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Author Topic: Oregon, Washington, Victoria tour  (Read 1136 times)

dbolt

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Oregon, Washington, Victoria tour
« on: July 15, 2016, 08:25:51 pm »

I am planning a tour of the Great Northwest for a couple from England, who we have traveled with before to South Africa and Ireland and to our Great Southwest.  Two spouses are not photographers, so the tour will not be exclusively for photography.  Below is a rough outline of my initial thoughts on an itinerary.  I would greatly appreciate comments, suggestions and "not-to-miss" POI along the way.

From/To                       Driving Time    Nights        Comments

Seattle to Portland              3 hr           2            Portland, Japanese gardens     
Portland to The Dalles, Or    1.5 hr        1            Columbia River
Dalles to Bend, OR              2.5 hr        1             Mt Hood
Bend to Cannon Beach, Or   4.5 hr        2             Coastline
Cannon B to Aberdeen, WA  2 hr           1             Coastline
Aberdeen to Port Angeles    3 hr            1              Olympic NP
Port A to Victoria, BC           2 hr            2              Buchart Gardens
Vic to San Juan Is                2.5 hr         1              Whale watching
San Juan I to Seattle            3 hr            1              Pike Street market

                                                     Total 16 nights

Thoughts?
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Doug Bolt
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pcgpcg

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Re: Oregon, Washington, Victoria tour
« Reply #1 on: July 23, 2016, 02:48:50 am »

Portland to The Dalles, Or    1.5 hr        1            Columbia River
Dalles to Bend, OR              2.5 hr        1             Mt Hood
You'll be hard-pressed to get to the Dalles in 1.5 hr. If you want to see Mt. Hood up close, just go to Hood River to Bend, instead of The Dalles to Bend. You can make it from Portland to Hood River in 1.5 hrs if you don't stop, but I would stretch this out to 3 hours so you can take the Old Columbia River Hwy, instead of I-84. It is far more scenic and you can stop at any of the many waterfalls (impossible to do from I-84), as well as take a short 30 min. hike up and down Oneonta Gorge if you want. To get on the old highway, leave I-84 at Exit 22. Also, once you have left Hood River and are heading south around the east side of Mt. Hood,  I would suggest going a few miles out of your way to the west and going to Timberline Lodge and riding the chairlift up and down Mt. Hood. Then get back on US-26 and backtrack a few miles to again head south down to Bend.

Bend to Cannon Beach, Or   4.5 hr        2             Coastline
Cannon B to Aberdeen, WA  2 hr           1             Coastline
Aberdeen to Port Angeles    3 hr            1              Olympic NP
Take Bend to Florence, then drive up the coast to Astoria. The OR coast is far more scenic than a trip up the WA coast. I would then take one day to drive from Astoria to I-5, to Tacoma, then up to Port Angeles. From there you can take a short trip up to Hurricane Ridge in Olympic NP. You miss the Hoh Rain Forest by not going up the WA coast, but IMHO, for this short a trip, it is not worth the long boring drive up the WA coast. You will see similar sights in the Columbia Gorge if you hike up Multnomah Creek above Multnomah Falls (gotta be in shape for some vertical) and I think you can better use the time elsewhere.
Port A to Victoria, BC           2 hr            2              Buchart Gardens
Vic to San Juan Is                2.5 hr         1              Whale watching
San Juan I to Seattle            3 hr            1              Pike Street market

It's a shame to miss Vancouver (and UBC museum), and the drive on the Sea to Sky Highway to Whistler, but I understand it's a lot to cram in. Sounds like a fun trip. The ferries will force you to sit back and relax. :) Don't forget high tea at the Empress Hotel in Victoria.
« Last Edit: July 23, 2016, 05:55:01 pm by pcgpcg »
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