About the same time last year, we took a little road trip to Oregon and Washington. Yes, another road trip! Isn’t it obvious by now how much we enjoy road trips? Anyway, can I just say how much I love the Pacific Northwest? I love it so much that at one point, my husband and I were talking about moving to either Washington or Oregon. Maybe in the future we’ll discuss it again. Who knows? But in the mean time, let me reminisce through this blog post.
Although our visit was short, I consider it as one of my most memorable trips thus far. We only spent 36 hours in this beautiful state and that’s barely scratching the surface. Maybe sometime next year we can come back and explore the other parts of the state. So why do I love Oregon? Keep reading..
*Per usual, I enjoy making travel guides and I try my best to be as precise & truthful as I can when I make these. But please also remember to take in this information thoughtfully. It’s always best to form your own opinion about the place you’re visiting. So let’s get to it, shall we?
Weather:
Amazing! We visited late October so the weather was already in the low 50’s. Living in Vegas made me dread summer months so now, I’m all for the gloomy, 50-percent-chance-of-rain type of weather. Right when we crossed the state line, a crisp 40 degree weather greeted us. If you’re planning to visit during the ‘ber’ months make sure you bundle up!
Tip: Don’t be afraid to travel during the colder months. I know some people are turned off by the idea of traveling during fall or winter and understandably so because of the potentially awful weather. But let me tell you, there’s so many good things about traveling this time of the year as long as you’re willing to overlook the bipolar weather. Cheap accomodations, less crowds, beautiful scenery (fall foliage & winter wonderland) and did I mention less crowds?
But…
I’m not saying that you shouldn’t visit during spring or summer. Travel is travel. As long as you’re having a blast, it doesn’t really matter which month you go.
Bites:
We had to try Pok Pok of course. Pok Pok is the wildly popular thai restaurant, located in the residential neighborhood of Southeast Portland. For the price, I wish the portions were larger but other than that I thought it was pretty good and unique. The wait wasn’t too bad. The place was full even on a Tuesday night and we had to wait for 20 minutes. The food was yummy! The most popular dish in the menu is the Fish Sauce Spicy Wings ($15). It was disappointing because it was really salty. Good but salty.
We ordered two more dishes-Muu Paa Kham Waan/Boar Collar Meat ($15.50) & Kaeng Hang Le/Pork Belly and Shoulder ($15.50). Both were perfectly cooked and seasoned well but my favorite was the boar collar meat. The meat was tender and had tons of flavor and spices.
Pros: Unique and Authenic Thai food.
Cons: Portions were a bit small for the price & there’s still a long wait even if you make reservations.
Portland is well known for their coffee and donuts. So we had to try at least one of their popular joints. We were set to try Voodoo Donuts but made a sudden turn to try Blue Star Donuts instead. A lot of people said that Voodoo was all hype but the quality was lacking. Maybe next time we visit we’ll try it just to see for ourselves.
Blue Star has a lot of yummy options to choose from. I’m glad we visited early in the day because I was told that they sell out around noon time. There’s so much flavors to choose from that by the time I reached the counter, I still couldn’t decide if I should get the Chocolate Almond Ganache or the Valrhona Chocolate Crunch. Well, if you can’t choose then why not get both, right?
Pros: Great quality of donuts & they have a lot of flavors to choose from.
Cons: The price was a bit steep-$3.50 for one donut & they sell out pretty quickly.
Sights:
Yes, no matter how many times TLC told us not to chase waterfalls, we did! And we did some more. And we tried to chase all of them but unfortunately, we didn’t have enough time. Our first stop was Latourell Falls. We had the whole place to ourselves. It was freezing that day and some parts were icy so we had to be extra careful when we approached the falls.
Next stop was Multnomah Falls, the tallest waterfall in the state of Oregon. I believe it’s the most popular among the falls in the Columbia River Gorge area. It is easily accessible and it has a visitor’s center where you can get information and also buy souvenirs. A neat feature of the falls is a footbridge that allows visitors to cross 105 feet above the lower cascade but it was closed at that time. 🙁
Horsetail Falls is another waterfall that is easily accessed as it is right next to the Historic Columbia River Highway. Can you tell that it resembles a horsetail?
Our last stop was Wahclella Falls. We walked for almost an hour, stopping in between to take pictures. It was so beautiful. The blanket of snow was truly a sight to behold and the stillness of winter was prevalent. Like Latourell Falls, we had the whole place to ourselves. But sadly, because of the icy trail we couldn’t finish the trail to the falls.
