Still Traveling

By Jim Smith

July 25, 2005 8:56 AM | Link to this

Hi Amanda, Your AJC retiree friend Jim Smith here. Pat and I just spent two weeks in Oregon and if we didn’t have two lovely granddaughters living 10 minutes away, we’d sell all our belongings and move there in a heartbeat. We fell in love with the coast, which is rocky, spectacular and accessible to the public since nearly all of it is owned by the state. We stayed at various places from Seaside (we dubbed it Panama City West) and its neighboring town Cannon Beach (Nantucket West) on the north to Gold Beach (Ireland’s is still there and just as homey and charming as ever) and Brookings-Harbor on the south. In between there were nights at Nye Beach (Newport) and Depoe Bay. For anyone interested in Oregon, here’s a rundown: PORTLAND: Wonderfully walkable city. Book freaks will love Powell’s bookstore, which covers an entire city block. It will remind you of Atlanta’s Oxford Books (r.i.p.) but on an even larger scale. Washington Park, up above the city, contains numerous attractions (zoo etc.), including the rose garden (10,000 of ‘em) and the Japanese garden. Our favorite place to dine was Newport Bay at River Place. The restaurant sits out in the Willamette River and you watch ducks, geese and boaters float by as you dine. SEASIDE: We stopped here because we simply couldn’t have driven any further. We went north to Mount St. Helens our first day out of Portland and by the time we reached the coast it was getting late. Seaside is a very family oriented town with numerous attractions that will appeal to the kids, but lacks the charm of its neighbor to the south, Cannon Beach. There is a nice promenade along the beach and a marker noting the town’s Lewis and Clark connection. And any town that boasts a Pig and Pancakes restaurant can’t be all bad. CANNON BEACH: Nantucket of the West, complete with Cape Cod architecture and ambience. Obviously a controlled environment but if you like the look and feel of New England, this is the place. Lots of “shoppesâ€? (art/jewelry/ceramics rather than T-shirts) to spend your money and the trademark Haystack Rock. The original Dooger’s restaurant is in Seaside, but the branch in Cannon Beach became our hangout the nights we stayed here. If you want a gorgeous view from your balcony, you can’t beat the Hallmark Resort. It’s a bit pricey (though we found the longer we stayed on the phone without making a reservation, the cheaper the price got!) but well worth it (fireplace in the room and a balcony looking right out at the Pacific and Da Rock). DEPOE BAY: The Surfrider Resort, perched on the cliffs north of town (the world’s smallest harbor), offers a spectacular view. Bring your binoculars and sit on the balcony counting whale spouts. The restaurant is good and the Sunday-Thursday rates were the cheapest we paid in Oregon. NEWPORT: We got in late and had to settle for a room at the Shilo Inn (a regional chain). It was oceanfront but lacked a balcony and the windows didn’t really open enough to let you hear the waves at night. A better bet would have been the quirky Sylvia Beach Hotel in Nye Beach (a Newport neighborhood), where the rooms are named after famous writers. Stephanie’s (restaurant) fish tacos in Nye Beach were excellent. The raucous seals that hang out in Newport Harbor are a tourist attraction in themselves. This is the home of Oregon’s Mo’s restaurants (currently suing Atlanta’s Moe’s Southwest Grill over use of the name). At Mo’s Annex, across the street from the main location, you can sit at a table looking out on the harbor and watch fish being brought in off the charter boats. GOLD BEACH: As you mentioned, Ireland’s is a great place. These family-owned rustic cabins and rooms are in a beautifully landscaped setting. It’s one of those places where you just “feel at homeâ€? the minute you get there. We stayed two nights and would have stayed longer but we wanted to see more of Oregon. Very affordable, too. Grant’s is another good place to eat, but only for breakfast and lunch. It closes about 3 p.m. CRATER LAKE: What’s not to like about the deepest lake in the country, which just happens to be situated in the caldera (bowl) of an extinct (we hope) volcano. Like the Grand Canyon, it’s one of those sights that is breathtaking because of its size and beauty. To see something so immense and at the same time so tranquil is awesome. We snagged a room at the Crater Lake Lodge (booked solid for the summer according to our earlier check on the Web site), which sits right on the rim, by calling the hotel directly and asking if there was anything available over the next few days. They had only one room and it was for the next night so we shuffled our travel plans accordingly. It was definitely worth it. To be able to hang around after the last tour buses had left and to sit in rocking chairs on the hotel’s veranda or in front of one of the massive stone fireplaces while sipping a glass of Oregon wine is a true treat. On the more energetic side, we also hiked down to the lake to dip our toes in the water. Some brave young folks were swimming (in their street clothes). It’s about a 45-minute walk either way on a dirt trail with plenty of benches (we needed them for the return trip!) ASHLAND: Beautiful town in a beautiful setting. The drive from Klamath Falls to the west on Oregon 66 is one of the wiggliest roads I’ve ever been on. But the scenery as you approach Ashland is gorgeous, more reminiscent of Southern California than coastal Oregon. The Shakespeare Festival is marvelous. We had dinner at one of the several restaurants that feature creekside dining just a few steps away from the theater entrances. We chose to see a play on the Elizabethan Stage, a 1,200 seat open air venue. All three venues are intimate so don’t fret a whole lot over seat prices and choices… there really aren’t any bad ones. We saw “Love’s Labor’s Lost,â€? a Shakespeare comedy, which the Oregon folks transported to a 1930s English resort setting. The words, except for a few appropriately timed one-liners, were all the Bard’s. MEDFORD: We never made it to “downtownâ€? Medford (if there is one) but the parts we did see were heavily congested with traffic and a long line of shopping centers and strip malls. Obviously, a very rapidly growing area. Like the difference between Seaside and Cannon Beach, Medford and Ashland are only a few miles apart geographically but worlds apart otherwise. About the best thing I for the parts of Medford we saw would be Elmer’s, a local restaurant chain similar to IHOP, Shoney’s etc. OREGON DUNES: We drove past them but didn’t stay overnight in this area. We can see their appeal, especially for folks who like to rip across them on dunebuggies. I’m sure it’s great fun, but we’re more fans of rocky coastlines. There’s plenty of sand on the East Coast, but it’s hard to find the rocks in the water like you do in Oregon. (Yes, we’ve been to Maine and love it dearly but it doesn’t match Oregon’s coast for its expansive wildness.)

