Sights along the way

On our way to camping in the Redwoods we%26#39;ll be spending one night in Gold Beach. Any suggested routes from Van, WA? Anything we should stop and see? It%26#39;s my husband and me and our four year old. We spend lots of time on the north and central coast, so I thought maybe drive down 5 to Eugene and come across to 101.

Sights along the way

I suggest you leave I-5 near Drain abd take OR-38, Nice drive along Umpqua R. You can stop and see the elk. Turn south on 101 at Reedsporr

Sights along the way

If you change your mind and hit the 101 a little earlier, a 4-year-old would have the time of his life picking up rocks at the Yaquina Head Lighthouse in Newport and finding an abundance of purple shore crabs.

Agree with phirl; take Hwy 99 which leaves I-5 at Curtain and goes to Drain. Along Hwy 38 at Elkton there is some sort of butterfly exhibit, but I%26#39;ve never stopped at it:

www.elktoncommunityeducationcenter.org/

And yes, the elk are interesting and there is a nice off road parking area with informational signs. It%26#39;s about 3-4 miles inland from Reedsport.

Your youngster might like to visit the dinosaurs between Port Orford and Gold Beach!

I agree, Hwy 38 is a pretty drive and you will reach the southern OR coast more quickly.

half-Brit, The dinosaur place is really still there? My kids loved it (they are 40 yrs old now).

Come to think of it, we stopped there with the grandkids about 6 or 7 years ago. They had a ball!

We also stopped at an aquarium in Crescent City where they could pet the sharks. Great fun--very small sharks. www.oceanworldonline.com

Activity ideas for a 6 year old in Portland

My 6 year old grandaughter will be visiting in May. I am fairly new in town and do not know all the cool places, and could use some help finding some ideas for fun places to take here both indoors and outdoors. Will the Rose Festival be going on?

Activity ideas for a 6 year old in Portland

omsi is great for kids and there used to be a childrens theatre that put on age appropriate shows--what about a stroll down by the waterfron to see the boats and then taking the young lady to lunch there- outside dining if the weather is nic

Activity ideas for a 6 year old in Portland

Another vote for OMSI. Also the zoo and the childrens museum.

Hi Jillbo.

Portland has a plethora of things for young folks to do- you are in luck! My family came out for a reunion last summer and we had kids from 6-18 so I did a little research.

Washington Park is easily accessible by the Max ( an adventure in itself) and harbors several different venues- the zoo, the children%26#39;s museum and the Japanese Garden ( actually very neat, even for children, with lots of koi and cool statuary) not to mention the rose test garden which is free.

I would second the vote for the OMSI, it is interesting, but a little pricey. The interactive options there will keep a young person busy for a LOOONG time. There is also a planetarium and an IMAX theather on site.

If you are considering outings beyond town, a trip to the Gorge would interest her as the waterfalls are beautiful. If you are inclined, you could go for a cruise on the Columbia in a sternwheeler- there are several trip option available and some include meals. Our entire family loved this! It was a teriffic memory-maker...I recommend it all the time. Also out of town is the Mt. Hood Railway trip which some of my family liked and some were not so impressed with. An Amtrak ride down to Eugene or up to Seattle might be an option as well- it may be really scenic- I don%26#39;t have any atual experience with it.

There is a nature center in Hillsboro which is pretty cool- they recently included an actual eagle%26#39;s nest in their display; sorry I can%26#39;t think of the name right off. Also in Hillsboro is the Rice Museum - a very interesting rock and mineral museum that offers classes for children. Kids seem to like it a lot.

If she likes books, don%26#39;t forget Powell%26#39;s downtown!!

There are several travel-oriented websites that have tabs to focus on child-oriented activities as well.

Perhaps these ideas will get you started.

I would not miss spending some time at the Oregon Zoo, the Saturday Market that runs on the weekends is also lots of fun. Enjoy Portland and welcome to the travel forums! :)

The Childrens%26#39; Museum by the zoo beats OMSI any day. At least for my almost-two-year-old.

I forgot to suggest/remind you of the great opportunities on the coast for ';out ot town'; options!

Shame on me!! :)

The Aquarium in Newport is very good according to those close to me, and the tidepools are REAALY cool- there are several places to check those out along the coast.

How long will she be here?

I agree with the previous suggestions.

The zoo is really fun. They are doing quite a bit of construction, but most of the exhibits are easily accessible. You just can%26#39;t cut through the backside of the Africa Cafe to get to Africa, you have to walk all the way around. And they are doing a lot of work over by the primate exhibits. But, I think taking her to see the baby elephant would be an absolute must. My kids always get a kick out of feeding the lorakeets as well.

