OREGON: Final itinerary. What do you think?
 

First off, thanks to all of you very knowledgable and helpful Oregon folks.....bb, mms, NWW, SB and all the rest. You really made planning this trip easier. Anyway, the nights (and where we will be staying) is finally fixed, primarily due to being able to move Bandon to earlier in the week. So here's the itineray.

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Arrive Portland Friday night at 10 pm. Staying at hotel near airport.

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DAY 1: Drive to Yachats through Astoria and down the coast. Planning on stops at:

*Astoria (very short stop).
*Ecola Park (short stop).
*Cannon Beach (an hour or so).
*Lunch: Gower St. Bistro (Cannon Beach).
*Oswald Park (hiking down to the beach).
*3-Capes (primarily a drive through only, maybe short stops).
*Yachats (Overleaf Lodge).
*Dinner: Not sure.

Total length of day: 10:30, so a long full day.

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DAY 2: Drive to Bandon with stops at:

*Cape Perpetua (an hour or so).
*Haceta Lighthouse (an hour).
*Newport Aquarium (will have to backtrack, but day 1 was too full to include this).
*Lunch: just eat at the Aquarium.
*Dunes in Florence.
*Sea Lion caves (yes, this made the cut! :) 30 minutes or so).
*Bandon (Bandon Dunes Golf Resort).
*Dinner: Lord Bennett's (Bandon).
*Walk around Bandon.

Total: 8:00 day. Not too bad.

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DAY 3: Bandon.

*GOLF!!
*Lunch: Bandon Fish Market.
*Drive down the coast to Brookings.
*Dinner: The Hungry Clam (Brookings).

Total: 7:00 (not counting golf).

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DAY 4: Bandon.

*Safari Park in Bandon. We love animals!
*Lunch: Not sure.
*GOLF!!
*Dinner: Bandon Boatworks.

Total: Just a couple hours in the morning for the Animal and the golf. Pretty mellow day.

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DAY 5: On the road again....to Crater Lake then on to Bend.

*H42 to H138 past Umpqua river.
*Tokatee Falls (short stop).
*Crater Lake (a hour or so).
*Lunch: Crater Lake Lodge.
*Cascade Lakes Byway on way to Bend (short stops along the way).
*Bend.
*Dinner: Not sure.
*Walk around Old Mill District hiking trails.

Total: 10:00 day.

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DAY 6: Bend.

*McKenzie/Santiam Pass drive (short stops).
*Sisters (an hour).
*Lunch: Somewhere in Sisters.
*Smith Rock Park (:30 minutes or so).
*High Desert Museum.
*Dinner: Not sure.
*Walk around downtown and Drake Park.

Total: 6:30 day. Pretty mellow.

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DAY 7: Drive back to Portland through high desert down to Hood River.

*GOLF in morning (possibly if Bandon golf is affected by weather).
*Lunch: Not sure, but somewhere in Bend.
*H26 through high desert to Hood River.
*Columbia River Gorge and the many falls (couple hours).
*Portland.
*Dinner: Not sure.

Total: 6:30 day with an early afternoon start if playing golf in the morning, but with so much daylight, I think it should be ok.

So we're back in Portland by 7 pm or
so and leave the next morning.

Anyway, there you have it. The only thing we'll miss was at least a drive through your wine country (maybe Yamhill) just to get a flavor of the area, but just couldn't fit it in.

WHERE we stay (the towns) are pretty much set. WHAT WE DO, can always be changed (along with where we eat), so please feel free to comment.

Again, much thanks!! :)

Your days are pretty full, but you are headed to some fantastic places here!

As for eating at the Newport Aquarium, skip that and head pretty much across the street to the Rogue Brewery. Much better for a meal;)

Crater Lake will probably take you more than an hour, so don't be surprised. Lunch at the lodge is perfect.

Loads of good places in Bend for dinner, but since you want to do the Old Mill District I would stick to a place there or within a few blocks, just to save time. The OMD is really nice in the evenings to wander.

In Sisters, head to the Ski Inn for a meal. It is an old dive, but very good, lol! It is a small red builing on a corner, on the south end of town.

The High Desert Museum is excellent, and while you think this day will be mellow I bet you get sidetracked at least once along your route;) If, a big if, you have time, head across the highway to Lava Butte. You can walk on a path through the lava fields, and then drive to the top for some amazing views (and feed the chipmunks).

Don't worry about missing our wineries. There are plenty of places in Portland where you can taste a lot of them.

Whew!! Pretty jam-packed, but it looks like fun, tandg. Just a couple comments/questions....

Is the short stop planned for Astoria worth the extra 1+ hour of driving time? I forget when you're doing this, but also on day 1, there's often a line of cars waiting to get into Ecola State Park (limited parking), so that might throw a wrench in your plans. A good alternative would be to stop at Cape Meares State Park, on the Three Capes drive, walk down to the lighthouse there, and take in the views from the platforms near the parking lot.

