Oregon / Wash Road trips - advice on length of time ?

http://www.aaaorid.com/travel/travel_drive_planning.asp
then chose road trips - Northwest Area

I like:
1. A Journey Around the Olympic Peninsula
2. Washington Cascade Loop
3. Grand Pacific Northwest
and looking for advice - for each - how much time to allow ? The drives
themselves aren't long but IN YOUR OPINION , how long to spend in each
area ? Any nearby recommendations ? We're not hikers ( bad back) but do
love scenic " walks" / drives/ views.

Fly into Seattle or Portland - any reason to pick one over the other ? (
It's gonna be a loop either way )
Originally was going to fly to Seattle and drive down the coast and then
fly home from San Jose, but I've earned 4 free tix - each is only a round
trip - NOT a multi city, so rather than BUY tickets and not use these
freebies, we're gonna make it a northern loop and skip California this
year.

How about Amtrak's Coast Starlight - anyone done that ? Scenic ride ? Any
better/worse than taking I-5 ?
I just checked and the train fare from Seattle,WA to Eugene,OR is only
$42 pp. Maybe drop the car and take the train back to start ?

I imagine snow melt will be mostly gone and all roads open - any other
reason to pick either July ? August ? Sept ?
Thanks very much for local opinions - and how about your favorite
restaurant to stop for breakfast or lunch ? On the water ?

retired botanist with bad back here... I live S of Portland, fwiw.
This is a beautiful drive, though you're mostly going to be seeing
trees once you turn S towards Forks. Can be done in a day, if you
push it. Could take you a couple of months if you want to really
savor it. Port Townsend and Port Angeles are both nice towns to poke
around in. There are hot springs in the area (Sol Duc, for instance),
and the Olympic rainforest is pretty amazing. There are spots in the
Hoh near Lake Quinault that are very easy strolls into the margins
of the rainforest. The hotel at Lake Quinault had very good food
every time I've been there, and very little in the way of modern
conveniences... if you'd like fairly comfortable hotel without
a/c, tv, etc. as a place to unwind, you might consider some time there.

You can also catch a ferry from Port Angeles to Victoria, BC, should
that tickle your fancy. With the current passport uproar, I wouldn't
do this unless you've got passports or have talked to the border control
folks.

Olympia to Seattle is a definite snooze for me.

> 2. Washington Cascade Loop

Also very nice. May be warmer in parts than the peninsula.

> 3. Grand Pacific Northwest

A lot more driving. Going out to Umatilla wouldn't be a big thrill for me,
but you can short cut it. West of the mountains is generally much warmer
than mountains or east of them. Lots of stuff to see and do.
The waterfalls in the first 50 miles or so of the Columbia gorge E of
Portland are spectacular. Big tourist mistake (imho) is to stop only
at Multnomah Falls -- try some of the smaller falls like Horsetail or
LaTourell. If you do this route (and it's really quite nice), I'd
recommend taking a geology guidebook along. There are bike rentals
and biking trails in the area.

Book I highly recommend (it's sort of the "bible" of playing tourist
in the PNW): Best Places Northwest from Sasquatch
(http://www.sasquatchbooks.com/best_places.htm) --
there are other slightly more focused
"best places" books also available from Sasquatch, all pretty good.

More goodies: Roadside Geology of Oregon/Roadside Geology of Washington
(you'll be in some amazing landscapes... even more amazing when you
know what you're looking at. Easy reading, keyed to mileposts.
(nice introductory website: http://www.cnw.com/~mstern/nwgeo.html)

For plants: Turner and Gustafson's Wildflowers of the Pacific Northwest
is pretty good and non-technical. Vitt's Mosses, Lichens and Ferns of
Northwest North America can get you interested in these often
overlooked organisms that the PNW is particularly rich in.

Seattle is sometimes cheaper, tends to be served by more airlines; I find
flying into Portland is less hassle, but YMMV. If you start in Seattle,
you might consider a visit to the Burke as an aperitif:
http://www.washington.edu/burkemuseum/geo_history_wa/index.htm

If you start in Portland, I'd suggest a stop at Powell's books
downtown for a rummage through the PNW books section. You can catch
MAX downtown for cheap, and then transfer to various buses and trolleys
(or just walk) to Powells. (http://www.powells.com)
http://www.trimet.org/ Area looks kinda scuzzy, but it's safe.
Powell's is open until 11, and is sort of the 11th wonder of the
local universe for book lovers. Computer geeks need to walk a few
blocks east to the computer book store. Downtown parking and
driving is +/- miserable... I strongly suggest public transit downtown
(free in the downtown area)

Nice ride from all I hear. You could also take segments of it
as a loop.

Major vacation season ends pretty much around Labor Day, so I'd take
September... still nice dry weather for the most part, and most
services will be open, but the density of tourists is lower.

Remember that this is still pretty rugged country, and we lose a
few tourists every year. Cell phones don't always work out in the
sticks. Even for short hikes, I'd take a small supply of food and
water with you. GPS is nice to have. So is a whistle. If you
are walking in an area that asks you to get a daytrip permit, please
do so -- it's for your safety.

What are you interested in? Maybe we can help you select based on
interests -- for instance, if you're an airplane lover, there's the
air museums in Tillamook and McMinnville, OR, as well as Boeing near
Seattle. If you're interested in geology, Mt. St. Helens is probably
a good spot to include. If you're nuts about ferries, there are a
lot of them around, ranging from electric river ferries to big car
carriers. etc....

Kay

Couple of weeks to do a good trip. Portland and the Columbia Gorge are a
couple of days. Mt St. Helens a day. Seattle is OK, But if it is a loop,
then go North of coming into Portland and do Seattle and the Olympic
Peninsula, then down the coast via Coos Bay, and down to Gold Beach, take
the long jet boat trip on the Rogue River. Book Jerry's via the internet,
and you save a couple of bucks. Then over to and past I-5 and up through
Crater Lake and the Sisters and the Oregon Caves.

Thanks for all of the info. I have some more homework to do I see.

As for 'what you you like ?' This winter spent about 6 weeks driving from
Naples Florida back to Boston all along the water - thru
GA,SC,NC,etc taking guided walking tours in each big city and then
investigating on our own. Loved it. Nature-drive-wise (?) ... We
love driving /seeing the coast/stopping along the way to walk on the
beach. ( this is sounding like a dating service intro - a bad
one at that ! ) In your area, would want to go salmon fishing (a few
times), see the mountains/waterfalls ... that's why I was
thinking if the train ride did a better job, to do that rather than
driving. Although, I DO like driving through winding mountain
roads - aggressively if no one minds.