She might be a little young for it, but ice skating at Lloyd Center could be fun. Sometimes we will stop in the food court, get an ice cream and just watch the ice skaters. They must be easily entertained.

If you do venture out to the Gorge, you must absolutely go to the Fish Hatchery at Bonneville Dam. Take a pocket full of quarters, and you can buy fish food and feed the rainbow trout in the viewing ponds. My kids always get a thrill out of doing that. They also have a nice picnic area with a small playground.

Another nice place to go, which is close enough to the city but just far enough away, is the Wildwood Recreation Area near Welches on Hwy 26 heading towards Mt. Hood. They have two very easy interpretive trails next to the river, and a huge playground. Lots and lots of places to have a picnic lunch here as well. They do charge a entry fee. Not sure what it is for daily, as I always get the yearly pass. Seems like it was $5 or less.

The East Portland Community Center is supposed to have a spectacular pool that just opened.

portlandonline.com/parks/finder/index.cfm鈥?/a>

Portland is blessed with lots of beautiful parks. If the weather cooperates, pick one and enjoy. You can also use the above link to find other parks in the city.

Wildlife

For our trip in June, down the coast, thru the redwoods, up thru Crater Lake and Bend to Hood river and up to Mt St Helens, what sort of wildlife are we likely to see? Anything we should be looking out for? Best times of day to see any wildllife?

Thanks

Wildlife

saltwatertides.com/dynamic.dir/oregonsites.h鈥?/a>

This website will give you the tide tables for various places along the Oregon coast. Low tides, especially minus tides, are the best times to explore tidepools, where you%26#39;ll find all sorts of marine life...anemone, starfish, crabs, small fish, etc. There are various places where you can see seals, sea lions and even whales sometimes. You can usually find the elk herd at Dean Creek Elk Viewing Area on Hwy 38, just inland from Reedsport. I%26#39;ve never seen elk at an ';Elk Xing'; sign, however.

There are bears and cougars in the forests between the coast hwy and the dunes, but you%26#39;re unlikely to encounter them (and that%26#39;s a good thing). Lots of maritime fowl and just inland osprey, owls, woodpeckers and, if you%26#39;re lucky, eagles. And you can always run into (oops, bad choice of words) deer just about anywhere.

Wildlife

%26gt;%26gt; There are bears and cougars %26lt;%26lt; but no lions and tigers, oh my!

Seriously, you%26#39;ll see deer everywhere, and do be alert around dusk because many of them do not have enough sense to stay out of the traffic.

Slightly inland you%26#39;ll see hawks, ravens, turkey buzzards, great blue herons, egrets and of course Canada geese.

You may see raccoons, possum, and maybe skunks just about anywhere.

Lots of elk in the elk preserves (!), but also keep a look out around dusk if you are in an area with nice pasture. They jump fences and will often be in the same pasture with cattle and horses.

Dusk and dawn are the best times to see larger wildlife.

You could see elk near the Forest Learning Center or Hofstadt Bluffs on the road to Mt. St. Helens. Also down on the southern OR or northern CA coast there is a large herd of Roosevelt elk. Help me out here gang, I know I%26#39;ve seen them down there someplace, but don%26#39;t remember exactly where.

Sea lions are plentiful on the docks at Newport and Astoria. Lots of squirrels, perhaps raccoons, maybe oppossum (but they are usually roadkill).

Watch for hawks and eagles along the Columbia River.

And, of course, the deer are everywhere--especially in my yard eating my tulips! :-(

Kitters, at least the tulip-eating deer aren%26#39;t knocking over your pasture fences like the elk do to ours! We have this one lazy old cow who either can%26#39;t or won%26#39;t jump, so she sort of steps over the wires, and sometimes the wires break, grrr.

Do you mean the elk down near Prairie Creek in CA? That%26#39;s north of Orick, south of Klamath.

Oh, forgot the sea lions and harbour seals. Waldport is a good place to see the seals at low tide on the west side of the bridge.

Also we have brown pelicans in some of the bays, I know Newport and Brookings each have pelicans. And whales offshore, of course.

connecting database

Low Key <10 Person Bachelor Party In Portland

Maybe all of your Portland experts can help me.

I%26#39;m planning a small bachelor party in Portland, but I%26#39;ve never been there. We are looking for a hotel that is on the public transportation circuit, isn%26#39;t expensive (we can stay in a dive, no problem) and has an area where we can all hang out. We were looking at White Eagle Cafe Hotel %26amp; Saloon but the rooms are really tiny and we won%26#39;t be able to hang out anywhere other than at the bar.

