travelinandgolfin

BB, Scarlett, mms or any other Oregonians out there, thought I'd start another thread for this particular topic since the others are getting quite long.

First, thanks for all the great advice. Now here's my question.

Thanks to some great advice from BB, my current plans call for us to spend two nights in Yachats before heading down to Bandon. But now I'm wondering if I should just make that ONE night. So the first day would be the drive from Portland to Yachats (stay in Yachats overnight), and the second day from Yachats to Bandon. I can fit everything in that has been recommended in those two days, but it will be two very packed 9-10 hour days.

But then, I figure I can use the extra day saved to do a day trip through the Willamette Valley. Something like the 224 to 126 to Eugene and back to Portland. Just to get more of a flavor for Oregon.

Or is there not that much to see in the Willamette area?

If that's the case, I'll keep the TWO full nights in Yachats, and maybe just see what I can of the area on the drive back from Bandon to Portland (will be done in one day).

Thanks again.

suze

The Willamette Valley is gorgeous. I love the drive from Eugene up thru Corvallis on the back roads.

travelinandgolfin

Hi suze.

Which backroads would that be?

Is it 99W that goes through Monroe?

That may be an option on the drive back from Bandon to Portland.

Scarlett

As long as you don't run into the 2 night minimums along the Coast..
BB and mms know much more than I do about all the drive times and directions.
They were the ones I turned to when I was getting ready to set out to see new places.. ( for some reason, we were able to drive across the country with no problems but as soon as we moved to Portland, we got lost every day lol)
They saved us more times than I can tell

The Willamette Valley is a really reeally beautiful part of Oregon, the little we got to see was always amazing..so I think I like the idea of grabbing an extra day for that drive..

suze

Sorry, dunno. It's the road my sister drives when she picks me up from the Eugene airport to get back up to Corvallis/Philomath.

travelinandgolfin

Scarlett, when you refer to the Willamette Vallery, are you refering to east of I5, like around the McKenzie ore Willamette rivers, or west of I5, like Corvallis up through McMinnville?

If you had to pick one "side" to go to, which would you choose?

Fodorite018

I am not familiar with the names of the roads around Eugene (always a passenger in this area), but the McKenzie River area is beautiful! My grandparents had a home on the river for years and we went every summer.

The area between Corvallis and Portland, on 99W is beautiful also. You could do both. I live just off 99W on the northern end of wine country, so just SW of Portland. There are loads of wineries in this area, and if you are interested in that I can give you more information. Biggest advice though is to not stop at the ones with the blue tourist signs, but rather get off on the side roads and that leads you to the best ones.If you can get ahold of a current issue of Portland Monthly, the feature article is on our wine country. The Spruce Goose is in McMinnville and is an excellent museum.

I would not take 99 all the way into Portland though. Just go to Sherwood, then cut over to avoid the worst traffic. Cut over to I-5 and head into Portland that way. I can give you some backroad directions if you want, as the main cut through can get congested at certain times of day.

Scarlett

The part that mms tells you about

We had a kennel that we took Pup to on Chahelem Mountain...winding roads past hazelnut orchards, vineyards, horse farms and those views!
Like I said, we got lost half the time, so I often had no idea where we were but it was nice lol.
I will defer to mms and bb...

And I would listen to them regarding the wineries. Some people just recommend whatever names they read about, the big names that you find in magazines or google.
I liked the small vineyards that were a bit off the beaten path..( no blue tourist signs lol)

Dundee Bistro was good..
Lunch in McMinville was good..Hotel Oregon and another place..mms knows the name lol..

Fodorite018

The Hotel Oregon is a hotel and restaurant that is part of the McMenamin brothers group. They restore old buildings and turn them into hotels/restaurants and such and keep the old flavour of the buildings. So while not gourmet food, they are all very good and definitely have the Oregon feel to them. So that would be a fun place to stop for lunch.

There are lots of restaurants in McMinnville and the surrounding area. I am down there almost every week, so can help with that if you are interested.

Gardyloo

If you decide to come back through the valley, the road to take from the coast is SR 38, from Reedsport to Drain (between Roseburg and Cottage Grove.) It follows the Umpqua River through a lovely little canyon, then through some very pretty country (chance of elk) until it connects to I-5. Highly recommended, it's the route we take every time we head south (which is pretty much once or twice a year at least.)

travelinandgolfin

Hi mms.

Hey, thanks for the traffic tip. Go to Sherwood then get back on I5. Got it.

As I plan this out, I'm thinking maybe we don't need a full day afterall. Maybe we can do this on the way back from Bandon to Portland.