Non-nature-trail-related, we'd be happy playing tourist in recommended
cities. Would want to do the 'big things'/typical tourist stuff ( Pike
place/spaceneedle etc) in each city as well as take tours to find some
history / stuff off the beaten path from locals. Ferry rides to nature
islands ? I was thinking maybe crossing to canada for day trip /ferry -
but even with passport might be a hassle these days. I'll try to find
what's to do there and see if it's worth spending the time.

Bobb

Newsgroups: rec.travel.usa-canada
From: "- Bobb -" <b...@noemail.123>
Date: Thu, 21 Jun 2007 17:36:36 -0400
Local: Thurs, Jun 21 2007 5:36 pm
Subject: Oregon / Wash Road trips - advice on length of time ?

=========
Newsgroups: rec.travel.usa-canada
From: Kay Lancaster <k...@hub.fern.com>
Date: 22 Jun 2007 02:42:03 GMT
Local: Thurs, Jun 21 2007 10:42 pm
Subject: Re: Oregon / Wash Road trips - advice on length of time ?

Retired botanist with bad back here... I live S of Portland, fwiw.

> 2. Washington Cascade Loop

> 3. Grand Pacific Northwest

> Fly into Seattle or Portland - any reason to pick one over the other ? (

Seattle is sometimes cheaper, tends to be served by more airlines; I find

> How about Amtrak's Coast Starlight - anyone done that ? Scenic ride ?

Nice ride from all I hear. You could also take segments of it
as a loop.

> I imagine snow melt will be mostly gone and all roads open - any other

Major vacation season ends pretty much around Labor Day, so I'd take

It will be a loop, so do it in that order ?
1. sightsee around Portland
2. rent a car ,
3. then Columbia Gorge. then Mt St helens then Seattle etc ?
you kinda lost me on the wording of .. " then go north of coming into
Portland ..." So you'd say to fly into Portland or Seattle ?

For starters, you can try these URLs:

http://www.el.com/To/Oregon/
http://www.milebymile.com/main/United_States/Oregon/region_byways.html
http://www.oregon.com/byways/
http://www.traveloregon.com/
http://www.visittheoregoncoast.com/
http://www.southernoregon.org/drives/index.html
http://www.experiencewashington.com/v5/home/default.aspx
http://www.oregon.gov/OPRD/PARKS/index.shtml
http://www.tripcheck.com
http://www.fs.fed.us/r6/willamette/recreation/tripplanning/index.html
http://home.vr-web.de/eugen.winklharrer/waterfalls/usa_oregon/silverfallsstatepark1.htm
http://www.fs.fed.us/r6/centraloregon/newberrynvm/

You can spend as little as a week or several months travelling around and
sight-seeing. Oregon and Washington both have many different climate zones,
so the coast will be different from the mountains, which will be different
from the central part of the state, which will be different from the eastern
part of the state, etc. We have cities, national parks, state parks,
national forests, waterfalls, lakes, mountains, the ocean, sandy beaches,
botanic gardens, museums, volcanic lava fields, resorts, ghost towns, wild
and scenic rivers, etc. It all depends on what you want to do.

-- Walt

I don't suggest aggressive driving on the mountain roads around here.
You really don't want to wind up face to face with a logging truck, or
even a pickup. These are not gentle, groomed roads like the Smokies.

As to fishing, I can't really advise you much other than suggest you
might want to locate a good guide or two. The regs out here are pretty
complex, at times reading something like a cross between IRS rulings and
"can be done on the second Tuesday of each week in months with an R
except when local regulations supersede or the moon is in the seventh house."
I dunno anything about these guys (I don't fish), but it'll give you
an idea of what's available for legal fishing when:
http://www.fishingoregon.net/fishingcalendar.htm

OK: here's Kay's proposed tour for people not cramped for time who can also
pack fairly lightly*, and would like a pretty thorough overview of the area
because they're probably not coming back anytime soon:
*because some of this is via public transit, and because we're not
very formal in our dress out here, mostly.

Arrive PDX, MAX to hotel to dump gear, and thence to downtown Portland
via public transit for some combination of good food, Washington Park,
aerial tram up Pill Hill from the Willamette riverfront (it's will-AM-et),
Washington Park (zoo, rose garden, forestry center), architectural and
walking tours which might include the Esplanade along the river and
and the guided tour of the old tunnels where they shanghaied men.
Fairly early in the stay, go to Powell's downtown because it really is
the easiest place to find a wide variety of PNW guide books that could
make your trip for you.
http://www.viamagazine.com/weekenders/Portland_Treasure05.asp
http://www.viamagazine.com/weekenders/books03.asp
http://www.portlandonline.com/index.cfm?c=25782
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portland_Aerial_Tram
http://www.oregonlive.com/dining/
http://www.willametteweek.com/food
Portland's pretty heavy on microbrews and brewpubs, if you want some
really local flavor. I would skip national chain restaurants in the
PNW in favor of local spots if at all possible... even little joints
out in the sticks tend to have a much higher standard of cooking than
in many parts of the US.
Tri-met, the local transit authority, has an interesting mix of ways
to get around in the downtown area.... horse drawn trolley, streetcar,
commuter train, buses, etc. Tourist areas in Portland are generally
as easy to reach by public transit as in London.
Pretty decent art museum -- big Rembrandt show till 16 Sept:
http://portlandartmuseum.org/exhibitions/rembrandt/#home
1-3 days would be my guess for most folks, sticking strictly to
public transit. http://www.trimet.org has a trip planner on the
main page that can tell you how to get from landmark to landmark,
etc. See also:
http://trimet.org/find/index.htm
http://trimet.org/howtoride/rules.htm

From Portland Union Station, Amtrak Cascades to Seattle area -- this is along
the I-5 corridor, not through mountains, but quite scenic. Where to get off
depends on what you want to do... I'd send you around the Seattle downtown
area for the touristy stuff and up to the Burke museum via public
transit, then via the ferry system out daytripping to the northern
Kitsap peninsula or the San Juan islands. You can get to Victoria, BC
via this route... a much more genteel feeling city than Seattle or
Portland, and from there to Vancouver or further up Vancouver island
and then down the mainland via BC ferries, and then back to the Seattle
area. Yes, you can get there by car or by taking a car on the ferries,
but it's probably not necessary if you will ride public transit, which
is quite nice, ime.
http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/ferries/
http://www.bcferries.com/

http://www.tourismvictoria.com/
Highlights for me include various gardens
in the area including Government House and Butchart (which has a fantastic
fireworks/sound and light show as well as a nice horticultural garden
with some interesting fountains.
http://www.butchartgardens.com/entertain/fireworks.php
Royal British Columbia Museum is another must in Victoria, imo.
http://www.royalbcmuseum.bc.ca/MainSite/default.aspx -- very close to the
Empress Hotel, which does a very nice tea.
In Vancouver, my personal favorites are the Stanley Park area
http://www.city.vancouver.bc.ca/Parks/parks/stanley/ , Van Dusen and UBC
botanical gardens, and just about any place you can get by water taxi.
Capilano bridge, and the parks are pretty amazingly well done, too.
Note: Hubby the engineer willingly accompanies me to the various gardens
mentioned, even though telling a rose from a petunia can be a bit
iffy for him. If I whip out the handlens too many times, he just heads
for the restaurants in the gardens and/or figures out the programming
on fountains. <g>

