Best route for traveling from Hood River to Olympic NatlPark

We are planning a trip to Oregon and Washington. The first part of our trip, we will be staying in Bend/Sun River and plan to go to Crater Lake within that time. Then, the next part of our trip is at Olympic National Park. We were trying to figure out the best route to take from Bend to Olympic National Park. At the Olympic National Park area, we are staying in Port Angeles. We were thinking that we would leave Bend and drive to the Columbia River Gorge area where we would spend the day. Then after that, drive some more before finding a place for the night, possibly north of Portland. The following day we would drive onto Olympic. Any suggestions??

Best route for traveling from Hood River to Olympic NatlPark

In Centralia, the McMenamins hotel there (The Olympic Club Hotel) is a fun place for a night. Check their website and see if it interests you. I love the McMenamin hotels as they are so unique, but very well kept. DD and I stayed at the Olympic Club this fall and for a night on the road, it was perfect.

Best route for traveling from Hood River to Olympic NatlPark

Centraila and Chehalis are your best bets as far as towns. This is right at the jumping off point at I-5 if you want to go on Hwy 12 to Olympic NP-if you are going the western way around. After saying that I actually prefer to travel up the east side of the thumb- the scenery is more picturesque in my opinion.

I don%26#39;t know about the rooms at the Olympic Club Hotel in Centralia, and I%26#39;ve heard others rave about it. But, personally, I found the restaurant and bar area really dark and dreary. Reminded me of an old western bar. But maybe that%26#39;s just me.

However, there aren%26#39;t a great number of choices for hotels in the Centralia/Chehalis area.

Since you will be coming from Bend and may want to spend a little extra time in the Columbia Gorge area touring the waterfalls and visiting Bonneville Dam, I would suggest stopping at Kelso/Longview. There are several reasonably decent hotels just off I-5 next to the Three Rivers Mall (which is really pathetic) and several fast food and other restaurants close by. It%26#39;s about an hour south of the Chehalis/Centralia area.

It%26#39;s an easy drive to Port Angeles. I-5 to Olympia, Hwy 101 to Shelton and north on the east side of Olympic National Park.

Thanks for your advice. I am going to look into it.

kitters--We didn%26#39;t see much of the other areas of the Olympic Club since DD is a minor. Check in is at the bar, so I just saw that small area of it. The rooms really vary in size. We had the most basic room, with a bunk bed, lol. Perfect for us for that night. The room was plenty big for two of us though. Not dark and dreary, but definitely had the charm of yesteryear, if that makes any sense. We had a couple chairs and table in the room, as well as a small mirror and sink. There were plenty of bathrooms, and always spotlessly clean and always available. We paid $40 a night. I wouldn%26#39;t stay there for several nights, as there just isn%26#39;t that much of interest to me right there, but for a night on the road it was perfect and much better than a Motel 6 type of place.

Which duvet cover should i get

embassy suites or westin

Which is a safer area to walk around at night - the Embassy Suites or the Westin? From reading the boards, it sounds like the Westin more centrally located, but I would like to know which area is safer?

embassy suites or westin

IMO, the Westin is the better choice. The ES is fine, but if you go a block or so towards Burnside it can be an iffy area.

embassy suites or westin

I like the Westin ... great location .. close to the Streetcar line..right in the middle of downtown.. I would guess it could be safer..

Burnside is not that horrid....Pioneer Courthouse Square has far more ';street people'; at night.

Either is fine. Face it, if you want to go to the Pearl, you will have to cross Burnside. LOL!

I kept reading all the good reviews about the Monaco, so I wound up booking that and think we will be very happy. Thanks for all the input.

Yes, to get to the Pearl you must cross Burnside...but where on Burnside is a consideration, for myself anyway.

gapper--I can%26#39;t remember what your dates are for this trip. But if you are coming at a busy time, then yes that sounds like a good rate for what you are getting at the Monaco. Even though we live here, we have stayed there several times when we don%26#39;t want to drive home after events. It really is a nice hotel and so welcoming:)

gapper, we stayed at the Monaco a total of about 30 nights :)

So I guess you realize that I am totally biased ..

I hope you enjoy your stay.

Do have something to eat in the Red Star Tavern .. or just go for tea or drinks in the late afternoon.

