I have established an itinerary for a trip to Oregon & would welcome any comments concerning the time element or anything my wife & I may be missing on the route or are we attempting to do too much. We are flying into Portland Sep 10th arriving 6am.
Drive to Astoria to visit Astoria Column, Riverwalk, Fort Canby, Cape Disappointment, etc.
Depart Astoria Sep 11, driving to Newport visiting the towns etc on the way.
Depart Newport Sep 12, driving to Salem via Yachats, Reedsport, & Salem.
Depart Salem Sep 13, driving to Pendleton via Troutdale & the Columbia River Gouge to Hood River, then Pendleton for the Pendleton Round-Up. We have tickets for the events beginning Sep 14.
Depart Pendleton Sep 17, driving to Portland for our return flight via I-84 to Maryhill & the WA side to Hood River, then to Portland.
Are we doing too much of the Oregon coast in those two days? We enjoy historical locations, short hikes, lighthouses, sea lions, scenic beaches, nice vineyards, & quaint villages, plus good wine, good beer or a good margarita. We loved Big Sur but we enjoyed the CA coast & wine country north of San Francisco better. Is the Oregon coast comparable?

I like your itinerary, but the routes on the 12th and 13th are each at least four, and probably closer to five hours of solid speed-limit driving. That doesn't leave much time for "short hikes, lighthouses, sea lions, scenic beaches, nice vineyards, & quaint villages, plus good wine, good beer or a good margarita." Especially since you have to do a lot of tasting to find a good margarita!!

An alternative would be to go only as far south as Newport, turn around, and head back to Portland via 18 (just north of Lincoln City). You'd be giving up some of the stuff on your list, but gaining the flexibility of more time, and the possibility of visiting several of the many wineries between McMinnville and Portland.

I've lived in Oregon for many years. I concur with beachbum's recommendations. Take some time to visit a few wineries around Dundee on your trip back from the coast. You've picked a perfect time of year for weather. Oregon summer's typically start on July 5th and run thru September. Have a great time and take time to smell the roses.

beachbum & cousin. Thank you. I will do some refining of the itinerary.

I forgot to mention the Aviation Museum on Hiway 18, near McMinnville, which houses the "Spruce Goose". Definitely worth a stop.

I second the Evergreen Aviation Museum. I wouldn't miss it if I was in the area.

Being a "native" Californian it is difficuilt for me to compare OR. & Ca. coastline----However, I will choose Oregon-mainly because of the ease of access. to most of the beaches and seaside. OR started early to set aside their coast before the big developers bought it up for private use only..CA was not that smart.. We have been up and down the OR. coast MANY times (25) in the last 30 years .
Since I am really a "coastal" person, I love your itinerary.One thing to keep in mind--driving along the coast your max speed averages 35-40 MPH. And the trafic will still be somewhat congested.(even after Labor day the coast is still well traveled) therefore
I too agree with" beachbum"
Have a great trip..
PS If you like "Art-Deco" restoration -take a look at the "redone" theater in downtown Astoria further down isTillamook cheese factory in town of the same name--they also have wonderful ice cream. Few miles north of Newport is Depoe Bay--great seafood place is the Sea Hag. casual place but good food..
Wow, I think I will plan another trip....

It is called the Liberty Theater, www.liberty-theater.org is the website. It's gorgeous, we saw Pink Martini there in concert last December.

www.oldoregon.com is a website for Astoria. Don't miss the Maritime Museum, Fort Clatsop, and the Flavel House. When you go over the bridge to WA, you must have a meal at the 42nd Street Cafe. The Sanctuary in Chinook is also very good, open for dinner Thurs.-Sun.

If you want fine dining on the WA coast, The Shoalwater at the Shelburne Inn is excellent.

I hope you get to spend some time in Seaside and Cannon Beach, also! Happy New Year! ***kim*** Oh, if you want a nice selection of PNW wines, go to the Silver Salmon Grille for dinner. First visit the Cellar on 10th Street in Astoria and pick up a card there for a $5/bottle corkage fee if you want to bring own wine to the restaurant! www.silversalmongrille.com

Great stuff. Thanks to all of you. This is the kind of good info you don't get in the travel brochures. I have decided I am going to add an additional day to the front end of my itinerary starting on the 9th to give me a little more time on the coast.

I think you will have a great time at the Round-Up. There will be lots of things for you to do during the week, a highlight would be a visit to Tamastslikt Museum, on the Umatilla Reservation, there is also a great 18 hole golf course. I hope you have your room reservations as all the hotels and motels are booked way in advance. Since I live here I am a little partial but our part of Oregon is beautiful. We also have lots of wineries just across the border (about 45 miles) in Walla Walla, WA. Welcome to Pendleton and Let'er Buck!

I see you're planning to travel to Portland via I-84, but on the Washington side of the river. Can you plan to travel at least part of the way on the Oregon side? I'd hate for you to miss Multnomah Falls, and all the short hikes you can do from the scenic Columbia River Highway.