:36:36 -0400, - Bobb - wrote:
I like:
1. A Journey Around the Olympic Peninsula


retired botanist with bad back here... I live S of Portland, fwiw.
This is a beautiful drive, though you're mostly going to be seeing
trees once you turn S towards Forks. Can be done in a day, if you
push it. Could take you a couple of months if you want to really
savor it. Port Townsend and Port Angeles are both nice towns to poke
around in. There are hot springs in the area (Sol Duc, for instance),
and the Olympic rainforest is pretty amazing. There are spots in the
Hoh near Lake Quinault that are very easy strolls into the margins
of the rainforest. The hotel at Lake Quinault had very good food
every time I've been there, and very little in the way of modern
conveniences... if you'd like fairly comfortable hotel without
a/c, tv, etc. as a place to unwind, you might consider some time there.


You can also catch a ferry from Port Angeles to Victoria, BC, should
that tickle your fancy. With the current passport uproar, I wouldn't
do this unless you've got passports or have talked to the border control
folks.

Olympia to Seattle is a definite snooze for me.

2. Washington Cascade Loop


Also very nice. May be warmer in parts than the peninsula.

3. Grand Pacific Northwest


A lot more driving. Going out to Umatilla wouldn't be a big thrill for me,
but you can short cut it. West of the mountains is generally much warmer
than mountains or east of them. Lots of stuff to see and do.
The waterfalls in the first 50 miles or so of the Columbia gorge E of
Portland are spectacular. Big tourist mistake (imho) is to stop only
at Multnomah Falls -- try some of the smaller falls like Horsetail or
LaTourell. If you do this route (and it's really quite nice), I'd
recommend taking a geology guidebook along. There are bike rentals
and biking trails in the area.

Book I highly recommend (it's sort of the "bible" of playing tourist
in the PNW): Best Places Northwest from Sasquatch
(http://www.sasquatchbooks.com/best_places.htm) --
there are other slightly more focused
"best places" books also available from Sasquatch, all pretty good.

More goodies: Roadside Geology of Oregon/Roadside Geology of Washington
(you'll be in some amazing landscapes... even more amazing when you
know what you're looking at. Easy reading, keyed to mileposts.
(nice introductory website: http://www.cnw.com/~mstern/nwgeo.html)

For plants: Turner and Gustafson's Wildflowers of the Pacific Northwest
is pretty good and non-technical. Vitt's Mosses, Lichens and Ferns of
Northwest North America can get you interested in these often
overlooked organisms that the PNW is particularly rich in.


Fly into Seattle or Portland - any reason to pick one over the other ? (
It's gonna be a loop either way )


Seattle is sometimes cheaper, tends to be served by more airlines; I find
flying into Portland is less hassle, but YMMV. If you start in Seattle,
you might consider a visit to the Burke as an aperitif:
http://www.washington.edu/burkemuseu...y_wa/index.htm

If you start in Portland, I'd suggest a stop at Powell's books
downtown for a rummage through the PNW books section. You can catch
MAX downtown for cheap, and then transfer to various buses and trolleys
(or just walk) to Powells. (http://www.powells.com)
http://www.trimet.org/ Area looks kinda scuzzy, but it's safe.
Powell's is open until 11, and is sort of the 11th wonder of the
local universe for book lovers. Computer geeks need to walk a few
blocks east to the computer book store. Downtown parking and
driving is +/- miserable... I strongly suggest public transit downtown
(free in the downtown area)

How about Amtrak's Coast Starlight - anyone done that ? Scenic ride ? Any
better/worse than taking I-5 ?
I just checked and the train fare from Seattle,WA to Eugene,OR is only
$42 pp. Maybe drop the car and take the train back to start ?


Nice ride from all I hear. You could also take segments of it
as a loop.

I imagine snow melt will be mostly gone and all roads open - any other
reason to pick either July ? August ? Sept ?


Major vacation season ends pretty much around Labor Day, so I'd take
September... still nice dry weather for the most part, and most
services will be open, but the density of tourists is lower.

Remember that this is still pretty rugged country, and we lose a
few tourists every year. Cell phones don't always work out in the
sticks. Even for short hikes, I'd take a small supply of food and
water with you. GPS is nice to have. So is a whistle. If you
are walking in an area that asks you to get a daytrip permit, please
do so -- it's for your safety.

What are you interested in? Maybe we can help you select based on
interests -- for instance, if you're an airplane lover, there's the
air museums in Tillamook and McMinnville, OR, as well as Boeing near
Seattle. If you're interested in geology, Mt. St. Helens is probably
a good spot to include. If you're nuts about ferries, there are a
lot of them around, ranging from electric river ferries to big car
carriers. etc....

