Back from a wonderful 8-day trip to Oregon. Covered Portland, Columbia River Gorge & Mount Hood, Mount St. Helen's and the Oregon Coast.
Except for a little fog and cold (see later comments), the weather was great.
HIGHLIGHTS
Portland:
*International Rose Test Garden--a photographer's paradise
*The Japanese Garden
*Powell's Bookstore--a must for any lover of books!
*Saturday Market--a cornucopia of crafts on sale
Columbia River Gorge and Mt. Hood Loop:
*All the falls, especially Multnomah
*A walk through Oneonta Falls
*Viewing Mt. Hood
*Lunch at Timberline Lodge
Mount St. Helen's:
*Fascinating reliving the saga of the eruption and viewing the mountain
*Thanks to a wet spring, the wildflowers are magnificent right now
The Oregon Coast
*The breathtaking views at Ecola State Park in Cannon Beach and elsewhere along the coast
*Watching the fog hover over the ocean and coastline
The only bad weather was cold and fog in Yachats, which was very disappointing, as we had a potentially great ocean view from our hotel room. The cold and camp weather also precluded any serious walking or hiking along the beach in that area.
However, otherwise we had great sunny weather the rest of the week.
As for dining, our favorites (in no particular order):
*Jake's in Portland.
*Dan & Louis Oyster Bar in Portland.
*Stanford's--this is a West Coast chain. We ate at the one in Lake Oswego (suburban Portland) and had a wonderful salmon dinner.
*La Serre in Yachats--our best dining experience; had halibut with blueberry sauce.
Timberline Lodge--lunch in the main dining room.
The people in Oregon definitely added to our joyous experience.
Yes, we wanna go back!

We fell in love with Portland, too, after our first visit. I LOVE the Columbia River Gorge. Did you get really wet? When we hiked this, in one section the water reached my waist. What a beautiful hike. My favorite waterfall was Latourell.

Glad both of you enjoyed our state. Now you know why so many Oregonians never want to move out of the PNW!

I'll also say I'm a lover of Oregon (or is it Oregon is for lovers...) We've visited quite a few times, and keep going back. DH would love to retire there.

Howard, you visited some beautiful spots, and included a lot in 8 days. You'll have to go back and discover even more of what the state has to offer. Glad you had mostly fair weather.

Hi Howard!
So glad that you had such a great time. We fell in love with Oregon/Portland too!
Actually, we are moving out there Monday
Can't wait to see your photos~

Dan & Louis Oyster Bar... Now there's a place you don't often read or hear about, but a piece of Portland history nonetheless. Used to be the only place my wife would go for oysters. Was it just by happenstance that you ended up there Howard, or did it come recommended?

Where'd you stay in Yachats? If it was the Overleaf, how'd you like it?

Glad you enjoyed your week here in Oregon.

To answer karens: We didn't get wet in the gorge....but made up for it in Ecola State Park, strolling the beach and visiting the tidepools for hours.
To answer beachbum's questions: We happened upon Dan & Louis Oyster Bar while at the Saturday Market. It looked good, so we went in. The high point of my meal was the salmon chowder. In Yachats, we stayed at the Fireside Motel, which we liked very much. Fortunately, our room had a burning fireplace, which we made use of us because of the cold, dreary weather!
And, yes, Clousie, we did do a lot in eight days....and we know that there is a lot more to see!
One other site we enjoyed that I forgot to mention was the End of the Trail Museum in Oregon City. They do a good job of giving you an understanding of the area's history.
I would be remiss to my son-in-law if I didn't give an out-and-old plug for a eating establishment owned by one of his best friends that, I understand, has become a sort of Portland institution. It's called Escape From New York Pizza at 622 SW 23rd Avenue.
Interesting story of its origin: While visiting Portland some 20+ years ago, this New Yorker was distressed when he was unable to finding any place that sold pizza by the slice. So, he opened his own place. The rest, as they say, is history!