You really want to spend $8 each for Sea Lion Caves when you can see them in several other places for free? ;-)

Got tee times at Bandon? Which courses?

Remember! Drive around Crater Lake in a clockwise direction! Your wife will thank you. ;-)

McKenzie Pass was still closed last week. Hope it's open when you're there; Dee Wright Observatory is worth the drive. Not sure I'd say the same about Santiam Pass though, but lunch at Suttle Lake (instead of in Sisters) would be a nice stop. If either of you are into photography, stop by the Gallery & Frame Shop in Sisters. It's on the street one block south of the main road through town. The guy who owns it does stunning work.

Thought about where to play in Bend if you're rained out in Bandon? I think the best course in the area for public play might actually be Juniper, in Redmond.

Where are you staying the last night in Portland? Need some dinner recs? We got a million of 'em.

In Yachats, go to the Yachats River House. Make a reservation. If you want fine dining and great wine, you'll love it. There's not a lot of choice in Yachats and this place is great.

mms....

Thanks for the tips on Rogue Brewery and Ski Inn. I'll look them up. I do have the lava fields in Bend as an "alternative or add-on." We'll see how we feel at the time. Coming from Hawaii, I've seen my share of lava fields, so I thought to give it a pass, but it may be different in scope, so it's a possibility. We do like to just wander about, and those walking paths/trials around the OMD and downtown Bend do look intriguing. Any idea for where to eat in Bend (two dinners, one lunch)?

bb....

Astoria frankly, is on the cut-line so to speak! :). Basically, we'll see how we feel Saturday morning. Since we're arriving late the night before, if we're still a bit tired, I may just cut it out and head straight to CB instead.

Thanks for the alternative to Ecola. If it looks crowded, I'll just cut it out and look at perhaps Cape Meares for that hike. Since we're spending so much time on the cost, I'll probably play a lot of that portion of the trip by ear. Add things, cut out things depending on how we feel at the time.

For Bandon, I'll be playing Bandon Dunes and Pacific Dunes!!! :D. Can't wait. Just keeping my fingers crossed for good weather. One tee time is in the morning, the other in the afternoon. It's in early September, so will hope for the best.

For Bend, I also heard good things about Juniper, especially considering it's sort of a muni (I think). I wanted to try Sunriver and the Crosswaters course, but you need to stay there to play it, and we couldn't manage that.

For McKenizie/Santium....I was under the impression that both were part of the same loop? Are they separate routes? How would you rate the drive's difficulty?

For last night in Portland, we'll be staying at the Staybridge right by the airport, but yes, could use a recommendation for dinner!

Thanks!

abq.....

Thank you for the recommendation in Yachats. I'll look it up. Yes, I figured there wasn't a lot of choices there, but that's also the fun of staying in these small towns for me. Trying to find a place to eat!

If you can subsist on to-die-for pastries, go to the Bandon Bakery before going to the golf course on day 3.

Wow -- jam packed! But visiting some great places.

Some restaurants in Bend that I enjoy are McMenamin's Old St. Francis Pub, Pine Tavern Restaurant, Deschutes Brewery Pub and the Tumalo Feed Company. All have websites.

I enjoy the atmosphere in Old Town Bend. Walking around Mirror Pond (Drake Park) is quite nice. In the summer a table out on the patio of the Pine Tavern Restaurant gets you a view of Mirror Pond.

Have a great trip.

In Florence is the Waterfront Depot Restaurant - great food- you will need a reservation.

tandg,

The best reason to stop in Astoria IMO is the Astor Column (well... maybe Josephson's smoked fish is high on the list too). But the Column is being refurbished, so you can't climb to the top. Still a nice view from the top of the hill though. If you do skip Astoria, you won't be missing anything scenery-wise between there and Cannon Beach.

Yes, Juniper is a muni, but a good one. The problem you encountered with Crosswater is the same at many Bend area courses. You could probably get on at Sunriver's North Course though; nice track, and more aesthetically appealing than Juniper. Or Widgi Creek, but that's a little tricked up for me.

McKenzie and Santiam passes can be driven in a loop, except that McKenzie might not open at all. If that's the case, I'm suggesting you only take hwy 126 through Sisters as far as Suttle Lake, and stop there for a meal. Another nice detour there would be the head of the Metolius River and Camp Sherman. Santiam's a piece of cake, but the McKenzie is a bit hairy in spots; switchbacks, narrow two-laned road, and no guardrails.

Take your wife to Fenouil for dinner on the last night. She'll thank you, and you'll like it too. If it's nice, get a table outside.