Any ideas?

Low Key %26lt;10 Person Bachelor Party In Portland

Check out the Ace Hotel. Close to Streetcars, buses,Powels, right downtown on the Westside. Jupiter Hotel on East Burnside is on bus lines and on the same side of town as the White Eagle.

Jupiter has the Doug Fir attached to it. Nice bar %26amp; rest. As well as a concert venue downstairs. Ace hotel has a Stumptown Roasaters attached. Plus lots of bars nearby.

Low Key %26lt;10 Person Bachelor Party In Portland

This might be the perfect situation to use priceline. I notice that at biddingfortravel dot com that 4 star rooms are going for as little as $52/night--much cheaper than the Jupiter and much more posh than the White Eagle.

Amother thumbs up for the Doug Fir, I%26#39;ve heard that sometimes the Jupiter Hotel can get a bit loud so not sure how low key you want to be. Doug Fir is my favorite venue

Pluse you can go over to the Galaxy Bar for some ridiculous karoke across from the Doug Fir if you need a change of location.

However the Doug Fir is across the river from the %26#39;downtown%26#39; area and all the main bar areas. Definetly walkable, and bussable but not in the center of town.

I would also suggest the Jupiter. There are several fun places around it, too. RonTom%26#39;s is just down the street towards Portland and Noble Rot is just up the street on the opposite side of the road.

Bus number 20 goes right to downtown but I love this little pocket of fun bars and restaurants!

What to do in Coos Bay?

My husband and I are looking for some outdoor fun in Coos Bay over 2 days Aug 28-30. We are thinking of dunebuggying the dunes. Is this a good plan? What else is there to do for a young couple that%26#39;s outdoorsy?

What to do in Coos Bay?

Dune Buggys and or quads are a good way to see the Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area (ODNRA). Sunset Bay and Shore Acres State Parks west of Charleston are worth a vist as well. From Charleston Harbor, you could take a charter boat out into the ocean for Salmon, Tuna or bottom fish.

From Coos Bay, it%26#39;s only a 30 minute drive to Bandon and 45 minutes to Florence.

Den

What to do in Coos Bay?

It%26#39;s fun but just be careful!!!! It%26#39;s the last big weekend of the Summer and everyone and the brother plus a few hundred others, that have quads or dunebuggies will be out there. The weather has been awesome and all the parks in the dune areas I went through this week were practically full already.

If your into hiking there is a couple of nice areas in Lakeside about 15 minutes North of Coos Bay. Tugman state park and Hall Lake day use area. Tugman has trails around Eel Lake and Hall Lake has trails around 2 small lakes and also trails out to the dunes and the area is where atv%26#39;s are not allowed so you don%26#39;t have to worry about getting run over. You can also go out past Charleston to Bassendorf Beach, Sunset Bay state park, Shore Acres, and Cape Arago state park and lighthouse. Hope this helps.

I can%26#39;t help myself but........ GO SOMEWHERE ELSE!!!!!!!!

LOL!!!!!!! No really, have fun, I just was dumped off there when I graduated from high school on my first ';freedom trip'; at 2 in the morning by the greyhound to catch another, but missed it! In the interim, we were questioned by two seperate police officers and talked with some pretty scary characters. I hear the brochure is nice though.

: )

There is nothing to do in Coos Bay but get out quickly.!

Hi mrsdar, and welcome to the Oregon forum. I see you are a brand new poster! Sometimes we all get caught up in reading and answering posts, and we don%26#39;t notice the date on some of the threads.

For example, this one is about two years old.

Many people live and work in Coos Bay and perhaps might disagree with your opinion to ';get out quickly'; . . .

