Cheeseheads invading Oregon

[mochajava666]

I know Oregon has had its problems with high unemployment and high rate of foreclosures, and I know the last thing you all need is another family (only 3 people) invading your paradise.

But, I got a job in Clackamas, so I'm looking to rent a house for a year while I get acquainted with the area before I decide on where and how to live.

I've never been to Oregon, although I've always asked people about it all my life. I'm very excited, but don't know what to expect. I think I'll be like a tourist for most of the first year, checking out all of the local attractions.

I would be interested in knowing about dog parks with off-leash areas. My dogs love to run. Also, any housing advice, moving advice (I know, keep moving), restaurants, political groups or events (I'm a huge fan of Ed Schultz, Rachael Maddow, and Stephanie Miller), etc.

Basically, any advice about the area is welcome.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

1. Well, you're in the biggest metropolitan area in the state, so finding a place shouldn't be to hard.

As what goes everywhere, try to find a place close to work.

There are shitload of parks in the area. Forest Park is the largest wilderness within city limits anywhere in the United States. My personal favorite is the near by Japanese Garden, although I wouldn't walk my dog there, there's an entrance fee.

You'll want to go to Powell's Books. Also, check out their technical book store. And Voodoo donuts. Restaurants tend to change a bit, I don't know what the latest is. The Portland Mercury is the best paper in town, and you can find lots of things to do inside.

Just outside of town- to the east is the Gorge. It'll be beautiful this fall. Take the old scenic highway where you can. To the SE passed Beaverton there are some nice areas to go for a drive, near Newberg there's a nice hill (Baldtop?) with some beautiful views of the city and country.

The best drive on the coast is the Three Capes Scenic Loop, within a days drive of Portland. The road conditions are poor, but the views are world class. Also, it's off the main highway, so there's less traffic, even in summer.

Best spot on the coast, IMO, is at the Oregon Dunes, just north of Takhenich Creek, accessed from the scenic pull out.

If I had a three day weekend, here's what I'd do: drive south to Salem, head east over the pass, stopping at various scenic pull outs, Clear Lake, the falls just below that. Spend the night, doing whatever seasonal activities are good there, ranging from skiing to river rafting. Drive south and see Crater Lake. Everybody should see Crater Lake once. West to Roseberg, getting a chance to driving through the hill country around Roseberg, it's amazing at dusk. Stay at Roseberg. Up early the next morning, and traveling west down the Umpqua, where you'll get a chance at world-class fly fishing, if you're into that sort of thing. The Umpqua empties into the Pacific at Reedsport, which is just a few minutes south of Takenich Creek. And then it's up the coast and back home to Clackamas, stopping anywhere along the coast that you'd like. You can head back east to I-5 at Florence, Newport, Lincoln City, or any number of places depending how long you'd want to drive up 101.

But there are plenty more places on the coast worth checking out. Darlingtonia Wayside, Sea Lion Caves, The Hobbit Trail, Seal Rock, and so on.

Lots of neat vineyards for wine tasting in the Willamette Valley. Oregon has the best microbrews in the world. Good spot for hiking is near Opal Creek, east of Salem. It's got some amazing Old Growth that escaped the chainsaws. Also it's got one of the best swimming holes I've ever seen.

And if you're insane about hiking, there's the Devil's Staircase. But that's for advanced Oregonians.

[Bluenorthwest]

3. The Umpqua Lighthouse State Park has great camping and

fantastic Yurts with all bathrooms and kitchens, no less, cheap this time of year. The red and white light of the Lighthouse is lovely, and the Dunes, as you say, are fantastic. This is my favorite spot on the Coast right now. On a lake, in the woods, by the dunes, beside the sea, all at the same time.

[mochajava666]

5. That all sounds wonderful

I bought a pretty good camera recently. Looks like I'll have plenty of photos for my computer desktop.

Wisconsin has great fall colors. Are there many deciduous trees, or is Oregon mainly dominated by evergreens like the Douglas Firs mentioned in Twin Peaks?

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

8. There are plenty of deciduous trees in Oregon.

Evergreens (with vine maple underneath) dominate in the wilderness areas, but everywhere there's people there are deciduous trees.

[mochajava666]

4. Thanks for the info

One place my son wants to visit is the Double R Diner from the Twin Peaks TV series. I heard it's in Oregon.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

9. That's the wrong North Bend.

He's thinking North Bend, WA, although there is a North Bend, OR.

Oregon movie locations that I'm aware of are Astoria, where they filmed The Goonies (some other shots were of Haystack Rock, at Cannon Beach). Eugene, where they filmed Animal House (Corvallis is the other big college town in Oregon). And Brownsville, where they filmed Stand By Me. They also used some exterior shots of Timberline Lodge as the Overlook Hotel in The Shining, although most was shot at other lodges.

The Timberline is also a great place to go for a day trip (or overnight) from Portland. Just head up to the mountain, go around the east side, and come back through the Gorge.

[Still Blue in PDX]

2. North Clackamas Park has an off-leash area.

The Clackamas area's population has grown by leaps and bounds, but it is still a nice place to live. Welcome to my neighborhood. Both my sons and I live in Clackamas.
:hi:

[mochajava666]

6. Thank You

It's been a life long dream of mine to live in Oregon.

