Oregon, My Favorite State

Every year, my husband and I take multiple trips to Oregon. Portland is his hometown, and we have family, friends, kids and grandkids who live near there. In fact, we will probably move there in the not too distant future. So when my dear friend Jack suggested I write about Oregon, I thought it was a great idea, there’s so much to share! We were there just last weekend, and went to the Waterfront Blues Festival with our good friends. I wrote about the festival last week.

Our daughter moved to Oregon ten years ago to attend George Fox University. During that time, we visited many wineries in the Yamhill County area. Some of our favorites are Ponzi, Torii Mor, Sokol Blosser and Argyle. We are wine club members at Ponzi and visit the tasting room frequently. It is located in a beautiful setting with a view of the valley. Torii Mor is also in a lovely location, the wine maker is from France, and the wines are of the Burgundy style. Sokol Blosser makes a wide variety of wines. On our flight to Japan a few years ago, one of Delta’s featured wines was Sokol Blosser’s Evolution, a delicious, light, fruity white blend. Argyle specializes in sparkling wines. We served their Knudsen Vineyard Brut at our daughter’s wedding.

The small town of Dundee has some great restaurants. One of our favorites is the Dundee Bistro. They have been in business for over twenty years and specialize in local, seasonal dishes.

The Oregon Coast is one of the most beautiful coastlines I have ever seen. One stretch in particular in the southern part of the state near Brookings, is the Samual Boardman Scenic Corridor. Samual Boardman was Oregon’s first superintendent of parks. You will find breathtaking views and interesting rock formations along this 12 mile stretch of highway.

Along the coast in the northern part of the state you will find the remains of the Peter Iredale at Fort Stevens State Park. The ship ran aground in October 1906.

Crater Lake National Park is another gorgeous place to visit. At one mile deep, it is the deepest lake in North America. There are many hikes to take that offer nice views of the lake and distant mountains.

The view of Mt. Shasta from a fire watch tower.

Another one of our favorite places to visit is Sunriver, in Central Oregon. This resort community offers many activities including hiking, canoeing, fishing, biking, skiing and much more. It is close to Mt. Bachelor which is a popular destination for winter sports.

The Paulina Lake Loop Trail, not far from Sunriver, is a 6.7 mile hike that is mostly flat and offers nice views.

We stopped for a picnic at the far end of the lake and were joined by this little critter.

If you’re into rock climbing, check out Smith Rock State Park.

Wallowa Lake, located in Northeast Oregon is yet another activity packed area to visit.

There is so much to see and do in Oregon, I have just barely scratched the surface with this post. What are your favorite places to visit there? As always, I welcome comments and questions.