ckcowl

Be sure to visit and hike Multinoma Falls and the Columbia River gorge. Canon Beach and Coos Bay are both coastal places to visit. Washington Park Zoo and the Japanese Gardens in Portland are must visits.
There are many wonderful places to explore in Oregon! Enjoy your trip.

SusieQOH

Jill, I also have never been to PNW but Donna Jordan's shop is in Grants Pass in case you need a quilt day

Iceblossom

Just a couple random thoughts -- it's been years since I did a lot of travel but when my son was younger (so... 20 years ago), I found Oregon to have the best, cleanest, and most often rest stops. Of course, a lot of time and budget changes have happened since then.

I believe however, that most gas stations still have attendants, that's a little weird for some of us.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/institu.../#4b6a9ca6600e

jillmc

I did read that gas stations still have attendants to fill your tank!

This is our rough itinerary....now to hone in on sites at each stop and in between to get an idea of how long our trip will be...thinking 10 days plus 2 travel days?

Fly into Portland, make our way to Astoria, then down the coast to Brookings. Then to Crater Lake, Bend, Hood River, and back to Portland to fly home.
We will be traveling Sept 2020....wondering if we can “wing it” and make lodging reservations as we go, maybe a day or two ahead of stopping?

jillmc

Looks like Jordan Fabrics is the halfway point between Brookings and Crater Lake!

quiltingcandy

I love driving along the Columbia River and the Hood River - there is a camping area along the way but I am always on my way to my niece's home in Central WA or on my way back home to CA. There is so much to see - but I do love he Bend OR area - it's too bad you aren't going to be there in early July, you could see the Sisters OR quilt show. It was quite fun.
Hope you enjoy your trip - I would love to do it some time. My DH's cousin lives near Sisters OR and we visited with them the last time we drove up. It is such a beautiful area.

Iceblossom

It sounds like you will mostly be on the West side of the state. Plenty to do and see.

Near the Sea Lions cave/near Florence (so going up towards Astoria) there was a charming little botanical garden. Usually that is just a walk with trees and names like "Douglas Fir" but this park is a good stretch your legs if not a full destination.
https://oregonstateparks.org/index.c...Page&parkId=81
Basically it's a board walk through a carnivorous plant swamp! It was fascinating.

I guess the Tillamook cheese factory is no longer open to visitors. However, I highly recommend their products and especially the ice cream! Tillamook is an area in Oregon.
https://visittheoregoncoast.com/cities/tillamook/

Portland has one of the first of the modern donut shops, Voodoo donuts. They've been featured on the Food Network and Travel Channels
https://www.voodoodoughnut.com/

As I mentioned before, the general Portland area is the home to many amazing gardens and nurseries. Lots of places to go and take a moment of peace...
https://www.thecrazytourist.com/top-...o-in-portland/

JoyjoyMarie

As an Oregon native, I love, love, love going home for a few days. With my hubby we have returned to visit family and be tourists there. Of course, your interests will make a difference in sites you choose to see, but we are oriented towards nature and hiking and photography on trips. That said my favorite places to return to visit are Multnomah falls in the Columbia River gorge (a good hike up to the top), Crater Lake (on a sunny day, it's a much more beautiful blue), and the wonderful vista from Cascade Head hiking trail at the coast. In Portland, I love the Japanese Gardens, the Chinese gardens, and the wonderful walks down the riverwalk and the portable eating pods scattered here and there - and Powells Bookstore!! There are also some well known winery tours, if you're into that thing, south of Portland in the Lafayette, Dundee and McMinnville area - (we don't do wine, so am not sure what to recommend in that vein). Those are some of my favs, and I'm sure you'll find some of your own wherever you go - it's a big, beautiful and unique state. Enjoy! I echo what someone else said about Joseph - my sis in law lives near there, and it's its own special world out there (just a bit of a drive!)

beatys9

If you are in the Grants Pass area, a jet boat trip on the Rogue River is gorgeous! I've done it in the summer - not sure if they run in the fall. You do get wet We go first thing in the morning as it got very crowded later in the day and take a 2-3 hour tour.