Ptsk

Hello, my wife and I have never been to Oregon and wanted to take a trip there rather than our normal trip to the San Francisco area. We are coming from Florida and flying into Portland for four and a half days. We like to go wine tasting and also see some outdoor attractions that we can't see in Florida.

I have spent a lot of time on this forum looking at the various discussions of Oregon so I'm not asking to rehash what's already available. This is actually the only site I've looked at to plan this trip. However, I was hoping to get some information to fill in the blanks. Here's what I intend to do based on what people have mentioned on this site.

I plan to spend two days wine tasting and two days seeing some sites and/or Portland. For the non-wine tasting days, i was going to go to the Colombia Gorge area and/or Cannon Beach. As for the wine tasting days, I have a list of wineries recommended here and we were just going to go to as many of those as practical.

Here are my questions.

Is this a viable plan?

Can we just get one hotel in Portland and drive out to these places during the days? I don't know that we like the outdoor places enough to spend more than a day at a time there. That may not be true of the wineries though.

If so, can you recommend a decent hotel in Portland for our needs? It doesn't need to be too nice since we won't be there mush, but if we can walk to a couple of good places or restaurants, that would be a bonus.

Based on what i mentioned, is there any thing specific I would need to know about these areas, specific wineries, this time of year?

Thank you.

spirobulldog

You can do them as "day trips" especially if you aren't going to do long hikes or activities.

We did Columbia River Gorge, hiked 12 mile Eagle Creek there, then continued on the Fruit Loop and spent the night at Mount Hood Timberline Lodge. We enjoyed the Gorge and Hood both very much.

A lot of the places to stay at Cannon Beach have a two night min(at least I think they do). That is certainly enjoyable as well.

There is plenty to keep you busy to see and do in Portland though. You really can't go wrong, whereever you end up staying at. Don't miss Stumptown Roaster, Voodoo Donuts, Powells Bookstore and Rose Garden in Portland. The food there is nearly equal to SF, IMOP. It's great. We didn't do any of the winery's so can't coment on that.

Our favorite meal was at Toro Bravo. Enjoyed Mother's and Jakes too though.

happytrailstoyou

Can we just get one hotel in Portland and drive out to these places during the days?

You could, but it would be a lot more enjoyable, in my opinion, to spend some of your nights in places such as Hood River, McMinnville, and Cannon Beach.

Plowing through Portland traffic to get to and from these places is the least enjoyable part of visiting Oregon. Greater Portland sprawls all over the place connected by two-lane roads dotted with stop lights.

HTTY

tomfuller

You might consider a night in McMinnville which is not too far from some of your wineries and the Evergreen Aviation Museum.
You can see the "Spruce Goose" there. From there you can travel Rt. 18 to hit US 101 just north of Lincoln City. Be sure to make a stop just north of Tillamook at the cheese factory.
Stop in Cannon Beach to see Haystack Rock and in Seaside to see the Prom and the Lewis & Clark salt boiling spot.
Also stop to see the Astoria Column before taking US 30 back to Portland.
You should also consider a night in the town of Hood River with a view of the Columbia River.
The end of the TriMet red line is right outside baggage claim at PDX if you wanted to ride into the city to rent a car in the morning instead of at the airport.

Fodorite018

Yes, all these places are easily done as day trips, but they are also really nice areas to stay, so it just depends on what you want to do. From Portland to Cannon Beach it takes about 90 minutes. From Portland down to the main wine area around Newberg/Dundee/McMinnville it is about 45 minutes. From Portland to Hood River is about an hour.

Cannon Beach is a beautiful town with so much to see. While many places have 2-3 night minimums in high season, we often get around that by calling and seeing where we can squeeze in a one night stay between others reservations. Course with living here, we are more flexible, but you get the idea. Definitely call around instead of checking availability on websites. If you do a day trip, do a loop by taking hwy 26 west out to Cannon Beach, then 101 south through Tillamook and then take hwy 6 east back towards Portland. It will meet back up with hwy 26. It is a nice route and very doable for a day.

