And one more… @mageecrew 9 days is doable. DH and I drove from Oakland to Portland and I think we spent 3 nights on the road. I’ve never been farther north than Mt. St. Helen’s, but here are my recommendations for the Oakland to Mt. St. Helen’s stretch:
CA:
The trolley in San Fran
Lombard St. in San Fran
Golden Gate Park in San Fran
Wok Wiz Chinatown Walking Tour - we chose the one with a dim sum lunch
A boat tour that takes you past Alcatraz
The Golden Gate Bridge in San Fran
Of course I could go on and on…there are so many wonderful things to do in San Fran. But these are the things that stand out in my mind the most.
Redwood National and State Parks (probably my favorite thing on the whole trip - we just spent a few hours there, but it was beautiful)
Eating fresh crab at a crab house - the one we found was in Eureka, CA
OR:
You’ll have to make a choice whether to come up on I-5, in which case you can go to Crater Lake National Park and Ashland, or whether to follow the 101, in which case you’ll have gorgeous coastal views. We chose the 101.
Florence - the Sea Lion Caves
Newport - our favorite town on the Oregon Coast. It’s a working fishing town - you can buy fish right off the boats on the docks. You can also see sea lions for free on the docks if you don’t want to pay to see them in Florence. Several restaurants and sea food markets near the docks sell fresh seafood. The Oregon Aquarium is also in Newport, as is the Hatfield Marine Science Center. The later funs a cool whale watching/sealife boat tour with a naturalist. On the way out to sea, they set crab pots and on the way back they retrieve them and you get to learn a lot about crabs and crabbing (then they release the crabs). There are 2 beautiful lighthouses in Newport. Yaquina Bay lighthouse is furnished and you can tour it. Yaquina Head is in a more natural setting and there are tide pools you can visit. If you like American microbrew, Rogue Brewery is headquartered in Newport and it’s one of the oldest and best in the US. Their main facility is right across from the Hatfield Marine Science Center. Ok, I could go on and on about Newport - we are considering retiring there - but I’d better move along.
Depoe Bay is just north of Newport and it’s the best place from which to take whale watching tours. Can’t remember their season. We were there in early August, if I recall correctly, and saw several, but we’ve been there other times of the year and seen them, too. Highly recommend Whale Research EcoExcursions. There’s not much else in Depoe Bay. It’s very small.
Lincoln City is more touristy. Outlet mall is there. We stayed there last summer because we needed a bigger rental house than the one we usually rent in Newport. Had a good time, but prefer Newport.
I’d probably head inland to Portland from Newport or Lincoln City. A lot of people like the northern coast, like Cannon Beach, too, but I’ve heard it’s more crowded because it’s closer to Portland. And if you keep going north all the way to Washington, you’ll miss Portland. Portland faves include the Saturday Market (which is open on Sundays, too), the Japanese Garden, the Chinese Garden (which is in a completely different part of town). Favorite quick side-trip from Portland is Multnomah Falls. Beautiful and right on the highway.
Mt. St. Helen’s - had a good day trip there, but wouldn’t go out of my way to see it again.
Alright, sorry for the PNW tourism advertisement - there’s a reason D17 is going 2,000 miles from home to attend college in OR! My secret plan is that she will settle there, finally giving DH and I a reason to move there! 