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Oregon/NoCal questions

Oregon/NoCal questions

Old Nov 5, 2020, 1:47 pm
  #1  
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Oregon/NoCal questions

Hey all,

We are leaving in a tomorrow to Portland, I understand the rioting isn't great, but there is so much to do around that should be enough to keep us busy. The plan is: Portland --> Hood River --> Newport/Astoria?--> Crater Lake --> Redwood --> Lassen Volcano --> and Monterey/Big Sur to finish off the trip. 9 days total.

I have a few questions:
1- Is there a place in portland where you guys would recommend staying? We are looking for downtown, but with rioting, not sure if there is a place that is safer than others.
2- Besides our itinerary or instead off, can you please give recs? We are 2 adults and a 3 year old, we will have a car and we are easy going. Love food, wine, scenery, etc.
3- Any coastal towns you'd recommend besides Newport?

Would love any and all pointers. Leaving in soon.

Thanks!

Last edited by TravelDoorsOut; Nov 5, 2020 at 3:13 pm
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Old Nov 5, 2020, 6:13 pm
  #2  
 
Join Date: Mar 2012
Posts: 75
Originally Posted by TravelDoorsOut
Hey all,

We are leaving in a tomorrow to Portland, I understand the rioting isn't great, but there is so much to do around that should be enough to keep us busy. The plan is: Portland --> Hood River --> Newport/Astoria?--> Crater Lake --> Redwood --> Lassen Volcano --> and Monterey/Big Sur to finish off the trip. 9 days total.

I have a few questions:
1- Is there a place in portland where you guys would recommend staying? We are looking for downtown, but with rioting, not sure if there is a place that is safer than others.
2- Besides our itinerary or instead off, can you please give recs? We are 2 adults and a 3 year old, we will have a car and we are easy going. Love food, wine, scenery, etc.
3- Any coastal towns you'd recommend besides Newport?

Would love any and all pointers. Leaving in soon.

Thanks!

Just avoid the area around the Federal Courthouse at SW 3rd and Main. The Pearl District is fine and they have a Residence Inn in The Pearl (NW 9th) that is out of the problem area. Canopy by Hilton on Glisan would be out of the problems too as would Hampton Inn and Suites on Flanders. There is a Hyatt Centric on Alder that should remain free of any problems but across the street is a hotel, The Sentinal that is owned by Trumps former Sec. to the UN, Gordon Sondland so maybe avoid that area. I do not know anything about room at these places inside since I live here; however, The Pearl District is part of my morning running route and it has not been effected by the current problems outside of a couple of very isolated instances in the past. The Pearl is mostly high end condos and a nice area to walk, even with a little one.

CJS
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Old Nov 7, 2020, 7:51 am
  #3  
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You're probably in Portland by now, but in case you're still consulting this thread, I'd definitely drop Crater Lake and Lassen. The National Park Service has already closed some of the key roads at Crater Lake and services are quite limited, and I'd imagine the same will apply to Lassen - it's already winter in the high country. Plus, in November the odds are good that everything will be socked in, so the scenery will be obscured big time.

After Hood River, I'd simply rocket south on I-5 to Oregon Hwy 38, then out to the coast. Follow US 101 south along the scenic southern part of the Oregon coast and into the redwoods. If there's still time for the Monterey Peninsula, I'd shoot through San Francisco on the way south and spend a couple of days around Monterey, Carmel, and the Point Lobos nature reserve on the coast between Carmel and Big Sur.

Here's a map. Even with 9 days you're going to have to spend a fair amount of time in the car and will need to set priorities. https://goo.gl/maps/uvowEH6JV5Zz4g3c7
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Old Nov 8, 2020, 8:57 pm
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Originally Posted by Gardyloo
You're probably in Portland by now, but in case you're still consulting this thread, I'd definitely drop Crater Lake and Lassen. The National Park Service has already closed some of the key roads at Crater Lake and services are quite limited, and I'd imagine the same will apply to Lassen - it's already winter in the high country. Plus, in November the odds are good that everything will be socked in, so the scenery will be obscured big time.