The San Juans are pretty well set up for daytrippers and stay-overnight
tourists... you can definitely entertain yourself and find food and
lodging without a car. Think "relaxing getaway", not
"15 must-see-sights in..." You might want to read up on the Pig War,
one of my favorite bits of military history. There's an annual re-
enactment on San Juan Island.

Last time I was up in BC, it was an easy crossing, although the
Canadian immigration folks seemed concerned about weapons (I think
I puzzled the poor fellow when I proffered my Swiss Army knife for
inspection), and the US was more concerned about produce. US citizens
traveling on one "real" passport (his) and one expired (mine), and current
drivers licenses. That was a couple years ago, though. I suspect traveling
without a vehicle is faster, but I'm sure others can provide better
data recently.

Ok, get yourself back to the Seattle area and rent a car for some
combination of Mt. Rainier, Olympic Peninsula, down the coast through
Oregon (breathtaking views on the way), then inland to Crater Lake.
You can push the Olympics to S. Oregon coast in a couple days if you
really want to, but I'd take it much, much easier. From Crater Lake,
you can bomb back up I-5 to Portland in a day, but again, there's a lot
of fun stuff not too far off the road, including both the coastal range
and the Cascades.

From Portland, I'd send you out to Mt. Hood (Timberline Lodge is
a wonderful example of WPA architecture and crafts, and you can get a good
dinner in the main restaurant) via any of several routes. One possibility
is over to the Bend area (wonderful badlands to the S), then to Timberlne
Lodge on Mt. Hood, then to Hood River, and then back along the Columbia
River Gorge, stopping at waterfalls, fruit stands, Maryhill Museum, and
whatever else strikes your fancy. (Hint: if you see a piece of fruit
with a cultivar name you don't recognize at a fruit stand, ask for a taste.
It's undoubtedly much nicer than those awful Golden Delicious we export
elsewhere in the country!<g>) Back to PDX , drop the car and fly out.

Restaurants are generally quite good out here, even street food. If you
are not interested in spending a fair fraction of your time looking for
restaurants, you might consider picking up local fruits and breads from
farmers markets, and even from chain grocery stores with their own
bakeries. Tillamook is a local cheese producer that does mostly
cheddar-family cheeses in large quantities, obtainable at a reasonable
price in just about any grocery store. Very good value for the price.
I especially like their white cheddars.

You might want to explore possible routes using Google Maps with the
"hybrid" option to give you an idea of the various terrains you might
encounter on this trip.

Kay

Oh, and expect to see a lack of a/c listed as a hotel amenity out here
west of the Cascades.

Our rains pretty much run October through May. Expect light showers
very occasionally in the summer... 0.1" is a big rain out here in the
summer. 0.01-0.02 is a more common amount, but still a fairly uncommon
event.

In past threads where people have talked about this train, they have
spoken of major delays being significantly more common than on other
Amtrak services. The one time I used it -- in California, not this part
of the run -- there were no serious problems, but that was years ago.
I don't know if actual statistics are tabulated anywhere.

Seattle is the north end of the route, so if you do plan to take the
train in one direction, it's probably best for it to be southbound.
--
Mark Brader, Toronto | "If you want a 20th century solution, the
m...@vex.net | obvious answer is helicopters!" -- Bob Scheurle

My text in this article is in the public domain.

Should have been "if" If you come into Portland, leave to the North to
Seattle and then head out to the coast and go south along the coast.

First of all, I don't find the Amtrak ride from Portland to Seattle all that
scenic; just a short stretch along Puget Sound. Seattle to Vancouver has
more to see. But, yes, the northbound trains have lots of delays, multi-hour
delays. So Seattle to Portland is more reliable than Portland to Seattle.
Seattle to Vancouver is a separate train, doesn't have these delays.

As others have mentioned, the Cascade Mountains divide Oregon and Washington
into 2 halves, east and west. The east is high desert, lightly populated,
with hot summers and cold winters. The west has all the population (and all
the liberals), and a mild wettish climate. But it rarely rains in the
summer; the weather then is mild and not humid. Well, Portland and points
south can get a little warm. But summers are great here.

The mountains stay snowy until early July, and snow can begin again in
September. So plan your schedule accordingly. On the other hand, there
should be plenty of flow in the waterfalls in July.

So some suggestions:

From Seattle drive over SR2 to the east side of the Cascades and up to Lake
Chelan. This is a very entertaining drive. (2 waterfalls, one off the road
at Wallace Falls State Park and one close to the road at the summit, a long
stretch along the rushing Wenatchee River, the faux-Bavarian town of
Leavenworth) Chelan is a nice little resort town. From there you can take a
boat to the north end of the lake (50 miles) to the very little town of
Stehekin, which is close to the North Cascades National Park and accessible
only by boat, plane or foot.

You could continue north from Chelan and go back west through the North
Cascades National Park.

Spend some time ferrying about in Puget Sound. The minimum trip is a walk-on
from downtown Seattle. Longer alternatives with a car are (1) the ferry from
north of Seattle (Mulkiteo) to Whidbey Island. This is a long, skinny island
with many vistas of water and snow-capped mountains on two-sides. 2 nice
towns to investigate are Langley and Coupeville. Also check out Deception
Pass State Park. Or (2) ferry from Anacortes to one or more of the San Juan
islands, specifically Orcas (great view from Mt. Constitution) and San Juan
Island. Or you can continue on to Vancouver Island in Canada.

Then there's Mt. Rainier National Park, of course, (with many waterfalls)
and Mt. St. Helens, which has an interesting visitor center and is close to
I-5 between Portland and Seattle. And the Olympic National Park,
particularly the Rain Forest and the view at Hurricane Ridge, as part of a
loop around the Olympic Peninsula.