Kay


  #3  
Old June 22nd, 2007, 05:03 AM posted to rec.travel.usa-canada
Calif Bill
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 991
Default Oregon / Wash Road trips - advice on length of time ?


"- Bobb -" wrote in message
. ..
Looking to fly into Portland, OR or Seattle, WA and do a road trip: (
planned for May and had to postpone - on again )down the coast to
California line and then back via I-5 freeway. I'm in Boston and asking
local AAA reps here about details gets me maps/hotels but no real "local
advice".
Allow 7, 10 days ? 2 weeks ? more ?

http://www.aaaorid.com/travel/travel_drive_planning.asp
then chose road trips - Northwest Area

I like:
1. A Journey Around the Olympic Peninsula
2. Washington Cascade Loop
3. Grand Pacific Northwest
and looking for advice - for each - how much time to allow ? The drives
themselves aren't long but IN YOUR OPINION , how long to spend in each
area ? Any nearby recommendations ? We're not hikers ( bad back) but do
love scenic " walks" / drives/ views.

Fly into Seattle or Portland - any reason to pick one over the other ? (
It's gonna be a loop either way )
Originally was going to fly to Seattle and drive down the coast and then
fly home from San Jose, but I've earned 4 free tix - each is only a round
trip - NOT a multi city, so rather than BUY tickets and not use these
freebies, we're gonna make it a northern loop and skip California this
year.

How about Amtrak's Coast Starlight - anyone done that ? Scenic ride ? Any
better/worse than taking I-5 ?
I just checked and the train fare from Seattle,WA to Eugene,OR is only
$42 pp. Maybe drop the car and take the train back to start ?

I imagine snow melt will be mostly gone and all roads open - any other
reason to pick either July ? August ? Sept ?
Thanks very much for local opinions - and how about your favorite
restaurant to stop for breakfast or lunch ? On the water ?



Couple of weeks to do a good trip. Portland and the Columbia Gorge are a
couple of days. Mt St. Helens a day. Seattle is OK, But if it is a loop,
then go North of coming into Portland and do Seattle and the Olympic
Peninsula, then down the coast via Coos Bay, and down to Gold Beach, take
the long jet boat trip on the Rogue River. Book Jerry's via the internet,
and you save a couple of bucks. Then over to and past I-5 and up through
Crater Lake and the Sisters and the Oregon Caves.


  #4  
Old June 22nd, 2007, 04:16 PM posted to rec.travel.usa-canada
- Bobb -[_2_]
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 550
Default Oregon / Wash Road trips - advice on length of time ?


"Calif Bill" wrote in message
news

"- Bobb -" wrote in message
. ..
Looking to fly into Portland, OR or Seattle, WA and do a road trip: (
planned for May and had to postpone - on again )down the coast to
California line and then back via I-5 freeway. I'm in Boston and
asking local AAA reps here about details gets me maps/hotels but no
real "local advice".
Allow 7, 10 days ? 2 weeks ? more ?

http://www.aaaorid.com/travel/travel_drive_planning.asp
then chose road trips - Northwest Area

I like:
1. A Journey Around the Olympic Peninsula
2. Washington Cascade Loop
3. Grand Pacific Northwest
and looking for advice - for each - how much time to allow ? The drives
themselves aren't long but IN YOUR OPINION , how long to spend in each
area ? Any nearby recommendations ? We're not hikers ( bad back) but do
love scenic " walks" / drives/ views.

Fly into Seattle or Portland - any reason to pick one over the other ?
( It's gonna be a loop either way )
Originally was going to fly to Seattle and drive down the coast and
then fly home from San Jose, but I've earned 4 free tix - each is only
a round trip - NOT a multi city, so rather than BUY tickets and not use
these freebies, we're gonna make it a northern loop and skip California
this year.

How about Amtrak's Coast Starlight - anyone done that ? Scenic ride ?
Any better/worse than taking I-5 ?
I just checked and the train fare from Seattle,WA to Eugene,OR is only
$42 pp. Maybe drop the car and take the train back to start ?

I imagine snow melt will be mostly gone and all roads open - any other
reason to pick either July ? August ? Sept ?
Thanks very much for local opinions - and how about your favorite
restaurant to stop for breakfast or lunch ? On the water ?



Couple of weeks to do a good trip. Portland and the Columbia Gorge are
a couple of days. Mt St. Helens a day. Seattle is OK, But if it is a
loop, then go North of coming into Portland and do Seattle and the
Olympic Peninsula, then down the coast via Coos Bay, and down to Gold
Beach, take the long jet boat trip on the Rogue River. Book Jerry's via
the internet, and you save a couple of bucks. Then over to and past
I-5 and up through Crater Lake and the Sisters and the Oregon Caves.

