Fodor's Travel Talk Forums - Oregon Trip Report

Many thanks to all who helped with info re Oregon. Our trip was terrific. Below is a report of the highlights:

Day 1:
Flew into Portland. Drove I-5 to 504 to Mt. St. Helens National Volcanic Monument. Incredible---one of the highlights of the trip. Hiked around there and then drove on through Portland to Hood River.

HIKES:
Boundary Trail from Johnston Ridge Observatory to great view of Mt. St. Helens with view of Spirit Lake and Mt. Adams off to one side. Steep and narrow at spots, but what a view.

MEALS:
Mile 19 on 504. OK burger and chicken sandwiches. Nice laid back, homey ambience with view from back porch. Good cobbler.

LODGING: Vagabond Lodge in Hood River. Highly recommended. Excellent views, good location, nice room.

Day 2:
Backtracked toward Portland and then hiked and did sightseeing along Columbia River Gorge via old highway. Portland Women’s Forum, Crown Point and Vista House, Latourell Falls, Wahkeena Falls, Multnomah Falls

HIKES: Wahkeena Falls hike to Fairy Falls (lots of switchbacks).

MEALS:
Bette’s Place in Hood River---great breakfast. The 6th St. Bistro for dinner---pretty good and nice atmosphere.

LODGING: Vagabond Lodge

Day 3:
Hood River to Bend via Mt. Hood area and visit to Timberline Lodge. Watched them ski. Stopped at some roadside fruit stands for fresh cherries.

HIKES:
Mirror Lake Trail. No “mirror” due to breeze but nice easy hike. Unable to hike around Timberline Lodge due to persistent snow. Drove part way to Lookout Mountain Trail, but again snow prevented hike, though some nice views of Mts. Hood, Adams and ?Rainier on the drive.

MEALS:
Charburger in Hood River for breakfast…very good. High Tides in Bend for dinner was best meal of the trip…smoked salmon chowder, entrée special of sesame crusted Ono and vegetables over noodles in a sweet chili sauce and bread pudding for dessert. Highly recommended.

LODGING:
Towne Place Suites by Marriott in Bend. Quiet location, perfect for our needs and nice room, with small abbreviated kitchen facilities, flat screen TV, Wi-Fi, and reasonable pool. Recommended. Easy drive or bike to town or river. Expanded continental breakfast with waffles and hard-boiled eggs, etc. Rented bikes from Pine Mountain Sports.

Day 4:
Hood River and Cascade Lakes area.

HIKES:
Sparks Lake and Ray Atkeson Memorial hike. Very cool hike with varied landscape and good views of several of the “Sisters”. Wish we had made arrangements with Wanderlust Tours to canoe the lake; it looked like fun. Next trip.

MEALS:
Ciao Mambo in Bend. OK. Pizza was not to die for. Nice atmosphere.

LODGING:
Towne Place Suites in Bend.

Day 5:
Hood River to Yachats. First drove to Lava Lands Visitor Center and hiked around Lava Butte. Drove back up 97 to 20 to Sisters. Rte. 242 was still closed from snow. Took 126 to Florence and then 101 up to Yachats.

HIKES:
Lava Butte, Benham Falls hikes at Newberry National Volcanic Monument. Part of Mckenzie River Trail (very scenic) along 126. Sahalie Falls. Beautiful area. Had a nice picnic.

MEALS:
Internation C Food Mart in Florence. Good chowder but rest of meal not that great, overpriced and egregiously bad service. Not recommended.

LODGING:
Overleaf Lodge in Yachats. I cannot say enough positive things about this place. Beautiful setting right on the ocean, nice people staffing, great rooms with views, really nice, upgraded continental breakfast in an attractive lobby/gathering room. It certainly deserves its “2008 Travel Advisor Gem Accommodation” award. Wish we could have stayed there two weeks. Highest recommendation.

Day 6:
Yachats area with stops at Yaquina Bay Lighthouse, Seal Rock, Cape Perpetua, Heceta Head Lighthouse.

HIKES:
Yaquina Bay, Cape Perpetua Tide Pools trail, Heceta Lighthouse.

MEALS:
Drift Inn in Yachats. Nice meal, live music, good dessert.

LODGING:
Overleaf Lodge

Day 7:
Yachats to Wheeler with stops along the way. Walked for several hours on the beach around Newport looking for agates and shell fragments. Visited Yaquina Head lighthouse, Otter Crest Loop (great views), Cape Foulweather, part of Three Capes Scenic Loop (prefer Otter Crest).

HIKES:
Yaquina Head

MEALS:
Lunch at Mo’s West at Otter Crest. Good---BruceWich sandwich. Excellent service. Dinner at Blue Wave in Manzanita---good.

LODGING:
Old Wheeler Hotel in Wheeler. Very cute, nice ambience, excellent room with comfy bed, lots of charm, and our room had a view of the river/bay across the street. Greeted by owner as a friend. Highly recommended. Close to Nehalem and Manzanita and the beach but not on it.

Day 8:
Wheeler to Portland via 101 and then 26.

SIDE NOTES:
Be aware that there is a lack of gas stations close to the airport. Plan ahead. And speaking of gas stations, it was kind of a strange feeling to have others pumping our gas at self-service designed pumps.

SUMMARY: Wonderful trip. We could have stayed at each of our stops for a week or more and had plenty to see and do. Hope the wild, beautiful, rugged areas can stay that way. We will be back. Again, thanks to everyone on the forum for their assistance. The trip would not have been as nice or as smooth without your help.