As for the wineries and how much time to spend here (this is the area that I live), it just depends on how much you want to see. Do you have any idea how many wineries you want to try? One thing to be very mindful of is the police have a heavy presence here. Drinking and driving, but also for speeding. The main highway (99W) fluctuates between 25 and 55 quite a bit, so you have to really pay attention and the police do sit and wait for customers. There are also quite a few red light cameras in this area. There are over 200 wineries in this area alone, and there are many that are very good, but there are also quite a few that are not worth stopping for.

Ptsk

spiro, thanks you gave me a couple of recommendations in Portland I hadn't heard about before.

HTTY, I may expand my search for hotels beyond Portland just to save some time.

tomfuller, I'd never let a museum get in the way of drinking festivities but I bet we'd like that cheese rfactory. I'll add that to my list.

mms, I'm going to make a note of that Hwy 26 route. We'll probably spend two full days devoted to the wineries. I've heard that the cops are out in force looking for people speeding and driving while impaired. How do people deal with that? I heard there is a wine tour (anoseforwine.com maybe) that would solve the problem. Do you recommend anything like that?

Thanks for the responses.

Tomsd

Yyou can find much more reasonable accommodations at places such as the Surfrider, just south of Lincoln City at Depot Bay - than in crowded - Portlandite frequented Cannon Beach.

Just head from Portland to Lincoln City and then from there - south along prehaps the prettiest driving section of the Oregon Coast.

http://www.surfriderresort.com/

Ptsk

Thanks tomsd.

Tomsd

You're certnaily welcome and would love to hear your final plans/trip report.

Here is a page about what to see/do in and around Lincoln City and many think the drive from there down to Yachats and further south if the prettiest stretch of the Oregon Coast. http://www.google.com/search?q=watus...w=1253&bih=660

Best and have a blast.

NewbE

We were in the Willamette Valley last October and I actually don't recall seeing a single police car. I'm not saying it's OK to drink and drive, far from it, only that the police presence did not seem excessive to me. Speed limits fluctuate a lot out there, so keep an eye on those, too. And have fun! They make some spectacular wine out there.

Tomsd

Oops. That was a prior paste about a tall tribe in Africa.

Here is what I meant to post about the area in and around/south of Lincoln City, and many think the drive from there south to Yachats and beyond is the prettiest section of the Oregon Coast - and check out the lighthouses too.

http://baywoodshores.com/lincoln-city-oregon.html

Tomsd

Here is one lighthouse - the tallest? - and there are others from the old days when they guided ships/warned of dangers.

http://www.yaquinalights.org/

Tomsd

And here is a page on the whole Oregon Coast. If you drove from Lincoln City down to Florence - you could cut over/east to Eugene (an hour) and then back to Portland from there - via I-5 - in about two and a half hours.

http://visittheoregoncoast.com/

Tomsd

Also - as for wine tasting - there are several good wineries outside Eugene - toward the coast - such as Kings Estate - which is the biggest - Sweet Cheeks (always loved that name and they make good vino) , and Hinman-Silvan Ridge - which has a nice outside seating/picnic area overlooking the vineyards, where we had a great lunch. http://www.planeteugene.com/wineries.htm

Of course I am partial to Eugene as I went to Grad school at the University of Oregon and loved it.

Back then, 1970 - being "poor" Grad students - for a big treat - on a Saturday afternoon - several of us would drive over to Florence (gas was cheap) - and buy a crab, a loaf of sourdough bread, a six pack of beer or a bottle of inexpensive wine - and go to the beach and make a fire and have a good ole time.

Heck - I would pay a fair amount just to do that now.

Ptsk

Tomsd, I was prepared to call off the Oregon trip based on the initial link you posted of the Watsubi tribe, presumably native to the Willamette Valley, and a tribe that may or may not be cannibalistic (but perhaps not altogether riskier than the potential deliverance-type encounters we face daily here in the South). But thanks for the clarification. I'm happy to report- The trip is back on.

I hear Eugene is a great place to go to school. In my next life, I'm going to do such things differently.

Newbe, thanks for the input. When I go wine tasting (Napa and Sonoma in the past), I usually take it easy and limit myself to small samples at each location. Plus, since we're going for two days, my wife and I can alternate the days on which we limit ourselves. We may just do it that way.