You will be just a short walk from the Streetcar stop, which is in front of the Made in Oregon store/Governor Hotel ( unless they moved them since I have been gone) and you will be in the Pearl in a matter of 5 minutes maybe and from there on to the NW neighborhood and back around in a big loop..

Streetcar website with map

tripadvisor.com/GoListDetail-i1396-Portland_鈥?/a>

Thanks so much for all this information! It is making everything so much easier.

FYI - I just read in the Oregonian newspaper that the fancy new hotel The Nines has lowered their room rates drastically due to the economy. They are right next to Pioneer Courthouse/Max Station. You might want to check that hotel out. The hotel is above the Macy%26#39;s store.

I will check it out. Thanks.

I think there is a review by someone who stayed at the Nines and said they got the reduced rate which gave them a room over a noisy bar/restaurant?

Be sure to ask for locations of rooms when you talk to someone! Unless you are sticking with the Monaco which I think would be best lol... no no , I am not biased ! :)

Cleetwood Cove Trail

I will be visiting Crater Lake in September and want to do more than just the Rim Drive. I would like to do the Cleetwood Cove trail, but from some comments, it sounds extremely taxing on the body. I%26#39;ve hiked in the Canadian Rockies and at Glacier National Park, but wonder if the hike back up will be too strenuous for me.

Cleetwood Cove Trail

We did not think it was difficult at all. It is one mile and only 700 ft elevation change. Since you have hiked in other higher altitude places, you should be fine. There are benches along the way if you need to sit and rest though. Which trails in the rockies have you done? At Lake Louise we took the kids and did the Lake Agness Tea House/Big Beehive/Plain of 6 Glaciers hike one day. Loved it! Did some others, but that was really spectacular.

Cleetwood Cove Trail

I think you will be ok- just go slow and bring water :).

If you have hiked in the Canadian Rockies and Glacier National Park, Cleetwood Cove trail will be a %26#39;piece o%26#39; cake%26#39;. Going down is easy, and coming back up is just lots of switchbacks. It%26#39;s mostly in the trees, so it%26#39;s shady and cool with benches every so often where you can rest.

The first time we hiked it, our daughter was 3 yrs old. She trudged back up to the all on her own, we never carried her. Later when our kids were about 10 or 12, we got off the boat at Wizard Island and hiked to the top to have our sack lunch.

You might also enjoy the Pinnacles Trail in the park. It%26#39;s not around the lake, but through some interesting rock formations.

Thanks all for the info and about another possible hike. I feel much better about doing the hike now. To answer MTNGRL%26#39;s question about the Canadian Rockies, just a few of the hikes I did there were Plain of Six Glaciers, Johnston Canyon Falls, Bow Glacier Falls, Maligne Canyon, and Path of the Glaciers/Cavell Meadows. So many great hikes.

luv2knit--We have done most of those trails too:) At Johnston Canyon, did you go to the inkpots? It was pouring rain the day we did that, and when we arrived, DD was not happy with us. She asked/said in a very matter of fact voice ';we hiked all the way here for THIS';...pointing to the big puddles, lol! She was about 10 yrs old or so then, lol.

No, I didn%26#39;t make it to the inkpots, and I don%26#39;t remember why I didn%26#39;t :) Probably, because I was leaving that day, and wanted to get on the road towards Lake Louise. I stayed in one of the precious cabins right there at Johnston Canyon, and loved the hike.

HELP! Looking for name of A-frames in Bandon from LONG AGO!

Years ago, maybe 30 years or so my husband and I stayed oceanside in or near Bandon in some A-frames that I%26#39;m sure aren%26#39;t there any longer. They had decks that looked out onto the ocean. There were probably 6 units or more and very close to the ocean with rocky cliffs right there. We visited Bandon last year and couldn%26#39;t find anything that resembled them but we are just so curious to know what the name of the place was. It was such a wonderful romantic experience. We%26#39;ve been married 58 years and still remember this stay. We had a postcard and pics from the trip but can%26#39;t locate them. Can someone please help us with just the name? Thanks!

HELP! Looking for name of A-frames in Bandon from LONG AGO!

58 years and, obviously, going strong. Nice.

