Beaker, not offended at all, just surprised. As I said, I would guess you haven't actually explored the area of The Gorge as many of us who live in Portland do.

Hi there. Congrats on your road trip!

I've lived - among other places - in Victoria on and off for 8 years and am now in Vancouver. I'm also in my late 20's.

Lots of great advice so far. If I were you, I'd also go Portland to Seattle and skip one night in the islands. Or skip both and go back for an island-hopping trip all on its own in the late summer, early fall. These little communities are so beautiful and wonderful to explore, it's easy to spend a week meandering about, riding bicycles, and just enjoying life.

If you do want to leave your car in the US, and you do want to see Victoria, the Victoria Clipper brings you right into the Inner Harbour. And from downtown Victoria, there are PCL buses that are really reasonable that take you right into the heritage bus station downtown Vancouver.

That said, Vancouver's mass-transit leaves much to be desired and I think that to really see Victoria you need a car. If you do decide to visit Victoria, and you do skip the San Juan Islands - I still maintain that these and the Gulf Islands should be a separate trip - you can take the Coho from Port Angeles which also brings you right into Victoria's Inner Harbour.

Driving around Victoria's perimetre has got to be one of the best things about Victoria. If you love scenic drives, mini-style, the Breakwater and Cattle Point are stunning both in the day and at sunset; there are literally miles and miles of oceanfront drive replete with natural and man-made beauty. On a windy day at Cattle Point there are multitudes of multi-coloured kites in the air. Some of the most beautiful older homes are in this area, and there are many pullouts for photo opps. Stop at

If you spend but a night there, I recommend driving from Cook St - stop at Beacon Hill Drive Inn and geta soft-serve ice cream cone first and eat it up at the lookout in Beacon Hill Park - round Dallas Rd and Beach Dr as far as you can go, then heading out to Butchart Gardens (time this with a Saturday night) for the fireworks. Be advised that you will need to get there early to get in.

Since you are going with your wife, I suggest somewhere quaint and romantic in Victoria. Try the English Inn & Resort (you can get good rates on Hotels.com - choose or upgrade to a Crown Suite) or any of the old B&Bs in Fairfield or along Dallas Rd - try these sites: http://www.bestinnsofvictoria.com/ or http://www.bestbnbvictoria.com/.

Not sure what your budget is, but in Victoria, I recommend eating at:

Cafe Brio - Italian & French - Fantastic tagliatelle - www.cafe-brio.com

Daidoco - Japanese - greet owner Naotatsu Ito who loves to show off his specialties. Local and very fresh (mostly organic) ingredients. I don't think they are open on weekends, though, so if you see th eButchart fireworks this might not work for you.

Zambri's - Italian - Nice romantic venue with rich and unapologetic Italian food.

John's Place - American - A sentimental favourite - good souvlaki and yummy multiple mushroom pasta with feta, remembered well for its jukebox and candles and low-key atmosphere. Great bread with herb butter made from their on-site bakery. (I ended a fundraiser 30-hour famine here).

If you go Victoria to Vancouver on the ferry, MAKE RESERVATIONS. I canot stress enough how awful it is to wait in line at the ferry terminal. Reservations are approx. $20 and as long as you show up at the terminal 20 mins before sailing, you're home free. DEFINITELY worth the cash. You can spend upwards of 5 hours if you miss your target sailing, in a ferry queue, with nothing to do but look at the asphalt.

Once in Vancouver, recommended restaurants:

Bacchus - Modern Italian - YOU WILL CERTAINLY NEED A CAR AND A RESERVATION FOR THIS PLACE (Book a month in advance). Tour the winery, buy a bottle of wine to take back with you (if you like white the Bacchus is lovely and light) and have a fantastic lunch. They are famous for their lobster rolls but anything on the menu is excellent.

Imperial Chinese - Asian - great selection, but prepare for lines for dim sum. Try the salmon in black bean sauce.

Nu - French/American - great food, great views, try the tempura and the aperatifs.

ViJ's - Indian - everyone likes this place. Great atmosphere, curry that you can feel in your toes, really innovative food.

Tacos Mexico Rio - Mexican - one owner/manager (fiesty!) - best mole in the Lower Mainland. Authentic and zesty Mexican cuisine.

Bishop's - West Coast - a 'culinary experience' but an expensive one. Check out www.bishopsonline.com

West - West Coast - this is one of THE restaurants du jour. A dish for all seasons, summer's is the most redolent of haute cuisine and the chef's genius. If you have the $$$$, go here.

So many restaurants in Van...

From a NW resident:

Columbia Gorge has spectacular scenery out to Hood River only. Waterfalls are easily accessed from road.

