OT: Our recent trip to Oregon/Washington

[Relayer]

We love the PNW, been here several times. Great craft breweries in Oregon, fortunate to arrive in Portland (7/26) for the beginning of the Oregon Brewers Festival. Dinner at 10 Barrel Brewing:

https://photos.app.goo.gl/headYgZ1me81bqu26

West Cascades Scenic Byway to Eugene. Cool to see the U of O. Stadium looks more modern than we see on TV. Coldfire Brewing and Hop Valley both solid. Good food at Hop Valley.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/1Cakyz4A22bWedp5A

Central Oregon Coast has more great scenery, Saw a herd of elk near Reedsport. Yachats brewing spot on.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/6cwfrHN4L5VqBVem9

Cape Perpetua might be the most picturesque spot of any coast in our great country.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/gZBVrqgWvK3bcmyf9

Northern Oregon Coast isn't too bad either. Rogue Brewing in Newport, Pelican Bay Brewing on Pacific Beach and Fort George Brewery is Astoria are just some of the highlights, not to mention Yaquina Lighthouse and tons of marine life at Ecola State Park

Oh yea, we saw a pack of gray whales right of the coast at Boiler Bay. That was awesome!

https://photos.app.goo.gl/4FnTye4VFmGFEKZM8

Mount Rainier is one of the most underrated national parks. We did the Burroughs Mt hike at Sunrise, just amazing!

https://photos.app.goo.gl/C355tZWomKnYU93H9

The following day we traveled to the more obscure east side of Mt St Helens. We visited the tourist side 7 years ago and this place never gets old.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/HNAVx4qqkT8mTnfQ7

Then it was on to the Columbia River Gorge and the great town of Hood River. Lots of terrific breweries in HR. Enjoyed Full Sail, Double Mountain and pFriem. Tool a ride up to Mt Hood and Timberline Lodge which was the lodge used in the Shining. Very cool that they ski all year round hear.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/6uAtWxRvz27TW9ih9

 

[tomhawk80907]

We love the PNW, been here several times. Great craft breweries in Oregon, fortunate to arrive in Portland (7/26) for the beginning of the Oregon Brewers Festival. Dinner at 10 Barrel Brewing:

https://photos.app.goo.gl/headYgZ1me81bqu26

West Cascades Scenic Byway to Eugene. Cool to see the U of O. Stadium looks more modern than we see on TV. Coldfire Brewing and Hop Valley both solid. Good food at Hop Valley.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/headYgZ1me81bqu26

Central Oregon Coast has more great scenery, Saw a herd of elk near Reedsport. Yachats brewing spot on.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/6cwfrHN4L5VqBVem9

Cape Perpetua might be the most picturesque spot of any coast in our great country.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/gZBVrqgWvK3bcmyf9

Northern Oregon Coast isn't too bad either. Rogue Brewing in Newport, Pelican Bay Brewing on Pacific Beach and Fort George Brewery is Astoria are just some of the highlights, not to mention Yaquina Lighthouse and tons of marine life at Ecola State Park

Oh yea, we saw a pack of gray whales right of the coast at Boiler Bay. That was awesome!

https://photos.app.goo.gl/4FnTye4VFmGFEKZM8

Mount Rainier is one of the most underrated national parks. We did the Burroughs Mt hike at Sunrise, just amazing!

https://photos.app.goo.gl/C355tZWomKnYU93H9

The following day we traveled to the more obscure east side of Mt St Helens. We visited the tourist side 7 years ago and this place never gets old.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/HNAVx4qqkT8mTnfQ7

Then it was on to the Columbia River Gorge and the great town of Hood River. Lots of terrific breweries in HR. Enjoyed Full Sail, Double Mountain and pFriem. Tool a ride up to Mt Hood and Timberline Lodge which was the lodge used in the Shining. Very cool that they ski all year round hear.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/6uAtWxRvz27TW9ih9

Brother lives in Newport couldn't agree more. Too bad the CSZ is going to fire off, probably in our lifetime I fear, and rip the whole area a new one.

 

[royboy]

Great stuff, Relayer. Cannon Beach is one of my all-time favorite spots..

 

[mcruny42]

Glad you enjoyed the trip. Love the Columbia River Gorge area and Mt. Hood. Cannon Beach and that part of the coast is very picturesque. My wife's father took a job in Seattle a couple years back, so we check out a different area each time we go out there. San Juan Islands last year, heading to the North Cascades this year.

 

[emrtmakesshiteup]

Worked out of Klamath Falls and advanced infantry training at Fort Lewis during January/February. "Please God, send this draftee to nam and not Korea!" Psychological warfare perhaps? Oh, and don't forget Crater Lake. Fun sliding and walking the trails down to it!

