Top attractions
don’t think you’ve seen the last of me, Bend.
Scenic delights
Oregon has plenty of places that can win you over.
We’re advised, when travel-writing, not to trip over our tongues and stumble into cliche territory. Sometimes that’s not easy – the phrase ‘‘jaw-dropping’’ is awfully tough to avoid when that’s what literally happens when you’re confronted with the view you get at Crater Lake.
After a long, occasionally winding drive up through a national park, you crest the Cascade Mountain range and see what the fuss is about. With the sun out, the water in the caldera is a piercing, almost confrontational blue.
Smith Rock State Park can’t quite match it for the sense of shock and wonder, but the high desert state park also provides a hugely arresting vista, with its sheer cliffs of tuff and basalt, also perfect for rock climbing.
Time for a drink
Oregon prides itself on its craft beer industry – it can lay claim to being the spiritual and physical home of craft brewing in the US.
I’ve never been a big fan of beer and, while I wouldn’t go as far as saying most of it tastes pretty similar to me, I’m not one who appreciates the various subtleties and differences in the brewing process and final product.
However, sitting in the courtyard at the rapidly expanding Ninkasi Brewing under a warming sun, my appreciation grew immeasurably as I worked my way through a taste test of Ninkasi’s range and I could definitely become a consumer of their red, pale, and citrus ales.
Given my new-found appreciation of craft beers, time spent in the garden bar at Climate City Brewing in Grants Pass later that afternoon held plenty of appeal as brewmaster Acacia Cooper ran us through another range of excellent ales.
Still, I’ll remain chiefly a whiskey and bourbon fan, so the Southeast Distillery Row tasting room for Eastside Distilling in Portland was right up my alley – even their Below Deck rum brand won me over.
I’m glad I took a belt on my trip that had extra notches, because the eating in Oregon was superb.
Tasty n’ Alder is hugely popular in downtown Portland, and for good reason – I’ll recommend the Gaucho Ribeye steak with Duck Duck Potatoes among many delicious dishes – while the Taprock Northwest Grill has not, surprisingly, been a regular winner of the best restaurant in Grants Pass, with a winning combination of food and view on the banks of the Rogue River.
Book it
While you could easily gorge yourself on food, and drink merrily on beer, wine, and spirits, my biggest weakness is books.
If ever there was a store designed to bring me – and my credit card – to my knees, Powell’s Books in Portland is it.
Reportedly the world’s largest independent bookstore, the flagship shop in the centre of town is like a siren for any lover of literature. Library-like rows of towering shelves, crammed with new, old, and second-hand books, fiction and non-fiction of every subject matter, just beg you to buy them.
After 15 minutes, I lugged my overflowing shopping basket to the counter and pleaded with the staff member to ring up my multitude of purchases as fast as possible and then escort me out of the store, after taking a photo for security in case I tried to re-enter before my flight home.
Reaching Portland – and returning to NZ – features a connecting flight via San Francisco in which you barely get time to unbuckle your seatbelt.
The 10,800km trip between Auckland and San Francisco takes about half a day, but a business class trip with United Airlines – now offering
Dune buggy riding, Florence:
The vast, undulating dunes at Florence beach are ideal for hooning up and over. Strap yourself in an eight-seater with Sand Dunes Frontier and enjoy the thrill.
Fat tire biking, Newport Beach:
Long, flat stretches of compact sand make for excellent biking. Hire your bikes from Fatty’s on the Beach.
Stoller Family Estates winery:
The casual or committed wine enthusiast couldn’t help but be impressed with the signature variety pinot noir and chardonnay – and the idyllic setting at the vineyards in Dayton.
It can be weatherdependent, but the eagle-eyed will want to be first to see a whale as they migrate to and from Alaska and Mexico at Depoe Bay. If you can’t spot a whale, you’re bound to have more luck with the smaller aquatic creatures at Otter Crest Loop.
Whale watching: Timberline Lodge:
Sitting at the 6000-feet level of Oregon’s tallest peak, Mt Hood, which is the only area in the US to offer year-round skiing. I had a small sense of recognition as we drove up but couldn’t quite place it until I got inside – where you read and immediately click that the lodge was used in the classic horror movie The Shining. Here’s Johnny!
You can shop for what you fancy at Glass Forge Gallery and Studio in Grants Pass, but it’s more fun to have a go yourself and create something with your own hot air.
Glass blowing: Rooftop cocktails at Departure:
Drinking a Shadow Warrior with exceptional company while looking over Portland.
Salt and Straw ice creams:
Want a rival to Ben and Jerry’s? Iconic in Portland and Los Angeles, Salt and Straw’s Chocolate Gooey Brownie still makes me let the belt out a notch just thinking about it.
Nick’s Italian Cafe:
Pizza, pasta, wine – you have to try to sample as much as you can from the menu, so go with friends in McMinnville and share. a daily flight between the two cities – made it a relaxing and pleasant journey.
Ian Anderson travelled courtesy of United Airlines and was a guest of Travel Oregon and Travel Portland.