We have several excuses to visit Oregon and Washington. My wife's mother and sister live in Eugene, Oregon and my son lives in Seattle. You gotta make those obligatory family visiting jaunts, after all.

We've made several trips over the last 10 years or so. The first was the "Fireworks and Sapphires" trip (see hub), and the last time we went was to visit our son in Seattle. Each time we try to see a little different part of the area. I'm going to combine all of our experiences into a super trip just for you and I'll sprinkle it with lots of pictures. Hope you enjoy.

This trip we will approach the coast from the southeast. We have just crossed Idaho and at Moscow, we cross into Oregon. Eastern Oregon, at this point, is pretty much farmland followed by semi-arid rolling hills and such. From the scenic POV, not so much. It was interesting though when, on one trip, we saw a big RV parked beside the road in the middle of all this. We drove on, curious. They had the awning up and the lawn chairs out, the whole shebang. Returning home from the trip, curiosity overcame me and I pulled over in the same area to see what they might have stopped for. My guess is that they were rock collectors. Everywhere we looked were large pieces of black and mahogony obsidian. This is a heavily volcanic area, so I shouldn't have been surprised.

Anyway, I've already got us coming home and we haven't even gotten there yet. Continuing in the right direction, we start to get into some pinon pines and head up to the little town of Sisters, named for the twin peaks visible in the distance. We haven't stopped in the little town but it looks very inviting and someday soon we will. Sisters is kind of the gateway to Western Oregon and the Cascades. Your drive takes you through the beautiful Willamette valley on a winding road beside the Willamette River. Side note--- if you read the hub about "Dorkfish and Girlfriends", I mentioned comedian Bill Engvall. We were listening to a CD of his about Snakes in the Toilet. Don't do this while driving on winding roads. I almost drove into the river, I was laughing so hard.

The Willamette leads to Springfield and Eugene. Eugene is the home of the Oregon Ducks at OU. Typical college town, the university campus is well worth a stroll. I don't know if it is the state, or Eugene but one of them imposes an arts tax on all new building projects. This money is used to create artwork throughout the campus. As you walk along look up at the "gargoyles" of the buildings. The science building gargoyles represent people like Darwin and Newton. Pretty creative. Eugene also has a downtown mall comprised only of handmade items. This is a great place for souvenirs.

Leaving Eugene, we head west to the coast driving along the Siuslaw River to the coastal town of Florence. Here you get your first glimpses of the Pacific Ocean. Florence is known for its large sand dunes and the recreation like dune buggies and sand surfing that goes with them. Heading north, the Pacific creeps up beside you until you pretty much are seeing it during the entire drive. Some areas you do get a ways above the ocean and the drop off from the road (especially on a foggy night) can be a little disconcerting.

Driving up the coast, you will see signs to visit the Sitka Spruce at Kloochy Creek. We were lucky enough to get to visit this magnificent tree before it's demise. On the internet, I found this note about it's final assault by hurricane force winds in December 2007.

Update: The Sitka Spruce tree fell victim to a hurricane-force windstorm on Dec. 2, 2007. The tree broke off at the old lightning scar about 80 feet above ground and the top portion fell to the ground and splintered. The 17-foot diameter trunk remains, and visitors can get a sense of the massive size of the tree. Large portions of the fallen tree will be left laying on the ground to become a “nurse log” for a new generation of the Giant. The park remains the first Oregon Heritage Tree Site.

At the top of one of these cliffs you will come to Cape Perpetua. Time to take a break because you have got to stop here. Take some time to hike down to the Devil's Churn where the Pacific waves rush in to a dead end volcanic chasm sending spray way into the air.See tide pools with mussels and anemones and starfish all over the volcanic rocks. Once when visiting close to here, we went down to the rocks on a particularly low tide. The undersides of the rocks were covered with hundreds of starfish of every color. It was impressive! We did a little fishing too. You notice I said fishing, not catching. We got skunked that day but I have to admit, It is the first time I have fished by breaking my bait (mussels) off the rocks we were fishing on.

Leaving there, you may want to stop at the Sea Lion Caves. Best in the winter, these caves have hosts of sea lions for you to enjoy. Keep an eye out all along this trip though. You can see them anywhere on the beaches. Given the opportunity, visit Devil's Elbow State Park after winter storms and look for treasures washed in by the pounding waves. The Oregon beaches, especially in this area, are famous for the beautiful agates that wash up on the beach. Occasionally an intact glass fishing float washes up but they are rare, valuable treasures if you are that lucky.

The Haceta Head Lighthouse can be hiked to and toured with spectacular views of the Pacific Ocean and the scenic stacks rising out of the ocean making a home for innumerable sea birds and sea lions. The hike is not overly strenuous and well worth it. If you do, however, one hint; if you go during the summer, take some insect repellent. They have nasty blackflies up at the top.

