Portland, OR ideas

I had previously asked about things to do and see in Seattle. Well, our
trip plans have changed and instead of taking Amtrak to Seattle, we will
disembark in Portland. We'll probably spend a couple of days in Portland
before moving on to spend most of our visit in and around the Columbia River
Gorge.

I'd love to get ideas of things not to miss in Portland. We are a family of
four with two teenaged girls. By the way, we are not shoppers....even the
women of the family...unless it's really unusual.

Our interests include museums, unique parks and views, hiking, perhaps bike
rentals if there are good bike trails.

Thanks.
--

In article hENzh.2254$5M1.1680@trndny01,
Bill in Schenectady wrote:
I had previously asked about things to do and see in Seattle. Well, our
trip plans have changed and instead of taking Amtrak to Seattle, we will
disembark in Portland. We'll probably spend a couple of days in Portland
before moving on to spend most of our visit in and around the Columbia River
Gorge.

What time of year? And are you willing to rent a car while you're there?

A trip up Mount Hood (with lunch at Timberline Lodge, perhaps) would
be beautiful.


Patty

In article hENzh.2254$5M1.1680@trndny01,
Bill in Schenectady wrote:
We'll probably spend a couple of days in Portland before moving
on to spend most of our visit in and around the Columbia River
Gorge.

Heading West to Astoria might be worthwhile. That's an interesting
area. Not a pretty city, though.

The best thing about Portland is the brewpub scene, IMO. No idea
of you're into that....

"Patty Winter" wrote in message
...
In article hENzh.2254$5M1.1680@trndny01,
Bill in Schenectady wrote:
I had previously asked about things to do and see in Seattle. Well, our
trip plans have changed and instead of taking Amtrak to Seattle, we will
disembark in Portland. We'll probably spend a couple of days in Portland
before moving on to spend most of our visit in and around the Columbia
River
Gorge.

What time of year? And are you willing to rent a car while you're there?

A trip up Mount Hood (with lunch at Timberline Lodge, perhaps) would
be beautiful.


Patty


We will arrive in Portland on June 27 and leave Portland for Glacier
National Park (and ultimate trip back home) on July 6. So that's ten days,
including arrival and departure day.

We don't intend to rent a car immediately, but would like to stay a couple
of days in Portland without a car. After that, we'll do a slow loop around
the Columbia River Gorge, with side trips to interesting areas. Figure that
we'll rent a car for a week of the ten days.

We'd like to do one day trip to the coast (ideas, anyone?), one day trip to
Mt. St. Helens (I've always wanted to see that), and plan to do lots of
hiking and other outdoor activities in the Gorge and surrounding mountains.
We'd also like to take in a winery tour or two, do some whitewater rafting,
and perhaps consider renting bicycles if there are some good off road
bicycle trails.

"Todd Michel McComb" wrote in message
...
In article hENzh.2254$5M1.1680@trndny01,
Bill in Schenectady wrote:
We'll probably spend a couple of days in Portland before moving
on to spend most of our visit in and around the Columbia River
Gorge.

Heading West to Astoria might be worthwhile. That's an interesting
area. Not a pretty city, though.

The best thing about Portland is the brewpub scene, IMO. No idea
of you're into that....


Well, my wife and I enjoy brew clubs. But we will have a couple of
teenagers with us.

So what's so interesting about Astoria?

In article 1DOzh.2410$H77.1328@trndny08,
Bill in Schenectady wrote:
So what's so interesting about Astoria?

It's out where the Columbia hits the Pacific... lots of history,
and interesting scenery. Directly across (well, sort of) the
Columbia in WA, there is Ft. Canby SP, which is also historic and
scenic. That's basically the breakwater of the Columbia delta.

Astoria has the Astoria Tower, which is a pretty old structure, but
you can walk up there and see a lot if the weather is clear. It's
different, at least.

With that much time, you will be able to "do" Mount St. Helens, the Columbia
River Gorge, the Oregon Coast down as far as you can go without entering
California, and see lots of goodies in Portland itself.

Bob Gardner

"Bill in Schenectady" wrote in message
news:hENzh.2254$5M1.1680@trndny01...
I had previously asked about things to do and see in Seattle. Well, our
trip plans have changed and instead of taking Amtrak to Seattle, we will
disembark in Portland. We'll probably spend a couple of days in Portland
before moving on to spend most of our visit in and around the Columbia
River Gorge.

I'd love to get ideas of things not to miss in Portland. We are a family
of four with two teenaged girls. By the way, we are not shoppers....even
the women of the family...unless it's really unusual.

Our interests include museums, unique parks and views, hiking, perhaps
bike rentals if there are good bike trails.

Thanks.
--

Bill in Schenectady wrote:

We will arrive in Portland on June 27 and leave Portland for Glacier
National Park (and ultimate trip back home) on July 6. So that's ten days,
including arrival and departure day.

We don't intend to rent a car immediately, but would like to stay a couple
of days in Portland without a car. After that, we'll do a slow loop around
the Columbia River Gorge, with side trips to interesting areas. Figure that
we'll rent a car for a week of the ten days.

We'd like to do one day trip to the coast (ideas, anyone?), one day trip to
Mt. St. Helens (I've always wanted to see that), and plan to do lots of
hiking and other outdoor activities in the Gorge and surrounding mountains.
We'd also like to take in a winery tour or two, do some whitewater rafting,
and perhaps consider renting bicycles if there are some good off road
bicycle trails.


The reproduction of Lewis and Clark's Fort Clatsop burned down awhile
back but I believe it has been rebuilt (near Astoria).
Cannon Beach represents the best of the Oregon Coast to me, and in
Tillamook you can visit the cheese factory. Howard Hughes' Spruce Goose
is in McMinnville.

In Portland itself, the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI) has
interesting exhibits including a Russian submarine. The Rose Gardens
will be beautiful that time of year. Also, I can easily spend a day at
Powell's Books on Burnside -- it's huge and wonderful.

Bill in Schenectady wrote:
I'd love to get ideas of things not to miss in Portland.

The zoo is unusually nice.

The rose gardens are fabulous.

The hands-on science museum predates San Francisco's Exploratorium
but not the Chicago Museum of Science and Industry.

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wrote in message ...

In Portland itself, the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI) has
interesting exhibits including a Russian submarine. The Rose Gardens will
be beautiful that time of year. Also, I can easily spend a day at
Powell's Books on Burnside -- it's huge and wonderful.


Yes, definitely the Rose Gardens and also the Japanese Gardens nearby and
the Chinese Garden downtown. Portland has good public transportation. Let's
see, maybe a walk along the river. I love Powell's also.

You could do a kind of loop to Mt Hood, then Hood River, a
wind-surfing/orchard town. Just across the Columbia are a couple of
intreresting sights: the Maryhill Art Museum and a copy of the "complete"
Stonehenge. You then could approach Mt. St. Helens from the east, but I
don't know the road situation there. There's a very good road and series of
viewing/information centers coming off I-5 to the west. Plus you don't want
to miss the Oregon side of the Columbia Gorge. There's a great view from the
old highway and a number of waterfalls, viewable from the road and
hike-innable. Good time of the year for waterfalls.

Speaking of waterfalls, a bit of a detour south and just east of Salem is
Silver Falls State Park. It has a 5-mile hike passing by 8 waterfalls (and
behind one). For an extra couple miles you get 2 more waterfalls. One of my
favorite places. Maybe you could do it on your winery tour day.

Marianne