I lived in Coos Bay for about 25 years and return often as I have tons of family there. You can go out to Charleston and go crabbing. If you don%26#39;t have a boat you can crab off the docks. You can buy crab bait from many of the tackle shops (or just buy some raw chicken and use that) and also rent the crab rings if you don%26#39;t have one. You can watch for minus tides and go clamming. All you need is a shovel and a bucket.It is easy, and most of the locals love to tell their secrets. You can go out to the many beautiful beaches and beach walk or have a picnic. I like stopping at the oyster farms to pick up fresh oysters on my way to the beach and cooking fresh oysters on the beach. Most of the beaches are all off the Charleston Highway. Cape Arego is beautiful at Christmas time as it has a gorgeous light display. If your there around the holiday season that is a must see. I still go every year...now with my grandkids. There are also many fishing opportunities from sea to fresh water. They stalk Empire Lakes with trout and it is easy to fish right off the banks. In the Summer it is beautiful to go up Coos River and swim, picnic, and enjoy the beauty. There are two water falls (golden and silver fall) out that way that make a nice day trip while stopping along the river for a swim or to hike and explore. If you like dune buggies you can go out to Horse Fall where there is miles and miles of beautiful dunes. For somethings simple and fun you can take a day old loaf of bread out to Mingus Park and feed the tons of ducks and enjoy a stroll around the pond. It rains a lot in the winter and now that I am older the beauty of the outdoors there don%26#39;t entice me as much when it is cold and wet as it did when I was a kid. But it is still beautiful to take a drive out to the beaches or you can go to the Mill Casino, go bowling, theaters or shopping a the huge Pony Village mall. There are also many restaurants that are small, personal, reasonable and know how to cook delicious fresh seafood. I hope this helps for people who want to know more about Coos Bay, as I can see how it may be hard as they don%26#39;t really commercialize everything for visitors or tourists. The locals are very friendly and helpful and love to tell all their secrets. Some, once you get them started will add to my list of things until the sun goes down.

Hi Julie that was a very nice post, but this thread is getting on toward *3* (THREE!) years old . . .

Perhaps you could do some reviews for Coos Bay attractions?

tripadvisor.com/Attractions-g51813-Activitie鈥?/a>

lipgloss

Dune Buggy Rides

Which Dune Buggy company do you recommend and why? We will be driving up from Gold Beach, from what I believe is about a 3 hour ride. We would like to stop for lunch and dune buggy rides before heading to Yachats. Also, any lunch spot recommendations.

Dune Buggy Rides

Sanddunes Frontier http://www.sanddunesfrontier.com/ and Sandland Adventure http://www.sandland.com/ are the two near Florence. There are others south beginning at Houser, just north of Coos Bay/North Bend. Either of the two listed are fine, well established businesses. Coming from the south, you will hit Sanddunes Frontier first.

It shouldn%26#39;t take a full three hours from Gold Beach to Florence unless you make several stops along the way. 2.5 hours is about average.

Plenty of opportunites for lunch in/around Coos Bay, Winchester Bay, Reedsport and Florence. Do you have any particular tastes, or are you just looking for basic sustinance?

Dune Buggy Rides

Gapper...you have so many different threads of questions going I can%26#39;t remember when you%26#39;re planning your trip, how much time you have to get to places, what your interests are, etc. What ELSE do you want to do along the coast? How much time are you allowing for the dune buggy ride? Are you intending to go on the big 20 passenger guided buggy or rent your own (which could be dangerous)? How about time at Old Town in Florence, Heceta Head Lighthouse, Cape Perpetua? Any hiking, beachcombing or other activities?

You%26#39;ve been asked before to combine your facts into a single posting so we can respond intelligently. That way, we can all know what you want and coordinate our advice.

I%26#39;m sorry, maybe I am just confused. Certain questions for certain areas I am asking on that particular forum. Should I not be doing that. Should I post the itineary on all the forums involved and just keep adding any questions to that particular post.

Gapper, you write posts, including the last one, the way you are setting up your trip, in a very fragmented fashion.

We provide advice (e.g., whether or not you need tours), then you argue with us.

I don%26#39;t know why it%26#39;s so hard to understand the following suggestions, posted earlier. Had you taken a deep breath, read and considered them, you would help yourself and us.

Use the OREGON forum, we all see it.

Having said this, I bid you goodbye and hope you have a great trip.

';gapper, with all due respect, you are making us work very hard in responding to your posts. Some of what you inquire about has been addressed or partly so in your other strings. We lack a cohesiveness to your queries. So...

It would help us to help you if you told us your itinerary as best you know it, on one string, newly titled, including arrival and departure points, sites already chosen, number of days or nights at each site, locations, etc., as best you know this.

You should be able to do this with the information provided in prior posts and strings. Our replies then can be couched in reality, and you can intersperse questions at any point within that schedule. And we%26#39;ll feel free, as you asked, to provide suggestions within the context of the entire trip rather than its bits and pieces.

We%26#39;d then be able to better address, for example, how best to visit Mt. Rainier, Seattle, et al, which I covered in an earlier reply, in another string, to you. In that reply, I suggested, perhaps wondered, if you really could, in time available, - or even would want to make a choice - to see each mountain, and suggested priorities. I was trying to get at your schedule; no reply.

