July Oregon Road Trip

[1994delicaman]

My father and I are planing a road trip to Oregon in mid July, we dont have a exact date yet. Everyone is welcome to join us, will update on location and date ASAP. please feel free if any of you want to suggest a place to visit.

[nxski]

Sounds cool! Might I suggest a drive along the beach near Florence? The coastline in Oregon is amazing!

[mararmeisto]

I'll be heading to Eugene at the end of July, to pick up my bike from Bike Friday. I'm going to head southwards after the meet in Mission on the 28th.

I'll be travelling northwards along the coast. Apparently it's slower (40-50 mph) compared to taking the No.5 (70 mph), but I don't care - I routinely enjoy driving along the eastern coastal road of Vancouver Island instead of taking the "Island Corridor."

[konadog]

Hope you have a great trip - heaps cool bike Paul!

[glenn]

My top picks for oregon are:
The McKenzie Pass - takes you away from the coast to Bend - but is very cool. The lava fields are immense and very cool.

2011-08-18 15.59.38.jpg (80.36 KiB) Viewed 9683 times

The Beaches: Numerous, and Beautiful. We stayed at beachside, which was fantastic. If you plan at staying at a state park, I really recommend reserving in advance if you can.

2011-08-18 11.01.12.jpg (66.29 KiB) Viewed 9683 times

Last, the Dunes, huge fields of dunes for all kinds of activities.

You can't really go wrong though. You could go back year after year and never get tired of it.

[1994delicaman]

Thanks Glenn, The beaches and dunes are one of the reasons why we are going. We also are planning to head over to creater lake

[mararmeisto]

My top picks for oregon are:
The McKenzie Pass - takes you away from the coast to Bend - but is very cool. The lava fields are immense and very cool.

2011-08-18 15.59.38.jpg

Just added it to the itinerary. Thnx!

[Jimbuktoo]

I'll be heading down from the Okanagan to the Oregon Country Fair near Eugene probably the 10th of July. I used to live in Oregon (Ashland) and can assure you that there are areas all over the state well worth seeing. The coast, of course, is spectacular. Crater Lake is sublime and a little surreal. The northeastern corner, around Joseph, is quite nice as well, particularly the Hells Canyon area. Stay off of I-5 as much as possible and you can't go wrong.

[1994delicaman]

Stay off of I-5 as much as possible and you can't go wrong.

We are not going to use I-5, we are not going there in a rush. Going by the coast is so much better than being stuck on a straight line . I will be posting up the latest trip schedule in the up coming weeks.

[mararmeisto]

There's also Boring, Oregon - it might be interesting to stop next to the town sign, just for the picture.

[1994delicaman]

**UPDATE** We are leaving either on Saturday the 28 or sunday the 29 of July. Will confirm exact date two weeks before also we will let you know were we are going to meet up.

[frostyfriday]

I lived in Portland for many years and have spent many weekends traveling all the back roads of Oregon and Washington first in my big Bronco, then a lifted Jeep and now my L400 swb. I still travel there regularly.

Here are some of my suggestions and favorites:

Boring IS boring. Don't waste your time unless it is on your way.

I would travel down to Victoria and cross into the States via Port Angeles. Then travel down the Washington coast. This is a long slow trip. Camp in the Olympic forests. There is camping on the beach near a place called Queets (I think).

Cross into Oregon by crossing the bridge at Astoria. It is a very cool bridge.
Then go towards the coast. There is a huge car camping site at Fort Stevens. Not my favorite, too many people but it works.
Access the beach at Fort Stevens and first drive north a bit to where the Columbia enters the ocean just to see it, then drive down to Gearheart on the beach. It is great fun.

The Oregon coast is great but it is definitely slow going. Don't be in a rush. Going inland towards the Tillamook forests can be a fun diversion.
There is a 4x4 area called Browns camp where you can play in the forest with your 4x4. The Tillamook forestry center is cool if you have kids. If not there is good camping behind the center. Ask them for info.

The McKenzie Pass is great. A good way to cut across to Crater lake. Camp at the rugged campsite in crater lake or at one of the lakes nearby like Diamond lake. Don't use the RV campsite. It is a zoo. Make sure you do the boat tour of Crater lake. I don't usually do those sorts of tours but this one is very cool.

Buy a red Delorme Oregon map book. It is a great resource and show all the back country roads. There are so many places to visit in central Oregon. Crater lake, hole it the ground, crack in the ground, Fort rock, Paulina and East lakes (little crater lakes). Lava cast forests near Sunriver. It took me years to explore that area of central Oregon. There are so many fun off-road drives. The high desert museum near Sunriver is great for kids. There are also lava tunnels a mile or so long in the area. Mt Bachelor is also nice.

If you go to Bend, be sure to go down to the old town. It is much nicer than the rest of the city. Going home, it might be nice to return from the Bend area by going over Mt hood. Drive to the to and visit the lodge. It is an interesting building. There will be snow but the road will be clear to the top. Great views on sunny days. I like to go around Mt Hood to Hood river rather than returning directly to Portland. Hood river is a fantastic little town. You will never see so many windsurfers and kite boarders again in your life. The drive is a great windy road with fantastic vistas. You will pass through the valley farms with all sorts of fruit and berries for sale. Hood river has great brew pubs and is a good place for a lunch or dinner.

You could then go to Portland via 84 but I would rather cross into Washington at Hood river. Go East to the Maryhill Museum. It has amazing art in a great old mansion in the middle of nowhere and there is a replica of Stonehenge nearby. The mansion is a good place for a picnic, Watch out for the peacocks! There are a few good wineries nearby too. Some are happy to have you bring a picnic and hang out on their property.

The trip back west towards Vancouver, WA, is a lovely amazing road with incredible views of the columbia river and the Gorge.
You could also meander North into Washington, there is Mt Rainier and funky little towns all over the place.
If you go to Portland, enter and exit between 10am - 2pm. Traffic is bad with two major rivers and go figure, they narrow I5 down to 2 lanes as it passes through the city...

Oregon drives me nuts in the winter, a lot of rain on the coast but in the summer you can go weeks with nothing but blue sky (except at the coast). Central Oregon is my favorite. It is hot, dry and huge with miles and miles of dirt roads.

Driving a Delica in Oregon is fun, nobody has ever seen them. You will get a million questions and Oregonians are mostly a friendly bunch.

[1994delicaman]

thanks for the write up man very informative . I wont be driving my delica, I'll be taking my safari.

[mararmeisto]

It sounds like I need to take more than a week off!

[Shaun Van Ramen]

I did a motorcycle trip through Oregon 2 years ago. Dead Indian Memorial Hwy was a good ride. Between Klamath Falls & Ashland.
Also (the reason we went) the Beer in Oregon is Fabulous. Cave Junction (Hwy 199 just So. of Kerby) has a nice little pizza joint/brewery (Wild River Beer).
Also Klamath Falls - Klamath Basin Brewery.

Yum!