Bill,

It will be a loop, so do it in that order ?
1. sightsee around Portland
2. rent a car ,
3. then Columbia Gorge. then Mt St helens then Seattle etc ?
you kinda lost me on the wording of .. " then go north of coming into
Portland ..." So you'd say to fly into Portland or Seattle ?

  #5  
Old June 22nd, 2007, 06:55 PM posted to rec.travel.usa-canada
Walt Tucker
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 33
Default Oregon / Wash Road trips - advice on length of time ?

I grew up, went to college, and still live in Oreogn. As a native
Oregonian, I've responded to similar questions before. I have several email
messages still stashed away regarding things to do around Oregon and
Washington. Rather than trying to post them all to this news group, if you
would like to send me a valid email address I will forward three or four
that might be pertinent to planning an Oregon/Washington trip.

For starters, you can try these URLs:

http://www.el.com/To/Oregon/
http://www.milebymile.com/main/Unite...on_byways.html
http://www.oregon.com/byways/
http://www.traveloregon.com/
http://www.visittheoregoncoast.com/
http://www.southernoregon.org/drives/index.html
http://www.experiencewashington.com/...e/default.aspx
http://www.oregon.gov/OPRD/PARKS/index.shtml
http://www.tripcheck.com
http://www.fs.fed.us/r6/willamette/r...ing/index.html
http://home.vr-web.de/eugen.winklhar...statepark1.htm
http://www.fs.fed.us/r6/centraloregon/newberrynvm/

You can spend as little as a week or several months travelling around and
sight-seeing. Oregon and Washington both have many different climate zones,
so the coast will be different from the mountains, which will be different
from the central part of the state, which will be different from the eastern
part of the state, etc. We have cities, national parks, state parks,
national forests, waterfalls, lakes, mountains, the ocean, sandy beaches,
botanic gardens, museums, volcanic lava fields, resorts, ghost towns, wild
and scenic rivers, etc. It all depends on what you want to do.

-- Walt


  #6  
Old June 22nd, 2007, 10:42 PM posted to rec.travel.usa-canada
Kay Lancaster
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 22
Default Oregon / Wash Road trips - advice on length of time ?

PS: west of the Cascades, you're likely to want a sweater or light
jacket for evenings in the summer and through September. For instance,
as I write this at 700 ft, SSE of Portland, it's 62 degrees at 11 am,
cloudy skies, and it'll be in the mid 40s tonight. Next week, maybe
80, lows in the low 50s. Exceptionally in the summer,
it gets up to 100 around here, but not all that often. Eastern side
of the mountains, though, is much less temperate -- as in bring shorts
and sunscreen.

Oh, and expect to see a lack of a/c listed as a hotel amenity out here
west of the Cascades.

Our rains pretty much run October through May. Expect light showers
very occasionally in the summer... 0.1" is a big rain out here in the
summer. 0.01-0.02 is a more common amount, but still a fairly uncommon
event.

  #7  
Old June 22nd, 2007, 10:50 PM posted to rec.travel.usa-canada
Mark Brader
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 346
Default Oregon / Wash Road trips - advice on length of time ?

"Bobb" writes:
How about Amtrak's Coast Starlight - anyone done that ? Scenic ride ? Any
better/worse than taking I-5 ?
I just checked and the train fare from Seattle,WA to Eugene,OR is only
$42 pp. Maybe drop the car and take the train back to start ?


In past threads where people have talked about this train, they have
spoken of major delays being significantly more common than on other
Amtrak services. The one time I used it -- in California, not this part
of the run -- there were no serious problems, but that was years ago.
I don't know if actual statistics are tabulated anywhere.

Seattle is the north end of the route, so if you do plan to take the
train in one direction, it's probably best for it to be southbound.
--
Mark Brader, Toronto | "If you want a 20th century solution, the
| obvious answer is helicopters!" -- Bob Scheurle

My text in this article is in the public domain.
  #8  
Old June 23rd, 2007, 05:55 AM posted to rec.travel.usa-canada
Calif Bill
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 991
Default Oregon / Wash Road trips - advice on length of time ?


"- Bobb -" wrote in message
. ..

"Calif Bill" wrote in message
news

"- Bobb -" wrote in message
. ..
Looking to fly into Portland, OR or Seattle, WA and do a road trip: (
planned for May and had to postpone - on again )down the coast to
California line and then back via I-5 freeway. I'm in Boston and asking
local AAA reps here about details gets me maps/hotels but no real "local
advice".
Allow 7, 10 days ? 2 weeks ? more ?

http://www.aaaorid.com/travel/travel_drive_planning.asp
then chose road trips - Northwest Area

I like:
1. A Journey Around the Olympic Peninsula
2. Washington Cascade Loop
3. Grand Pacific Northwest
and looking for advice - for each - how much time to allow ? The drives
themselves aren't long but IN YOUR OPINION , how long to spend in each
area ? Any nearby recommendations ? We're not hikers ( bad back) but do
love scenic " walks" / drives/ views.

