We are headed into Oregon in a few days and then into Washington and will have two months in those areas.

What places are those you consider not to miss areas..??

What RV parks would you recommend..??

Thanks,

Oh, wow! Throw a stick and there's something to see. Oregon is amazing. I loved the coast from top to bottom--redwoods, state parks, Newport and other great towns--the whole coast. The Air Museum in Tillamook along with the Cheese factory. I guess Mt. St. Helen is no longer open, but it was great. Mt. Hood and Hood River. The drive (on the Oregon side) along the Columbia River--spectacular. The Rogue River and lots to see inland, as well. Oregon is one of my favorite states.

Washington is another great state--Leavenworth--wonderful Bavarian town to visit--We stayed in Icicle River Campground. Loved Seattle and the ferry system--try to get over to Vancouver Island if you can. Go whale watching on zodiac boats. Great! Hoh Rain Forest. On and On--these are just a few places off the top of my head.

We had a lot of information with us about both states as we traveled. Regional and state books. I envy you your trip and hope you have a wonderful time--you can't miss with the region you've chosen. You can't have anything but a wonderful time.

Meant to post these sites in case you didn't find them:
http://www.oregon.com/byways/
http://www.oregon.com/Byways/hells_canyon.cfm
http://www.byways.org/explore/states/OR/
http://www.byways.org/explore/byways/2143/
http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/TA/ProgMgt/Byways/
http://www.experiencewa.com/v5/poiCluster/poiClusterOverview.aspx?poiCatId=449

There's just so much information about this area on the web. Again, engjoy.

Mount Saint Helens is in Washington State and open - http://www.fs.fed.us/gpnf/mshnvm/.

Diane and I are both Washington natives and love the state, plus we have spent a lot of time in Oregon and also love it. Both coasts are not to be missed and follow the Washington one around Olympic National Park into Olympia and then explore inland. You can spend multiple summers in each state, there is so much to see and do. Plus you might be tempted to visit British Columbia, another place with lots to see.

A campground I like to recommend is Diamond Lake RV Park in Diamond Lake, OR just north of Crater Lake National Park. By Seattle, WA I recommend Lake Pleasant RV Park in Bothell, WA. The SKP Co-ops in Chimacum, WA and Sutherlin, OR are nice.

Oh, my gosh, you'll need way more than two months to see those two states, but that much time will give you a look around, and you can go back again later.

For starters, because it's my favorite lake in the world, or at least that part of the world that I've been to,

WALLOWA LAKE

Amazingly beautiful scenery! Be sure to take the tram up to the top of Mt. Howard, and walk around the trails for a look at the surrounding mountains 'up close and personal'.

The town of Joseph is fun, even though it's gotten to be pretty touristy. The drive from Wallowa Lake, through the towns of Wallowa, Elgin, Union, etc, is a nice scenic 'small town America' drive. La Grande is a university town along the Grande Ronde River. Fifty-two miles west of La Grande, over Emigrant Pass (named by early locals 'Cabbage Hill', after a wagon load of cabbages went out of control, and sent the big round heads of cabbage rolling down hill!), sits Pendleton, nestled in a valley of the high-desert country of the Blue Mountains. Pendleton has several local draws:

PENDLETON UNDERGROUND TOURS is a very interesting re-incarnation of the life of Pendleton's Chinese community in the early 1900's.

PENDLETON WOOLEN MILL TOURS. I think that everyone knows the name "Pendleton Wool".... well, here's the original mill, and you can take a tour or just shop in the store.

Hamley's has been a Pendleton tradition for over a hundred years. The original Hamley's Western Outfitter and Saddlery has been updated, and still sells top-quality Western wear and saddles (limited) to locals and visitors. Here's their web site:

HAMLEY'S WESTERN WEAR

But, since last year, Hamley's also offers a true Pendleton treat... Hamley's Steak House. Fine dining in an elegantly casual atmosphere.... even if you don't want to stop long enough to eat, try to drop by for a drink or just to look around. Jaw-dropping atmosphere and decor! Food's really good, too! Here's their site:

HAMLEY'S STEAKHOUSE, PENDLETON, OREGON

Then, there's the Roundup Hall of Fame, with Rodeo memorabilia galore...

And, the museum in the old train station...

A walk along Main Street...

A very nice walk along the levee, to get some exercize...

And, east of Pendleton, off of I-84, Wildhorse Casino, and RV Park.

A 'not to be missed' is the drive along the Columbia Gorge, on I-84, and... well, I'll leave Portland for someone else to pick up on. So much to see and do in Oregon. Mt Hood. ALL of the coastline! Portland Rose Gardens.... absolutely beautiful at this time of year. Oregon's many rivers and lakes and parks.