After Hood River, I'd simply rocket south on I-5 to Oregon Hwy 38, then out to the coast. Follow US 101 south along the scenic southern part of the Oregon coast and into the redwoods. If there's still time for the Monterey Peninsula, I'd shoot through San Francisco on the way south and spend a couple of days around Monterey, Carmel, and the Point Lobos nature reserve on the coast between Carmel and Big Sur.

Here's a map. Even with 9 days you're going to have to spend a fair amount of time in the car and will need to set priorities. https://goo.gl/maps/uvowEH6JV5Zz4g3c7

Trip Advisor forums (not as good as FT) basically crucified me for trying to go to the South Entrance of Crater Lake which is open with a 3 year old in a 4x4. Ive driven all over the Rockies in winter and feel pretty confident. Tomorrow, I just checked weather and they are saying “Monday
Mostly sunny, with a high near 30. Wind chill values as low as zero. Northeast wind 7 to 13 mph becoming west northwest in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 20 mph.” We would leave tomorrow at 8am, shoot down 97 to be there by noon-ish. Is this a good idea and TA forum is over exaggerating or don’t go?

I looked at the map, looks great! How did you pick those towns? Is that recs or just random towns along the route?

Last edited by TravelDoorsOut; Nov 8, 2020 at 10:21 pm
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Old Nov 9, 2020, 8:59 am
  #5  
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Especially with a small child, my views on Crater Lake become even stronger. In my view the big issue is time. If you plan to get from Crater Lake out to US 101 in time to see anything of the southern Oregon coast (the best part IMO) the drive is very long, generally considerably longer than the mapping services (Google, Bing et al) show. It can make for a very long day, and, honestly - just my view - Crater Lake can be a "two hour" national park for many people. Your call, of course.

For a compromise, let me just offer a compromise that will give you some terrific "old west" scenery but which will reduce drive times a little. Here's the revised map - https://goo.gl/maps/CS3gpu8adE3NWpbLA

What this does is include Smith Rock State Park, near Bend. Smith Rock is a stunning - and quite convenient - area of dramatic rock scenery. Here's a picture (not mine) of what it looks like.



This would let you use the McKenzie Highway (SR 126) to cross the mountains to Eugene, then south on I-5 to OR 38 thence out to the coast. I'd give this route a very high rating, compared to many hours more in the car in order to get just a short time at Crater Lake.

As for my choices of waypoints on the map, mainly they're just to show the driving route. The revised map shows Bandon, in my view (and that of many others) the most attractive town on the southern Oregon coast. The use of Oregon Hwy 38 is because it's the fastest and most scenic route between I-5 and the coast. One particularly interesting thing is that you'll pass a wildlife refuge just as you're approaching Reedsport, where (particularly at this time of year) you're likely to see some Roosevelt elk grazing on the flats. There's a well marked pullout and viewing platform there.



Once you're in the redwoods, I'd probably suggest looking at the Eureka area - Trinidad, Eureka itself, or picturesque Ferndale, a little south of Eureka, as overnight locations. With a small child, I'd probably suggest Eureka, especially that would let you visit the Samoa Cookhouse in Samoa, across the bay from downtown Eureka. This is a fun restaurant in the mess hall of an old lumber mill, with hearty food served family-style by grannies with attitude. Fun place for all, especially kids.

The Avenue of the Giants is a must-see "detour" that parallels US 101 for quite some distance. It will knock your socks off.
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Last edited by Gardyloo; Nov 9, 2020 at 9:04 am
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Old Nov 9, 2020, 2:05 pm
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Thats incredible... thanks so much for the recs. We went to Mt. Hood this morning and up to the lodge which was awesome. Now heading to the Canon Beach, Manzanita/Smugglers Cove, Newport, and take your recs on Reedsport, Bandon, and Redwood/Eureka and Avenue of Giants. Any places along 101 youd see vs skip? Thanks again!
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