Except for a stretch of Olympic National Park, none of this gets you to the
open Pacific. Which I assume you would want to see. I wouldn't drive down
the whole coast. Especially in Washington it's not quite so populated as the
east coast. If you like wilderness, do the Washington coast. If you like
poking in little towns, do the Oregon coast, which also has a string of nice
state parks along the coast.

Finally, for waterfalls in Oregon, there's the south side of the scenic
Columbia Gorge, and Silver Falls State Park, just east of Salem. This park
has a hike with IIRC alternatives of 10 waterfalls in 7 miles or 7
waterfalls in 5 miles. Something like that.

Have a good trip!
Marianne

And Walt , for someone that
" grew up, went to college, and still live in Oreogn",
you should know how to spell Oregon by now.
It's O-R-E-G-O-N ( sorry couldn't pass it up :-))

Thanks for the info so far.
======

> (planned for May and had to postpone - on again )down the coast to

============================
Kay wrote

retired botanist with bad back here... I live S of Portland, fwiw.

> 2. Washington Cascade Loop

> 3. Grand Pacific Northwest

>

Seattle is sometimes cheaper, tends to be served by more airlines; I find

> How about Amtrak's Coast Starlight - anyone done that ? Scenic ride ?

Nice ride from all I hear. You could also take segments of it
as a loop.

> I imagine snow melt will be mostly gone and all roads open - any other

Major vacation season ends pretty much around Labor Day, so I'd take

Kay

Couple of weeks to do a good trip. Portland and the Columbia Gorge are a

"Kay Lancaster" <k...@hub.fern.com> wrote in message
news:slrnf7o56...@hub.fern.com...

Ø PS: west of the Cascades, you're likely to want a sweater or light

"Mark Brader" <m...@vex.net> wrote in message
news:137oh22...@corp.supernews.com...

"Walt Tucker" <walt_...@mentor.com> wrote in message
news:467c0d14$2...@solnews.wv.mentorg.com...

> and scenic rivers, etc. It all depends on what you want to do.
>
> -- Walt

"Kay Lancaster" <k...@hub.fern.com> wrote in message
news:slrnf7o3n...@hub.fern.com...

Ø On Fri, 22 Jun 2007 08:08:09 -0400, - Bobb - <bo...@noemail.123>
wrote:
>>
>> ... In your area, would want to go salmon fishing (a few

"Mimi" <jo...@doe.com> wrote in message
news:OvadnUdWCYgOoODb...@comcast.com...

Ø You have received a lot of replies from Oregonians. I'll speak up

That *was* an embarrassing typo, wasn't it? Fumble fingers. :-)

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Worthwhile stuff to do IN Seattle:

Pike's Place Market
Go up the Space Needle
Boeing Museum of Flight
Underground City Tour
Seattle Waterfront:
Aquarium
Lots of little shops
Eat seafood and watch the ferries
Dinner ferry to Tillicum Village for the Salmon Bake
Water tour from waterfront
Visit the U of W/Arboretum/University District
Ride the monorail between downtown and science center
West Seattle:
Walk along beach
Shops
Park for view of downtown Seattle and watch the lights come
up.
Alki Point lighthouse
Pacific Science Center (more or less like OMSI)
Mariners game
Columbia Tower (tallest building on west coast; does it have an
observation
deck?)
Take a drive around Lake Union and Lake Washington (quite a few nice
city
parks)
Find a good restaurant on Eliott Bay, or one of the lakes

Close to Seattle (day trips):
Whidbey Island/Deception Pass
Olympic National Park/Port Angeles
Port Townsend
Ferry rides (take one ferry out and another back)
San Juan islands

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Subject: Oregon Wineries and Winery Tours

Here are some sites to check out:

http://www.winesnw.com/

http://www.oregonwines.com/

http://www.westernlimousine.com/winetours.asp (has links to several local
winery web sites) http://www.ecotours-of-oregon.com/wine.htm

http://grapescape.citysearch.com/1.html -- Grape Escape Winery Tours
http://www.oregon.worldweb.com/ToursActivitiesAdventures/WineTours/

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Subject: Re: Oregon Coast, where to stop overnight?

I grew up in Astoria and my mother-in-law currently lives just south of
Newport. So, I know the Oregon coast well. For a first-timer, there is
certainly much to see and do as you move down the coastline. Astoria, in
particular is very rich in history. There is a great world-class maritime
museum, several coastal defense forts around Fort Stevens to visit, the
remains of an old shipwreck you can see on the beach, Fort Clatsop (now part
of the larger Lewis and Clark national historical park), the Astoria column,
and lots of good hiking (Oregon coast trail, the new interpretive trail at
Fort Clatsop, and Saddle Mountain). You could easily spend a couple of days
around the Astoria area. On the Washington side, Cape Disappointment is a
must-see.

As you drive south along the coastline there are many nice beaches to
walk, parks to visit with scenic vistas, quaint little towns with some neat
shopping, and lighthouses you can tour. Other people have responded to your
posting with links to some good websites. If you start exploring those
links, you should be able to come up with many places in line with your
interests where you might want to stop.

It might or might not be obvious from looking at the map, but you won't
always have the ocean in view as you drive highway 101 south from Astoria to
Newport. However, you should never be more than 5 or 10 miles inland at any
given time and can easily cut over to the beach via access roads. The route
goes something like this:

-- From Astoria to Cannon beach junction (4 miles south of Seaside), for
a distance of 20 miles you'll be about 1 mile
inland with the ocean obscured by a series of low hills. However,
you can get to the ocean by following the signs
to Fort Stevens (which you might want to visit anyway), taking the
Del Rey beach access road, or driving into
downtown Seaside.

-- From Cannon Beach junction to Tillamook highway 101 follows the
bluffs along the coast with some great vistas of
the ocean and bays (about 40 miles). Cannon beach is a neat little
tourist town to stop at. Ecola State Park to the
north of town is nice. Further south, Oswald West state
park gives you a nice, short walk through the forest ending a nice
beach. Nehalem Bay
state park is also a nice stop for a picnic lunch. When you approach
Tillamook, be sure to stop at the cheese factory.

-- From Tillamook to Lincoln city (about 60 miles), highway 101 cuts
inland again and you won't have any ocean
views until arriving at Lincoln City. However, I would recommend
taking the Three Capes drive out of Tillamook,
which joins up with Highway 101 again about 10-15 miles further
south. When on the Three Capes drive, make a
stop at the Cape Meares lighthouse if the weather is nice. The
lighthouse is on a point of land high above the
ocean with good views of the coast both to the north and south. As
drive down from Cape Meares, there is
a nice little beach and state park called Oceanside with a small
tunnel through the rocks you can walk through.

