This post is a long time in coming – because we covered A LOT of ground in 2 1/2 weeks! In the second half of our exploration of Oregon we covered Eugene, Salem, Portland, the surrounding communities AND visited the Oregon Coast.
Now that we (sort of) have a handle on moving, hitching and unhitching the RV, we were able to cover more ground… We are being extra thorough here because we are considering settling in Oregon after our big trip is over, the thing is, we don’t really know where yet…
So we looked around.
Everybody’s Weather Is Better Than Someone Else’s
Weather forecasts are tricky – they’re never 100% accurate. But one thing people in Oregon seem to know for sure is – that their weather is better than the other guy’s. When we were in Central Oregon (where it was freezing and we saw snow and ice!) they warned us that the in Willamette Valley (Salem, Eugene, Portland), you get a lot of rain. Driving up the 5 through Salem and Eugene we didn’t encounter much rain – mostly chilly weather temps and lots of fog.
Most days the fog burned off by afternoon… we even had some sunny days. It seemed we could deal with this kind of winter. Here they reminded us that back in Central Oregon was where you got snow. But by the time we drove all the way north to Portland we were again seeing freezing temperatures and finally got hit with a snowstorm (see previous post). Everyone assured us “We don’t normally get snow in Portland” – but there it was.
On The Road
Signs of a thoughtfully managed forest industry.
A lot of Oregon is more rural than we expected. (where did these expectations come from I wonder?) On the miles of highway between “places” we saw field after field of horses, cattle, sheep, and alpaca, as well as rye-grass crops, vineyards and wineries.
And then there was the timber industry.
Huge trucks loaded with felled trees were on the road with us almost everywhere – especially in the northwest. We saw mountains with strange crew-cuts… half-cleared of timber (and replanted). In Astoria, where the Columbia meets the Pacific Ocean, we saw a massive lumber yard full of felled trees ready to be loaded onto huge ocean-going ships. The timber industry is a big deal here… but we were pleased to see the forests seemed lush and responsibly maintained.
On these drives we got to see some beautiful sites – towering snow-covered pines, alpaca watching passing cars, sheep ignoring us, two pigs guarding a street corner, hawks resting on roadside fences, and one site we had to pull off the side of the road for… six Bald Eagles sitting in a tree!
We pulled over to watch a group of SIX of Bald Eagles!
The best thing you can do is get out of the city, get off of the freeway and explore smaller roads! Driving through towering pine trees, past barns and through smaller towns was such a treat – we even discovered a few of Oregon’s classic covered bridges!
By getting off the main road and exploring we came upon two of Oregon’s beautiful Covered bridges – Harris Bridge and Drift Creek Bridge
The Boy Wants To Go FISHING!
We continue to be impressed with Oregon’s water – there are gorgeous rivers and lakes at every turn… which only fed Alex’s desire to go fishing. Unfortunately his parents are NOT fishing people. We put him off through central Oregon saying it was too cold – but here things were warmer, there were rivers everywhere… the time had come!
So, we took him to a local sporting goods store in Medford, where Alex spoke with an expert who set him up with a new line on the pole his uncle had given him. He helped Alex pick the right lures and bait, and directed us to a local fishing hole. We also took him to the Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife to get him his official Oregon Fishing License too! Then it was off to the fishing hole! Sadly he had no luck on day one. Over the rest of our time in Oregon he kept trying – ponds, rivers, lakes, in the rain, off a bridge, getting up at dawn, fishing to dusk… no luck. But he remains undeterred!
You Can’t Judge A School By It’s Mascot
If we are going to end up living here a major consideration is where our son will go through his high school years. We left LA to give him less city and a more outdoors experience – that’s certainly abundant here.
We made a point of finding and driving by high schools.
“It’s big.”
“Look at the size of the gym.”
“That’s a nice football field.”
But we quickly reduced these conversations to the mascots.
“Lava Bears? That’s a dumb name.”
“Titans? That’s cool.”
“Raiders? Uh-uh! No way! I am not going to a school that’s the Raiders!”
It quickly became obvious that this was no way to judge a school. We would have to study online. But driving by did give us a sense of the neighborhood and community that you can’t get online.
SMALL TOWNS & BIG CITIES
On our travels we not only hit the big 3 – Eugene, Salem and Portland, but also passed through Klamath Falls, Phoenix, Medford, Lebanon, Albany, Dallas and McMinville – not cities, but smaller towns to varying degrees. Some, we just felt were too small, or too rural for us, or would be difficult to find work. And some… were possibilities.
Here’s an example of how we did our “research” – One day we drove from our base outside of Eugene to visit Dallas, OR. Nice enough looking town, but first we were hungry and stopped at a cafe for lunch. Cynthia and Alex went in first, while took the dog for a walk (she’s a trooper about riding for hours – but the girl needs to get out once in a while!) By the time I joined them at the table Cynthia had met the owner of the cafe, who also works with the city council, and who’s son goes to Dallas High School and got the low-down on the positive economy, housing prices, rental options, the quality of the school etc. By the time lunch was over she’d met with a local real estate agent who was also dining there, and gotten the “real” scoop from a High School Senior who was our busboy. I’m convinced if I’d taken the dog for a longer walk Cynthia would have been mayor before we left.