Try these folks:

http://bandonhistoricalmuseum.org/

HELP! Looking for name of A-frames in Bandon from LONG AGO!

we%26#39;ve been going there since %26#39;84 (25 years). but, i don%26#39;t remeber any a-frames. the windermere was kind of a chalet-y looking place, but they%26#39;ve improved almost all of the charm out of it. the three gables had three gables. neither had /has rocky cliffs, though the latter was about a block away from some.

are you sure you%26#39;re not thinking of the alpine chalets about 10 miles north of newport? they are true a-frames and are above a relatively rocky, but heavily vegetated, cliff.

best wishes for the next 58 years.

my bad. the three gables was/is the restaurant, but as i recall, there were some rentals right next to it available through the motel across the street (bandon beach motel?) that had that same chalet-y or chateau-y style.

There are some homes with A-frames further down south on BeachLoop Road maybe a mile or two past Windermere. I am wondering if those homes were converted to private residences?

Congrats on 58 years and how very romantic! My husband and I were married at Sunset in the Old Rustic Beach Cabin on January 1, 1996. Middle of winter and it was sunny and actually quite warm. I have fond memories also of a woman on a horse seeing us out on the deck taking pics of us and our families and drawing a heart in the sand with her horse.

lipgloss

Where to stay along the coast??

We are going to cut down on our time at Crater Lake to spend more time on the coast. Now the question is where do we want to stay? I put this in the Bandon forum because it is one of the towns we are considering. The others are Port Oreford and Yachats.

We%26#39;ll be driving quite a distance the day we will arrive on the coast, but want to stay in one place for two nights rather than move around.

Have checked out reviews on this site and have ideas of places. Doesn%26#39;t have to be a budget place, but not $300 a night either. Want an ocean view and access. Interested in lighthouses, photography, hiking.

We are open to staying in a different town than the ones listed if it%26#39;d be better. I know I am all over the place with this, but any advice is appreciated.

We%26#39;ll be there July 3 and 4 so trying to figure out what we want and get something booked as I am sure that is a popular beach holiday. I grew up in FL and 4th of July was crazy at the beach.

Where to stay along the coast??

S. OR beaches are not like FL beaches on the 4th, by any means. The only real ';crowds'; (and I use that word loosely) were in the Seaside and Cannon Beach areas. In FL you swim and sunbathe. Here, you hope for sun and walk the hundreds of miles of scenic beaches - again, very unlike FL.

Where to stay along the coast??

bandon.

prime is around face rock. that is the real ';bandon beach';. you%26#39;ll wear out your camera. probably a little late to rent a house, but give it a shot. you want ocean front, unobstructed, not ocean view. otherwise, sunset motel, vern brown addition (i think it is called). maybe the old gorman motel (i think it is called ';bandon beach motel'; now. but, beware, they advertise that they have two buildings. you want to be on coquille point, not a block away on beach loop). a weaker sister would be the windermere motel, a great place before it was modernized.

lighthouses at bandon, across the coquille river, cape blanco and a small one on an island off the cape arago highway (inaccessible) south of charleston which is south of coos bay. further south to shore acres state park and cape argo itself, with several secluded beaches along the way. excellent hiking in the area. eagles. sea lions. tide pools. you%26#39;ll probably have to go to coos bay for fireworks, anyway.

that said, the best fireworks we%26#39;ve ever seen are in brookings. fourth of july the way the fourth of july was meant to be. way crowded, though.

second best? stanley, idaho.

worst: reno, nevada. cheap. cheap. cheap.

Bandon will probably be the best choice to fit your wants. There a few places out on Beach Loop where you%26#39;ll have a view and beach access. For the 4th it might be a little expensive and busy. I would check availability ASAP.

Port Orford is pretty much a no nothing. You blink and you miss it. Not much in lodging or site seeing other than the wayside at Battle Rock.

Yachats I don%26#39;t remember any places there with beach access. Several with nice views. Some of the places on the South end of town are near the river outlet which does have some beach but not much.

As for fireworks I%26#39;m not any help when it comes to Bandon. I pretty sure they have them but I don%26#39;t know where they fire them off. I would imagine most likely over the bay so there won%26#39;t be any beach watching. A long time ago we went to fireworks in Port Orford but you could hardly see them through the fog. Yachats is pretty small and not sure if they have a show or if everyone heads up to Newport or down to Florence. Someone else may know if they have them in Yachats.

The Gorman... Smile. Unless management and ownership changed, unsmiling, daunting, dour folks. But the setting on the bluff is fabulous, so ask for a ocean view room. But, it%26#39;s old, do not expect much! Once you drive and see the coast, the Bandon motel won%26#39;t be that critical.