 

[Ian]

Beautiful area but west coast is a ti

Brother lives in Newport couldn't agree more. Too bad the CSZ is going to fire off, probably in our lifetime I fear, and rip the whole area a new one.

Can only hope San andres goes first making Cali and island unto itself..... no need for a wall then.

 

[royboy]

We love the PNW, been here several times. Great craft breweries in Oregon, fortunate to arrive in Portland (7/26) for the beginning of the Oregon Brewers Festival. Dinner at 10 Barrel Brewing:

https://photos.app.goo.gl/headYgZ1me81bqu26

West Cascades Scenic Byway to Eugene. Cool to see the U of O. Stadium looks more modern than we see on TV. Coldfire Brewing and Hop Valley both solid. Good food at Hop Valley.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/headYgZ1me81bqu26

Relayer, this is being pretty picky, but your first and second batch of photos are the same.

Great job on capturing the area.

 

[Relayer]

Relayer, this is being pretty picky, but your first and second batch of photos are the same.

Great job on capturing the area.

Thanks for the heads up. Fixed it to include the U of O.

 

[ras5051]

I’m currently in leavenworth, Wa. It’s a little town in the mountains where every building looks like it’s in Bavaria and a bunch of beer halls and German restaurants and wine cellars.. second time out here, really cool place. About a 2.5 hour drive from Seattle

 

[Grant Green]

Brother lives in Newport couldn't agree more. Too bad the CSZ is going to fire off, probably in our lifetime I fear, and rip the whole area a new one.

Could go off in our life or 300 years from now. lots of debate in the seismic community and still a lot of uncertainty.
That said, I would not live on the oregon coast.

 

[Grant Green]

We love the PNW, been here several times. Great craft breweries in Oregon, fortunate to arrive in Portland (7/26) for the beginning of the Oregon Brewers Festival. Dinner at 10 Barrel Brewing:

https://photos.app.goo.gl/headYgZ1me81bqu26

West Cascades Scenic Byway to Eugene. Cool to see the U of O. Stadium looks more modern than we see on TV. Coldfire Brewing and Hop Valley both solid. Good food at Hop Valley.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/1Cakyz4A22bWedp5A

Central Oregon Coast has more great scenery, Saw a herd of elk near Reedsport. Yachats brewing spot on.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/6cwfrHN4L5VqBVem9

Cape Perpetua might be the most picturesque spot of any coast in our great country.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/gZBVrqgWvK3bcmyf9

Northern Oregon Coast isn't too bad either. Rogue Brewing in Newport, Pelican Bay Brewing on Pacific Beach and Fort George Brewery is Astoria are just some of the highlights, not to mention Yaquina Lighthouse and tons of marine life at Ecola State Park

Oh yea, we saw a pack of gray whales right of the coast at Boiler Bay. That was awesome!

https://photos.app.goo.gl/4FnTye4VFmGFEKZM8

Mount Rainier is one of the most underrated national parks. We did the Burroughs Mt hike at Sunrise, just amazing!

https://photos.app.goo.gl/C355tZWomKnYU93H9

The following day we traveled to the more obscure east side of Mt St Helens. We visited the tourist side 7 years ago and this place never gets old.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/HNAVx4qqkT8mTnfQ7

Then it was on to the Columbia River Gorge and the great town of Hood River. Lots of terrific breweries in HR. Enjoyed Full Sail, Double Mountain and pFriem. Tool a ride up to Mt Hood and Timberline Lodge which was the lodge used in the Shining. Very cool that they ski all year round hear.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/6uAtWxRvz27TW9ih9

Are the food photos from 10 barrel?
Pizza looks good.
Where else did you eat in Portland?

 

[Relayer]

Are the food photos from 10 barrel?
Pizza looks good.
Where else did you eat in Portland?

Yes, that was 10 Barrel. I thought it was very good. Then again, we woke up at 3am, flight was over 5 hours, 3 hours at the Brewers Festival before heading to 10 Barrel. Fatigue was starting to set in

We only spent the one night in Portland.

Glad you enjoyed the trip. Love the Columbia River Gorge area and Mt. Hood. Cannon Beach and that part of the coast is very picturesque. My wife's father took a job in Seattle a couple years back, so we check out a different area each time we go out there. San Juan Islands last year, heading to the North Cascades this year.

We enjoyed our time in the San Juan's 4 years ago, really liked Orcas Island and Eastsound.

