Oregon

In all the years I’ve traveled for work, there are a few places I missed along the way, and Oregon is one of them. Darryl has never been to Oregon either, so it was a must-stop during our adventure.

It certainly hasn’t failed to impress.

We have been here for a few weeks now, and the Oregon coast is simply one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever been to. The state parks here are amazing – the parks we have been to have been the best of our entire trip so far. Clean, well-tended, and most with electrical and water hookups! Bonus!

Darryl and I both love the mountains, but one of the amazing things about this area is that you get BOTH the mountains and the beach all in one! It has been great to have the beach within a short walk so we can get out of the trailer and get a good walk in just about every day. The cook in me is also very happy that we’ve been able to find some outstanding fish markets selling everything from Chinook (King) salmon, tuna, cod, shrimp… all locally-caught of course.

One of the things I’ve enjoyed most on this trip is the opportunity to shop and eat local. It takes a little more effort to find the “off the beaten path” gems, but the Internet (Yelp) makes it much easier than it used to be, and the amazing meals we’ve had along the way have been totally worth it.

And then there is the beer…

Northern California is known for its wine, and you could argue that Oregon is equally well-known for its beer. As we have driven down the coast, every little beach town seems to have at least a half-dozen hometown brew pubs making some amazing beer. Back in Virginia, when you go to even the largest brew pubs you might have six or seven beers to choose from. Here each brewery seems to have dozens – the variety is pretty incredible and it is amazing to think that all of these small businesses are putting out this much beer!

One of the reasons for making this trip is to explore places we might want to make our long-term home – and I believe Oregon has definitely made the short list. Now if we could just do something about the high tax rate and all of the rain!