Some other points: NO SELF-SERVICE GAS STATIONS: It’s “agin the lawâ€? to pump your own gas in Oregon. At first this rankled me but after a couple of weeks of it, I felt pretty good about letting someone else do the dirty work. Oregonians will tell you it’s because it’s “unsafeâ€? for untrained folks to pump their own gas, but when challenged will admit that it’s more a matter of jobs. “The oil companies can afford it and teenagers need work,â€? was the way one lady put it. However, the owner of a convenience store told me it was a major drain on his profits. Is it any safer? At busy stations, the attendants simply put the nozzle on automatic and leave it running while they move on to other vehicles. Doesn’t seem as safe to me as having one person per vehicle at the pump. THE WEATHER: A day at the beach in Oregon is not necessarily the same as a day at the beach in Florida. The Pacific is cool. It brings in cool air and moisture. Often. This doesn’t mean we didn’t have some gloriously beautiful blue sky days. We did. But we also had misty, gray chilly days. And we rarely saw anybody actually swimming in the ocean. The surfers at Ecola State Park near Cannon Beach and at Pacific City are a hearty breed but they all wore wetsuits. The beaches are more for walking than sunbathing and one favorite beach tradition seems to be the bonfire, either just before and during sunset or at night. FOOD: Crab, salmon and halibut are on just about every menu. Clam chowder is also ubiquitous and no two restaurants make it the same way. Try ‘em all! And you’ll be amazed at how many different ways marionberry (the local blackberry) shows up in desserts. Save room or take some back to your room. Oregon wines from the Willamette Valley are also excellent. TAXES: Though there’s no state sales tax, there is a statewide motel tax and most communities levy a local motel tax. It works out to about 7 percent in most places. You will appreciate the lack of a sales tax though on any other purchases and it was especially noticed when we bought a raku vase and a bracelet at the Real Mother Goose (locations in downtown Portland and at the airport), an arts and crafts store that features work from regional artists and artisans. MYRTLEWOOD: This rare wood is found in only a couple of places in the world. Oregon is one of them. Lots of stores sell items made from it so don’t worry if you pass one by … there will be another one in the next town. REDWOODS: You don’t have to travel all the way down to Crescent City, Calif. to see the redwoods. Going south on U.S. 101 from Gold Beach, you can cut across Calif. 197 to U.S. 199 and see gorgeous examples of the trees.

So, that’s my take on Oregon. Now, we’re off for a couple of weeks in London to visit our daugher and son-on-law there. Hope you are doing well. Jim

By Amanda Miller

July 26, 2005 11:55 AM | Link to this

Hi Jim

You make me so homesick for Oregon! I don’t think anyone could read about your trip and not want to book a visit.

I’m glad Ireland’s is still there and still a place you feel at home — it was starting to change before we moved in 1986, with two-story, modern inn rooms facing the ocean in addition to the cabins. I’m happy to hear it didn’t change much.

Your descriptions of many of the towns you visited is just right-on. I’ve never liked Seaside, either, for the reasons you describe. And Crater Lake is one of the most beautiful places on earth, in summer when you can gaze at the tranquil waters, or in winter, when you drive up the mountain on a road with 12 feet of snow piled up on either side. Many wintertime visitors go for cross-country skiing around the lake, so quiet with the fallen snow you hear nothing but your own breathing. The rangers also conduct guided snowshoe hikes.