Between Cannon Beach and Astoria, you may want to stop at Fort Stevens State Park, there is the wreck of the Peter Iredale there and the park is very pretty with lots of walking/biking trails and Coffenbury Lake is there. Stops in Seaside and Gearhart on your way over to Astoria (if you go there) would also be nice. Gearhart is a cool, quiet area of the Oregon Coast. We like to go to the Pacific Way Bakery & Cafe there for a meal and there is a new McMenamin's place we'll be trying soon. :)

Astoria has a gorgeous riverfront area,the Maritime Museum, Flavel House, Heritage House and the views from the Astor Column are gorgeous of the bridge, Saddle Mountain and Columbia River. There are several great places to dine in Astoria. A ride on the riverfront trolley is also lots of fun, you can take in the beautiful scenery and listen to some history of Astoria. There are also several places to wine taste there. Shallon, Silver Salmon, Cellar on 10th are all nice places. Go up to the top of the Hotel Elliott if you go to Astoria, beautiful views from their rooftop area. You do not have to be a guest to do this there. :)

Have fun your trip and any further questions on the northern coast, feel free to ask. We're headed over that way ourselves! ***kim*** ((*))

kimamom,
Did you read travelinandgolfin's itinerary, or just see the word "Astoria" before jumping into your canned response? If tandg decides to include it, it would be a "very short stop" in what is already a 10.5 hour day on the road. So to be more helpful, why not pare your response down to the one or two things that would make Astoria a worthwhile stop.

And by the way; <i>&quot;...Hotel Elliott if you go to Astoria, beautiful views from their rooftop area. You do not have to be a guest to do this there.&quot;</i> And you would know this because.....? But you're right, views from Hotel Elliott are nice, even from some of the rooms! ;-)

On your way from Bend to Hood River you should stop at Timberline Lodge on Mt. Hood. It's a few miles from the Hwy 26/35 cut off on Hwy 26. 1936 mountain lodge/hotel in the tradition of Old Faithfull lodge.

Thanks everyone for the eating place suggestions. I appreciate it.

kimamom.....

If we do decide to go to Astoria, I'll check out some of those areas. We're going to play that one by ear.

bb.....

If the pass is closed, we'll take your suggestion and at least go up to Suttle Lake.

garah.....

Timberline is also on the &quot;play it by ear&quot; list. If we have time, we'll definitely stop by. If I don't play golf that morning, we'll have the time, in fact, probably have lunch there.

If you plan to backtrack to the Newport aquarium, I hope you plan to do it from Yachats, and before going to Cape Perpetua and Heceta Head. Highway 101 is very curvy and slow between Yachats and Florence.

As a homeowner on the central coast, I recommend you eliminate Astoria, the aquarium, and Sea Lion Caves. They just don't stack up to the rest of your itinerary. This will allow at least a bit of time for those appealing and unexpected spots you find along the way that beg for a bit of time and exploration. One of those would be a walk along the 801 trail in Yachats, which has wonderful vistas of the ocean waves breaking on the rocks. At low tide, it's a great place to explore tidepools. You can access it from Overleaf Lodge, and it will be a nice break from so much time in the car.

I don't think day 6 is so mellow. I would do Smith Rocks the next day. It is on the way north. If you need a lunch stop, practically at Smith Rocks, go to the Terrebonne Depot. You will pass it as you cross the railroad tracks on the way to SR.
In the Old Mill there is a new pizza place which is getting good reviews and has great salads. (Can't think of the name.) Next to Cafe Yumm - which is also good, casual, wholesome food.
Downtown on the same street as the Pine Tavern is the Bend Brewery, which also has outside seating and good food and beer. Sometimes when you can't get into Deschutes, you can at BB. If you want upscale recs, ask away. We have plenty. Enjoy! CJ

Barbara.....

We do plan on doing some of those walks in Yachats. I also like the idea of having a bit of extra time for the things that will undoubtably pop up, especially on the two 10 hours days, so Astoria may go.

CarolJean.....

I realize Smith Rock would be on our way to Portland, so in that sense it would be logical to do it on Friday, but if I play golf that morning, we now only have the afternoon, so I wanted to keep that day as light as possible.

Thanks for the suggestions on where to eat in Bend!

Another nice walk to do is at Heceta Head State Park - its between Florence and Yachats.
Its my favorite beach on the coast- plus there is a nice trail up to the lighthouse - and if you feel like walking farther, there is a trail from the lighthouse to a secluded beach. There is a trail map at the lighthouse.
Enjoy

Have a good trip. I'm going down on Thursday. The Ski Inn in Sisters is a great stop! Funky! I do like eating out on the Patio at the Pine Tavern also. It's going to be interesting to read your trip report.

bb.....