Ha ha! I am writing this from a Starbucks on NW 23rd Avenue, and I just had a slice of pizza at Escape From New York not 20 minutes ago. You're right, it is very much an institution in Portland (and has continued to thrive while the trendy shops on NW23rd continue to spring up around it), but to be fair, there are a number of options for good pizza-by-the-slice in Portland now besides Escape.

Andrew

Hi Howard. I just re-read my post and realized that when I asked you if you got wet, I meant in the Oneonta Gorge. (It's not like I can't hike next to a waterway without getting wet!) When we hiked this up to the waterfall, we were forced to wade into the water, and in one spot the water got up to my waist. It was a hot day and it felt great. I remember how crystal clear the water was - we saw small minnow like fish swimming in it. The waterfall, I thought, was nicer than a lot of the ones on the Road to Hana. I read so much hype on the Road to Hana, that when we did some of it, all I could think of was that we saw a lot of prettier waterfalls in the Columbia Gorge.

karens, the water was very low when we were there; and, we probably didn't go as far as you did.
I forgot to mention one other highlight of the trip, namely, eating Oregon-grown fruit! That was a high point nearly every day!

Yum, Oregon berries! Great report Howard, it's fun to hear how the state looks to people who aren't living in the PNW already. My family's down in the Corvallis area and it is a wonderful place to visit.

Suze--I just went berry picking on Friday and Saturday! You just can't get enough, plus the marionberries are incredible.

lucky you! i've been buying most every day at the Pike Place here in Seattle. raspberries, marionberries, now blueberries. the cherries especially are great this year.

I'm pumped! We headed to a 10-day vacation in Oregon mid-September. Will visit some pals in Portland, then head through the wine country and on south to visit an old HS pal of DH who lives outside of Coos Bay. Just getting ready to start researching the "wine country" part of our trip. mmmmmmm

Glad you had a nice tirp HowardR! We're going to explore the Gorge area sometime this week if I can pull myself away from the gorgeous beach weather we've been having here at the coast! ***kim***

kimamom, just be prepared that the weather in the gorge probably won't match the splendid conditions on the coast! At least, it didn't for us, though we still loved the gorge.

Kim--Maybe we will run into each other I will be there quite a bit this week. I am spoiled though, I have family that lives there so I am there often. What will you be doing there?

We also have about 8 days for our Oregon trip. We'd appreciate some help - we're crazy about scenery, aren't crazy about the traffic and crowds in cities, and are reasonably active, but 60-ish, so heavy hiking is out. We're flying into Portland, so we wouldn't mind spending a little time there. Our questions: 1) Is Howard's itinerary the best or would some of you in-the-know have changed any of it? 2) What are your favorite scenic spots in Oregon? 3)Best time of year to encounter minimum fog and minimum tourists? 4) Favorite reasonable places to stay and eat? Anything that you can suggest would be appreciated.

Oh, a drive up Columbia Gorge is a must. You can drive up the Columbia River Scenic Highway and stop at several of the falls. From there, you can take short hikes around the falls, and come back to the car when you want. Have lunch at Multnomah Falls (be sure to walk up to the bridge), or drive up to Cascade Locks for lunch right on the river . I also like the suggestion of driving up to Mt. Hood and having lunch at Timberline Lodge. You shouldn't see too many tourists right now. After all, school's back in session. If you're staying in Portland, I like Newport Bay at Riverplace. The restaurant is right on the water, and accessible by streetcar in our "fareless square" (free.) You might get a little fog on the coast, but if you're driving over to Seaside/Cannon Beach from Portland, most of the drive is on Highway 26, which is very well-travelled. Anything else you'd like to know, Barbara?

TO TO TOP!

Thanks for posting,
sounds like a super trip.
We're counting down the days
and can't wait to go!!!!!
Powells Bookstore, eh? Something
else to add to our list!
Thanks for sharing your trip with us!