johnthedorf

T&G, I was just reading the Bend Bulletin this morning and the thought came to me that you may want a short rest and photo op near the town of Terrebone just short of Bend on 97. This sign to follow is Smith Rock State Park. I'm sure you can do a search for photos. May give you a short break after a longish drive from Mt. Hood.

texasjo

From our driving the Oregon coast experience, I'd say please make time for Ecola State Park as well as Oswald West. We are not hikers, but the walk thru the rain forest to the beach at Oswald was a glorious time. We took longer but you could do it, w/photos, in an hour. The views at Ecola are not to be missed and you can drive up to the parking lot and get great shots within short walking distances. We love lighthouses so had to include Cape Meares but, overall, would have hated to miss Oswald. Try to do both

travelinandgolfin

mms....your brother works at Bandon? What a dream job!

bb.....I think Cascade Head will be a last minute decision as it looks like we will have to invest about and 1:30 for it. The pictures are great...hopefully, we'll have time.

john....thanks for the info on Smith Rock! Yes the pictures look great. Those desert type landscapes are what my wife loves. We'll do it since it's also right off the main road. Thanks again!

tex....thanks for the info. We're going to have to find time to do Oswald for sure.

May have to cut out the Capes area to do it, but we'll be seeing so much of the coast anyway, I think a nice walk through the Oswald rainforest type of setting may be more worth the time (just for the variety).

beachbum

...but we'll be seeing so much of the coast anyway..

Exactly!!! All the more reason to take time to enjoy what you see rather than trying to see it all. Sorry! ;-)

Not that they're the same, but if you think you won't have time for Cape Meares, you shouldn't miss Ecola State Park.

travelinandgolfin

bb....I think this may play out that way.

Already, I'm giving more time to Oswald, Heceta, Oregon Dunes, Cape Perpetua (to name a few), then I originally thought.

So we'll be just driving by other areas instead of stopping, but I'm thinking the drive itself is going to be the scenery, so stops at every location may not be necessary.

Nightbird2

At Oswald State Park, previously known to the natives as Short Sands, you have to take quite a lengthy walk in the woods to get to a lovely beach in a cove. It's not a quick stop, but it's lovely. There are pullouts at most of the places you named. Just to warn you, in case you're tempted, Seaside and Newport are both little resort towns, with little shops and attractions that you can find anywhere on a coast, anywhere in the US - great for a day trip for Oregonians, but not a travel destination for someone looking for the best that Oregon has to offer. But it looks, from your itinerary, that you've figured that out, pretty much. I'm not saying that I don't love them, as a native Oregonian, but you can get the same shops (and world-class salt water taffy) at Depoe Bay for a lot less trouble and with better sights. Depoe Bay is a tiny harbour with shops right along highway 101. There's a large pod of whales off the coast there 10 months of the year, so check out the whale watching observatory.

At Astoria, there's a great historical museum, plus you can go to Fort Clatsop, which is a recreation of Lewis & Clark's fort when they arrived at the end of the Columbia River.

I really like Sea Lion Caves, but check to see if they're in, first. There's a restaurant up there by itself, somewhere in the curves near to the Sea Lion Caves, that isn't high cuisine, but that has a wonderful view, overlooking cliff. I can't remember the name. Maybe someone else will.

The south coast is much more varied and wild than the north one. Nice sandy beaches, but also cliffs.

If you can, I'd go down as far as Crescent City, CA, just across the border, and see the redwoods (Del Norte) just south of town. It's awe-inspiring. Give yourself a little time to catch your breath at the sight of the giants. The docks in Crescent City have seals on them, very close up. You can cross over to Interstate 5 very near to there. The cross-over road is very winding, but beautiful, so give yourself time if you do it. Then it's pedal to the metal straight up the freeway all the way to Portland.

In the high desert, there's the High Desert Museum. You probably already know about it, but didn't mention it so I am.