[LWolf]

7. Good luck finding the right house.

I can't really help with the rest, even though I live in Oregon. I live east of the Cascades, and I'm just a tourist when I'm in the part of the state you're headed to.

I love the whole state. Welcome!

[mochajava666]

10. Thank You. I have been told by many people

not to forget the Eastern Slope. I hear things like it's ranching country more similar to Montana and Idaho. Semi-arid and sunny.

[LWolf]

12. It is high desert,

but high desert with trees and rivers. And rocks...don't forget the rocks. ;) The eastern slope of the Cascades is dotted with all kinds of lakes; I can drive to about 15 in a day, if I don't stop to play at each of them.

Semi-arid, yes, and the difference between highs and lows are big, too. Some wind, but nothing compared to the Mojave I lived in for a couple of decades. Ranching country.

It's also mostly conservative. We could use more non-republicans this side of the mountains.

[laconicsax]

11. Two more off-leash areas:

The Happy Valley park has two medium off-leash areas and is easier to get to than the North Clackamas park.

The Sandy River delta is a personal favorite for taking laconicpuppeh.

[mochajava666]

15. Great to hear about so many off leash areas.

My dogs are Llewellyn Setters, and they love to run free more than anything, so they will be happy if they can get a good run in a few times a week.

Right now, it looks like I will be living in Sandy. I hope there is something near there.

[classof56]

13. Welcome to Oregon!

You'll love every inch of it, including the remote and awesome Southeastern part of the state--Burns, Frenchglen, Alvord Desert, Steens Mountain, Malheur Wildlife Refuge...more than worth the drive! Check out all the mountain ranges, the rivers, and of course the coast, where you can stroll our unobstructed beaches to your heart's content.

As a long-time Oregonian who's lived in several areas around our amazing state, now East of the Cascades, I say, be the tourist and explore Paradise to your heart's content. And tune in to KPOJ 620, Portland's progressive station on the left side of the dial, to listen to Carl Wolfson, Thom Hartmann, Ed Schultz, Stephanie Miller, Norman Goldman, Mike Malloy, Bill Press, Randi Rhodes (doesn't appear Rachel has a radio show now) and more. Their website, www.620kpoj.com, has the full schedule and lots of other good info.

And again, welcome to Oregon. I predict that you, like me, will never want to live anywhere else!

Blessings.

[mochajava666]

16. I hope my new job allows me to have that station on

Thanks for the welcome.

[HuckleB]

14. You'll enjoy yourself.

I do second the poster from the other side of the Cascades. Spend some time in central Oregon. The skyline is amazing! If you've never backpacked, next summer is the time for you to try it!

[mochajava666]

17. I'm definately psyched to explore both sides of the Cascades

I was thinking about being a tourist of the East slope initially, since I hear it's pretty cloudy and rainy during the winter months on he coast. But quite frankly, I have no idea what to expect, since the closest to Portland that I've been is San Fransisco (what a fantastic city) for a couple of weeks a long time ago.

[HuckleB]

18. Storm watching on the coast in the winter months is a great Oregon pastime, too!

:toast:

Oh, and the long-term forecast indicates we'll have plenty of snow in the mountains this year, so skiing should be fantastic. We cross-country, which makes the cost reasonable. Fresh snow is a regular thing, so the skiing is quite fair.

[grasswire]

19. I must warn you...

...that the counties surrounding Portland are more conservative than Portland itself. The difference between Clackamas County and Portland is generally a big, big culture gap. Example: In Clackamas County I've seen people sitting in a lunch place reading Glenn Beck's book. That would be extremely unlikely in Portland.

Just be mindful of this, and if your kids are school age and politically aware, that's something to talk about, too.

Most of the people who share your politics will be in SE Portland.

Portland is arguably the hottest restaurant town in the U.S. It was recently named the food cart capital of America -- that is a really trendy scene at this time. Many hundreds of restaurants of ALL kinds. Again, here's a caution. What you will find on the outskirts of the metro area is more likely to be a chain. Chili's, Red Robin, etc. The more interesting restaurants are located in the city.

God almighty, there are more events in the city than you could ever want! Lectures, festivals, concerts, theater, museums, parks, universities, public gardens, farmers markets, coffee houses, yada yada yada.

Another thing that you might like to know is that the city is quite safe. There is no part of Portland that I would be afraid to go during the day, and very few parts that I would be frightened in after dark. Public transportation is excellent. Once in a while there is an incident on the MAX trains (light rail) but rare. The new MAX line has just been finished between Clackamas and the city.

By the way, it's pouring rain tonight. Just pouring. Be prepared.

Craigslist is a good place to find rentals.

[grasswire]

20. something else

Portland itself is built on a grid plan, so it is pretty easy to know where you are. The farther you get from the center the more variety there is -- winding streets, etc. But generally there are four sections of the city, divided from north to south by the Willamette River and from east to west by Burnside Street. There are landmarks that help to keep a person oriented. Mount Hood 60 miles to the east, and the West Hills of the city to the west.

I think it's easy to be oriented. But (shrug) I'm a native.

[mochajava666]

21. Good To Know

Thanks for all the great information. We almost settled on a place in SE Portland, but the place only had one bathroom and we have a teenage daughter, so that wasn't going to happen. We can't wait to get there and start exploring all the wonderful places. We're heading out on this Friday.