Hello fellow travelers.

Just a brief report on our Oregon vacation.

Stayed 4 nights at the Marriott City Center.
Very nice 3 diamond hotel right in the center of downtown. (very convienent for us)
Got the "Big Deal" Package from www.travelportland.com with free parking and breakfast each morning. Good Deal !!!

Day 1 Travel

Day 2 Did the Columbia River Gorge/Mt. Hood Loop. One of my favorite days of the trip. Stopped at the Info. Center in Troutdale and spoke with a very knowledgeable young lady, who recommended we take the side trip to Larch Mountain just outside of Corbett. Best thing we ever did !!! Elevation there was 4056 ft. and we were able to see MT. St. Helens, Mt. Adams, Mt. Rainier, and Mt. Hood. Outstanding view on a clear day. At the summit there are stone markers with elevations and distances for each Mt. you are viewing. Multnomah Falls is not to be missed, got some nice pictures. An unplanned, nice stop for us while entroute was the Bonneville Dam and Fish Hatchery. Saw Hermon the giant Sturgeon, and the grounds there are very attractive. Enjoyed the Fruit Loop on the Mt. Hood Loop and you know we just had to buy some of those great cherries. (3 varieties). Dinner that evening at Fratelli's in the Pearl. What we had was very good, but with a name like Fratelli's, I expected to get a nice Veal Parm. and it wasn't to be found on the menu.
Where I come from if you can't get a good Veal Parm. in an Italian Restaurant, its not a real Italian Restaurant.

Day 3 Took a trip to the shore via Rt. 30, made stops in Astoria, Seaside, Ecola State Park, and Cannon Beach. Favorite stops this day were the Astoria Column,(great views and great info. from the volunteer on duty) and Ecola State Park. We had perfect weather for the great pics we took. Returned Via Rt. 26 back to Portland. Dinner tonight at Jakes Grill, (Awesome, a little pricey, but worth it) Great food, great service, very knowledgeable waiter, who knew the menu and specials cold.

Day 4 Spent the entire day in the city.
Rode the trolley everywhere (no charge). Enjoyed Saturday Market under the Burnside Bridge, but enjoyed the tremendous Farmers Market, just off the SW Mill St. trolley stop at Portland State University, much better. My wife really liked this market alot !!! Fruits, Vegetables, flowers, music, (simply awesome atmosphere).
Toured Washington Park, and stopped at the Japaneese Gardens. (well worth the stop). Made a stop at the famous Powells Book Store, (unbelievable). After picking all day long on food around the city we ordered a light meal from room service that evening, and surpriseingly had a nice meal.

Day 5 Headed for Crator Lake, with stops in Sisters, and Bend. Very interesting little towns. Got some great pics of the scenery and the country. Crator Lake was breathtaking. In my opinion it was well worth the drive. With perfect weather, this place was almost too good to be true. Standing at the top of Mazama looking down at the calm, blue water, and breathing that crisp, clean air, was almost a spiritual experience. We had a full moon, and a crystal clear night to see every star in the sky............Sensational !!! Oh ya, How could I forget, on the way in to the park, about 500 yards from the North entrance, we got the scare of our lives, this huge Elk appeared out of nowhere, stopped just at the edge of the roadway,looked at us like..."what are you doing on my turf?", starred at us, while I slowly motored away, and then disappeared into the forest. Wow !!! (Storybooklike)
Dinner tonight at Crator Lake Lodge. (all food was beyond our expectations) Highly recommend it. Make sure you have a reservation well in advance.

Day 6 Drive from Crator Lake to the southern coast, along several scenic byways. Overnight tonight at Coos Bay. Dinner at Benetti's in Coos Bay. (Excellent meal, eat upstairs and you get a nice view of the bay)

Day 7 Drive up the coast with stops in
Florence, Yahats, and Newport. Favorite part of the day .... Heceta Light House, took the tour, very interesting and knowledgeable staff. Just north of Lincoln City headed inland via Rt. 18 and 99W, through the wine country. Stopped at Duck Pond Cellers, great wine tasting experience, real nice staff, nicely manicured grounds. Through all the samples, crackers, and cheese laced with chocolate, we managed to find a few favorites for our travel pak home. Great stop !!!
Light meal at the hotel, and early to bed.

Day 8 Caught the 6:50 a.m. flight back to the east coast.

Great vacation in Oregon. Beautiful State !!
Highlights...... Multnomah Falls, Larch Mountain, Ecola State Park, Crator Lake, Heceta Light House.

Arrivederci, Larry

Great report and thanks! We've been back on the coast for a week now. It's gorgeous, glad you had great weather. We've been surfing every night at Indian Beach. Sooooo pretty and nice waves for beginners.

