Oregon Points-of-Interest

Information sources: A=AAA Travel Guidebook, AC=AAA Camping Book, H= Highways magazine (Good Sam Club), L=loop tours book (Readers Digest, hardbound), X=Xerox copy, T=1992 Texas travel soft-cover book, RVJ = RV Journal periodical, NOTE: Key to map-location numbering system: 05=2005 trip 06=2006 trip 07=2007 trip 08= 2008 trip 09=2009 entry 13=2013 entry 3-digit #s in red denote locations on old 2005 western trip map NOTE: Info may NOT contain CURRENT phone numbers, prices, times of operation, etc. due to publication dates for info sources. ALWAYS check with the attraction / location / venue for updated info rather than drive to the location and be very disappointed !

OREGON 2013

(Info added 2/13)

NOTE: All Oregon beaches (363 miles of shoreline) are open to the public from the low tide line to the vegetation line, without hindrance or interruption. OR001 05 Portland (p 300) 1. 10,000 rose bushes bloom in June at the International Rose Test Gardens. 2. An open-air shuttle takes visitors to the Japanese Gardens. 3. Catch the Zooliner to the Metro Washington Park Zoo; has rain forest, crocodiles, and one of the largest collections of Asian elephants. 4. Downtown Portland has a smattering of Postmodern architecture, and the hammered-copper sculpture, Portland, second in size only to the Statue of Liberty. 5. Powells City of Books is one of the largest bookstores in the country. At the Portland Art Museum be sure to see the Northwest Coast Indian art. 6. The Saturday Market operates Saturday & Sunday, March trough December in Old Town, and is the largest outdoor crafts fair in the country, with food & music, too. 7. (HT,13) Known as the City of Roses with test gardens and annual festival; Art Museum, Museum of Science & Industry, arboretum, zoo, scenic drive; nearby: colorful Lake Oswego, Fort Vancouver Natl. Hist. site in Vancouver, WA. OR002 05 Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area (HT,13) Scenic river drive, water-level & cliff-top roads, Multnomah Falls. Columbia River Scenic Highway details 1. The Columbia River Scenic Highway, an engineering feat, follows Rtes 30 & 84) for 22 miles past volcanic cliffs, over which dozens of waterfalls plummet. 2. Crown Point, a 720-foot bluff, offers a dramatic view of the gorge. 3. Next youll see an 11-mile stretch containing 11 waterfalls, culminating in the two-tiered postcard-perfect Multnomah Falls, the second-highest year-round waterfall in the country; drops a total of 620 feet. OR003 05 Mount Hood 1. 1.5 hours from Portland, this nearly symmetrical volcanic cone stands 11,235 feet (highest peak in Oregon). 2. Timberline Lodge, a rustic stone-and-timber lodge built in the 1930s as a New Deal WPA project, has intricate woodwork and an enormous fireplace. If you go here, dont miss the beautiful sunset view from the bar on the third floor of the lodge. OR004 122 05 Oregon City the end of the Oregon Trail. 1. The Municipal Free Elevator hoists you up a cliff to an observation platform for a birds eye view. 2. The Oregon Trail Interpretive Center honors the 300,000 immigrants who came in wagons and on horseback in the 1840s & 1850s. OR005 123 05 Depoe Bay (p 301) 1. Seals & sea lions claim the coast around Depoe Bay for their own.

Oregon Points-of-Interest

2. Whale-watching tours originate from the harbor here. North of the harbor is Sprouting Horns where cracks in the rocks convert crashing waves into waterspouts. 3. Six miles south, storms & rising tides cause waves to surge and boil at Devils Punch Bowl State Park. 4. Outgoing tides reveal sea urchins, starfish, and other glistening creatures in the adjacent Marine Gardens Ocean Shore Preserve. OR006 124 05 Tillamook 1. At Pacific City the Three Capes Scenic Loop winds west from Rte 101 to Tillamook. There are 3 capes Kiwanda, Lookout, and Meares that contain (respectively?) crashing waves, sparkling white sand dunes, and beaches strewn with sculpted driftwood and agates, and seals, sea lions, and comical tufted puffins. 2. Near Cape Meares Lighthouse grows the Octopus Tree, a Sitka spruce with 6 trunks. 3. In Tillanook tour the Tillanook Cheese Factory (free samples). Their website is www.tillamookcheese.com. Travel south on Rte 101 for an easy one-mile hike to the Munson Creek Falls, 266 feet in height. 274B A Tillamook (Star-Banner) Tillamook Cheese factory provides free tour. For tour times and more info go to www.tillamookcheese.com 4. Tillamook is home to a WWII all-wood dirigible hangar that is HUGE. You can tour this wonder and see vintage aircraft, plus the history of the hangar: construction and devastating fire that consumed the other twin hangar. BT this is worth seeing; allow 2 hours. 5. (HT,13) Dairy center, tours of cheese factories, Pioneer Museum; nearby: scenic Cape Outlook and Oswald West State Parks. OR007 125 05 Cannon Beach dubbed the Carmel of the Oregon coast; haven for artists; holds great sandcastle contest in early summer. Nearby is Haystack Rock, at 235 feet is one of the tallest coastal monoliths in the world. Best viewed from Ecola State Park. Scanning the sea in April and May, you may spot a whale or two. OR008 126 05 Astoria Columbia River Maritime Museum contains salvaged treasures and is called one of the best on the West Coast. 263 05 Astoria (A51) 1. Gem site Astoria Column is a column standing 125 feet high, 635 feet above the Columbia River. $1 per year per private vehicle. 2. Gem site Columbia River Maritime Museum contains maritime history and artifacts along with many models, paintings, photographs, etc. Walk aboard an actual WWII destroyer, and the Columbia, the last seagoing lighthouse-on-a-boat on the west coast. $8 ea. OR009 05 Oregon Coast Trail (A45) Among the nations more spectacular shorelines, the Oregon coast stretches some 400 miles from the California border near Brookings and Astoria at the mouth of the broad, gray Columbia River. See A45 for details of things to see along this route. (RVJ38) The Oregon Coast Trail follows beaches, crosses headlands, and even requires some short connectors along roadways to provide one continuous hiking route along the entire Oregon coastline from CA to WA. Additional hiking: Head a bit inland along the Winchuk River to the Siskiyou National Forest where oyu will find more hiking possibilities. OR010 264 05 Baker City (A52) located in the east part of Oregon. Offers self-guided tours. Gem site National Historic Oregon Trail Interpretive Center features living presentations, demonstrations of pioneer skills, theater presentations, multi-media exhibits, life-size dioramas, mining history and more. A 4.5-mile trail system passes scenic views and historic sites. OR011 265 05 Bandon (A53) Camping at Bullards Beach State Park. OR012 266 05 Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area (A58) 1. Gem site Historic Columbia River Highway for the best views of the gorge. Highway provides panoramic views of Gorge. There are 11 waterfalls along the Historic Columbia River Highway. 2. East of Womens Forum State Park is where the Larch Mountain Road runs 14 miles to a view at Sherrard Point where a short trail accesses views of mounts Adams, Hood, Jefferson, Rainier, and Mount Saint Helens. See detailed AAA map of the Columbia River Gorge. OR013 267 05 Crater Lake National Park (HT, 13) Picturesque deep blue lake in crater of extinct volcano, lake encircled by towering lava cliffs; Wizard Island symmetrical cinder cone, Phantom Ship lava formation, scenic Rim Drive.