Fly into Seattle or Portland - any reason to pick one over the other ?
( It's gonna be a loop either way )
Originally was going to fly to Seattle and drive down the coast and then
fly home from San Jose, but I've earned 4 free tix - each is only a
round trip - NOT a multi city, so rather than BUY tickets and not use
these freebies, we're gonna make it a northern loop and skip California
this year.

How about Amtrak's Coast Starlight - anyone done that ? Scenic ride ?
Any better/worse than taking I-5 ?
I just checked and the train fare from Seattle,WA to Eugene,OR is only
$42 pp. Maybe drop the car and take the train back to start ?

I imagine snow melt will be mostly gone and all roads open - any other
reason to pick either July ? August ? Sept ?
Thanks very much for local opinions - and how about your favorite
restaurant to stop for breakfast or lunch ? On the water ?



Couple of weeks to do a good trip. Portland and the Columbia Gorge are a
couple of days. Mt St. Helens a day. Seattle is OK, But if it is a
loop, then go North of coming into Portland and do Seattle and the
Olympic Peninsula, then down the coast via Coos Bay, and down to Gold
Beach, take the long jet boat trip on the Rogue River. Book Jerry's via
the internet, and you save a couple of bucks. Then over to and past I-5
and up through Crater Lake and the Sisters and the Oregon Caves.

Bill,

It will be a loop, so do it in that order ?
1. sightsee around Portland
2. rent a car ,
3. then Columbia Gorge. then Mt St helens then Seattle etc ?
you kinda lost me on the wording of .. " then go north of coming into
Portland ..." So you'd say to fly into Portland or Seattle ?


Should have been "if" If you come into Portland, leave to the North to
Seattle and then head out to the coast and go south along the coast.


  #9  
Old June 23rd, 2007, 08:58 PM posted to rec.travel.usa-canada
- Bobb -[_2_]
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 550
Default Oregon / Wash Road trips - advice on length of time ?

OK everybody, I copied all of this info and will do some homework
( looks like a lot.) and check airfares/where to arrive/rental car etc
Will update here when homework completed with/for feedback.

And Walt , for someone that
" grew up, went to college, and still live in Oreogn",
you should know how to spell Oregon by now.
It's O-R-E-G-O-N ( sorry couldn't pass it up :-))

Thanks for the info so far.
======

"- Bobb -" wrote in message
. ..
Looking to fly into Portland, OR or Seattle, WA and do a road trip:
(planned for May and had to postpone - on again )down the coast to
California line and then back via I-5 freeway. I'm in Boston and asking
local AAA reps here about details gets me maps/hotels but no real "local
advice".
Allow 7, 10 days ? 2 weeks ? more ?

http://www.aaaorid.com/travel/travel_drive_planning.asp
then chose road trips - Northwest Area

I like:
1. A Journey Around the Olympic Peninsula
2. Washington Cascade Loop
3. Grand Pacific Northwest
and looking for advice - for each - how much time to allow ? The drives
themselves aren't long but IN YOUR OPINION , how long to spend in each
area ? Any nearby recommendations ? We're not hikers ( bad back) but do
love scenic " walks" / drives/ views.

Fly into Seattle or Portland - any reason to pick one over the other ? (
It's gonna be a loop either way )
Originally was going to fly to Seattle and drive down the coast and then
fly home from San Jose, but I've earned 4 free tix - each is only a
round
trip - NOT a multi city, so rather than BUY tickets and not use these
freebies, we're gonna make it a northern loop and skip California this
year.

How about Amtrak's Coast Starlight - anyone done that ? Scenic ride ?
Any
better/worse than taking I-5 ?
I just checked and the train fare from Seattle,WA to Eugene,OR is only
$42 pp. Maybe drop the car and take the train back to start ?

I imagine snow melt will be mostly gone and all roads open - any other
reason to pick either July ? August ? Sept ?
Thanks very much for local opinions - and how about your favorite
restaurant to stop for breakfast or lunch ? On the water ?

============================
Kay wrote
On Thu, 21 Jun 2007 17:36:36 -0400, - Bobb - wrote:
I like:
1. A Journey Around the Olympic Peninsula


retired botanist with bad back here... I live S of Portland, fwiw.
This is a beautiful drive, though you're mostly going to be seeing
trees once you turn S towards Forks. Can be done in a day, if you
push it. Could take you a couple of months if you want to really
savor it. Port Townsend and Port Angeles are both nice towns to poke
around in. There are hot springs in the area (Sol Duc, for instance),
and the Olympic rainforest is pretty amazing. There are spots in the
Hoh near Lake Quinault that are very easy strolls into the margins
of the rainforest. The hotel at Lake Quinault had very good food
every time I've been there, and very little in the way of modern
conveniences... if you'd like fairly comfortable hotel without
a/c, tv, etc. as a place to unwind, you might consider some time there.


