Travel to Oregon, USA with Dani Collins

THE OREGON COAST has been a bucket list destination for my husband and I since before we married. We finally did it last September.

We drove from our home in BC Canada, south through Washington State to Oregon, down to the redwood forests, then up the coast of Oregon.  This was an incredible trip!

 Our first night was Hood River, which was a beautiful town and well worth the stop.

 I’ve always wanted to see Crater Lake and made it there the next morning. I highly recommend it! Seeing the lake involves driving around the actual lake, climbing out of the car at various viewpoints, then jumping back in. Be prepared for wind, but also awe and amazement. (Take snacks and take advantage of the bathrooms when you see them!)



[caption id="attachment_665" align="alignleft" width="300"] Crater Lake[/caption]

 We overnighted in Medford, and the Redwood Forests were a stunning start to our next day. When we arrived in Brookings, for the actual coast-driving part of our trip, we were directed by a local to a fabulous eatery where we watched sea lions sun and bark while enjoying fabulous chowder.

 From there we worked our way North, dipping into points of interest based on their intriguing names, like The Devil’s Punchbowl, and happening on one where we watched whales feed for about an hour. We could only see their spouts and the odd tail, but that didn’t stop me taking about a million photos of open water and questionable dots and sprays.

 The dunes were amazing and the beaches go on and on. I could have spent months there, it was so beautiful and calming.

But do book ahead! Even though we planned our trip a month in advance, many of the hotels were either sold out or limited selection. Also, book more than one night in a couple of places. We didn’t have a ton of time so we drove every day. We wish we’d had two nights in a few places so we could have spent more time poking around the towns and beach combing.

Don’t rush! The whole point of a holiday like this is to reconnect with nature and enjoy the scenery. I wish we had had a more leisurely pace for our trip.

You can’t pump your own gas in Oregon. It’s against the law. The minute you try, you get yelled at, so just stand there with your credit card and a smile and let them do all the work.

 Also, there’s a little ferry out of Westport, OR into Washington State that saved us some driving time as we headed north back to Canada.

[caption id="attachment_667" align="alignleft" width="300"] Sunset Canon Beach[/caption]

 It was very scenic and cute.

 

We didn’t have a bad stay anywhere. They were all mid-range hotels and had all the typical amenities like complimentary coffee, wifi, etc. If I were to do it again, I would book all ocean view rooms, just because it’s that amazing. You want to spend all your time staring at the water. (At least, I did!)

Inland Oregon was wonderful too! We had a few hours in Bend and needed more. We had a small taste of the drive along the Columbia River, but I’ve heard that’s fantastic scenery all the way to Portland.

[caption id="attachment_668" align="alignright" width="300"] Redwoods[/caption]

I honestly can’t say enough about how great this trip was. My only problem is that we were supposed to be crossing it off the bucket list, but it’s still on there. I want to go back!

 

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BIO:

[caption id="attachment_663" align="alignleft" width="200"] Dani Collins[/caption]

USA Today Bestselling author Dani Collins has written thirty romances for Harlequin Presents, Montana Born and herself. She lives in Canada with her high school sweetheart and, given they are now empty-nesters, hopes to have more travel posts soon.

 

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Dani Collins has a new book: 

Not In Her Wildest Dreams (Secret Dreams Book 1)

Small Town Secrets, Big Time Heartache

Paige Fogarty never believed Liebe Falls’ golden boy, Sterling Roy, could want a No Good Fogarty, but one magical night, they kissed—ruining her already murky reputation. Fifteen years later, she’s still shunned, now as a professional accountant auditing Roy Furnishings. It’s a daunting task even before she’s forced to work with him.

Sterling made a fool of himself over Paige once. Never again. He only returns to the factory his mother calls his ‘legacy’ to ensure Paige doesn’t pull a fast one. When their chemistry blazes hotter than ever, he wonders if he misjudged her, but secrets come to light, including an embezzler she tries to protect, proving she’s still the wrong girl. So why does holding onto her feel so right?



 

 

Only In His Sweetest Dreams (Secret Dreams Book 2)

When Mercedes Kimball’s sister abandons her children, Mercedes takes in her confused niece and nephew, jeopardizing the job she loves at a retirement community. The sexy new handyman’s bedroom eyes promise to fix anything, but he can’t fix this.

L.C. Fogarty is trash, not Father Of The Year, but he’s happy to be Mercedes’s sounding board. Given their white-hot attraction, he’d love to see what they could do to a headboard, but he’s keeping a secret she won’t forgive. Confessing means facing untold heartache and going back to where he never belonged. He’d rather stay with Mercedes and her misfit family.

She might not get to keep that family, though. Which means she’s going to need him.