Oregon Points-of-Interest

(A61-64, map on A61) 1. Gem site Lake is known for brilliant blue water. Park has 2 visitor centers. Admission to park is $10 per vehicle. 2. Gem site Rim Drive encircles the Crater Lake caldera. 3. Gem site Sinnott Memorial Overlook is below the Rim Village Visitor Center. Has good exhibit. OR014 268 05 Depoe Bay (A64) Incoming tide causes geyser like sprays of water. At times these streams of water arch over US101. OR015 269 05 Florence (A67) Good view of area from observation deck in nearby Harbor Vista County Park. Sea Lion Caves ($8 ea.) are 11 mi. N on US101 and are noted in Guinness World Records as the worlds largest sea cave, home to wild Steller sea lions. OR016 270 05 Newport (A81) Campgrounds are scattered along US101, a scenic highway that bisects Newport and extends along he entire Oregon coast. OR017 271 05 Portland (A95) Gem site Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI). More than 200 hands-on exhibits in five thematic halls, as well as 7 labs. The USS Blueback is docked outside the museum. (I wonder if this is similar to science museum in Pittsburg!?) OR018 272 05 The Dalles (A112) Gem site Columbia Gorge Discovery Center and Museum contains the Cargo exhibit that features the 30 tons of equipment and supplies used in the Lewis & Clark Expedition. OR019 273 05 Warrenton (A115) Fort Stevens State Park is a coastal campground park near the mouth of the Columbia River. OR020 274 05 Yachats (A116) The US Forest Service operates the interpretive center and campground at Cape Perpetua. OR021 Brookings (RVJ38,39) 1. Alfred A. Loeb State Park (RVJ38) located about 10 miles inland on the North Bank Chetco River Road, the Redwood Nature Trail leads to a grove of ancient redwoods at the extreme northern end of the coast redwood belt. 2. Harris Beach State Park hugs a bluff above the ocean 2 miles north of town, and from its beach you can see Goat Island, Oregons largest offshore island and a bird sanctuary. Both state parks offer camping. 3. Azalea State Park, just north of the Chetco River Bridge, has over a thousand azaleas and rhododendrons that burst into bloom from April thru June. The parks Memorial Day weekend Azalea Festival also includes a parade and street fair in Brookings. 4. Samuel H. Boardman State Park is 4 miles north of Brookings. The steep cliffs required some creative road-building in the 1930s. Viewpoints and pullouts provide scenic views of the dramatic coastline. Gray whales can be spotted with calves migrating north between March and October. Brookings Chamber of Commerce, 16330 Lower Harbor Road, Brookings, OR 97415, 800-535-9469, www.brookingsor.com OR022 !Eugene 13 (HT) Historical Museum, Oriental Art Museum; nearby: Cascades Mts. ski resorts. OR023 !Hells Canyon National Recreation Area !13 (HT) Deepest gorge in North AMerica, spectacular rugged terrain, upstream boat trips, scenic lookouts, Hat Point. OR024 Jacksonville 13 (HT) Preserved early gold rush town with many original buildings, courthouse museum. OR025 !Oregon Caves National Monument !13 (HT) Unusual subterranean limestone formations. OR026 Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area 13 (HT) Fifty-mile stretch of towering sand mounds along coast. OR027 !Port Orford 13 (HT) Scenic seascapes, Battle Rock monument to pioneer-Indian battle; nearby: Cape Blanco State Park with historic Hughes House, Humbug Mountain State Park. OR028 Umpqua Lighthouse State Park !13 (HT) Highest sand dunes in USA, rhododendrons.