The Olympic Peninsula was as described below. Lots of logging and RVs. Takes a LONG time to drive (at least a couple of days). I'd cut this out.
We were underwhelmed with the rainforest (sorry)for the effort it took to get there. It really just looks like a damp woods (which describes a lot of Washington

Mount Rainer is absolutely stunning on Sunrise side (east side). Highest accessible point by car in the park. There is a trail at the top that loops you through scenery reminiscent of "Sound of Music" and past a glacier. Takes about 2 hours to hike.

Drive between Portland and Seattle is fairly monotonous. Likewise between Seattle and Vancouver.

The ferry between Anacortes and the San Juan Islands is beautiful. However, the ferry lines are murder if you take a car. The ferry ride is also fairly slow, so leave a whole day for this option.

Vancouver BC is probably the most beautiful west coast city (maybe along SF, but we like BC better). Granville Island is fun. Best restaurant in Vancouver is a little local joint way at the end of Robson called TapasTree

Victoria is cute, if a bit touristy.

Best of luck and enjoy...

bgg110,

As a NW native, I think your itnerary is a bit ambitious. Here is your major dilemma as I see it: you could go to the Oregon coast, stay in Cannon Beach, and go up the Olympic peninsula the next day or you could go the the gorge and then head up the Olympic Peninusula. However, you can't do all three in your time frame. I would prefer the Gorge if you're already going to see plenty of coastal areas. It's quicker and more interesting than the coast (although the Oregon Coast does deserve all the beauty praise it gets, especially its beaches, but it can be a total nightmare in the summertime with traffic on US 101).

Start your gorge trip via the Historic Highway at Exit 22 off I-84 (Corbett)...starting in Troutdale (Exit 17) is a waste of time. Latourell, Bridal Veil and Multnomah Falls are all right off the road. Hiking around any or all of the falls is divine. One caveat: the waterfalls tend to be their fullest and most fullsome in winter and fall.

At Hood River, Hwy 35 goes around the mountain through the Hood River Valley (HRV). This is an absolutely spectacular drive to be sure, but if you're looking for glaciers and a more "massive" experience, try Rainier.

I would stay in Portland 2 nights and drive up to Seattle via I-5, stopping at Rainier or St. Helens, unless you absolutely have to see the Olympics.

I would skip the Olympics and do some similar sight-seeing later on Vancouver Island without the stress.

I love Mt. St. Helens (I was six when it erupted and remember it well), but check to see what the schedule is like and there will be crowds in the summertime...Still, it's a one-of-a-kind view and I would never come here without trying to see it.

In PDX (the local moniker for Portland), there are many different places to get good wine and food without going down the valley. Be prepared for culture. PDX, Seattle and Vancouver are all great cities with fabulous restaurants and shows.

I might try to stay at the Inn at Northrup Station in PDX (NW 21st and Northrup). You're right on the streetcar for trips to the Pearl and downtown, and you're smack dab in the middle of the most of the talked about restaurants (like "Wildwood") on 21st. The rooms are suites and you can pick up food from City Market on 21st if you want to make something at the hotel. Also, if you wanna shop, two blocks north, on NW 23rd, there's block after block of chic-looking local stores.

The SJI's are beautiful but can be a total pain get to. When I go, I park my car at Anacortes and walk onto the ferry. If you have evertying along with you though, you'll probably have to take the car. It can sometimes take a whole day just to get there if you haul your car along. Probably better to plan a whole trip around them then to just try to see them.

I would defintely skip the Astoria to Seattle section on 101 and stay in PDX. It's just too long and dull. I think your time is much better spent in Seattle, at Rainier or St. Helens.
I could go on and on. I am just scratching the surface and I haven't even written about Seattle yet! Wow! I love it here.

Okay, my two cents, I left Vancouver BC in my teens, lived in Portland and now am in Seattle so I've seen all this stuff. Oregon Coast is beautiful but so are the San Juan Islands. I'd pick between the two. Cannon Beach is cute and even has a spa but you're not really missing anything if you want to pick Mt. Hood/Gorge over the beach to save time. Or skip Hood/Gorge/Timberline and head to Rainier. They may offer dinners (if this visit is summer) using the chair lift up to the top of the mountain. The view is incredible and the food is pretty good. "Pretty" good not spectacular by any stretch. I like Hood and Ranier so it's tough to say. Portland is a bustling city with excellent food...rivals Seattle any day in my opinion. The Olympic drive while pretty is painfully long like others suggest. I like Victoria but someone mentioned Pender and I grew up going there on weekends...any of the Gulf Islands are nice. Victoria is touristy but in a fun way and it's nice to walk around The Empress and govt. bldgs at night. All time favorite, spectacular, not to be missed city is Vancouver. You'd be NUTS to miss it. So much to do, lots of food, party, mountains, beaches, it has it all! No matter what you do, you'll enjoy it here during the summer. The ferry lineup warnings are absolutely true. Head out early.