You can also catch a ferry from Port Angeles to Victoria, BC, should
that tickle your fancy. With the current passport uproar, I wouldn't
do this unless you've got passports or have talked to the border control
folks.

Olympia to Seattle is a definite snooze for me.

2. Washington Cascade Loop


Also very nice. May be warmer in parts than the peninsula.

3. Grand Pacific Northwest


A lot more driving. Going out to Umatilla wouldn't be a big thrill for
me,
but you can short cut it. West of the mountains is generally much warmer
than mountains or east of them. Lots of stuff to see and do.
The waterfalls in the first 50 miles or so of the Columbia gorge E of
Portland are spectacular. Big tourist mistake (imho) is to stop only
at Multnomah Falls -- try some of the smaller falls like Horsetail or
LaTourell. If you do this route (and it's really quite nice), I'd
recommend taking a geology guidebook along. There are bike rentals
and biking trails in the area.

Book I highly recommend (it's sort of the "bible" of playing tourist
in the PNW): Best Places Northwest from Sasquatch
(http://www.sasquatchbooks.com/best_places.htm) --
there are other slightly more focused
"best places" books also available from Sasquatch, all pretty good.

More goodies: Roadside Geology of Oregon/Roadside Geology of Washington
(you'll be in some amazing landscapes... even more amazing when you
know what you're looking at. Easy reading, keyed to mileposts.
(nice introductory website: http://www.cnw.com/~mstern/nwgeo.html)

For plants: Turner and Gustafson's Wildflowers of the Pacific Northwest
is pretty good and non-technical. Vitt's Mosses, Lichens and Ferns of
Northwest North America can get you interested in these often
overlooked organisms that the PNW is particularly rich in.


Fly into Seattle or Portland - any reason to pick one over the other ? (
It's gonna be a loop either way )


Seattle is sometimes cheaper, tends to be served by more airlines; I find
flying into Portland is less hassle, but YMMV. If you start in Seattle,
you might consider a visit to the Burke as an aperitif:
http://www.washington.edu/burkemuseu...y_wa/index.htm

If you start in Portland, I'd suggest a stop at Powell's books
downtown for a rummage through the PNW books section. You can catch
MAX downtown for cheap, and then transfer to various buses and trolleys
(or just walk) to Powells. (http://www.powells.com)
http://www.trimet.org/ Area looks kinda scuzzy, but it's safe.
Powell's is open until 11, and is sort of the 11th wonder of the
local universe for book lovers. Computer geeks need to walk a few
blocks east to the computer book store. Downtown parking and
driving is +/- miserable... I strongly suggest public transit downtown
(free in the downtown area)

How about Amtrak's Coast Starlight - anyone done that ? Scenic ride ?
Any
better/worse than taking I-5 ?
I just checked and the train fare from Seattle,WA to Eugene,OR is only
$42 pp. Maybe drop the car and take the train back to start ?


Nice ride from all I hear. You could also take segments of it
as a loop.

I imagine snow melt will be mostly gone and all roads open - any other
reason to pick either July ? August ? Sept ?


Major vacation season ends pretty much around Labor Day, so I'd take
September... still nice dry weather for the most part, and most
services will be open, but the density of tourists is lower.

Remember that this is still pretty rugged country, and we lose a
few tourists every year. Cell phones don't always work out in the
sticks. Even for short hikes, I'd take a small supply of food and
water with you. GPS is nice to have. So is a whistle. If you
are walking in an area that asks you to get a daytrip permit, please
do so -- it's for your safety.

What are you interested in? Maybe we can help you select based on
interests -- for instance, if you're an airplane lover, there's the
air museums in Tillamook and McMinnville, OR, as well as Boeing near
Seattle. If you're interested in geology, Mt. St. Helens is probably
a good spot to include. If you're nuts about ferries, there are a
lot of them around, ranging from electric river ferries to big car
carriers. etc....

Kay




"Calif Bill" wrote in message



Couple of weeks to do a good trip. Portland and the Columbia Gorge are a
couple of days. Mt St. Helens a day. Seattle is OK, But if it is a
loop,
then go North of coming into Portland and do Seattle and the Olympic
Peninsula, then down the coast via Coos Bay, and down to Gold Beach, take
the long jet boat trip on the Rogue River. Book Jerry's via the internet,
and you save a couple of bucks. Then over to and past I-5 and up through
Crater Lake and the Sisters and the Oregon Caves.