Have fun in the North Cascades. Our highlights included hiking Cascade Pass and Blue Lake. Liked the western style town of Winthrop.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/XcsUokgRodzycsQa8

Try to get up to the Mount Baker area, Fabulous scenery!

https://photos.app.goo.gl/sVyALXYAQiCDYH9c8

 

[royboy]

Relayer or others, in your visits to the Northwest, have you visited Olympic National Park/ Forest, and done the Route 101 Loop around it? Spectacular.

https://www.myscenicdrives.com/drives/washington/olympic-peninsula-loop

Lake Crescent, near Port Angeles is beautiful.

 

[Relayer]

Relayer or others, in your visits to the Northwest, have you visited Olympic National Park/ Forest, and done the Route 101 Loop around it? Spectacular.

https://www.myscenicdrives.com/drives/washington/olympic-peninsula-loop

Lake Crescent, near Port Angeles is beautiful.

roy, yes in 2013 we visited Olympic. Very unique park as you have beaches, rain forests and alpine mountains in one park. We spent a night at the Lake Crescent Lodge, beautiful spot for sure. Thought about squeezing in a day or two at ONP, but there is some serious road construction going on this summer with lengthy delays.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/S9RPHLPxJ7te1E837

 

[KnightWhoSaysNit]

roy, yes in 2013 we visited Olympic. Very unique park as you have beaches, rain forests and alpine mountains in one park. We spent a night at the Lake Crescent Lodge, beautiful spot for sure. Thought about squeezing in a day or two at ONP, but there is some serious road construction going on this summer with lengthy delays.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/S9RPHLPxJ7te1E837

The road to Hurricane Ridge was, for me, rather horrifying. Roads with cliffs just make me overly nervous. It is on my list of western "never agains." That said, I loved the rainforests on the western side of the peninsula. Just a world not seen anywhere else in the continental U.S. And yes, Lake Crescent is as beautiful as it looks in photos.

I would have retired to the Peugeot Sound area had it not been so far away from family/friends. So much to see and do there. (I am a sea kayaker. Heights unnerve me, but being away from shore in choppy water and getting bounced around in a long, narrow, unstable kayak is bliss.)

 

[CoastFan]

I live in the Seattle area. (Lived in the Portland area for five years, a long time ago now). This travelogue thread has covered a lot of things to see, as well as the beer culture which is so abundant in the Pacific Northwest.

Some factoids of potential interest:

1) The Hoh Rainforest on the Olympic Peninsula has about 140 inches of rain a year, the most in the continental US. It is about 42 miles, as the crow flies, from the town of Sequim, which is on the Strait of Juan De Fuca. Sequim has about 17 inches of rain a year, the lowest annual rain fall figure on the Pacific Coast (yes, that has to count the Strait as being on the coast) north of Santa Barbara.
2) Long Beach, WA advertises itself as the longest beach in the world. Now, how that has been verified, I don't know. It is about 28 miles long.
3) Did we mention beer? I thought it was mentioned. About 75% of the hops grown in the US are grown in Washington. Another 17% are grown in Oregon.
4) The high tech boom in the Seattle area is both a blessing and a curse. Rents and home prices have sky-rocketed. The city of Seattle had more construction cranes dotting the skyline than any other US city, for the third year in a row. It isn't close to second place. The linked article from the Seattle Times provides some insight.

https://www.seattletimes.com/busine...raight-year-as-construction-reaches-new-peak/

 

[Relayer]

The road to Hurricane Ridge was, for me, rather horrifying. Roads with cliffs just make me overly nervous. It is on my list of western "never agains." That said, I loved the rainforests on the western side of the peninsula. Just a world not seen anywhere else in the continental U.S. And yes, Lake Crescent is as beautiful as it looks in photos.

I would have retired to the Peugeot Sound area had it not been so far away from family/friends. So much to see and do there. (I am a sea kayaker. Heights unnerve me, but being away from shore in choppy water and getting bounced around in a long, narrow, unstable kayak is bliss.)

The day we planned on heading up to Hurricane Ridge there was a bike race and the road was closed. We opted for the more hairy Deer Park Road up to Blue Mountain. Not that bad for a gravel road. Terrific views at the top. The fog socked in along the coast, hard to see the Straight of Juan de Fuca.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/oEanQprGtaoKN7jS9

 

[lein]

What, no visit to the Tillamook cheese factory?

 

[Relayer]

What, no visit to the Tillamook cheese factory?

Ha! We were there for 10 minutes and couldn't wait to leave. They recently opened a new visitor's center. It's very nice, but the place was a zoo. Must have been 50 people waiting in line for ice cream, and this was on a Monday.

 

[Relayer]

In case one didn't see it, I thought this was pretty funny. Am I to presume that edibles are OK?

https://photos.app.goo.gl/2wufpmoop85BoH4r9