Winter Getaways
The Basics Within a Day’s Drive
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Newport
Distance from Eugene: 101 miles
Snark factor: Low at Yaquina Head; high near the Ripley’s Believe It Or Not
Round-trip gas: 4.5 gallons for a Prius, 8.8 gallons for a Dodge Caravan
Highlights:
• Cobble beach and tidepools at Yaquina Head
• Food at Canyon Way Restaurant
• Crabbing off the docks
• Whalewatching in nearby Depoe Bay
• The brew at Rogue Ale’s Public House
• The otters at Oregon Coast Aquarium
• The Vistor Center at the Hatfield Marine Science Center
Bend
Distance from Eugene: 141 miles
Snark factor: High, now that development has imploded
Round-trip gas: 6.3 gallons for a Prius, 11.3 for a Subaru Outback
Highlights:
•High Desert Museum
• Sun
• Skiing, snowshoeing, hiking, running
• McMenamins Old St. Francis School and its soaking pool
• Newberry National Volcanic Monument (Lava! Woot!)
• Smith Rock State Park for the climb-happy
• Deschutes Brewery
John Day
Distance from Eugene: 261 miles
Snark factor: Low (unless you’re a Creationist and fossils amuse your sensibilities; or unless you like to laugh at Creationists and use fossils to back yourself up)
Round-trip gas: 11.6 gallons for a Prius, 22 for a Honda Accord
Highlights:
• John Day Fossil Beds National Monument
• Camping, horseback riding, snowshoeing, skiing and hiking in the Malheur National Forest (be sure to wear orange gear during hunting seasons!)
Corvallis
Distance from Eugene: 49 miles
Snark factor: Low except for Civil War games
Round-trip gas: 2.2 gallons for a Prius; 3 for a Camry; 7 for an Expedition
Highlights:
• OSU sports, theater, lectures and superb enviro reading series
• Corvallis High School theater
• Grassroots Books & Music
• Crazy cute downtown — with no pits!
• Peavey Arboretum/McDonald Research Forest
• New restaurants, wine bar and boutiques along the waterfront
Portland
Distance from Eugene: 112 miles
Snark factor: High in the trendy NW and Pearl; low, though trending up, in N and NE
Round-trip gas: .47 gallons for Amtrak, per passenger; 5 for a Prius; 5.8 for a diesel Jetta
Highlights:
• Sports fun: Pilots soccer (NCAAs coming up!) and of course the Blazers!
• Public transportation joy: The MAX! The streetcar! The tram!
• Hikes: Forest Park has a mountain of trails
• Eats: One of our new faves is Toro Bravo on NE Russell, but there are oh, so many tasty places for chow in PDX
Winter Getaways:
Sunrise of the Gods
The downlow on getting to Machu Picchu
Welcome To a Mexican Beach!
Now go straight to hell
A Year in the “City of Happiness”
Rotary Youth Exchange for South student
The Basics Within a Day’s Drive