Blogs from Oregon, United States, North America - page 100

July 4th 2009 I can certainly say we picked the wrong day to visit Cannon Beach. It was the July 4th long weekend, my sister was in town and my parents were leaving in a week and it was 85F in Portland so we thought what the heck and set out. We dressed like one would when you head to the beach on a sunny day. Who the heck knew that Cannon Beach, a mere 1 and a half hours away would have totally different weather conditions and I had to check the wind directions. It was chilly and windy and very very cold So much for V’s tent and Frisbee. We did not do justice to the visit. Next time around, I will check the weather and also plan the visit better so we can ... read more

After a restful two nights and a bike fitting and tune-up in Portland, we continued our trek southward. Portland did include a trip to the Rogue Brewery, but no beers are worthy of mention. We left Washington with a sense of excitement as we had cycled the entire route and were beginning to really feel comfortable on our bikes. Oregon, however, proved to challenge us in a way that we had not really expected. The Oregon coast is littered with amazing ocean views scattered with jetting pillars of rock. In cycling terms, this equates to, at best, rolling hills and on the 'fun' days, peaks with minimal shoulder, stronger wind than should be allowed by the Gods, and our first experience with fog and its ability to completely encompass an area/cyclist. The temperatures were somehow colder ... read more

CHAPTER 24-- TRAVELS WITH CALI-OREGON May 27: “Oregon or bust!” I think that was a slogan that was written on covered wagons. Anyway, Cali and I are finally in Oregon. We followed the Smith River most of the way up to Grants Pass. As I said in the last chapter, it is a beautiful river, so I am enclosing another picture of it. I also saw my first snow covered mountain in Oregon, but I don’t know its name. Near Cave Junction, I didn't visit the caves, but instead stopped at a place advertising big cats. Naturally I had to see what that was all about. A woman gave a group of us a tour of many cages with a wide variety of wild cats, including lions, cougars, bobcats, jaguars, leopards, tigers and some other cats ... read more

Oregon is awesome! It smells like camping and donuts! Okay, it doesn't really smell like donuts, but Portland has one of the most unusual donut shops I have every visited--VooDoo Doughnuts. They have some unique flavors there, in fact I tried one encrusted with Oreos and drizzled with peanut butter. Yum! You can even get married there! Check it out yourself: http://voodoodoughnut.com/ I had a great time exploring the winding roads and some amazing scenery, traversing almost 400 miles with my rental car in one day! I ventured east to see Multnomah Falls, the second tallest year round waterfall and to see some breathtaking views of Mt. Hood. I was fortunate to see the the peaks of Mt. Hood from both the sky and the ground. After my trek east, I headed west to the coast, ... read more

Drove to Crater Lake today. Beautiful Blue lake in the top of a volcano cone. Believe it or not, about two thirds of the drive around the lake was closed because of snow, but what I was able to see was really cool. Going to take a leisurely drive up the Oregon coast tomorrow and will be spending the night and the next day in a hostel on the norther Oregon coast.... read more