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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
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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 |
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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. |
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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
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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 |
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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. |
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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
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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. |
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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 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 |
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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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