Our favorite little village as we traveled up the coast is called Yachats (Ya-hots) We got there the day of their annual smelt fry, paid our sheckles and bellied up to the bar, well actually the picnic tables for all we could eat. Very nice meal in a great setting. The next morning we heard they were having a Lions Club Pancake breakfast. Couldn't miss that either!

The little town of Waldport is up the beach not terribly far from Yachats. We were staying in a small cabin between the two towns and were just across the highway from the beach. We spent a number of hours wading the cold water and exploring this almost deserted pleasant beach. As we approached Walport, we saw a large raft of sea lions on the inlet sand across from us.

Moving up the coast, you come to Newport,  home of the Oregon Coast Aquarium and the Hatfield Marine Science Center on the south side of Newport's historic bridge. We have been to the aquarium several times and particularly like the jellyfish display. It is a very well done aquarium with a nice shop that had to give up a couple of killer whales on myrtlewood for our mantle. Across the bay are several souvenir stores and good seafood restaurants including Moe's, a common sight along the coast with excellent clam chowder!

Moving north, you leave the ocean for a bit and go through the Oregon town of Tillamook, home of the Tillamook Cheese Factory. Be sure and stop and tour the factory that produces this award winning cheese. Especially pick up some cheese curds and white cheddar in their store. Those items are hard to find even in local grocery stores. Also, as you come into town from the south you will pass the Air Museum in a monstrous hanger. I'm not much into airplanes but I do like cheese!

We continued north from Tillamook passing a couple of interesting little villages as we moved back into view of the Pacific. The first was a little place called Manzanita where we spotted a Myrtle wood store. Myrtle wood grows only in southern Oregon and is prized for it's beauty. You can get bowls, vases, clocks, lighthouses, salad forks and spoons, and any number of other things. Another purchase for the mantle-- a myrtle wood lighthouse on driftwood.

Up a little way is Depoe Bay. Depoe is most famous for whale watching from the bridge on the highway There is plenty of parking and gift shops across the road. As you continue north, you can't help but notice the huge rocks towering up out of the Pacific Surf. This is Cannon Beach and famous Haystack Rock. Cannon Beach was ranked number seven of the "World's Best Beaches" by the Travel Channel. In 1846 the Navy schooner Shark broke up and sank at the mouth of the Columbia River. A portion of the ship with three cannons ended up floating ashore south of town. One cannon was recovered and resides at a local museum. In February 2008, a rough storm hit the coast and washed away much of the beach sand. The other two cannons were exposed in that storm.

A little up the coast is the small but busy town of Seaside. Seaside has a lot to offer with wide beautiful beaches and many very good restaurants.If possible, stay a night or two. If not, at least stop at Norma's for lunch or dinner. The pan fried razor clams are excellent and my wife swears they make the best clam chowder on the coast.

As we started to make the swing inland to head for Seattle, we stopped for the night at the old Victorian town of Astoria on the Columbia River. Astoria is the oldest American settlement west of the Rockies. The city is nestled on steep hillsides overlooking the river. Here you can also visit the Columbia River Maritime Museum, the Riverfront Trolley and Fort Stevens State Park. Just driving downtown there are many majestic Victorian mansions to see.

 From Astoria, we were off to Seattle to visit with our son. Aside from a nice visit, we had never been to Pikes Market and that was a priority. I had seen the FISH video on customer service and the fish mongers looked like a hoot, and they were.

Probably the most famous of the Pikes Market shops is the fish market. The mongers have every kind of fish you can imagine along with crab, clams, mussels, scallops, and some things I didn't recognize. When a customer places an order, the show starts. Need a dozen Dungeness crabs, Before you know it they are flying through the air from ice to packager, That's great but when the order for a fish comes through, look out. 10 pounds of fish is airborn and the mongers rarely miss catching it. When they let the audience try, its a bit of a different story.

We spent about half an hour there before we started exploring the rest of the market, There was lots to be seen. Everything from fresh flowers, meats, and vegetables to souvenirs of every kind. We chowed down there and made preparations to meet the son.

We didn't see much of Seattle so I won;t banter on about something that I don't know much about. We did, however, eat dinner at a little chinese food restaurant called Old Sechuan Cuisine that was one of our most memorable meals. My son knew the owner, having eaten there weekly. She was eager to meet us and would have nothing to do with us ordering our own food. She picked her best and after the meal, there was no arguing the fact. It was a great time and wonderful food.

When we got to the airport, we grabbed a bite to eat at Lori's diner. Pretty interesting decor!

Enjoy your Treasured Pasts\

Stuart