-- From Lincoln City to Florence (about 70 miles), highway 101 again
hugs the coastal bluffs. Lots and lots of
places to pull over along this stretch of the road. Places to
consider include visiting the two lighthouses on
either end of Newport, the Newport bay front, the Oregon Coast
Aquarium, Heceta Head, Devil's Churn,
Cape Perpetua, and the Strawberry Hill wayside (where you can always
find seals and sea lions sunning
themselves on the rocks). At Florence, visit the bay front and eat
at Moes.

-- From Florence to Coos Bay (about 60 miles), highway 101 again cuts
inland. Places you might want to
stop include Honeyman State Park, the Oregon Dunes Overlook, and the
elk refuge near Reedsport.
When you get to Coos Bay, be sure to go out to Sunset Beach state
park and visit the botanical gardens
at Cape Arago.

I don't know how long you'll be in Coos Bay, but if you have the time
you might want to take a drive south from Coos Bay to the Oregon California
border. In my opinion, this section of the coastline is more ruggedly
beautiful than the northern Oregon coast. If you do that drive, beside some
more nice beaches you'll also be able to visit a small wildlife game park
near Bandon, take a jet boat ride up the Rogue river, and drive or walk
through some large coastal redwood groves at the end.

Seek out some of the local art:
Troll under the Bridge
Waiting for the Interurban
the new Waterfront Sculpture park
Japanese Garden in the Arboretum
Snoqualmie Falls
St. Michelle Winery
Seattle Art Museum
Hiram Chittenden Locks

And in Tacoma:
State History Museum
Museum of Glass

Still researching / planning it out and have a question for locals :
any fishing folks out there ?
We're not looking to keep 'em - just catch and release.

I went to Kay's fishing link and it brought me to others .....
http://www.fishingoregon.net/links.htm
then here:
http://www.mthoodterritory.com/fishing.jsp - questions:
Where ? -

I'm gonna do this trip in September and looking for advice/
recommendations on area to choose for 1 or 2 days of fishing with a boat
charter.
Recommend Washington or Oregon ? - does it matter ? I see a LOT of
names/websites in a google search for " charter Fishing Oregon " from
charter boats. They look like 20-25 foot boats ?
They'll be just two of us - any suggestions? referrals ?
Columbia River ? What part ? etc

I'm trying to work it backward :
1. where to fish
2. When ? - early /late Sept
That will decide where to fly into and to fish first or toward end of trip

How ?
Would we be fly-fishing ? ( my buddy never has) From shore ? /wading ? Or
it depends ?
SHOULD we hire a boat ? or certain spots to just drive to and fish from
shore . ( Or course then we'd need to buy equipment )

Permitting ?
do we need state ? local ? other ?

Thanks again.

And the Oregon rules:
http://www.dfw.state.or.us/resources/fishing/regulations_2007.pdf
and supplement to the Oregon rules:
http://www.dfw.state.or.us/resources/fishing/reg_changes/northwest.asp

And Washington's:
https://fortress.wa.gov/dfw/erules/efishrules/index.jsp

GI Joes' is the big chain fishing/hunting good store in Oregon; it's recently
changed its name just to "Joe's"
http://www.joessports.com/home/index.jsp

Can't answer your other questions: I still don't fish <g>

Kay

>

news:slrnf8nem...@hub.fern.com...

For those that have done it ...
In 2-3 week trip, which would you do ?
Your thoughts on these 2 trips ?
To include California ?
Make a loop in OR, WA ?
Your opinion ?
I've done SF - down the coast a lot , never northern coast though.

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&hl=en&geocode=&saddr=portland,or&daddr=seattle,wa+to:forks,wa+to:US-101+S+%4044.850220,+-124.044110+to:eureka,+ca+to:US-101+S+%4039.139680,+-123.196110+to:San+Simeon,+California+to:sjc&mrcr=6&mra=pi&sll=41.869561,-122.827148&sspn=16.314092,29.619141&ie=UTF8&z=5&om=0

vs

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&hl=en&geocode=&saddr=portland,or&daddr=seattle,wa+to:forks,wa+to:US-101+S+%4044.850220,+-124.044110+to:eureka,+ca+to:medford,+or+to:portland,or&mrcr=5&mra=pi&sll=41.869561,-122.827148&sspn=16.314092,29.619141&ie=UTF8&z=5&om=0

I would change route 2 to this:

The alternate route extends your loop by leaving I-5 at Medford, and
reconnects with I-5 at Salem. The eastern swing lets you take in a few of
the sights in Central Oregon, including:

-- Passes by Lost Creek Reservoir and Rogue River gorge
-- Crater Lake
-- Sunriver
-- Lava Butte, Lava Tube, High Desert Museum
-- Bend (might be a good stop for the night)
-- Sisters
-- Lava fields off the old McKenzie Highway (Hwy 242)
-- Koosah/Sahalie Falls on the New McKenzie

While picking flights/times, the price went up $96 ! I tried to put on
hold ( like AA allows) but couldn't on Delta. By the time I checked
different days/options, and came back , it went from $340 to $436.50 pp.
Someone out there beat me to a cheap seat on one of my flights. Still a
lot cheaper than others, so had to do it. Usually I take America West
redeye home from Vegas, but on 10/8, they want $700+ one way for 11pm
flight from vegas- boston. ( R/T is over $1,000 !) Don't know why - still
lots of seats on it ??? ( Of course, now that I bought it, it'll go on
sale next week on USair !!). My Delta flight (included in the $436) leaves
at11pm and is a non-stop too so worked out fine.

Just checked on rental cars ... - 10% surcharge for airport pickup.
It's will be about $950 for a Mustang at Hertz, so will check into renting
it offsite/ those other rental agencies - in the morning.

Thanks folks.
Bobb

Stop at Oregon Caves NM if you have time.

"http://maps.google.com/maps?um=1&tab=wl&hl=en&q=19000%20Caves%20Hwy%2C%20Cave%20Junction%2C%20OR%2097523"

For the return trip, you're actually better off going N on 101 to 199,
then 199 to I-5, which is faster than any other route to I-5 from
Eureka, but you were probably doing this already. This will take you
close to Oregon Caves.

BTW, you might check out "http://www.southernoregon.org/"

They're kind of slow. Two weeks after we got back, we're getting all
sorts of useful literature in the mail.

That looks great - thanks
( Hey if you live near Boston, I'll take those flyers)

I think the OR coast is more impressive than the CA coast N or S.
But the OR coast is most tourist developed.