"Kay Lancaster" wrote in message
...

Ø PS: west of the Cascades, you're likely to want a sweater or light
jacket for evenings in the summer and through September. For instance,
as I write this at 700 ft, SSE of Portland, it's 62 degrees at 11 am,
cloudy skies, and it'll be in the mid 40s tonight. Next week, maybe
80, lows in the low 50s. Exceptionally in the summer,
it gets up to 100 around here, but not all that often. Eastern side
of the mountains, though, is much less temperate -- as in bring shorts
and sunscreen.

Oh, and expect to see a lack of a/c listed as a hotel amenity out here
west of the Cascades.

Our rains pretty much run October through May. Expect light showers
very occasionally in the summer... 0.1" is a big rain out here in the
summer. 0.01-0.02 is a more common amount, but still a fairly uncommon
event.




"Mark Brader" wrote in message
...

Ø "Bobb" writes:
How about Amtrak's Coast Starlight - anyone done that ? Scenic ride ?
Any
better/worse than taking I-5 ?
I just checked and the train fare from Seattle,WA to Eugene,OR is only
$42 pp. Maybe drop the car and take the train back to start ?


In past threads where people have talked about this train, they have
spoken of major delays being significantly more common than on other
Amtrak services. The one time I used it -- in California, not this part
of the run -- there were no serious problems, but that was years ago.
I don't know if actual statistics are tabulated anywhere.

Seattle is the north end of the route, so if you do plan to take the
train in one direction, it's probably best for it to be southbound.
--




"Walt Tucker" wrote in message
...

I grew up, went to college, and still live in Oreogn. As a native
Oregonian, I've responded to similar questions before. I have several
email
messages still stashed away regarding things to do around Oregon and
Washington. Rather than trying to post them all to this news group, if
you
would like to send me a valid email address I will forward three or four
that might be pertinent to planning an Oregon/Washington trip.

For starters, you can try these URLs:

http://www.el.com/To/Oregon/

http://www.milebymile.com/main/Unite...on_byways.html
http://www.oregon.com/byways/
http://www.traveloregon.com/
http://www.visittheoregoncoast.com/
http://www.southernoregon.org/drives/index.html
http://www.experiencewashington.com/...e/default.aspx
http://www.oregon.gov/OPRD/PARKS/index.shtml
http://www.tripcheck.com
http://www.fs.fed.us/r6/willamette/r...ing/index.html

http://home.vr-web.de/eugen.winklhar...statepark1.htm
http://www.fs.fed.us/r6/centraloregon/newberrynvm/

You can spend as little as a week or several months travelling around
and
sight-seeing. Oregon and Washington both have many different climate
zones,
so the coast will be different from the mountains, which will be
different
from the central part of the state, which will be different from the
eastern
part of the state, etc. We have cities, national parks, state parks,
national forests, waterfalls, lakes, mountains, the ocean, sandy
beaches,
botanic gardens, museums, volcanic lava fields, resorts, ghost towns,
wild
and scenic rivers, etc. It all depends on what you want to do.

-- Walt




"Kay Lancaster" wrote in message
...

Ø On Fri, 22 Jun 2007 08:08:09 -0400, - Bobb -
wrote:

... In your area, would want to go salmon fishing (a few
times), see the mountains/waterfalls ... that's why I was
thinking if the train ride did a better job, to do that rather than
driving. Although, I DO like driving through winding mountain
roads - aggressively if no one minds.


I don't suggest aggressive driving on the mountain roads around here.
You really don't want to wind up face to face with a logging truck, or
even a pickup. These are not gentle, groomed roads like the Smokies.

As to fishing, I can't really advise you much other than suggest you
might want to locate a good guide or two. The regs out here are pretty
complex, at times reading something like a cross between IRS rulings and
"can be done on the second Tuesday of each week in months with an R
except when local regulations supersede or the moon is in the seventh
house."
I dunno anything about these guys (I don't fish), but it'll give you
an idea of what's available for legal fishing when:
http://www.fishingoregon.net/fishingcalendar.htm

OK: here's Kay's proposed tour for people not cramped for time who can
also
pack fairly lightly*, and would like a pretty thorough overview of the
area
because they're probably not coming back anytime soon:
*because some of this is via public transit, and because we're not
very formal in our dress out here, mostly.

