we will be driving from yachats to portland. Not sure how we will get over to rt 5 (will have already driven down the coast from Cannon beach). But curious if there is anything slightly off of RT 5 worth stopping at briefly?

My favorite east-west drive is OR 38, which follows the Umpqua River from Reedsport to Drain.

There is a great deal to see near I-5. If we knew your interests, we could direct you better.

We like Silver Falls State Park, but it can't be seen quickly: http://www.silverfallspark.org

If you like to wine taste, stop by the Williamette Valley Vineyards, very nice wines and the views are gorgeous from the outside patio area, here. We were just there a couple of weeks ago and loved the Edelweiss wine! ***kim***

If you want a beautiful wilderness route, take OR 34 between Waldport and Corvallis.

The quickest would probably be taking OR 20 east from Newport. My favorite is the route happytrails suggests, but that involves going 50+ miles in the opposite direction. And if you really want to wine taste, forget I-5 and take hwy 18 from north of Lincoln City, which passes through the heart of Oregon's wine country.

I haven't been on OR 34 since I was a kid, bbqboy. Have to try that route next time..

bbqboy, OR 34 - is that the really windy road between Corvallis and the beach? I can remember driving that road in all kinds of weather, and all times of day and night during my college days. Motion sickness is the word that comes to mind when I think of that road - shudder. I also remember the time my now husband (then boyfriend) and I left for the beach about 10 at night in the winter to spend the weekend at his parents cabin on the Alsea. Halfway there in the pitch black on the winding road - he blew a fuse and the lights on his truck went out. How we survived and didn't crash is still a mystery to this day! That was many years ago - our daghter just graduated from OSU last June - and I always worried about her driving that road with her friends. Beautiful scenery though!

Yes. The transition from ocean to estuary to mountains to valley is simply amazing. We are sort of blase about the exceptional beauty of Oregon when we are admidst it everyday. If I'm sightseeing I'm not driving at night anyway, and there are no semis for the most part, unlike US20.