I know your itinerary, but I%26#39;d give Bandon, which I like, one night and two in Yachats or Newport.

Actually Yachats has the two motels I, and others, have long suggested, Fireside and Overleaf, next to each other, which are on a slight rise overlooking the beach and beautiful shoreline, rocks, etc. Plus the miles long walking trails that crosses in front of them...

Newport has a good fireworks show based, I believe still, off the small boat harbor on the south side of Yacquina Bay.

Thanks all for the help. Glad to hear we won%26#39;t have too many people to share the beaches with on the 4th. I am going to talk with my sister later tonight and figure out where we want to stay, but I am thinking Bandon at this point. Location wise I think it%26#39;ll be better for the tavel plan. The plan has changed a lot since we decided we were going to Oregon, but hopefully we can get reservations and just start counting the days until the trip!

By the way...I saw a recent (March 09) review for the Gorman or Bandon Beach Motel (new name) and it said there was new management, new paint and a fresher, nicer place in general. The review was quite favorable actually. I looked at the website and they do have a wonderful location as someone stated earlier in a post. It%26#39;s on the list of possible places now. Thanks!

Yachats has a nice fireworks display. They stage it from Yachats State Park just north of the mouth of the river, so they can be seen both from the north and the south.

In addition to the Fireside and the unbeatable Overleaf, the Adobe is oceanfront as well, but none of the three are truly beachfront. There are small ';pocket beaches'; along this stretch, but the nearest ';real'; beach is 3/4 mile walk north along the Historic 804 Trail.

Yachats would be a GREAT location to explore some of Oregon%26#39;s best lighthouse. Yaquina Bay and Yaquina Head lighthouses are about 30 minutes north, and the most photographed lighthouse on the west coast, Heceta Head, is about 20 minutes south.

There is also an abundance of hiking at the nearby Cape Perpetua Scenic Area, not to mention some of the best tidepools along the entire coast.

Dengay, I am prepared to bow to your knowledge. What is the difference between beachfront and oceanfront? Are we differentiating between sandy beaches and rocky shores? If so, I agree that Fireside and Overleaf are the latter, which incidentally is one reason I prefer their location, much more dramatic tidal and storm action than sandy beaches.

Bit late to jump in here, but since I live just north of Yachats . . .

To get true ';beachfront'; with long empty sandy beaches, you%26#39;ll need to go a bit north of Yachats, 3-4 miles or so. Yachats does have ';oceanfront'; lodging with waves crashing upon rocks. There are walking trails along most of the oceanfront areas, but no beach in town except near the little river there.

I have a full list of the Yachats motels, but unfortunately it%26#39;s not on this laptop and I%26#39;d not be able to send it out until this next Tues.

As far as fireworks, Dengay is right about the Yachats fireworks right there in town. Also, Yachats has a July 4th ';La De Da'; parade that is a wonderful, fun, free-for-all non-professional, everybody welcome parade! A total kick to see :-)

Also . . . drum roll here, please . . . with Yachats you get a two-for-one fireworks display because Waldport (the town located just 8 miles north) has their fireworks on July 3rd! They shoot them out over the Alsea Bay.

As far as crowds, yes, every place you go will be busy. The Yachats/Waldport crowds tend to be pretty well behaved, and many families go to the beach and have BBQ%26#39;s during the day. You will not find very many, if any, loud drunken parties.

Good photo opps all around Yachats, Waldport, Newport, everything from two lighthouses, a covered bridge, Cook%26#39;s Chasm, the blowhole in Yachats, Alsea Bay, tons of wildlife (the critter kind, LOL) . . . well, you get the idea ;-)

Bandon is my favorite place on the Oregon coast. Check out Sunset Hotel or Windamere.

Voyaging,

I learned on our first trip to Hawaii that there is indeed a difference between oceanfront and beachfront. As the word indicates, ';beachfront'; means there is a sandy beach adjcent. Oceanfront on the other hand, means just that, therefore it would%26#39;t be false advertising to to say a facility is oceanfront, like the Overleaf, Fireside and Adobe, and NOT find a useable beach.

The Nines/Urban Farmer

On Thursday, the new luxury hotel in downtown Portland opened...The Nines. It occupies the top eight floors of Macy%26#39;s (formerly the Meier and Frank building.)

The place is beautiful. The entrance is on SW Morrison. Today, they had about eight young men there, serving as doormen and valet.

