August 6 – 13, 2019
I am going to call this “The Magical Mystery Hiking Tour”! I am not going to leave the mystery to the end. I’ll reveal the secret now. This is an AMAZING trip!
This adventure included, my son and two of his sons. My son has a goal of running a marathon in every state, this 8 day vacation was planned around the Crater Lake Rim Run. I had never heard of Crater Lake National Park. It was a mystery to me!
I won’t leave you in suspense til DAY 5, Rim Run Day. My son finished the 26.2 mile full marathon. Running at altitudes ranging from 5,980 to 7,900, over a course of many steep demanding grades, how he finished was not a mystery. He is an AMAZING athlete!
This is not my first time in Oregon. In 2015 my husband and I drove a portion of the Pacific Coast Highway (HWY 101) in our motor home, stayed at campgrounds, enjoyed the fabulous rock formations ocean side and hiked one MAGICAL trail. This trip, we decided to do a round about route, experiencing a variety of Oregon’s attractions, highlighting my one Magical trail and Crater Lake National Park.
DAY 1
An early flight (6:45 a.m) from Connecticut (BDL), gets us into Portland, Oregon (PDX) early afternoon (1:00 p.m.). Gotta love the those time zone changes, flying west. First stop … Dollar Car Rental. We get upgraded from our economy/compact to an ocean blue Subaru, which we nickname Boo-baru! The fun begins.
TIP: Request a Highway 101 Mile by Mile Guide from Oregon Tourism when planning or at tourist info on arrival in Oregon.
M.M. 28 Ecola State Park – Cannon and Indian Beach Our first view of the Oregon Coast!
Our first hike … The 2.8 mile Clatsop Loop Trail, veering off twice to see the WWII bunkers and the Tillamook Rock Lighthouse. This is a moderate to strenuous hike, with elevation changes of over 700 ft. A great introduction to what lay ahead at Crater Lake National Park. 
WW II Bunker
When many of us envision ocean side, we think flat, seeing for miles in many directions, sandy beaches, sand dunes, marshes, rock jetties. Oregon is one of Mother Natures most magical and mysterious creations. Rock formations along the coast mystify the eye. The waves and water of the ocean reflect offf the sand slides that reach upward and tease the green tree tops from the steep cliffs and forests to blend with them. Your eyes are tricked into not knowing where one ends and the other begins. If you’re going up or down.
NIGHT 1 … MM 50.8 Silver Sands Oceanfront Motel 215 S Pacific St Rockaway Beach, OR 97136 503-355-2206 I had procrastinated on reserving an “ocean view” or “limited view” room. considering $$ I chose limited view and got lucky. The difference was our view was from a side window, not a straight on ocean view. Silver Sands is an ocean front property. This is an older Motel, but well maintained and reasonably priced. Five Star location ($138 2 Queen beds, Oregon Lodging Tax $2.48, Rockaway Beach City Room Tax $13.80, Tillamook County Lodging Tax $1.38, Total $155.66). Note: Oregon has no Sales Tax
DAY 2
First Stop … MM 64.7 Blue Heron French Cheese Company … thought this would be a good place for breakfast and to pick up a picnic lunch. Not so, TOURIST TRAP! VERY expensive, Very limited menu.
Sometimes things happen for a reason. A few miles down Hwy 101 we spot the Dutch mill Diner 206 Main Ave, Tillamook, Oregon 503-842-1277 Open Wed – Sun. Hooray! It’s Wednesday! This is a 50’s decor dinner, reasonable prices and delicious food.
MM 119.2 Hike #2 … Drift Creek Falls Interpretive Trail, 3 mile out and back to a 240 ft suspension bridge, hanging 100 ft above the canyon floor, to the 75 ft lava flow Drift Creek Waterfall. The SUSPENSE is Thrilling! The trail appears to end at a scenic overlook. But, a steep, rocky trail was being used by the “more agile than I”, to get down to the bottom of the falls. After my family scurried down the mountainside, I “the much older and wiser” noticed the trail continued on a much safer but longer route.
