Oregon Trip 2018

This trip we decided to fly to Portland and drive south to Crater Lake National Park. The day we arrived in Portland we drove to Salem Oregon. We had a wonderful Korean meal at Happy Bimbap House.

I ordered the Bimbap. It is served in a piping hot stone bowl. When bowl arrives you take your chopsticks and mix the raw egg into the dish so it cooks. Very tasty and filling dish.

Walking to the Game

Oregon Ducks Stadium

The next day we drove to Eugene. Bill really wanted to see a college football game so he had purchased a ticket for the Oregon Ducks. It was crazy the fans going to the game. We walked from Oregon University across the river to the stadium.

I went to The Museum of Natural and Cultural History on the University of Oregon campus. This was a small museum but has several interesting displays. There was information about the sabre tooth salmon. An excellent geology display. The hands-on displays are great for children to learn more about the topics. There were displays about the history of Oregon. Check out their website at http://natural-history.uoregon.edu.

While in Eugene we stayed at the Eugene Whiteaker International Hostel. The hostel is close to the tracks that run through the centre of town. There were about five trains that we heard during the night.

The next day we headed for Diamond Lake Resort in Southern Oregon. On the way, we visited the Wildlife Safari. For more information check out the posts on the Wildlife Park and Crater Lake.

The whole area from Portland to California has a great variety of wineries that can be visited. Depending on the area you can find a winery to visit.  North of Medford, we drove through the Rogue Valley and visited the Kriselle Cellars to check out their wines.

Bill relaxed on the deck in the sunshine while Elaine decided what to buy.

Grapes ready for Harvest

Leaving Diamond Lake we drove north on highway 97 to Bend Oregon. Three miles south of Bend is the High Desert Museum.

Otters

Burrowing Owl

 

The museum has several habitats for birds, snakes, turtles and a few mammals. 

There are excellent dioramas about the history in the area and the local indigenous people. Walking outside you can visit the raptor house, otter house, a working sawmill, and a settler's cabin and farm. When we visited there was staff dressed in period costume. There were numerous talks and demonstrations throughout the day that were free. 

This is a small museum and a great opportunity to learn about the area and some of the animals.

After the museum, we continued towards Mount Hood along highway 97 the highway 26. We had great views of Mount Jefferson as we passed through a deep canyon at Warm Springs. The Butte is a very impressive sight. Once you reach the Mount Hood area there is hiking, camping and skiing in the winter. The drive from Mount Hood to Portland is a scenic byway so be prepared for the drive to be a little slower through the communities.

Back in Portland, it was time to navigate the slow-moving freeways to return the rental car. You need to give yourself extra time as the traffic is gridlocked over an extended rush hour.