Pacific North West

[homestead]

We spent several days along the Oregon coast in 2014, but everything we did has been mentioned. If I were you, I would add a diversion to Crater Lake.

+1 Crater Lake is so amazing

 

[RetireeRobert]

Good point.

There is nothing in Washington but dangerous volcanoes that will kill you, killer hornets that rip the heads of honey bees, lawless thugs who take over entire neighborhoods, high prices, and apple maggots. The Canadians have closed the border to keep Washingtonians out. Go no farther north than Oregon. They have nice beach front hotels, great wines, no sales tax, and fantastic covered bridges. They even pump gas for you.

^ ^ ^

Yes, go no further north than Portland. And avoid downtown Portland too! A lot of it is boarded up anyway, to the extent local Portland TV station "KOIN" channel 6 ran a recent series "Is Portland Over?".

 

[Chuckanut]

Here are some photos of two of the 10 different covered bridges we found in Oregon. Many of these bridges are still in use.

 

[ElizabethT]

Timely post as we are on week three of a 10 week RV trip through the Pacific NW, starting and ending in S California. Not sure why some are dissing Washington State, where we are currently- it’s positively stunning!

Recommend coming up via the Cascade Mountain range, replete with national parks, circling the Puget sound in Washington clockwise, starting in Anacortes, and returning home via the coast.

I plan our stops by looking first for national properties (parks, refuges, historic and monuments), then do location-by-location research by way of Trip Advisor and their Top Things To Do. This has resulted in some amazing experiences.

 

[RetireeRobert]

Not sure why some are dissing Washington State, where we are currently- it’s positively stunning!

Recommend coming up via the Cascade Mountain range, replete with national parks, circling the Puget sound in Washington clockwise, starting in Anacortes, and returning home via the coast.

.

Your recommendations are fine, but off topic for this thread.

OP clearly stated they were coming up coast route only as far north as Portland. So anything Washington related are not relevant to OP, and really deserve a separate thread .

 

[NW-Bound]

Nobody was dissing WA. As mentioned in my posts, people forget that while the OP's thread title was PNW, his itinerary only covers the coastal route, from SF going up to Portland. And again, only along the coast. The interior of Oregon is something else, and requires another trip.

And Chuckanut's post about WA was in jest. He is a resident of Seattle, I believe.

And seriously, while I have visited Portland and Seattle numerous times over the decades, due to Covid and the social unrest the downtown areas probably have not been reopened.

Without business activities, there's probably not a lot do there right now in the cities. You are better off spending time out in the countryside, enjoying nature.


PS. As RetireeRobert said (he's a resident of OR), you can go on Youtube to give yourself a tour of the present Seattle and Portland downtown. Nuf' said.

 

[JackJester]

The South to Central Oregon coast is fantastic. Brookings to Newport. North of Newport it gets more touristy as you start to enter the more populated regions of Portland proper. Crescent City in the far north CA coast is real nice too. Amazing scenery. Close to Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park. We stumbled upon an incredible kite festival one year at Crescent Beach. Lots of light houses along Hwy 101. And I 3rd that a diversion to Crater Lake NP is well worth it.

Avoid the cities of Seattle and Portland Some have mentioned the homeless problems in the big NW cities. It is really sad how bad my home city has degraded due to the homeless. I don’t want to highjack this thread but a nerve was touched by others comments. so, ***Rant Begin *** We rarely go downtown anymore. Us NWesterners are mostly liberal and support a free laid-back happy way of life. We particularly love the outdoors, the arts, and music. But there is a limit that has been crossed by allowing folks to pitch a tent where ever they want with no repercussions (even the lawn in front of the county courthouse). And there is no accountability for “minor" criminal acts like thievery and vandalism. The NW news has reported on this numerous times. Right now there is some psycho near a notorious homeless camp throwing bricks and other objects from the overpass onto passing I-5 motorists. Unfortunately, I feel that most of the problem is due to drug addition. We need to invoke an aggressive approach to the homeless to force them to seek treatment (mental or drug); for those that simply had some bad beaks with loss of job, then move into publicly-funded temporary housing with job training (we have record job openings now); put criminals in jail (and don’t let them immediately right back out the same day); and for those that are just 'free-spirits', then move on to less-populated areas of the state where they have plenty of room to be free. Hey, I followed the Grateful Dead around for a year in the 80s; I understand free-spirits. Yes, it all boils down to $$$. I will gladly vote to increase my taxes if this problem can be addressed once and for all to save the Beautiful NW. Homelessness should not be condoned or ignored; it should be addressed as a ”problem” that needs solving. ***Rant End***

