We just returned from a 10 day road trip to my home state. Some of the territory we covered was new to us, but only a bit--as I've been most everywhere in the state most of it was repeats, but some to places we haven't been in years. I wanted to share it, as I don't think there's a better state in the union for diversity (geographic, people, not so much ;-) ) for shorter trips. California rules for geographic diversity, but it can take several years to cover it well.
I've broken the trip into the 5 legs we planned, and for reasons of clarity put it on photobucket as it will render a larger size than on here. I've marked each leg in different colors: http://s7.photobucket.com/user/Local...0Trip.png.html
Leg 1--Sacramento to Ashland
The high point of this drive was stopping at Yaks in Dunsmuir for a burger. This is the most memorable burger we've ever had--and you HAVE to do this on any trip north on I-5! The place has national exposure--it's that good--and it's all locally sourced, fresh, and artisan all the way. The beef is 100% grass fed so that's my only knock--if it was grain finished it would be PERFECT but it's 98% and I'll bet you've never had a burger this crazy good.
We went to the Elizabethan Theatre in Ashland and saw the Count of Monte Cristo. If you haven't been up there in a few years, Paul Allen wrote a nice check and now there's a balcony, and if you know your seats you can escape the rain if you get it--and we did. We were one row under cover and stayed dry. Just a tip. The play was fine--Ashland is a cool little town, but not much to it other than the Shakespeare complex.
Leg 2--Ashland to Seaside
Via Elkton, northwest of Roseburg, and well worth a stop for wine tasting for some unique Oregon wines from small wineries in the Umpqua Valley. The road follows the Umpqua River into Reedsport (crappy little commercial fishing town). We stopped in Florence which has sand dunes and quad rentals for running them--we walked one for the view. First night we stayed in Newport which is a great spot for touring a working pier and wharf. Some of the boats on the NatGeo crab fishing shows in Alaska are docked in Newport, and it's the largest commercial fishing area in Oregon. It's got some decent beaches, better for tourist stuff on the wharf. Good restaurants are scarce but there. We had a knock you out view from a perfectly executed B&B there--I'd go back in a heartbeat, but I like Newport. Some don't--it's a bit taudry. I just like walking the piers and talking to the commercial fishermen and crabbers.
Next day we worked our way up the coast, stopping first in Neskowin which has a good beach with some interesting tide pools, then in Pacific City which is off 101 and one of my favorites on the coast. The beach on a beautiful summer's day is packed with people who drive onto the sand and unload every toy imaginable, include sand sailers for the dunes. Drive on the beach if you like, or just enjoy the folks--Pacific City is a sportsman's haven and home to a commercial dory fleet which beach-launches boats. Not serene, not prisine, just fun.
We stayed in Manzanita which has one of the better beaches on the coast and a nice little town with cute shops. Motels can be tough there--ours was on the beach and served the purpose of a full beaching it day with me pitching the fly rod in the surf for about 3 hours around dark--wet wading--I think the Japanese current was in because the water was at least 70°--totally swimmable--and that's not typical.
The next day we worked our way towards Seaside through Cannon Beach, hiking Oswald West and Ecola State Parks, both gorgeous natural parks, uncrowded at least by California standards, and in the best county (Clatsop) for beach quality on the entire coast--also the most crowded as it's a direct run from Portland. Cannon Beach is where I vacationed as a kid and it was a true beach town with a couple of restaurants and cottages. Now it's condos and gift shops. It's well done, but it's still way too much tourism stuff for me, so we stayed in Seaside. Seaside is a mini Santa Cruz with an arcade area with bumper cars and a tilt-o-wheel, cotton candy, etc. It's a commercial center for Clatsop County, and not the first choice for a beach stay but the actual beach is nice enough. The next town up, Gearhart, is much nicer and you can drive on that beach almost to Astoria as it's a designated state highway. Don't worry--it's safe--but 4WD strongly recommended. Gearhart is a great place to stay IF you can get a room--we couldn't.