Arrive PDX, MAX to hotel to dump gear, and thence to downtown Portland
via public transit for some combination of good food, Washington Park,
aerial tram up Pill Hill from the Willamette riverfront (it's
will-AM-et),
Washington Park (zoo, rose garden, forestry center), architectural and
walking tours which might include the Esplanade along the river and
and the guided tour of the old tunnels where they shanghaied men.
Fairly early in the stay, go to Powell's downtown because it really is
the easiest place to find a wide variety of PNW guide books that could
make your trip for you.
http://www.viamagazine.com/weekender...Treasure05.asp
http://www.viamagazine.com/weekenders/books03.asp
http://www.portlandonline.com/index.cfm?c=25782
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portland_Aerial_Tram
http://www.oregonlive.com/dining/
http://www.willametteweek.com/food
Portland's pretty heavy on microbrews and brewpubs, if you want some
really local flavor. I would skip national chain restaurants in the
PNW in favor of local spots if at all possible... even little joints
out in the sticks tend to have a much higher standard of cooking than
in many parts of the US.
Tri-met, the local transit authority, has an interesting mix of ways
to get around in the downtown area.... horse drawn trolley, streetcar,
commuter train, buses, etc. Tourist areas in Portland are generally
as easy to reach by public transit as in London.
Pretty decent art museum -- big Rembrandt show till 16 Sept:
http://portlandartmuseum.org/exhibit...embrandt/#home
1-3 days would be my guess for most folks, sticking strictly to
public transit. http://www.trimet.org has a trip planner on the
main page that can tell you how to get from landmark to landmark,
etc. See also:
http://trimet.org/find/index.htm
http://trimet.org/howtoride/rules.htm

From Portland Union Station, Amtrak Cascades to Seattle area -- this is
along
the I-5 corridor, not through mountains, but quite scenic. Where to get
off
depends on what you want to do... I'd send you around the Seattle
downtown
area for the touristy stuff and up to the Burke museum via public
transit, then via the ferry system out daytripping to the northern
Kitsap peninsula or the San Juan islands. You can get to Victoria, BC
via this route... a much more genteel feeling city than Seattle or
Portland, and from there to Vancouver or further up Vancouver island
and then down the mainland via BC ferries, and then back to the Seattle
area. Yes, you can get there by car or by taking a car on the ferries,
but it's probably not necessary if you will ride public transit, which
is quite nice, ime.
http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/ferries/
http://www.bcferries.com/

http://www.tourismvictoria.com/
Highlights for me include various gardens
in the area including Government House and Butchart (which has a
fantastic
fireworks/sound and light show as well as a nice horticultural garden
with some interesting fountains.
http://www.butchartgardens.com/entertain/fireworks.php
Royal British Columbia Museum is another must in Victoria, imo.
http://www.royalbcmuseum.bc.ca/MainSite/default.aspx -- very close to
the
Empress Hotel, which does a very nice tea.
In Vancouver, my personal favorites are the Stanley Park area
http://www.city.vancouver.bc.ca/Parks/parks/stanley/ , Van Dusen and UBC
botanical gardens, and just about any place you can get by water taxi.
Capilano bridge, and the parks are pretty amazingly well done, too.
Note: Hubby the engineer willingly accompanies me to the various gardens
mentioned, even though telling a rose from a petunia can be a bit
iffy for him. If I whip out the handlens too many times, he just heads
for the restaurants in the gardens and/or figures out the programming
on fountains. g

The San Juans are pretty well set up for daytrippers and stay-overnight
tourists... you can definitely entertain yourself and find food and
lodging without a car. Think "relaxing getaway", not
"15 must-see-sights in..." You might want to read up on the Pig War,
one of my favorite bits of military history. There's an annual re-
enactment on San Juan Island.

Last time I was up in BC, it was an easy crossing, although the
Canadian immigration folks seemed concerned about weapons (I think
I puzzled the poor fellow when I proffered my Swiss Army knife for
inspection), and the US was more concerned about produce. US citizens
traveling on one "real" passport (his) and one expired (mine), and
current
drivers licenses. That was a couple years ago, though. I suspect
traveling
without a vehicle is faster, but I'm sure others can provide better
data recently.

Ok, get yourself back to the Seattle area and rent a car for some
combination of Mt. Rainier, Olympic Peninsula, down the coast through
Oregon (breathtaking views on the way), then inland to Crater Lake.
You can push the Olympics to S. Oregon coast in a couple days if you
really want to, but I'd take it much, much easier. From Crater Lake,
you can bomb back up I-5 to Portland in a day, but again, there's a lot
of fun stuff not too far off the road, including both the coastal range
and the Cascades.

From Portland, I'd send you out to Mt. Hood (Timberline Lodge is
a wonderful example of WPA architecture and crafts, and you can get a
good
dinner in the main restaurant) via any of several routes. One
possibility
is over to the Bend area (wonderful badlands to the S), then to
Timberlne
Lodge on Mt. Hood, then to Hood River, and then back along the Columbia
River Gorge, stopping at waterfalls, fruit stands, Maryhill Museum, and
whatever else strikes your fancy. (Hint: if you see a piece of fruit
with a cultivar name you don't recognize at a fruit stand, ask for a
taste.
It's undoubtedly much nicer than those awful Golden Delicious we export
elsewhere in the country!g) Back to PDX , drop the car and fly out.