M.M. 126.4 Boiler Bay State Scenic Viewpoint … And what to our magical eyes should appear ??? WHALES! WHALES! and more WHALES! A breathtaking performance of phenomenal acts by magnificent creatures!!! It’s all about being in the right place at the right time! We had our binoculars expecting to need them, but the whales were so close to shore, that if it were not for the rocks, we could have swam with them. They surfaced a lot, but my camera was not quicker than the eye. No Photos 🙁
M.M. 132.5 The Devil’s Punch Bowl … This is a MUST stop!!! We were tricked into stopping here … the Devil made us do it and we were glad he did !!! The Devil’s Churn (m.m. 166.5) was on our itinerary. Otter Rock is m.m. 132.5, that’s where we are and so is the Devil’s Punch Bowl. An optical illusion of natural proportions. The interior is only safe at low tide and anyone caught there in high water would surely be killed. We were lucky to be there at low tide and lucky to find the short hiking trail down. It is not well marked. To see it at high tide, when the waves are crashing against and over its sides, is a reason to return 🙂
M.M. 141.0 Newport … This is our Walmart Stop – My son and his family are very “casual” diners. The two restaurants mentioned, so far, were because of their uniqueness. For less than $100, our trip to Walmart supplied us with enough food and water for hiking, breakfasts and lunches for the rest of the trip. We are eating well, but the food simply, disappears. No tips needed 🙂
M.M. 150.7 Seal Rock, the name is a trick, it’s not a rock, but a town. It is a tourist area along the highway with lots of eye catching shops, we chose to stop at Carvers Wood Shop in hopes of catching a Chain Saw Carving Demonstration, but not happening this time. We did enjoy the artistry and I found a boyfriend. I couldn’t bring him home, he was too set in his ways. But I did promise if I ever come back I’d stop by and hold his hand again.
M.M. 179.0 Sea Lion Caves is on our itinerary, but we ran out of time. I only mentioned it because it looked very interesting as we drove by. Next Time!
Night 2 … M.M. 211.2 Best Western Salbasgeon Inn and Suites 1400 U.S. 101 S Reedsport, Oregon 97141 541-271-4831 A great location on our route, but nothing more than a place to lay our heads and have a “hot” breakfast in the morning.
DAY 3
M.M. 222.6 John Dellenback Dunes Trail … This is my MAGICAL trail. It was one of mine and my husband’s favorite trails. Oh! and our dogs! Oregon is VERY pet friendly. I could not wait to show it to “my favorite hikers”. From the parking lot, over the Eel Creek bridge, it’s a 1 mile hike through the forest. Suddenly, as if magic, the forest opens to breathtaking views of some of the tallest sand dunes on the Pacific Coast. The hiking trail continues another 5 miles, over the dunes and passes a forest island to the beach and Pacific Ocean. We did not have time to hike the entire trail, but did get a glimpse of the ocean from the top of one of the dunes. Next Time!
We now head further south, but inland.
During the planning of this adventure, I had been watching the first season of a new reality show “Blown Away”. This is a process of elimination show, highlighting the Artistry of Glass Blowing. When I saw the Glass Forge 501 SW G Street on a list of things to do in Grants Pass, Oregon, it went right on our itinerary. We were NOT disappointed. No reservation needed, totally drop in, totally free. Just walk in, watch, talk to the artists, ask questions, view finished pieces for sale. We were lucky to arrive just as an artist was beginning a piece. We were able to watch from start to almost finish. The final step in the glass blowing process is to place the hot piece in a special “cooler” for 24 hours.
Night 3 … Our reservations for tonight are at the Buona Sera Inn 1001 NE 6th Street Grants Pass, Oregon 97526 877-286-7756 ($109.69 a night). This is NOT a chain property. It is the most unique, charismatic place I have ever stayed. Each room is decorated with a different theme. Everything from the furniture, bed linens, towels, even glasses look like they belong in someones home. I give it six stars. it was so close to the Glass Forge that we checked in before heading to our next attraction and last hike of the day.