I'm going to be flying just S of Crescent City this weekend.
I also need to spend more time in the Eastern part of OR but the middle
area can absorb weeks and weeks depending on the resolution of your road
or air or topo map.
--

Kay

I did send for their magazine and it's very good. Of course they had a big
list of "hot spots"/scenic drives ( according to their local chambers of
commerce) so I have to prioritize. I'll be heading there in 2 weeks and
itinerary still flexible.
I'm flying into Portland, OR and 2 weeks later flying out of Portland (
avoiding all of the car issues). The primary reason for the trip is that
I'd like to drive from Eureka , CA to northwest tip of US, ( or
vice-versa) all along the coast and then a few national parks/ fall
scenery. Depending upon how the travel goes, I'd like to spend about 4 (?)
days on the coast and few days in the parks , and Seattle and Portland.
I'm not into camping so mostly will just be driving through the
mountains/parks and staying at nearby hotels. Just to get an overview of
the area.

If doing "roughly" these loops:
http://www.us-parks.com/portland_crater_lake.html
http://www.us-parks.com/olympic_saint_helens.html

Does it matter ? should I head out of Portland and go south to Crater Lake
route to CA line then head north - UP the coast - or head from Portland to
nw tip ( via Seattle ?) and then drive from north to south ? ( Different
coastline views while driving ? )

How's the weather in the mountains looking ?
Should I organize one area to do first ( 'before the snow' for example)
Thanks,
Bobb

Are you going this year? If so, better go soon. It can snow in the Cascades
in September. Also the weather deteriorates after September.

And you are missing some good places. Like the Columbia Gorge, the San Juan
Islands in Washington. Of course, we must all make choices, but you might
want to give up some time on the Oregon Coast for the Gorge.

Marianne

Yes, heading there Sept 19th for 2 weeks: that's why asking for specifics
now. I WAS gonna go there in May but too much snow in mountains, so
thought I'd maybe squeeze in both the coast and the mtns in trip.

I've always wanted to drive the coast so don't want to miss that. ( I've
done east coast and SF down to San Diego, so want to do WA/ OR coastline
to ' see it all' and had it done.)

Should I do mountains first ? Risky ? Maybe get snow? Do I need chains
after certain dates ? etc
I'm open for ideas. Any places to 'not miss' near where those maps are ?
Or pieces of it to skip ( out of season, too cold etc)? I'm not gonna go
rafting/hiking, just driving to get overview and maybe some fishing ( with
a guide/tour)

Bobb

I'm flying up the coast this weekend, in just over 24 hrs.

Does the names James Kim of C|Net mean anything to you?

Well Kim got in trouble getting off the main roads in the coastal mtns.
You can likely get away w/o chains during this time of year.
But you never know when you get off major roads.
Chains good. Chains are your friend.
Coastal mtns much lower than Cascades.
Be also mindful of private land.
You have to be prepared for rain and/or 100F temps in land.
Take reasonable maps.
2 weeks isn't long enough, so any reasonable guidebook can make suggestions.

--

Well, snow is only likely in the high mountains, probably nowhere near your
route. Just keep track of the weather forecast if it it's cool and rainy.

You're seeing Mt. Rainier from the east. Fewer facilities on that side. Do
make the detour to Hurricane Ridge in Olympic National Park out of Port
Angeles. It's an easy drive to a good viewpoint -- more views if you hike.
Lake Crescent is a nice place to stay. As is Port Townsend, a cute little
historical town. Also you should go into the rain forest on the west coast
of Olympic National Park since you're right there. I keep thinking of
waterfalls, both in Washington and Oregon, but it is really low water
season, so waterfalls wouldn't show all that well.

Astoria near the mouth of the Columbia River in Oregon is interesting
historically. Glad to hear you're going to Crater Lake; it's a must see.

Don't know much about fishing. There's fly fishing on the Umpqua River that
angles northwest out of Crater Lake Nat'l Park. (Driving into CLNP along the
Umpqua and out along the Mackenzie River is enjoyably scenic; there's a
worthwhile gorge to visit just off the road on the latter leg.) There's
ocean fishing out of various towns on the coast.

Finally, sometime, drive the California coast north of San Francisco. It's
very scenic with pleasantly sleepy little towns -- at least they used to be.

Marianne

It is pretty unlikely that you'll need chains on any of the Oregon passes in
September, especially this year. The next week calls for warm weather in the
80s and maybe even low 90s in the valleys. Even the coast might hit 80. If
there is any snow after that, it would only be at the very highest of
elevations (6000 feet and higher) in the cascades. There only one place on
your itinerary where you have even a remote chance of hitting snow, and that
is Crater Lake. Even then, I would put that probability at 25% or less for
late September. Everywhere else, the probability is nil.
In all but very unusual years, we don't see first snow on the mountain
passes until mid-October or later. Even then, it comes and goes and isn't
usually a constant until early December (sometimes late November) through
mid-February. Bring a jacket, though, as it will be starting to get cold at
night (especially east of the Cascades).

I wouldn't worry about it.

I agree. Barring something totally crazy, Crater Lake is the only
place where snow might possibly be a factor, and that's a pretty
remote chance.

And I'm guessing that with that large an itinerary, you'll be staying
on main roads, not going up dirt roads as in the other anecdote
cited. There are some really remote places you can drive to in the
Western US, and if you do, you'd better know what you're doing.
But if you stay on or around highways, you'll be fine.

I also want to add a note about how much I like Olympic NP. It's
one of my 3 favorite US NPs, both the alpine Hurricane Ridge area
and the Western rain forest being spectacular.

Thanks for the suggestions folks - printing out and will get it all
organized.
Keep 'em coming.
As for "Finally, sometime, drive the California coast north of San
Francisco"
Originally I WAS going to drive the coast all the way down to SF and drop
off car there until rental fees were prohibitive ( another thread in here
somewhere). That's why going only as far as Eureka, then looping back to
Portland ( no drop-off charge and tax is very reasonable).
Will still have to do that piece from SF to Eureka - next time.

1) the current winds are from the East.
2) Fires burning and obscuring views from near Corvallis, Hood, Plumas
Cty., CA, and somewhere near the WA/ID border.
3) awesome views of the coast yesterday.

We landed at something like another 16 airports today and we'll have a
similar number tomorrow. Nice views of Hood, St. Helens, Adam, and
Rainer when you can avoid the smoke. More turbulent winds tomorrow.

Not exactly a road trip, but awesome views.

We did bail on 2 airports we'll try tomorrow, and we did 3 go-arounds
(2 yesterday and 1 today).

Just very nice views. Oh, and I'm amazed how much more clear cutting
isn't visible from roads. The logging industry and the USFS are
very clever obscuring just the amount of logging has taken place of
the tallest trees. You could never tell this from the ground.

We will likely to fly across from where James Kim and his family had
their incident.