Restaurants are generally quite good out here, even street food. If you
are not interested in spending a fair fraction of your time looking for
restaurants, you might consider picking up local fruits and breads from
farmers markets, and even from chain grocery stores with their own
bakeries. Tillamook is a local cheese producer that does mostly
cheddar-family cheeses in large quantities, obtainable at a reasonable
price in just about any grocery store. Very good value for the price.
I especially like their white cheddars.

You might want to explore possible routes using Google Maps with the
"hybrid" option to give you an idea of the various terrains you might
encounter on this trip.

Kay






"Mimi" wrote in message
. ..

Ø You have received a lot of replies from Oregonians. I'll speak up
for
Washington state.

First of all, I don't find the Amtrak ride from Portland to Seattle all
that
scenic; just a short stretch along Puget Sound. Seattle to Vancouver has
more to see. But, yes, the northbound trains have lots of delays,
multi-hour
delays. So Seattle to Portland is more reliable than Portland to
Seattle.
Seattle to Vancouver is a separate train, doesn't have these delays.

As others have mentioned, the Cascade Mountains divide Oregon and
Washington
into 2 halves, east and west. The east is high desert, lightly
populated,
with hot summers and cold winters. The west has all the population (and
all
the liberals), and a mild wettish climate. But it rarely rains in the
summer; the weather then is mild and not humid. Well, Portland and
points
south can get a little warm. But summers are great here.

The mountains stay snowy until early July, and snow can begin again in
September. So plan your schedule accordingly. On the other hand, there
should be plenty of flow in the waterfalls in July.

So some suggestions:

From Seattle drive over SR2 to the east side of the Cascades and up to
Lake
Chelan. This is a very entertaining drive. (2 waterfalls, one off the
road
at Wallace Falls State Park and one close to the road at the summit, a
long
stretch along the rushing Wenatchee River, the faux-Bavarian town of
Leavenworth) Chelan is a nice little resort town. From there you can
take a
boat to the north end of the lake (50 miles) to the very little town of
Stehekin, which is close to the North Cascades National Park and
accessible
only by boat, plane or foot.

You could continue north from Chelan and go back west through the North
Cascades National Park.

Spend some time ferrying about in Puget Sound. The minimum trip is a
walk-on
from downtown Seattle. Longer alternatives with a car are (1) the ferry
from
north of Seattle (Mulkiteo) to Whidbey Island. This is a long, skinny
island
with many vistas of water and snow-capped mountains on two-sides. 2 nice
towns to investigate are Langley and Coupeville. Also check out
Deception
Pass State Park. Or (2) ferry from Anacortes to one or more of the San
Juan
islands, specifically Orcas (great view from Mt. Constitution) and San
Juan
Island. Or you can continue on to Vancouver Island in Canada.

Then there's Mt. Rainier National Park, of course, (with many
waterfalls)
and Mt. St. Helens, which has an interesting visitor center and is close
to
I-5 between Portland and Seattle. And the Olympic National Park,
particularly the Rain Forest and the view at Hurricane Ridge, as part of
a
loop around the Olympic Peninsula.

Except for a stretch of Olympic National Park, none of this gets you to
the
open Pacific. Which I assume you would want to see. I wouldn't drive
down
the whole coast. Especially in Washington it's not quite so populated as
the
east coast. If you like wilderness, do the Washington coast. If you like
poking in little towns, do the Oregon coast, which also has a string of
nice
state parks along the coast.

Finally, for waterfalls in Oregon, there's the south side of the scenic
Columbia Gorge, and Silver Falls State Park, just east of Salem. This
park
has a hike with IIRC alternatives of 10 waterfalls in 7 miles or 7
waterfalls in 5 miles. Something like that.

Have a good trip!
Marianne










  #10  
Old June 25th, 2007, 05:37 PM posted to rec.travel.usa-canada
Walt Tucker
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 33
Default Oregon / Wash Road trips - advice on length of time ?


"- Bobb -" wrote in message
...
OK everybody, I copied all of this info and will do some homework
( looks like a lot.) and check airfares/where to arrive/rental car etc
Will update here when homework completed with/for feedback.

And Walt , for someone that
" grew up, went to college, and still live in Oreogn",
you should know how to spell Oregon by now.
It's O-R-E-G-O-N ( sorry couldn't pass it up :-))


That *was* an embarrassing typo, wasn't it? Fumble fingers. :-)


 




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