Our final “scheduled” attraction for the day is the Oregon Caves National Monument and Preserves 1900 Caves Hwy Cave Junction, Oregon 97523. 541-592-2100 We had (strongly suggested) reservations for the Ranger led, 1 1/2 hour Discovery Cave Tour. This is at least a 45 minute ride off the main road into the Siskiyou Mountains. Well worth the drive, but allow plenty of drive time and watch carefully for wildlife crossing the roadway.
On our drive to the caves, we had spotted a sign on the main road for The Eight Dollar Mountain Botanical Wayside Boardwalk Trail. Two hikes a day are better than one! The 1/8 mile boardwalk trail ends at a field of Darlingtonia Californica aka the California Pitcher Plant. It is a carnivorous plant which feeds on insects. How could we resist? Now you see it! Now you don’t!
There is a “downside” to the full “Lake Experience”. The ONLY lake access is from the Cleetwood Trail. This is a 1 mile, 700 ft decent down a series of switchbacks equivalent to 33 flights of stairs. It’s NOT as bad as it sounds. Remember the tortoise and the hare, slow and steady wins the race! I actually enjoyed the challenge and had a great time talking to and listening to people along the trail. One of my favorite conversations was between a father and his, maybe 5 year old, daughter while walking UP the trail. She says: “Daddy will you carry me?” Father says “I was just thinking. I think peanut butter cups are my favorite candy. What kind of candy Is your favorite?” She says “Oh Daddy! Maybe M&M’s, but I like peanut butter cups too, but maybe …”. I smiled and started thinking “What a good Dad, great diversion.” Then I couldn’t make up my mind if Pay Day or Strawberry Twizzlers were my favorite candy. Then we were at the top!
Top of the Cleetwood Trail
Middle of the Trail
That is Crater Lake National Park in a nutshell.
Chipmunk or Ground Squirrel ??? Both tricky little mammals live in the harsh volcanic landscape that is buried by snow eight months of the year.
Here are a couple of highway views as we wind down our adventure.
The scenery in Oregon, is amazing. As we were driving from Silver Falls to our next destination and getting closer to Portland, I spotted a beautiful snow covered mountain. It looked familiar, bu I couldn’t place it. At a gas stop, I asked the Clerk. We were seeing Mount St. Helens in Washington. I could not believe my eyes!
One more attraction … This is totally a “Gramma” thing. The Glockenspiel … Tallest in the United States, Animatronic Clockworks Music Performance 190 E Charles Street Mount Angel, Oregon Edelweiss Village Building Performances 11:00 a.m., 1:00 p.m., 4:00 p.m., 7:00 p.m.
Not quite what I expected, but very cute. We arrived a half hour early for the 7:00 p.m., to get a good spot. We were the only ones there. Sitting on a bench in the town center, we patiently waited. The music started, the panels opened and the life size figurines twirled in a circle. The grand finale was when the boy and girl, under the clock, came swinging out. The performance lasted all of 5 minutes. The Glockenspiel is above the entrance to the Bavarian restaurant of the same name. Next time we’ll do dinner too.
Night 7 … Best Western Pacific Hwy Inn 4646 Portland Road Salem, Oregon 503-390-3200 Once again, just another place to lay our heads and have a “hot” breakfast. We are headed to the airport in the morning.
There are only two things I would change if I were to do this trip again. The first was I would have camped at Crater Lake. The second I would not chose this Inn. Only because of the location. We had to backtrack from Mount Angel, closer to Portland would be a better choice.
DAY 8 This was a full day of travel. Fortunately, we had allowed ourselves plenty of time to get to PDX. There was a lot of traffic and the drive took a lot longer than expected. It also took longer than expected to return the rental car and get through security. Good thing we hadn’t tried to squeese in one more hike 🙂
Next Time, I would plan a few extra days along the coast and at Crater Lake. There is easily enough to do in Oregon to warrant a two week or at least a 10 day adventure.