--

Not so. To wit (note date).

================================================================
Icono Clast
Newsgroups: rec.travel.usa-canada
Local: Thurs, Jan 17 2002 3:28 am
Subject: Re: THANK YOU DEAR NG's Re: giant trees in the west !!!
----------------------------------------------------------------
Not the Karl Orff wrote
> Still a drop compared to how many redwoods there are. it's just
> that the environmentalists want to save every last tree.

Surely you jest. I've driven all of the major roads of Northern
California, Oregon, and Washington AND many of the minor ones and a
few of the lumber roads. What I have observed is the apparently
deliberate attempt of the loggers to fool us into believing that
there are vast stands of trees. They have done that by ensuring,
wherever you are on the highways, that your line of sight includes
the trees.

Get off the highway, get beyond the line of sight and you'll see the
devastation of clear-cutting and can imagine the loss of wildlife who
used to live there. Further, as you can read in the news every year,
the hills that the trees kept in place slide into the towns the
loggers built below them often killing some people, always causing
extensive property damage.

It's been a very long time since I've flown North. Come t'think of
it, I never have. It wouldn't surprise me if the logging companies
have grafted air routes over the ocean rather than over the damage
they have done.
###

There are several responses to that post. You have enough information
to find them.

--
___________________________________________________________________
George Bush is the best argument in favor of the Second Amendment
http://geocities.com/dancefest/ -<->- http://geocities.com/iconoc/
TouringSFO: http://geocities.com/touringsfo/ <-> IClast @ Gmail.com

--
Posted via a free Usenet account from http://www.teranews.com

Found it. ORS 527.755. (for other restrictions of ORS 527, see
http://landru.leg.state.or.us/ors/527.html)

527.755 Scenic highways; visually sensitive corridors; operations
restricted. (1) The following highways are hereby designated as scenic
highways for purposes of the Oregon Forest Practices Act:

(a) Interstate Highways 5, 84, 205, 405; and

(b) State Highways 6, 7, 20, 18/22, 26, 27, 30, 31, 34, 35, 36, 38,
42, 58, 62, 66, 82, 97, 101, 126, 138, 140, 199, 230, 234 and 395.

(2) The purpose of designating scenic highways is to provide a limited
mechanism that maintains roadside trees for the enjoyment of the motoring
public while traveling through forestland, consistent with ORS 527.630,
safety and other practical considerations.

(3) The State Board of Forestry, in consultation with the Department
of Transportation, shall establish procedures and regulations as necessary
to implement the requirements of subsections (4), (5) and (6) of this
section, consistent with subsection (2) of this section, including
provisions for alternate plans. Alternate plans that modify or waive the
requirements of subsection (4), (5) or (6) of this section may be approved
when, in the judgment of the State Forester, circumstances exist such as:

(a) Modification or waiver is necessary to maintain motorist safety,
protect improvements such as dwellings and bridges, or protect forest
health;

(b) Modification or waiver will provide additional scenic benefits to
the motoring public, such as exposure of distant scenic vistas;

(c) Trees that are otherwise required to be retained will not be
visible to motorists;

(d) The operation involves a change of land use that is inconsistent
with maintaining a visually sensitive corridor; or

(e) The retention of timber in a visually sensitive corridor will
result in severe economic hardship for the owner because all or nearly all
of the owner's property is within the visually sensitive corridor.

(4)(a) For harvest operations within a visually sensitive corridor, at
least 50 healthy trees of at least 11 inches DBH, or that measure at least
40 square feet in basal area, shall be temporarily left on each acre.

(b) Overstory trees initially required to be left under paragraph (a)
of this subsection may be removed when the reproduction understory reaches
an average height of at least 10 feet and has at least the minimum number of
stems per acre of free to grow seedlings or saplings required by the board
for reforestation, by rule.

(c) Alternatively, when the adjacent stand, extending from 150 feet
from the outermost edge of the roadway to 300 feet from the outermost edge
of the roadway, has attained an average height of at least 10 feet and has
at least the minimum number of stems per acre of free to grow seedlings or
saplings required by the board for reforestation, by rule, or at least 40
square feet of basal area per acre, no trees are required to be left in the
visually sensitive corridor, or trees initially required to be left under
paragraph (a) of this subsection may be removed. When harvests within the
visually sensitive corridor are carried out under this paragraph, the
adjacent stand, extending from 150 feet from the outermost edge of the
roadway to 300 feet from the outermost edge of the roadway, shall not be
reduced below the minimum number of stems per acre of free to grow seedlings
or saplings at least 10 feet tall required by the board for reforestation,
by rule, or below 40 square feet of basal area per acre until the adjacent
visually sensitive corridor has been reforested as required under subsection
(6) of this section and the stand has attained an average height of at least
10 feet and has at least the minimum number of stems per acre.

(5) Harvest areas within a visually sensitive corridor shall be
cleared of major harvest debris within 30 days of the completion of the
harvest, or within 60 days of the cessation of active harvesting activity on
the site, regardless of whether the harvest operation is complete.

(6) Notwithstanding the time limits established in ORS 527.745 (1)(a),
when harvesting within a visually sensitive corridor results in a harvest
type 1 or harvest type 3, reforestation shall be completed by the end of the
first planting season after the completion of the harvest. All other
provisions of ORS 527.745 shall also apply to harvest type 1 or harvest type
3 within visually sensitive corridors.

(7) Landowners and operators shall not be liable for injury or damage
caused by trees left within the visually sensitive corridor for purposes of
fulfilling the requirements of this section, when carried out in compliance
with the provisions of the Oregon Forest Practices Act.

(8) Harvest on single ownerships less than five acres in size are
exempt from this section. [1991 c.919 §17; 1993 c.306 §1; 1995 s.s. c.3
§39e; 1996 c.9 §7; 1997 c.249 §179]

>
>

Oh, the topic goes back to the 80s and 90s before the r.t. split.

Add Idaho and Montana.

Quite true.

Actually, what was interesting to me was seeing the Lady Bird Johnson
grove from the air after seeing it deep from the ground. The
surrounding areas are noticably lower and these aren't logged.
It's like assumptions of homogeneity and uniformity which extend
further than really do.

Most are inland. The ocean is the coast air defense zone.
Sectionals show the routes.

--

<< snipped >>

Leaving Wed to start the trip.
I just created a TripTik from AAA.

FYI: Entered my stops with default settings (18 stops to track my path),
and it's 204 pages of 8.5"x11" landscape mode ! It has directions
numbered 1 - 240. The actual text directions are only 14 pages followed by
turn by turn pictures for each of the 240 turns.

Redid with 'Overview Map and directions' option and only 8 pages
portrait - much better.

