Love the videos but are they futuristic? There are no rainy scenes!
Evidently our neighborhood bunnies are from released Easter rabbits or so was posted in our NextDoor today.
I will post that they are escaping from the traffic in Seattle and coming our way.?
We had to give up our vegetable gardening due to your rabbits BunsenBurner???
Now if all of you can get a date together H and I will host a happy hour!
My cousin is visiting and heading out to drive down the coast from Cannon Beach to Newport. They drove the old historic road to Multnomah Falls today and returned on the Washington side. They are awestruck.
Our Oregon trip was one of my favorites. Part of it was a biking trip. We took a break at the Multnomah Falls, and the trip leader said “take as long as you want here.” So we hiked up to the top and back (I don’t recall it being that far). He was waiting for us when we returned, but everyone else had moved on. We stayed at an old hotel in Hood River Valley, and watching all the wind surfers (and maybe kite boarders… not sure what all they were) was really cool. We hiked the moountain they ski on near there also, but I can’t think of the name of it. We went for my 50th. We were just looking at the bike trip catalog yesterday, and I asked my husband if he wants to go back for his 60th (next year).
Our trip to Oregon made we want to consider Portland for retirement, but my husband says it’s too rainy - we just lucked into a perfectly gorgeous 10 days when we were there.
I played the ads so many times yesterday that Mr. now says we need to spread the tourist $$ love and pay a visit to our friends in OR - and stop on the coast for a night or two.
I would repeat our trip to Oregon in a heartbeat. I know all my kids would as well. We did a three city tour of Oregon - a wedding in Pendleton and then days in Portland and Cannon Beach. Three totally different terrains.
I should get a kick back from the Oregon Visitor’s Bureau for bringing this up. Maybe they can pay my in whatever they were smoking when they made those commericals!
Seriously, I like them, but they definitely look like they were created by guys who were stoned. Not that there’s anything wrong with that. ?
Since you will be with your kids you probably don’t want to do this–but it can be interesting to visit a dispensary just to see how things are happening. People are always super friendly. A slice of local life.
@oregon101 - agree re the dispensary visit. My (adult) D and I went into one while I was in Portland (my request as we were walking down the street and I saw the door open). Quite different than the So Cal experience. In Portland, the door was open (I don’t mean unlocked, I mean open to the street), and everything was right there. I showed my license and we were shown everything available (by a very knowledgeable tender). In So Cal the door is closed, you walk into a cubicle (or waiting room) and when you show your license (ID), it’s scanned (with the magnetic strip on the ID). If you’re new, you fill out a small info sheet. And then you wait until it’s your turn. You’re buzzed into the sales floor through a locked door. There is always a uniformed guard on duty. Once all the way inside they vary in decor from ultra modern and chic to rustic and bohemian. I liked Oregon’s method. It takes the stigma off - walking into a dispensary (in my humble opinion) should be no different than walking into a package store (a stand alone shop that sells liquor).
^Many of ours have the check in cubicle but you just show your ID and they let you in. This is to check for underage and they also only allow so many customers at a time. It is generally a 1:1 experience and there is little waiting around but you can take as long as you wish. I have never ever seen a uniformed guard. I would not like that --it makes appear dangerous and illegal.
I am not very experienced in this area, but if you are in Vegas Planet 13 is completely unlike anything I had ever seen, including very different from other dispensaries in Vegas. Worth a visit frankly, even if you don’t really want to buy anything. Reminded me more of an exclusive high end retail store, I’m not sure really how to describe it. A very different experience than the typical dispensary.
@Nrdsb4 So glad you get to experience both the Oregon Coast and Redwood NP. We have done the whole west coast from Washington down to California and they are all beautiful in different ways. WA remote, rugged, some so isolated you have them almost to yourself. Oregon much more accessible and you can walk for miles on the beach. CA highway 1 is one of a kind. Hugging the coast, jaw dropping ocean view, but keep your eyes on the road! Then central CA coast still retains that Beach Boys vibe with less people than Southern CA.
Do come back and take your time to enjoy everything the west coast has to offer.
I’ll be going to the Washington coast and Olympic National Park in August. It may be hard to get a room at Kalaloch lodge (in the park and right on the coast) as it’s pretty much booked up most of the summer. It lall ooks spectacular to me from the photos online. But there are lots of warnings about how long it takes to drive from place to place, like the Hoh rain forest. Did a trip down the Oregon coast in what I just calculated was 25 years ago, and like everyone else loved it.
I love Kalaloch! (I should get paid by both WA and OR tourism)
Yes, it’s as spectacular as it looks and a good base for Hoh rain forest and Ruby Beach. There are other beaches there too, they are numbered 3, 4 etc, no name. We go there in the off season in order to nab an ocean front cabin. Pricey but worth it. Even the camping ground nearby is all booked up. There are few lodgings option nearby so book early is the key. Also few dining or grocery options so pack food too. The cabins and rooms usually have a kitchenette. Otherwise, you will be stuck with the lodge dining room. Good for 1 or 2 meals at the most.
When we camp in the area, we make the point to go all the way to Rialto Beach near Mora state park and if you have time, Shi Shi Beach at the very top of Olympics National Park. That beach really makes you work to find it. Very remote and you need to climb down a short steep slope with rope.
The Lake Quinault lodge is a beautiful historic lodge fronting a gorgeous lake. But it’s at the very south end of Olympic National Park, far from all the sights you want to see. But it’s a very peaceful place to relax. No cell signal or wifi the last time we were there.
I forgot to mention that you can hardly drive the coast or near any of the parks for 10 minutes without seeing another sign directing you to camping areas. Camping is BIG BIG BIG there!
I’d second the very first response that there is a lot of fun to be had along the Columbia River. Multnomah falls had some damage during the fires last year but I think there is still good (short) hikes to take. The dam is very interesting and you can go see the fish locks. In Hood River you can tour a lavender farm. Lots of kite boarding and windsurfing in Stevenson Washington, across from Hood River.
Or you can hang in Portland. I love the coast but there is going to be a lot of traffic in the summer.
@Nrdsb4 Yes, camping is very popular along the Oregon Coast during the summer, especially the weekends. When we did coastal road trips, we ended up booking hotels for the weekends and campsites during the weekdays. All weekend dates are grabbed quickly even with that many state parks.
I noticed over the years that RVs and sprinter vans type are more prominent and sites converted to full hookups. The Fort Stevens state park near Astoria is all hookups now, I think. Last time we were there, my wee little tent was dwarfed by all the RVs!
I don’t have time to pay a full report, but loved the Oregon coast. Spent my time in Astoria, from cape disappointment to Cannon Beach.
REALLY loved Hood River area and Portland. May return for vacation to Hood River, and toying with (mostly unrealistic) plans to move to Portland after my youngest graduates HS.