Please tell me if this makes sense.

We'll be leaving Bandon Friday morning and will be in Eugene around noon.

Say we take a couple hours to check out at least some of the Willamette and McKenzie rivers.

Around 2:00 pm, we'd start heading back to Portland on 99W through your wine-country. According to Mapquest, that route should get us into Portland in about 3:30 hours. Figure another hour and a half or so for miscellaneous stops (like the museum) and we should be in Portland by 7:00?

We're not big wine tasters, so we'd appreciate other areas to stop and see besides wineries (we will check out that museum).

I guess the key to all this is how many stops we'll be making. If it's quite a bit, then we'll try to take that full extra day to see the area, as I don't want to get back to Portland too late (we fly out the next day).

Thanks again.

travelinandgolfin

Scarlett, I'll check out those restaurants.

Gardyloo, yes, that's exactly how we'll be getting back to I-5. We'll also check out the Elk preserve on the way.

Fodorite018

Well with cutting out the wineries that will save you a bunch of time. It is still a very pretty drive, even without stopping. The museum is called the Evergreen Aviation Museum. Excellent museum, and doesn't take too long to go through. It is actually on HWY 18, which goes around the outside of the downtown area of McMinnville. You will see signs for it, so don't worry, and after the museum, HWY 18 dumps you back out onto 99W.

beachbum

Now hold it, you all!!! Are you really recommending that tandg give up a night in Yachats for a night in McMinnville??? ;-)

The drive along the route you'd planned direct from Bandon to Portland would take 4.5 hours. But, you could stretch it to 8, giving yourselves time to see other Willamette Valley sights. Highlights would be the Aviation Museum, wineries, and maybe a covered bridge or two. But, IMO, the scenery along the Umpqua River surpasses most of what you'll see in the Willamette Valley, which is mostly rolling hills with farmland and forest.....

sunbum1944

I'm with Beachbum- stay the night in Yachats.
I live in Eugene and I agree the
Willamette Valley is beautiful
but there is much more to see and do along the coast
The McKenzie River is great but you need to do more than just a drive by
to appreciate it.

Fodorite018

Beachbum--LOL! Are you kidding?! No way! Mac is fine for a meal while passing thru, but a stay over, nope

travelinandgolfin

Thanks, and yes, we'll keep the extra night in Yachats. I think just the drive back to Portland through 99W will be enough to give us a flavor of the area.

Even with a few stops here and there, I don't see us taking that long on any of them anyway (except for lunch and checking out the Willamette and McKenzie rivers).

BB, the Umpqua river runs parallel to 38 right? So on the drive from Reedsport to Euguene area, we'll be taking in that scenery?

Sunburn, we're going to give ourselves a couple hours to check out the W and M rivers. I know you said a drive by probably won't do it justice, but what can you recommend anyway? Obviously, we can't change and go fishing or swimming, but maybe a nice partial drive paralleling them with some stops along the way for pictures or mild type of activity?

Thanks.

beachbum

Yes, the Umpqua parallels OR 38, tandg. Somewhere along that section there's a cut-off to Loon Lake, which I remember as a kid thinking was one of the most beautiful spots in the world. Haven't been since, though; maybe sunbum knows if it's worth a detour.

I'm wondering what you're thinking you'll be seeing of the W and M rivers.... If you've got time, I know there's a quaint covered bridge about 45 miles up the McKenzie from Eugene: http://www.pbase.com/smg9774/image/85833965. Just a couple miles from Tokatee, I think. Hmmm.... That might be reason to cut that night in Yachats: http://www.tokatee.com/index2.html. ;-)

sunbum1944

Along the McKenzie Sahalie and Koosah Falls make a nice stop - there is a trail between the 2 of them that is easy and even if you just walk a portion of it you will get an idea of what a beautiful river it is.
Another stop could be Belknap Hot Springs- its a resort with a hot springs( open to public for a fee)
If you arent into soaking in the springs, the grounds are beautiful

Also Clear Lake is pretty - there is a restaurant there - just basic burgers and sandwiches though -
also a gorgeous spot
These areas are just an hour or so out of Eugene.

travelinandgolfin

BB, no fair tempting me with GOLF! That's below the belt. For the W/M rivers, just something that wouldn't take more than a couple hours to do, as I figure I need to start the drive from that area back up to Portland (through 99) around 2 or 3 pm.

We're set with the two nights in Yachats. With your recommendation and the rave reviews it got on TripAdvisor and the pictures I could find of it, well, I'm looking forward to it.