Take a Vacation

[old_gregg]

obligatory manzanita overlook photo

[clackamascoug]

Going to Oregon next week. No kids, just me and the Mrs. We'll be staying in Hillsboro near my brother's place. We have the following itinerary:

Monday - Drive there
Tuesday - Spend an agonizing day visiting my 92 year old MIL in Salem. I have to pay my "taxes" on this trip up front.
Wednesday - Day trip to Oregon Coast - Cannon Beach is only an hour away from Hillsboro
Thursday - Day trip to somewhere - hike? waterfalls? Looking for anything interesting to see or do besides homeless people and burned out and boarded up buildings in Portland
Friday - Drive home

Anyone have any recommendations on things to see and do on our Oregon Coast day trip? Any recommendations on a second place to daytrip within 1-2 hours of Hillsboro?

The Wilson River Swimming holes - halfway between Hillsboro and Tillamook. Take your swimsuits - and jump from the bridges into the water. It'll be a memory decades longer than a regular trip to Cannon Beach. Several places to jump from. Jones Creek is probably good for newbs like you guys - but Keenig Creek is where I used to go. Bridge is a little higher there - the pool a little deeper. If you don't want to get wet - just hiking the area is a blast and very beautiful.

The water is cold - but not so cold that you won't have the time of your life. Seriously - it's fun - and with the warm weather - there will be plenty of people there doing the same thing. The bridge at the 7 minute mark is where we used to go. The bridge is just right - not too high - but high enough to make you think twice. We used to put watermelons in the bottom of the river - and when they were cold - bust them open and eat watermelon from ear to ear. The coast is nice - the Wilson River swimming holes are a blast.

[swampfrog]

Portland doesn't bother me as much as others. If you're going with kids OMSI is a first rate museum, the zoo is pretty, and Powell's Book Store is still really interesting. They have a solid mormon section! Pittock Mansion is a pretty cool turn of the century mansion. Go do the tourist thing and see Multnomah Falls. Still beautiful.

Wild card: if you're going to Salem anyways consider a half day trip to Silver Falls State Park. It's ~20 miles east of Salem. There is a 9 mile easy loop that passes by 10 waterfalls. You could do half of it and still see some beautiful sights. I'm not exaggerating when I say it is as close to Hawaii level pretty as it gets.

Silver Falls: we walked this loop in January.
I have pictures of Pittock somewhere. Fun tour.

There are lots of things in and around Portland that aren't affected by the political turmoil or homelessness, but every time I drive into town it seems to have spread some.

[Northwestcoug]

Silver Falls: we walked this loop in January.
I have pictures of Pittock somewhere. Fun tour.

There are lots of things in and around Portland that aren't affected by the political turmoil or homelessness, but every time I drive into town it seems to have spread some.

Great pics, SF.

In the mouth of two or three witness, BFM...

[Commando]

Probably could have pulled out your mom's old croquet set and had just as much fun in your front yard.

[BigFatMeanie]

Great pics, SF.

In the mouth of two or three witness, BFM...

Thanks everyone for the recommendations. We just finalized Silver Falls on our itinerary with a picnic lunch at the day use park/area. Should be nice weather too. Looking forward to it.

[Northwestcoug]

Thanks everyone for the recommendations. We just finalized Silver Falls on our itinerary with a picnic lunch at the day use park/area. Should be nice weather too. Looking forward to it.

Oh yeah. The weather. I keep forgetting what it's like west of the Cascades.

Hope it's dry for you that day!

[swampfrog]

Thanks everyone for the recommendations. We just finalized Silver Falls on our itinerary with a picnic lunch at the day use park/area. Should be nice weather too. Looking forward to it.

I would check the tide tables before the visit to Cannon Beach. Visiting during a low tide is always more interesting. There should be puffins flying in and out.

https://www.cannonbeach.org/things-t...s/tide-charts/

Edit: A decent -1.4, but it's at 6:13 AM on June 23rd.

[Commando]

Hey ya'll come out to beautiful Scottsdale, Arizona. There is some great GOLF to be had and there's never been a better time to book your tee time! For some reason there's a bit of low traffic on the fareway at the moment.

[falafel]

Hey ya'll come out to beautiful Scottsdale, Arizona. There is some great GOLF to be had and there's never been a better time to book your tee time! For some reason there's a bit of low traffic on the fareway at the moment.

If you looked at my travel schedule above, I'm already scheduled for September in Scottsdale!

[Eddie]

We are 30 days out from a week at Tahoe with the kids; then a short weekend in Vegas the beginning of September, and finally a cruise around the Caribbean in October. That's probably as much traveling as I've ever done in a year - and I'm so looking forward to it.

[BigFatMeanie]

I would check the tide tables before the visit to Cannon Beach. Visiting during a low tide is always more interesting. There should be puffins flying in and out.

https://www.cannonbeach.org/things-t...s/tide-charts/

Edit: A decent -1.4, but it's at 6:13 AM on June 23rd.

I did exactly that and saw the same thing and a little bummed. 6:13 is a bit too early for me to get to the coast. We'll be beachside in the late afternoon (around the 5:00 - 6p.m. time) so while it won't be low tide, at least it won't be high tide either.

[Commando]

If you looked at my travel schedule above, I'm already scheduled for September in Scottsdale!

Well you should love it. It usually cools down to a balmy 105 by September and this town is about 67% golf course. Shame-- imagine the kind of croquet you could play on that kind of real estate!

[BigFatMeanie]

I did exactly that and saw the same thing and a little bummed. 6:13 is a bit too early for me to get to the coast. We'll be beachside in the late afternoon (around the 5:00 - 6p.m. time) so while it won't be low tide, at least it won't be high tide either.

Hmm, it appears I'm getting "outvoted" and we're now planning on getting up at 4:30 a.m. so we can be to the coast by 6:00.

[Northwestcoug]

Hmm, it appears I'm getting "outvoted" and we're now planning on getting up at 4:30 a.m. so we can be to the coast by 6:00.

Bro, I love tide pools as much or more than my kids. But even I wouldn't get up that early.