Hope this gives you a few things to put on the list.

Lee

I apologize for mistakenly thinking that Mt. St. Helen was closed. Thank you for correcting me, Bill. It's an amazing sight. I also would recommend Diamond Lake Campground and Crater Lake as a must see. My husband and I had such glorious times in this part of the country. I swear I have a picture of the same chipmunk you took. :-) Oh, how I envy those of you still out there. We, too, had a Dutch Star--fortunately I can travel through your travelogues and escapees, vicariously. Aside from shorter trips during the year, we traveled 3 months out of the year for five years and planned to retire after one more year of work--we didn't make it. Without getting sappy, let me advise you all to enjoy each other and the wonderful life you've chosen, while you can. You will have seen and experienced, together, so much more than most people will ever even think about. I love reading your posts and your sites Bill and Lee (I have them bookmarked).

Eastern Oregon has a lot to offer, too, although most people think only of the Coast.

Lee has given you some great ideas for Eastern Oregon. I'd add Newberry Volcanic National Monument south of Bend and Steens Mountain south of Burns. If you're a birder, Malheur NWR, between Burns and Steens Mountain is a great place to visit! Then, of course, there are the 3 units of the John Day Fossil beds.

Oregon is one of our favorite states to travel in...you could spend the whole 2 months there and never see everything the state has to offer.

hobopals: Glad to know someone is reading.

No one has mentioned Mike and Terri Church's book, Pacific Northwest Camping Destinations, described here.

Mike and Terri always give a lot of useful information in their books. They presented a seminar on the Pacific Northwest at the Gillette Escapade and were selling lots of these books.

I'm going to order Mike and Terri's book, now. Thanks for the pointer. One day, maybe...just maybe, I'll make it out there, again. You and Lee are among the many inspirations posting on this forum. You have no idea how grateful I am.

This is a very troublesome thread. We haven't been quite everywhere mentioned here, but there just isn't anything bad listed. All great places. And believe me it is so fasinating to us, the differences between Western Oregon and Washington, as to Eastern Oregon and Washington. Also don't forget Lake Washington and Grand Coulee Dam. The freshest thing in my mind was last September at Pendleton, OR. To jump on Lee Jacobs comments, that town is amazing during rodeo week. Being originally from the East Coast, I really don't know diddly about rodeo, but I sure do enjoy it. Parades, the VFW breakfast in a town park for 3 or 4 mornings of the rodeo, you get your ham, eggs, pancakes, etc. in a 10" metal pie pan. As much as you can handle, and I was a frequent visitor to the chow line. And underground Pendleton was a tour we will always remember. Speakeasys, back ways into the houses of prostitution, and the dates given really surprised us! Just enjoy as you will find plenty.

Worlds largest waterfall and the rest of the Grand Coulee stuff. Don't miss the laser light show at the dam.

http://www.parks.wa.gov/parkpage.asp?selectedpark=Sun%20Lakes&pageno=1

http://www.nps.gov/iceagefloods/d.htm

We live on the Eastside of Seattle, and when we get a long weekend free, we head for Salt Creek Campground west of Port Angeles. Check out Kirk's personal website, as he has lots of photos of this place. Many of the campsights overlook the Strait of Juan de Fuca. In the evening, we watch the big container ships and cruise ships head to port or out to sea. It is just a gorgeous place, a Clallam county park.

Salt Creek Campground

For day trips with Salt Creek as our base camp, we go to Dungeness Spit, Rialto Beach, La Push (one of our favorite spots to watch Bald Eagles) the Hoh Rain Forest, and so on. We love this area.

Going north from Seattle, we love to drive the scenic Cascade Loop.

East of Seattle, Snoqualmie Falls is a favorite area for us, as is a drive to Leavenworth. You can actually make a visit to this little place part of the Cascade Loop.

There is so much here for you to see, you will surely decide to return for more time.

Best,
Linda

You will never know what the color blue really is until you see Crater lake.

Wow......thank you all for your enjoyable responses
We appreciate all these ideas and it sure shows how valuable this forum is to all of us

It sounds like one would never want to leave these area............your right and we will return again as Northern Calif was our prior home area, so we are back here often to visit family

While we have had some minimal experience with both States while working, we are now looking forward to having more quality time to slow down and smell the roses here

We are meeting fome friends in Seattle area who are returning for a high school reunion and who also know the area , so that will help to

Thanks again,

quote:

Originally posted by 2ndtwenty:
It sounds like one would never want to leave these area............

You won't be able to get out of there fast enough once the clouds roll in for good and the rain starts in the fall. But at the right time of the year -- from mid-July 'til the rains start -- you'd be hard pressed to find anywhere that's more spectaular than the Pacific Northwest.