Well, did some research on the Melotius River. Found some pictures and even a short video on youtube. We loved it and will be doing that short walk. My wife loves rivers/babbling brooks, things like that, and this one certainly fits the bill. Will probably skip the Mckenzie/Sant. loop althogether.

sb......

We are definitely planning to do that walk a the Heceta Lighthouse. It's one of the must do's around Yachats.

john....

Well, that's two props for Ski Inn. Looks like we'll be eating lunch there that day. Have a nice trip.

If you're doing the Metolius and Camp Sherman, go the extra 4-5 miles to the fish hatchery. The river near the bridge at its entrance has some shades of blue you can't imagine.... I'd post a photo if I had one that does it justice.

You will love the Metolius - one of my favorite spots on earth.

There is a great restaurant there- the Kokanee - you would need reservations for dinner - probably several days in advance.

Close by is Suttle Lake with its beautiful lodge - when reservations not available at the Kokanee, we have eaten at the restaurant at Suttle Lake -
watching eagles fish while we dined -another beautiful spot and there is a trail around Suttle Lake too.

bb or sb.....

About Metolius, I seem to run into contradictory info on the length of the hike, and where to start it.

Where do you start it? At the fishery, the cabin area, Camp Sherman? And are there places you can &quot;loop&quot; back around to where you started without going to the end (which I think is 5-6 miles one way)?

Here is a link that might be helpful although I must admit I have never done this

http://www.oregon.com/hiking/metolius.cfm


The walks I have done I started at Camp Shermam and just walked along the river - I am sure at the store they have maps and suggestions - usually when I go, I bring by bike and bike around to various places

sb.....

Just called Camp Sherman store. They do have maps. I guess there are several areas you can jump on to start the hike.

yay- sounds like you have a plan.

One of the women I work with just proposed to her boyfriend on the trail at the Metolius last weekend -
(they were engaged previously, broke up and he said if she ever wanted to get married she had to do the proposing - so be careful - the Metolius had that kind of an effect on people.

Have a great time!
And of course you might want to stop across the road at Black Butte Resort - great views of the Three Sisters from the dining room

Which &quot;hike&quot; are we talking about? The one to the head of the Metolius is less than a mile roundtrip. We've also done a couple along the riverbank, starting from the fish hatchery, but I don't know that they'd add to your itinerary, t&amp;g. Kinda fun to spend some time at the hatchery though.

Ditto to everything sunbum says about the Metolius, Camp Sherman, Kokanee Cafe, Suttle Lake, and Black Butte. If you don't propose (again) to your wife, you'll want to take up fly-fishing. We've been vacationing in Black Butte for decades, and it remains one of my favorite places on the entire planet. Except for the golf courses. ;-)

sb....

I'm already married, so I'm safe! :)

bb....

Where do you start this hike that is at the head of the Metolius? Is it from Camp Sherman?

Travelin - When is your trip? Please post when you get back &amp; let us know how your trip went. We are planning similar trip for September &amp; quite interested in how your time worked out. Thanks.

kimp, ours is the first week of September. When are you going?

t&amp;g,
You'll turn north off hwy 126 at a sign that says Camp Sherman and Metolius River. A couple miles down the road you'll come to a fork, with signs directing you to either Camp Sherman or the Metolius. The hike to the head of the river starts from a parking lot in the forest 1/4 - 1/2 mile away.

Thanks bb. Helpful as always!

Trav....was in Bend last week and my daughter took me out for some appetizers at Mirinda's on Wall St. downtown. Fantastic Oysters! They were Little Creek and I'd never heard of them. Caught a little Kokanee at Hosmer and froze in the morning up there! Bend was hoppin'.

Travelin - We arrive Sept 12 &amp; I have yet to book a room! I read way to much, everyday I change my plans. Too much to see, do! We hike and bike and we want to hit some of the great trails, so hitting lots of stops in a day is out for us. I'm totally torn between Mt Hood/Gorge &amp; Sisters/Crater. Anyone want to persuade me one way or another? We definetely want to spend a couple days on the coast, but the rest is still up in the air.

kimp.....

well unfortunately, we'll be just finishing our trip as you begin yours, so I won't be able to post a trip report prior.

I understand your dilemna though. The more I planned, the more the schedule filled up. It's still pretty packed, but I actually took out a lot of areas we first thought about checking out.

As far as the Mt. Hood/gorge vs. Sisters/Crater Lake, boy, that's a tough one. If I had to pick one (from all my research), I'd probably go with Mt. Hood/gorge, but I'm glad we have time to do both. Good luck in your choice. I doubt you can really go wrong with either! :)

john....I was watching the Jeld-Wen this past weekend and saw temps in Bend were around 100? YIKES!

Hope it cools off by the time we get there!

A Margarita at 5PM will cool you down nicely!