Many of the beaches are state highways not for transportation, because the tides will get you in trouble. It's for insurance that the beaches remain public and accessible. Governor Tom McCall even changed the law that is federal in nature to move the public area to 16' above the high water mark to insure than no business would try to privatize any part of a beach. Public domain and access is a huge part of Oregon law, and you will see a big difference when visiting. Far less private concessions, far more public lands. Try to sell stuff on the beach and you'll be in jail. They are dead serious about public rights and access there.
The coastal weather was perfect--high 70s low 80s no rain. That NEVER happens on the Oregon Coast! When it does, there's no place I'd rather be. California beaches have much better weather, and the high bank vistas are incomparable, but for a far less crowded experience with spotless beaches that are incredibly wide with clean sand and easily accessible, the Oregon beaches are the best in the West in my opinion.
Recommended, south to north, bolded best picks: Brookings, Port Orford, Bandon, Florence/Heceta Beach, Yachats, Newport, Lincoln City, Pacific City, Manzanita, Cannon Beach Area, Gearhart.
Leg 3--Seaside to Hood River via Portland and Highway 30
I will start off by saying this trip is not for everyone, especially the leg along Hwy 30 which is along the Columbia River from Astoria to Portland. I love it because I remember when all these small ports were vibrant towns, and now most of them are near ghost town status with the timber industry in shreds. Still, if you are interested in maritime commerce, there's no place in the U.S. better to get a close up view of ocean freighters entering the second largest river in the U.S. and working up river, some way beyond Bonneville Dam, way east of Portland. Jump back and forth over the river to Washington if you like--there's a lot to see but you won't find it in Fodor's. That's why I can't recommend this trip for families as there are more interesting and scenic places to see---like the Old Columbia River Highway out of Portland to The Dalles.
Miles of beautifully planned old roads that were built in the 20s with a visionary eye on vistas while driving, lots of stops with beautiful views and waterfalls, the Old Columbia River Highway is replete with stunning views of the mountains, the river, and kite surfers on the Columbia. Hood River used to be a crappy little packing shed port for fruit--it's now the wind/kite surfing capital of the U.S., known as The Gorge. It has breweries, tech companies--quite the change from years past. We stayed in the historic Columbia Gorge Hotel, right on a cliff above the river, beautiful gardens, etc. It was OK. Honestly, this is a GREAT day trip from Portland--you don't need to stay in Hood River unless you're headed east--which we were.
Leg 4--Hood River to Camp Sherman via John Day country
Now this leg was about 50% new territory to us, and as far as the drive, I think my favorite day of the trip--all 300 miles or so of it. Again, it's not for everyone as it's extremely remote and often desolate--but a marvelous mix of ag and prehistoric rock formations. Exiting I-84 south on Highway 97, you're almost immediately in wheat country, and squarely in Eastern, nor Central Oregon. The wheat ranches go for miles, and at one point you can see Mts. Adams, St. Helens, Rainier, Hood, and Jefferson from one spot. The small towns might have a store and a little cafe, maybe a small gas station. People are friendly, inquisitive about why you're stopping because few do. After doing Oregon's newest state park along the John Day River, which is foul with snakes which are unfortunately a big part of the Oregon desert, we had a picnic lunch with food we were carrying at a tiny park in a tiny town where kids would come up on bikes and say hi because they don't get many strangers there.
The high point of this leg was John Day country, famous for ancient basalt cliffs and outcroppings, along the John Day river. These are mostly federal monuments, thus not screwed up with all kinds of signs and tourist stuff--very natural as it should be. I promised my wife I'd go first and watch for rattlesnakes, and she agreed so we spent a couple of hours hiking the cliff trails and taking in the views. It is AWESOME, and something I've always wanted to see, and I cannot recommend it enough IF you like that sort of desert desolation--you won't find many places more remote than this, and there's nowhere to stay that you'd want to stay. It's camping or a LONG day trip out of Bend or Redmond.