I had completely forgotten about the “we have to pump your gas” law there. It’s no safer, but I guess it does provide some employment for kids, plus as I recall, the gas didn’t cost any more — perhaps less — than in California.

When we first moved there, I remember being astounded about no sales tax. If an item is marked 99 cents, that’s exactly what you pay. It was quite a shock to move back to the South, to Memphis, and to have to start adding taxes to everything once more.

Jim, you and Pat are making retirement sound very appealing, first Oregon and now London (and speaking of which, stay safe.)

Amanda

By Kelley

July 26, 2005 12:35 PM | Link to this

Oregon is great! Have to mention Crater Lake and Oregon Dunes in addition to the wonderful places mentioned above…the coast is beautiful. Our whole family, five children included, had a blast riding ATVs on the Oregon Dunes…would do it again in a heartbeat. In fact, my husband has suggested stopping in Oregon for another vacation on our way to Japan.

By Suzanne

July 26, 2005 1:41 PM | Link to this

Amanda, Thanks to you and Jim for your wonderful comments and thoughts on Oregon! I’m ready to move there now!

By Tom

July 26, 2005 4:42 PM | Link to this

I recently vacationed in Oregeon: driving along the coastline, then cris-crossing the Cascade mountains, and ending in Portland.

Oregon’s natural beauty is magnificent, though in far too many places the lumber companies have plundered the land with the most wreckless and irresponsible clear-cutting of “old growth” forests.

One can drive along some tourist-oriented roads which appear to be quite woodsy. But look a little closer and discover that band of trees is just a narrow buffer a few hundred feet wide. Beyond it, entire mountains have been destroyed.

Despite such outrages, there is still so much to enjoy. Crater Lake is in that rarified category of world-class natural beauty. The nearby Newberry National Volcanic Monument offers some unexpected treats: I walked for nearly a mile in a huge lava tube, a fascinating experience.

Portland richly deserves it’s reputation as a model of intelligent urban planning. The “MAX” light rail streetcar system, albeit new and relatively limited in scope, offers a viable alternative to driving if you live or work near a streetcar line.

I greatly enjoyed Oregon and look forward to returning — or even moving there.

By Amanda Miller

July 27, 2005 12:32 PM | Link to this

Hi Tom

I know what you mean about clear-cutting by the big logging/lumber companies. When I lived there in the 80s, lumber was really, really big business and clear-cutting was common. Medford had several lumber mills that ran round-the-clock, which is part of what contributed to the awful fog during the winters there — the air inversions trapped pollutants near the valley floor, and the lumber mills were spewing tiny particulates in the air 24/7, even with scrubbers on the exhausts.

The industry hit a slump in the late 80s, I guess coinciding with a national recession — and unfortunately for us, just when we were trying to sell our house and move. Many lumber workers, who made very good salaries for mill work, were suddenly out of work and trying to sell THEIR houses, too. It took forever to sell our house, and it’s the only house I’ve ever lost money selling, and it was a doozy — wiped out all our equity.

And even with that experience, even with hindsight and knowing that would happen, I’d still move there again. It has unsurpassed beauty and amazing recreation opportunities. (Maybe I should get a job with the Oregon tourism association!)

Amanda

By Amanda Miller

July 27, 2005 12:43 PM | Link to this

Hi Suzanne

Thank you for your patience and for checking back for a reply. I promise to be a better blogger in the future. We’ve been doing a lot of computer training here, in preparation for switching to a new system, and a lot of reporter/editor training. And, of course, the workload for my real job remains the same. That’s my excuse, and I’m sticking to it.

Amanda

By Cato Bass

July 27, 2005 5:09 PM | Link to this

Hi Jim:

So nice to hear retirement has such wonderful views! The paper will miss you! I was looking for my Oregon map just today. (The Atlanta ozone/particle pollution meter reads “Red”…again!) I was trying to think of the ideal Oregon community…something within an hour’s drive of say Eugene’s university & medical care…and yet close enough to the coast & Redwoods (perhaps somewhere between Florence & Eugene). This would be a place with a prevailing ocean breeze and a “Green” ozone day most every day. Or for the next 40 years, anyway!

Hope you enjoyed your London visit! I’ll be looking for your comment on the Brit blog.

Cato

By Amanda Miller

July 28, 2005 11:22 AM | Link to this

Hi Cato

I couldn’t agree more — when the ozone levels in Atlanta start to rise, I think about greener and cleaner locales, too. I’ve never understood how Atlantans can put up with the quality-of-life issues we should be fixing.

That was one of the things I admired about Oregon, a really strong commitment to quality of life and to the environment. Here, getting potholes fixed is a big accomplishment.

Keep us posted on whether you actually make the big move.

Amanda