The elevator whisks you to the eighth floor lobby before you even realize that you%26#39;ve left the ground floor. I actually thought the elevator wasn%26#39;t moving.

The lobby is modern and sleek, with a lot of wood. There are black and white mannequins as well as wire clothing sculptures...paying tribute to Meier and Frank, which opened there in 1908.

Just passed the lobby you will find several seating areas, with chairs and sofas. A little further in is Urban Farmer, the restaurant.

Urban Farmer uses local ingredients and they focus on organic foods.

In fact, the entire building seeks local supplies. This is a ';green building';. Many of the things used in the building came from the demolition of the old interior. They reused things where they could.

I ate breakfast at Urban Farmer this morning. Great Crab Ommelette. I have not yet stayed there, although someone I know did stay there last night and said that it was fabulous.

I know, this sounds like more of a review than a post. :-)

The Nines/Urban Farmer

I saw this on the news the other evening. Looks very nice! Of course the opening is not at the best time with the economy, but hopefully it will weather that.

A crab omelette sounds good! I had one at my fav place in Seattle a couple weeks ago (with avacado..mmm!) and was in heaven, lol:)

The Nines/Urban Farmer

Finally ! Didn%26#39;t it seem as though they were taking forever? I wish I could see it, I guess we will have to stay there when we visit? lol

I love those elevators.. we had that sort in our apt building and I do miss it now, with the elevators we have here in BA ( you probably remember those, Wineauxs? ) ancient old bird cages ? lol

';A crab omelette sounds good! I had one at my fav place in Seattle a couple weeks ago (with avacado..mmm!) and was in heaven, lol:)';

Which restaurant?

I have never had a Crab Omelette but since I have not had any crab since leaving Portland, I will be happy to have one right now lol.

voyaging, it is the Urban Farmer, in the hotel.

Here is the link to the Hotel..

The Nines

www.thenines.com

voyaging--Well, I should have specified, my fav breakfast place...Bacco%26#39;s. They make really good cappuccinos there too. It is right next door to the Inn at the Market, but after breakfast they have the other dining area open, up on the corner.

Mtngrl, I don%26#39;t feel that the economy will hurt this hotel at all. The main clientel (sp) will be those on expense accounts (same as those who go to Lucier).

Those who have way too much (at least they think they do) or corporate accounts will fund places such as The Nines. Which is good. Anyone spending money, in the current economy, should be revered.

I am sure that it will not take long before we hear of a stay at the hotel, by our resident hotel/travel expert. ;-)

Scarlett, I really cannot ID on the elevators in BA.....wish I could as I wish I would have had more time there. I was there for 28 hours...then off to Mendoza. I stayed at the Sofitel in Puerto Madero.....not a fair judgement of BA. LOL!

%26lt;%26lt;I have never had a Crab Omelette but since I have not had any crab since leaving Portland, I will be happy to have one right now lol.%26gt;%26gt;

Oohhhh hhhhooo! Scarlett, you need to visit Dungeness land again! Trust me, this was GOOD! Oops! Did I yell that! The only bad part was the flat tire I came back to! UGH! Thank you Farm Tow! LOL!

I hope you are right about the hotel:) And I bet any reviews we see will be strictly from the lobby and maybe a restaurant restroom.

LOL mtngrl, I know that you are right!

neighborhoodnotes.com/sw/鈥?/a>

Here is a great article about the hotel as well as photos and info on the Being Green part.

I was looking for the name of the architects... our apt building, The Louisa, was an award winning Green building so I was curious if it was the same people.

What a great looking place.. those views!

You are right, I must hurry back to Crab town lol...

reptiles

Inn at Cannon Beach

Hello!

I am looking for a recent review on the Inn at Cannon Beach. Is there still construction going on around the Inn? I plan to be in the area the 1st week in June.

Thanks!

Inn at Cannon Beach

Hi and welcome! Inn at Cannon Beach is a lovely property, I have some photos posted of this Inn on this site. You should call the Inn and ask them about the construction. Enjoy Cannon Beach! www.cannon-beach.net :)

Inn at Cannon Beach

It would appear that none of the regular posters have recent information for you, bluemorningglory.

I did read the most recent reviews from 2008. For the price, you might want to look at other lodging, as this inn would appear to not have ocean views and some rooms are right on busy Hwy 101 :-(