Total trip = 2166 MI ( 3486km)
Total driving time = 44 hrs 20 mins

Itinerary route gets me around western part of both states.
Hope the rain isn't too bad.

Arrive PDX Airport - Portland , OR
Columbia River Gorge Natl Scenic Area, OR
Columbia River Gorge
Rose Test Garden Portland
Mt St Helens, WA
Mt Rainier, WA
Seattle, WA ( See the town)
Olympic Natl park
Flattery Rocks wildlife refuge
Grays Harbor wildlife refuge
Columbia River Maritime Museum ( Astoria,OR)
Lewis & Clark park
Oregon Dunes
Oregon Caves
Klamath Falls, Or
Crater Lake park
Cascade Lakes Hwy - Bend, OR
Detroit, Or
Portland ( see the town)
Depart PDX Airport

Done driving : on to Vegas ....

Don't miss the world class Maryhill Museum of Art and the nearby
Stonehenge. In a nearby town is the world's largest collection of
rosaries -- incredibly fascinating!

> Oregon Caves

Wonderful!

> Crater Lake park

The most beautiful natural sight I've ever seen!

--
___________________________________________________________________
Jail to The Chief

news:46ee50ac$0$16370$8826...@free.teranews.com...

And very noisy and unenvironmental. Save more bucks by not going and save
the environment too.

Marianne

Better yet, book a guided 1/2 day raft trip in Galice.

Do what you like. If you were into saving the enviroment, you would not be
traveling. Get rid of your car and any other energy user including your PC
and TV.

( I'll have to try teranews - posting on the road is apparently an
issue with my ISP, so I had to make-up a spam account at google)

UPDATE from the road ...
Summary so far:
1. Columbia Gorge. Amazing that 30 minutes outside of airport I can be
seeing waterfalls. ( Hotel was very nice, but surprised it was on the
list of " 1,000 places to visit before you die" . It wasn't THAT nice.
http://www.columbiagorgehotel.com/ )

2. Mt St Helens - spent entire day there. (then forecast was for bad
weather, so headed south again) ( Days Inn nearby)

3. Mt Hood (Loved the Timberline hotel - but it was full the day I was
there with a wedding, so stayed at a Best Western )

4. Crater Lake ( hotel was full so stayed at Prospect hotel B&B - it
was great)

http://www.prospecthotel.com/

5. Oregon Caves . I DID stay there - loved the Chateau - vintage
1930. Steam radiators, one AC outlet per room - and the 2 lights were
plugged into it. BIG
beams cut from local trees - railings from branches, etc ...
wonderful.

http://ivcdo.projecta.com/SectionIndex.asp?SectionID=2

6. California Redwoods drive , then did a U-turn to start northern
coastal part
of trip.

Great drive again today: from Brookings,OR to Yachats,OR
The first part had great scenery /beaches. I didn't think I was ever
going to make any time if stopping to enjoy the view every 3 miles,
but eventually I got
to the Oregon Dunes Nat'l park. No need for me to stop there, and
while driving by it ( for miles) I had no ocean views but GREAT
winding roads - fun driving.
Hardly anyone on the roads ( midweek) so driving is a lot of fun ...
miss something? - do a U-turn in middle of highway and go back.... no
slow-pokes.
And they have a passing lane every 5 miles or so, so if we did catch
up to someone, could pass them shortly. Tonight at
http://www.adoberesort.com

( $63 for a room - right on the ocean !!!! )

I watched the sunset ... tried to see the green flash - Nope ! Not
again this time.

Tomorrow will be in Northern Oregon then WA. heading north eventually
to Northwestern most point of US. I was speaking to another traveler
who said that there Is a marker there to identify it and it is
accessible. On a map it looks like reservation so I wasn't sure. Then
on to Olympic Natl Park - then Mt Rainier.

As for Mt Ranier ... does it matter which way I approach it ( north/
west ?). Any advantage to approaching Mt Ranier from one side or
another ? ( trying to save a drive all the way around the mountain to
see something that I SHOULD see.) I found at Crater Lake that I came
in North (12 o'clock position)- went clockwise and not until I went
3/4 of the way around did I see " the expected view". I almost drove
out at "Rim Exit" (7 o'clock position) but figured "I'll do the rest".
THEN I saw the clear blue views.

According to the locals in the Cascades, the northern coast of OR is
supposed to be even more scenic then the southern half so I'm looking
forward to it.

I've got 6 more days here - hopefully enough time to do it all. If
not, I'll skip seeing Seattle and/or Portland/ Stonehenge etc.

I've loved the scenery and the mountain drives ! That's really why I'm
here this time.
Bobb

Yeah, you can go there. The reservation built a nice trail out to
Cape Flattery. $7 to park there.

There are severe disadvantages to approaching it from one of the
direction where the road is washed out. You can come in from the
East or West, on the South side of the mountain (OR-706 or Stevens
Canyon Rd); from the West, the Longmire entrance, is the "main"
entrance.

I don't know why they told you that....

Definitely worth the effort. But not quiet the northwestern most
point.

When you stand on the cliff on the Cape and look Northwest, you'll see
Tatoosh Island. And that's in the USA also :-)

Last year at this season the roads toward there had signs that there
was a water crisis and asked travellers to bring their own. I hope
the Makaa folks living there have easier conditions this year.

John

Great location--we had Sunday brunch at the Adobe. We stayed 1 couple of miles south of Yachats, at the
Shamrock Lodgettes..or some such similar name--got such a cheap price we felt we were almost stealing and
...right on the ocean!! Maybe a lot of Oregonians don't realize what a Nirvana they have right on
their OWN door stoep??

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&hl=en&geocode=10120035205585827493,46.297030,-122.302830%3B12507077118950239919,41.225410,-124.088770&time=&date=&ttype=&saddr=pdx&daddr=the+dalles,+or+to:cougar,+or+to:kelso,+wa+to:Spirit+Lake+Mem+Hwy%2FWA-504+%4046.297030,+-122.302830+to:wilsonville,+OR+to:madras,+or+to:crater+lake+national+park+to:20000+Caves+Hwy,+Cave+Junction,+OR+97523+to:Redwood+Hwy%2FUS-101+%4041.225410,+-124.088770+to:brookings,+or+to:tillamook,+or+to:astoria,+or+to:longmire,+wa+to:mt+hood,+or+to:pdx&mra=ps&mrcr=7,8,9&sll=45.058001,-122.145996&sspn=7.744077,14.80957&ie=UTF8&ll=44.441624,-121.519775&spn=3.913786,7.404785&z=7&om=1

Bobb
( home now )