NewbE

Ptsk, we've always done wine tasting as you describe--drive ourselves, take it easy, spit if you must, stay safe. (We usually share a taste, too, which allows us a wider sample.) And stop for lunch! We liked to pick up sandwiches at the Red Hills Market in Dundee and have those in the car in case we needed a break out in the fields somewhere.

sunbum1944

A winery close to Eugene that you don't hear about very often is Sarvers

http://sarverwinery.com/

Beautiful setting, pretty good wines, fun events in the summer- so if you are in the Eugene area consider a stop here.

Eugene is a fun place this week ( other than its cold and rainy) with the Olympic trials going on- heading down there in a little bit to rub shoulders with athletes and fans from all around the world.

Fodorite018

Ptsk--DH and I just decide which one of us will be the designated driver. If you both want to taste though, then definitely go with a tour. Fred, who owns A Nose For Wine, is a great guy and very well regarded here in the wine region. His clients love him and he has quite a few that come back year after year and will only use him after using others. The best thing is that he takes you to the better wineries, often times that being the smaller one and by appt only. So you get a MUCH better experience!

I agree, Stumptown makes great coffee. You can find them all over, so you don't need to limit yourself to one location, which is nice.

Lincoln City and Depoe Bay are too far for a day trip considering your short amount of time, IMO. Also, neither of those locations are near as scenic as around Cannon Beach/Ecola State Park. For some reason Tomsd has an issue with Portlanders and Cannon Beach, but there is a reason CB is very popular with people from all over the world. A couple months ago we ran into a group of National Geographic photographers there, FWIW.

As for places to stay, what is your budget? If you want recommendations for Hood River and McMinnville area too, just let me know.

Overall I think your trip looks really good. You have a short time frame and you are making the most of it, IMO.

NewbE--Most people that live in this area refer to the police as the gestapo for a reason

Tomsd

LOL mms. Just ask others where the most beautiful part/drive along the Oregon coast is - and they will agree that it's from Lincoln City down to Yachats and on south to Florence.

And I don't hate Cannon Beach - it's ok - and it does have good salt water taffy - but it is just jammed at times.

To me - it's just too much of a tourist trap - where you have to overpay for accommodations and for meals even after waiting in line (since it's so accessible to Portland) - and if you're being honest - you will admit that.

And while Portland is a hip city, with good restaurants/entertainment - (if you like grunge music /nice parks/paths areas along the rivers - and our favorites - the Rose Garden/Japanese Tea Garden/Zoo in Washington Park - http://washingtonparkpdx.org/ it's still a city/dense urban area - and I think first time visitors to Oregon should maximize their time in the beautiful Oregon countryside and along the Ocean or at one of the many beautiful blue Lakes in Oregon.

Since you are arriving east of Portland at the airport - suggest you drive out the Gorge (assuming you have daylight left) - visit some of the waterfalls - Multnomah being the highest - and you can look up through the glass roof in their dining room - http://www.multnomahfallslodge.com/ .

You could continue on a bit and also explore some of the wineries around Hood River - maybe staying in a B & B around there and/or in the Hood River Valley (http://www.winesnw.com/gorgemap.html - and http://hoodriverlodging.com/ - and http://hoodriverlodging.com/hood-riv...tractions-map/

although some think the wineries in the greater Willamette Valley are the best) -

OR continue on up hiway 35 to our favorite on the slopes of Mt. Hood - Timberline Lodge. http://www.timberlinelodge.com/

Hike, bike, just enjoy the great outdoors and then make your way over to the Oregon Coast - which again, I think is the prettiest from Lincoln City down to Florence, and maybe then take in some wineries outside of Eugene.

You could spend a night saouth of Lincoln City - at around Depot Bay - which has a beautiful beach to explore - and then the next day - drive down the Oregon Coast - and eventually make your way over to stay near Eugene somewhere, and from there - you can make it back to the Portland Airport in 3 hours the next day - assuming you don't have an early morning flight.

Tomsd

LOL - Ptsk. I grew up with Native Americans/Indians - so a Watsui tribe wouldn't scare moi (he says bravely as he inches away from the encounter.

BTW - I have friends and high school classmates who live in Portland - and it's a nice - beautiful city - and I do like it - but agian - it's a city - so why hang around there when you can see so much more outside of there.

And Uno Mas - there are waaaaaay too many people in Cannon Beach during the summer - when you could easily go someplace else with fewer people, and prettier coastline to boot.