Explore Oregon

Talia_Galvin_Coast_Carrie_Newell_Whalewatching_Depoe_Bay_Museum_Sharks_Sea_Lions_7

Depoe Bay

I’ve been fascinated by marine biology for as long as I can remember. As a little girl in Michigan, I dreamt of working with Jacques Cousteau. My passion for biology never waned through four academic degrees in this field. Twenty-one years ago, I got a job teaching biology for Lane Community College, and I settled into life in Eugene, commuting to Depoe Bay on weekends so I could research gray whales. The best gray whale sightings in the continental United States are just offshore in Depoe Bay eleven months out of the year.

2014_May_June_72_Hours_Grants_Pass_Southern_Oregon_1

Oregon Travel: Grants Pass

Throughout the history of Grants Pass, or Perkinsville as it was first called, slogans have spanned downtown archways.

737230_10101286287461683_1131444654658515218_o

Travel Spotlight: Imnaha Store and Tavern

Travel Spotlight Imnaha Store and Tavern This is a little tavern in a little town with a big menu and big opinions. Frog legs leap off the menu selections, for example. Signs are posted around at least four varieties of taxidermied local wildlife. The décor is a sounding board for owners Dave and Sallie Tanzey’s opinions on various matters—from wolves (kill) to rattlesnakes (kill many). Opened in 1902, the tavern is also Imnaha’s only grocery stop for the community’s 200-or-so residents, visiting hunters or anglers. Imnaha is thirty miles from the nearest Eastern Oregon town of Joseph. The tavern is a good stopping point for sightseers heading up the dirt road to Hat Point, a Snake River overlook with Hells Canyon below.

2014_wine_truth_WCVA_1

The (Wine) Trail of Truth

The ancient Latin phrase in vino veritas, “in wine there is truth,” is particularly relevant for the wine experience in Oregon. Do the North Willamette Wine Trail, take in stellar views of Mt. Hood while sipping internationally recognized, award-winning wines, and discover why this is truly one of the best experiences Oregon offers. photo by Paul Loofburrow   It all awaits on the way to the coast or as a destination in itself. The North Willamette Wine Trail Weekend (April 13-14)  is but one high point in a place that epitomizes the good life in Oregon, and it reaches the height of popularity in spring and summer. It’s all laid out on the Vineyard and Valley Scenic Tour Route, a 60-mile drive along winding country roads through the lush Tualatin Valley from Sherwood to Swiss-settled Helvetia. photo by Allison George   This Oregon Scenic Byway showcases Washington County’s embarrassment of…

march-april-2014-fierce-mountain-bike-rides-1

6 Fierce Mountain Bike Rides

Between the white knuckle rides down Oakridge’s old growth lined trails, trekking around the forested flanks of Mt. Hood, or zipping along Bend’s groomed singletrack, Oregon is a mountain biker’s playground. The state boasts hundreds of miles of dirt trails. Some of these a bit more arduous than others.

FernHillView

Washington County: Recreate

From the forest floor to high in its lush canopy, two new ways to embrace spring await in Washington County.

Travel-Destinations_oregon-caves-chateau_web

Chateau at the Oregon Caves

Towering high among the old growth in the Siskiyou National Forest is this six-story historic grand lodge. Nestled in a gorge against an embankment (enter from the parking lot on the fourth floor) and overlooking a trout grotto, the chateau is open from May 8 to September 29.

Terry_Hjorten_POW_10-20-14_1859_960x400

Oregon Postcard Slideshow

  Check out our top picks for the Oregon Postcard submissions and our Photo of the Week! This week: Cooks Chasm by  Terry Hjorten

AlexJordan_Gallery_2

Alex Jordan’s Urban Story: Eugene

ONE MIGHT THINK a photo essay about Eugene could not be done without at least one moss-covered tree. Think again. We asked Alex Jordan—an art student at the University of Oregon—to capture the city’s urban side, juxtaposing hard and soft textures, with the goal of telling a story greater than the sum of its parts. Jordan, whose work is frequently inspired by the beauty found in the ordinary, fully embraced the task. The aspiring professional photographer came away with a study of off-campus life devoid of stereotypes. Take the journey through her lens. Each image offers a fresh perspective that will stay with you.