 

[NW-Bound]

... Crescent City in the far north CA coast is real nice too. Amazing scenery. Close to Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park. We stumbled upon an incredible kite festival one year at Crescent Beach...

I've always wanted to attend the Kinetic Sculpture Race in Ferndale, but have yet to make it happen. It looks so much fun, watching on Youtube.

And speaking of northern CA towns, I enjoyed a walk through Old Town Eureka.

 

[RetireeRobert]

Mention of northern California coast reminded me, years ago coming back from a trip to Monterey and coming up through Redwoods, we stopped and stayed at the quaint scenic little berg of Trinidad, right at the edge of the ocean, with a pier and some fishing boats moored there. We enjoyed that so much, at the time I mentioned that was the "discovery" for that trip. Had a great meal there too at a little cafe.

 

[Chuckanut]

And Chuckanut's post about WA was in jest. He is a resident of Seattle, I believe.

And seriously, while I have visited Portland and Seattle numerous times over the decades, due to Covid and the social unrest the downtown areas probably have not been reopened

.

Yes, WA state is still not as wide open as California has recently become. We have not hit the 70% vaccinated mark. So things are still buttoned up more than other states. Example: local library just repopened a few branches, limited to 6 hours a day, no more than 50 people at a time in the library. We have a ways to go.

Jest? All great humor has an element of truth in it.

Back on topic, in Oregon, though it's not on the coast, the Willamette Valley is quite nice, with more wineries than you can shake a stick at. Oregon's Pinoit Noir are quite good. Oregon Caves NM is a nice stop also, though again it's a bit off the coastal route. I like local cafes, but they can be hard to find post Covid. Many have folded, and others are not fully open. Elmers is a good local chain, a cut above Dennys, IMHO. But, check hours of operation. They vary.

 

[audreyh1]

I've always wanted to attend the Kinetic Sculpture Race in Ferndale, but have yet to make it happen. It looks so much fun, watching on Youtube.

And speaking of northern CA towns, I enjoyed a walk through Old Town Eureka.

The Kinetic Sculpture Race in Arcata CA was a hoot!

Oh, I see it is supposed to end in Ferndale. A lot of the sculptures don’t make it. You might want to go to the start. Lots of extra activity before the race as they have to demonstrate kinetic-worthiness for each sculpture.

Arcata CA is a bit bizarre because it is a town stuck in the early 70s even though most of the residents obviously hadn’t even been born then!

Great goat cheese made there - Cypress Grove Cheese.

 

[Scrapr]

And seriously, while I have visited Portland and Seattle numerous times over the decades, due to Covid and the social unrest the downtown areas probably have not been reopened.

Without business activities, there's probably not a lot do there right now in the cities. You are better off spending time out in the countryside, enjoying nature.


PS. As RetireeRobert said (he's a resident of OR), you can go on Youtube to give yourself a tour of the present Seattle and Portland downtown. Nuf' said.

Portland is more than downtown. I call it a city of neighborhoods. Each has a character that is it's own. Hawthorne, Mississippi, Alberta, Ladd's Addition, Woodstock are all worth a look

As Tom McCall (former Gov and beloved by many) says...Come visit but for heaven's sake please don't stay