For example, above you ask about tours; I think we%26#39;ve addressed this - you don%26#39;t need them. You mention a tour to Mt. Rainier; no need. Plus, from Mt. St. Helens you could spend one night en route to, or at, Mt. Rainier, instead of doubling back from Seattle and blowing a day. But if you don%26#39;t reply to other advice regarding such things, how can we provide what you need?';

If you are looking at covering a big area in Oregon, you can just post on the Oregon Forum. All local postings show up on that forum anyway and those of us who follow the discussions monitor the Oregon Forum. I%26#39;m sure all the destination experts follow the Oregon Forum daily.

Voyaging, I am not arguing with anyone when they are giving me advice. I am very appreciative of it. When I first posted my thoughts and preliminary itinerary I had absolutely no clue about anything and was asking for help. I am on the computer for hours at a time trying to put this together. Now with all the responses (which I keep going over and over), I am getting a little more familiar with everything. This a big trip and I am trying to get the most out of it and have come here for help. I am sorry if it%26#39;s been a problem. Maybe there are other people that I am not annoying and they will continue to help. I will post the itinerary that I have come up with on the Oregon, Washington and Vancouver sites. I did not know that was the way I should have been going about it from the beginning. Now I know and that is what I will do and any questions from here on in, I will post on that original post. I hope tht is okay. Thank you.

We had a very positive experience at Sand Dunes Frontier. I highly recommend the ';dune bus'; that holds about 15 -20 people. The tour was just adventurous enough for me. The guides are fantastic, and the price for the bus is very reasonable compared to taking out a smaller buggy with a guide. Have fun!

gapper,

For what it%26#39;s worth, I don%26#39;t mind multiple post(he%26#39;s says as he shruggs his shoulders). I just ingore the ones I can%26#39;t offer any helpful advice on.

http://www.sanddunesfrontier.com/

This is the only dune buggy outfit that I%26#39;ve used and I%26#39;ve taken almost every visiting friend and relative on the big buggy ride. I heartily recommend it. However, if you are coming during the summer (I can%26#39;t remember what you said) you should allow extra time on weekends. It gets very busy and they go out on a schedule with reserved tickets. You can kill about a half-hour on the fun stuff they have there, but after that it can get a bit tiring. If you are not familiar with the dunes, DO NOT give in to the urge to rent individual buggies. Some of the dunes are 300 ft tall with sheer drop-offs and if the fog comes in you%26#39;ll never be able to tell where you are or how to get back. The dunes have at least one or two fatalities every year...so go with the pros, don%26#39;t get macho.

I will check into it. We will definitely not do it oursevles and will leave it to the professionals!

Mt St. Helens in mid April

We are visiting 4/15 - 4/20. In our other trips we have never made it up to St. Helens. From reading some of the threads it sounds like we shouldn%26#39;t plan it for our this trip. Thoughts?

Mt St. Helens in mid April

The Johnston Ridge Visitor Center is closed until May 17th. Some people consider that visitor center the highlight of their trip to the mountain.

The Forest Learning Center is also closed until mid-may. I believe the first visitor. The Silver Lake Visitor Center (the first you encounter off the freeway) is open year round.

http://www.parks.wa.gov/mountsthelens.asp

Keep in mind, if it is overcast, it wouldn%26#39;t be worth the drive because you won%26#39;t be able to see the mountain.

Here is a link to informaiton on winter road conditions:

fs.fed.us/gpnf/鈥R504-winter-safety.shtml

This time of year, I would probably skip it since most of the visitor centers are closed and that is a lot of the whole experience. However, if you get a weather window, the roads look good, and it really is a priority for you, I don%26#39;t see any reason not to go for it.

Mt St. Helens in mid April

Mahjerle summed it up well. Listen to her:)

We were out on the Columbia River today fishing (not catching) for spring chinook salmon. I happened to look upriver and said--';The mountain is out';.

It had been foggy earlier and then burned off. I had a wonderful clear view of Mt. St. Helens in her mantle of snow. I thought of how peaceful and serene she looked--much different from May 1980 when she %26#39;blew her top%26#39;.

Unfortunately for you, mid-April is just a little too early to visit the mountain and learn about her volcanic eruption. However, if you will be driving between Portland and Seattle, add a little extra time to make the 5 mile detour from I-5 and tour the Mt. St. Helens Visitor Center. Even if it is cloudy/rainy and you can%26#39;t see the mountain, you will learn much about the mountain%26#39;s history and the May %26#39;80 eruption.

Then plan another trip to the Pacific NW in the summertime (July-September)when you can drive up and look into the crater.

All of our other trips have been during the summer, but just so much to see in Oregon we never made it to St. Helens. Thanks for the help, I think we might spend the time on the Gorge this trip.