We worked our way through Antelope (remember the Rashneesh?) stopped at Terrabonne to walk the awesome bridge over the Crooked River, and ended up in Camp Sherman, west of Bend on Highway 20, just out of Sisters which is a very touristy but well done town near the summit of the Cascades. Camp Sherman is on the Metolius River, which is a spring creek of national prominence in fly fishing--FISHING more than CATCHING for most of us--but a more beautiful stream I've never seen. Camp Sherman has a store and cabins for rent--NICE cabins--owned by wealthy people all over the country who summer there for a couple of weeks then rent them. Between Camp Sherman and Sisters, it's a spectacular place, but if your family is used to pre-fab entertainment, not the best choice for a long stay. Between fishing and jumping down to Bend, we will probably stay a week there next year.
Leg 5--Camp Sherman to Sunriver
Bend is just cool, and has more worthwhile culture and activities than all of Sacramento IMNSHO. Dozens of micro-breweries, great shops and restaurants, parks, activities for kids year around, and lots of concerts with A and B names. Sunriver is just south on 97, in the pines, on the Deschutes River, and is one of my favorite places in the world. It's a huge resort, with every imaginable activity. Californians love Sunriver because there is pre-fab entertainment, and with all respect, most of us here have raised our kids on these kind of activities rather than wilderness oriented stuff. There are pools, water slides, a really nice mall, bike trails, river raftting and kayaking, great restaurants, and nightly entertainment and it's always quite high quality. Sunriver is a place where anyone can find something to do. My wife likes to ride the bike trails and hit the mall and the lodge--I use it as a base camp for some of the best fly fishing on the West Coast. I've been going to Sunriver since it's inception in the late 60s, and never tire of it. It's constantly updated, has a beautiful nature center with injured Eagles, a planetarium with nightly lectures and telescope time, horses to ride, you name it and Sunriver probably has it. Rent houses or a lodge room--rates are lower than Tahoe and accommodations generally nicer. It's a 7-8 hr drive via 97 from Sacramento so it's not a weekend spot, but we have done 4-5 day trips and found it fine. Less--it would be rushed. If the winters weren't so long, that's where we would live--or Bend--but no thanks to 7-8 months of cold.
Lots of people on here are FB friends, and I posted lots of pics along the way. I'll try to add some here soon, but I will say it was one of our best road trips ever. If you are interested, hit me up for specifics, including places to stay.
I'll wrap with general comments about Oregon vs. California, because they are truly different worlds. On the drive back, my wife and I were trying to distill the differences down to some simple thoughts. My comment was that one has more personal freedoms in California. As regulated as we are, we have fewer personal behavior rules than Oregon. And, as such, we have the freedom to litter and drop trash wherever, and the freedom to generally do as we please, and screw the next guy.
In Oregon, there is a sign about 10 feet across the border--I wish I had a picture--"No Littering--Fine $6,250." Now, I'm sure the Oregon Legislature had a laugh at our expense with that number, but they mean it, and it's clearly directed at us. My wife followed up with a similar conclusion. Here we have so many cultures that Oregon does not, and we tend to respect them to the extent we allow people from different countries and cultural backgrounds to pretty much do as they please, regardless of what some of us would prefer.
In Oregon, no. You do it "our way" and you don't throw your crap where you please, you obey traffic laws, you don't smoke wherever you please BUT you can build a bonfire on the beach without a fire ring as long as you clean it up and don't set something on fire. So, the liberal, somewhat socialist politics tend to work there, and work quite well. It's a bit easier in a state of four million people, of which about a third don't live in the Portland-Eugene area which are the only population centers and no one in the state government gives a damn about those who don't live in that complex, and they feel the same way, so the laws really only apply to about 2.5 million people, although even in the rural parts people are very respectful of the environment and are generally polite, friendly, and well mannered.
The difference, simply, is there is a social buy in from at least the majority of the Oregonians to keep the state nice and clean and enjoyable for everyone--including the next guy who walks or drives by. As stated--different worlds, each with its own benefits and drawbacks.
Thanks for reading, and enjoy Oregon!