Information gathered! We drove through town afterwards, saw the High School (they are the “Dragons” if you’re keeping score) and scooted off to the next stop.
Time For A Camping Break!
We’d been moving up the state, touring towns, hitching and unhitching… it was exhausting. We definitely needed a break from being on the go. Cynthia found us a County Park near Lebanon, OR, where we could sit still for a bit. – I’m sure this park is packed in the summertime, but the over 80 camping spots there were only 5 of us there. Foggy mornings, peaceful trees and the river made it a beautiful spot to decompress… Determined, Alex got up early on two mornings to try his hand at fishing (still no luck) and we all got to catch our breath from the daily driving and moving.
The Oregon Coast
We never tried to take the whole rig to the coast, or spent the night there – but we did make three separate day trips. (I told you we did a lot of driving). Driving out to Florence, drove alongside the Siuslaw River. Alex was dying because it was sooo close, but we were not fishing that day. The town of Florence reminded me a lot of Cape Cod – little nautical themed businesses, hotels and small restaurants that told you this was clearly a tourist town. (And yes, there is mini golf!) Where the river reached the Pacific there were two massive man-made jettys – each guided the river to the sea and formed a massive sandy beach, unusual for Oregon’s more rocky coastline.
Another day trip, from Salem, we drove out to Lincoln City. Not only do they have ocean and trees, but also Devil’s Lake. We walked out on a dock where it was pretty freezing – but our boy likes to push his limits – and stuck his face in the ICE WATER! Clearly part of the trip he is enjoying is shocking his parents.
Then, while based outside of Portland we turned two destinations into one big travel day – first to Multnomah Falls. This was the kind of stop I envisioned for our trip – seeing some amazing natural wonders. The temps were below freezing and the wind off the Columbia river made it even more biting… but we bravely bundled up and made the trip to the beautiful, frozen, Multnomah Falls.
When we got back in the car we decided to go for a bigger goal – Astoria and the Oregon Coast (Where we expected it to be a bit warmer!) The drive mostly followed the Columbia – weaving us across the border into Washington along the way and then back to Oregon. Astoria itself was very much a sea town – with views of the ocean and the very busy seaport up the Columbia where ships were being loaded with timber. We dipped down the coast to Seaside which with it’s big wide beach… and got out to enjoy the coast, some warmer temps – and after a lot of driving Peaches got to RUN!
We took a different route back as night fell – driving through the woods of northwest Oregon is really a spectacular feeling – day or night. What’s amazing about this part of the country is the rocky cliffs and beautiful pine trees that come right up to the ocean. The east coast has Maine, the west has Oregon.
PORTLAND
The Big City. Ok here we go. After weeks on the road, in nature, in small towns, we were coming to a metropolis. We stayed just to the east of the city, but it was a short 15 minute drive to downtown. Perfect. We drove in and it felt familiar to me, like Boston. Because it was cold, the streets were full of people who didn’t seem to mind the weather, there were lots of one-way streets and the park… oh boy. Clearly this was no place to bring our big pickup truck! After some maneuvering we found a parking spot and decided to explore on foot.
We visited the Tourist Info center and got the lowdown from a volunteer there. Great metro light rail and bus system. Lots of breweries/brewpubs. We set out to a city block that was semi-permanently set up with all food truck/food carts – a freezing buffet of cuisines – and got our teenager the burrito he needed.
Next stop was Powell’s Books – the nation’s largest independent bookstore (a full city block!) – I found my happy place. I browsed a lot, bought a stack – but I controlled myself. Really, I did!
Outside my happy place!
We next walked around the Pearl District – blocks of old brick warehouses converted to restaurants and brew pubs. Really reinforcing the idea that this is an older city with a younger vibe. Again reminding me of Boston. But it was cold. And we couldn’t do a lot of indoors things with the dog (she spent a few hours back in the parked truck).
Peaches found Portland VERY COLD
And that was pretty much it for Portland. I know the city has a lot to offer, but we’re traveling in a trailer with animals and it’s very cold out… we just won’t be visiting cities much on this trip. It’s not what we are geared up for.
We know we aren’t going to settle in a city this size so there was no need to do that lame school drive-by. They have a submarine tour a the science museum that was a great roadschooling experience for Alex. And there was a festival of lights around the city we thought we might check out – but then … SNOW!
An unusual winter storm hit us with about 5″ of snow. As previously mentioned, they don’t usually get snow here. So the RV park didn’t have a snowblow or snowblower… and neither did the town. We had ourselves a SNOW DAY!
But honestly we had seen enough for now – and living in the trailer in bad weather is tolerable for only so long. There were more storms on the way and when the sun came out the snow started to melt… so we hit the road south!
Bye for now, Oregon! We are itching to get on with the rest trip (in warmer climates)!
Here is your fishing moment of zen:
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I love following your trip! Did you get to see the Goonies jail in Astoria?
NO! I completely forgot about the Goonies connection! I think I’m just going to have to get used to the idea of not seeing EVERYTHING.
I told you it was cold there. It snows a lot and it can get down to forty below with wind chill factored in. When I lived ther, I ran my bathroom and kitchen faucet full blast to keep it from freezing and about day thirty, no more water: It froze at full blast. About March, the snow turns back into rain and it rains, pretty much, until the end of May. I don’t miss THAT AWFUL COLD, MISERABLE WEATHER AT ALL!!!