Last night we had another great meal at Bistro in CB and desserts were chocolate pot de creme from Gower St. Bistro. Glad you enjoyed the Astor Column, the views really are amazing from up there. Did you have a chance to go through the Maritime Museum? ***kim***

Thanks for the detailed report, Larry. It's nice to see Oregon through a visitor's fresh eyes and be reminded again what a great place this is to live. You packed a lot into a week. How did it feel? Rushed?

And where did you stay at Crater Lake? I've got reservations at the Mazama Village Motor Inn next month, and it'd be nice to have a first-hand report if you stayed there.

By the way, I can't remember the last time I saw veal parm on an Italian restaurant menu here in Portland. I don't think it's even on Piazza Italia's menu, which is about as traditional Italian as we get. Glad you enjoyed Fratelli's anyway. It's one of my faves.

And thanks for your continuing report, kimamom. I chuckle at the way you manage to turn anyone else's trip report into your own. Thanks too for spending some of your California dollars here in Oregon.

Larry--Sounds like a great trip! Glad you enjoyed our state. I agree about Larch Mtn near Corbett, but luckily I have family in Corbett so am our there at least once a week.

Thanks for the trip report! You certaily saw many of the highlights of our beautiful state. Larch Mountain is new to me, so thanks for bringing that to my attention.

BeachBum, you keep the taxes off, we'll keep coming, LOL

Great report, Larry! Thanks for bringing back the memories. Did you take pictures?

Just for folks who might consider vacationing at the Oregon Coast in the summer, a warning: it is NOT always sunny and warm on the coast in the summer!

Yesterday I drove from Portland (my home) to Newport on the coast. I've been there numerous times and know the weather can be pleasant in the winter but miserable in the summer, and despite a weather forcast of 60 degrees, I went anyway. It was FOGGED IN, 20 degrees and FREEZING on the beach! Meanwhile, it was about 88 and sunny in Portland and warmer at the Northern coast. I really felt sorry for the unfortunate vacationers who were visiting the central coast in July yesterday. What a nasty impression they got of the coast!

September is usually beautiful on the coast, but July and August can be cold and foggy, especially in the mornings!

Andrew

We've been on the coast for a week and yesterday was our first foggy day. Today is full sun and beautiful! We needed a break from our beach tanning, so we're not complaining, LOL!

Forecast for the weekend looks like full sun. When you're escaping 110 degree weather, the cooler weather is nice for us. DH has been working in Portland all week and he said it has been sunny there. I don't mind a day of fog on the coast at all. ***kim***

BTW, we are on the northern coast not central coast so maybe it's a bit more pleasant up north! ***kim***

Kim....
We did not have a chance to go to the Maritime Museum. We live 20 min. from Mystic Seaport and Museum, so we decided to do a little something different while in Oregon, although I'm sure, it would have been very nice.
Beechbum....
I must admit we did do alot of driving, but we had the correct mind set for it before we arrived. We knew it would be a little hectic some days, but we were prepared. We stayed at Mazama Village in Bldg. F (the Lodge was booked solid) Not bad for that atmosphere, simply and clean for the most part. We only found 2 black ants on the bathroom floor. It reminded us of our stay in Yosemite awhile back. Actually Mazama was 2 steps above our tent cabin at Yosemite. At least you will have a private shower in your room at Mazama. The 7 miles from our room at Mazama to the top at Crator Lake Lodge, wasn't bad, just don't have too many cocktails at dinner, at the Lodge. The drive back down to Mazama Village in the dark with a light head could put a kink in your plans, if you drive off the road or hit an Elk !!!
Faina-Again....
Yes, we took alot of pics. everywhere we went, the weather God was with us.

Thanks again, for everyone who contributes to this web site, it made our vacation a most memorable one.
Larry, in Niantic by the Atlantic.

Oh Larry, an Elk?? Fantastick!!
I am so glad you had such a good time. Those streetcars are so great, aren't they? We never got to stop at the Farmers Market in the Park blocks, I hope to be doing plenty of shopping there in the near future. Isn't it pretty in that area though?
We had dinner at Fratellis also. I love what they did with that space. The wait staff is very nice too.
I also look forward to revisiting the Falls , this time with Pup and a picnic.
Aren't the Japanese Gardens the best? I want to see them in the rain, it was sunny the entire time we were in Portland LOL
The idea of a cool foggy day is SO appealing. We are having 97 and storms, steamy every day
kim, I think you should ask that Bistro place to start paying you for advertising LOL

Did you miss the dead anchovies that washed up near Seaside? I heard the area became quite stinky.

mms, I just read about that! Imagine, thousands of dead fish washing up on the beach!
Larry, I think you had great timing if you missed that sight..or scent