Sights to visit next:
- Wahclella Falls
- Sahalie Falls
- Triple Falls
- Toketee Falls
- Proxy Falls
- Abiqua Falls
- Salt Creek Falls
- Mount Hood
- Oneonta Gorge
- The Oregon Coast
- Painted Hills
- Smith Rock
- Crater Lake
- Rowena Crest
- Fort Stevens State Park
- Cape Kiwanda
- Cannon Beach
- Hells Canyon
Bites to try next:
- Pine State Biscuits
- Salt & Straw
- Heart
- Tasty n Sons
- Stumptown Coffee Roasters
- Screen Door
Information:
Pok Pok:
Hours: 11:30am – 10:00pm, 7 days a week
Address: 3226 SE Division Street, Portland Oregon
Phone Number: (503) 232-1387
Blue Star Donuts:
for other locations, visit their website: LINK
Hours: M-F 7 am till out, Sat-Sun 8 am till out
Address: 1237 SW Washington Street, Portland Oregon
Phone Number: (503) 265-8410
Planning to visit? Pin for later!
why i love oregon: bites & sights
So beautiful! And you’ve so nice blog here xx
Thank you Roosa! I appreciate the kind words. I’m glad you enjoy my blog. 🙂
Love this! I haven’t been to Oregon in years, but I want to make a return visit now. Those falls look gorgeous, I’d think especially in the winter! And those donuts, OMG. I’d love to share this on my FB page!
Thanks Beth! I’m glad you loved this post. The falls in Oregon are breathtaking! I wish I could visit the rest of the falls there.
And those donuts are yummy! Have you tried Blue Star yet? And oh pls do share it. 🙂
this is one of the destinations of my list to visit this year 🙂
You’ll love it Giselle! Oregon is gorgeous!
Love this blog about Oregon! This is our next destination…
Thanks so much Suzanne! Hope you have fun when you visit!
Those waterfalls are worth chasing!! I have seen many awesome photos lately of Oregon, I think I need to add it to the travel list. Now those donuts are killing me, I don’t have any places that make such incredible donuts around me. Time to find a place within an hour!!
They are definitely worth chasing right? Oregon is one of the most beautiful states here in the US. The donuts are so delicious. A bit pricey but I think its worth a try!
beautiful pictures and amazing info. Thanks for sharing !!
Thanks for stopping by Sumti! Glad you like the guide! 😀
Nice waterfall! When I was in San Francisco I did choose to go on a road trip to Yosemite and the south side of the city… and when I was in Washington, I went north to Seattle and Canada. Seems Oregon always dropped out in between California and Washington – I may put in on my list for the future. @ knycx.journeying
I’ve never been to Yosemite yet! But from what I’ve seen online, it looks phenomenal! Aww sorry to hear you didn’t get to visit Oregon. It’s only a short drive from Seattle. But that only means you have to visit again, right? 🙂
Great post! I’ve never been to Oregon but I would love to go. I am a particular fan of waterfalls, so would love to check out Multnomah Falls and those donuts look amazing! I would love to try the passion fruit one!
Thank you Amanda! Me too, I love waterfalls! If you’re a fan of waterfalls then Oregon is a must visit for you! There’s so many gorgeous waterfalls in the state. We didn’t even get to visit half of it! 🙁
That was so worth going in the colder season for those fabulous views. I’ve never seen ice like that on a waterfall. We love road trips and travelling a bit south can give such a different climate experience for us, especially for spring and autumn that we don’t really experience where we live.
It really was worth it. It was freezing but we didn’t mind it one bit. I know huh that was pretty neat? I liked that it gave it a dramatic look. Glad you love road trips too Toni! <3
This wild side of the US is so mysterious to me, and I really wish I’ll see it one day. I’ll start from Oregon after you showed us these amazing views!
Awesome Sabrina! Yes, let me know when you visit the US so I can give you some inside scoop! 😀
I really need to get to Portland, a city I know I’ll love. But I also like your photos of those waterfalls. I especially like when a waterfall is partially frozen over. How far are they from Portland?
Thank you Harvey! You’ll be amazed to know that these gorgeous waterfalls are only a 30 min drive from Portland!
That looks stunning – I’d love to visit Oregon!
Thanks Fiona for stopping by! Go for it! You won’t regret visiting Oregon
We LOVE the Pacific Northwest too! Thanks for featuring so much of what makes Oregon awesome! We spent a lot of time exploring the coast, and fell in love. Didn’t have the chance to visit some of the many waterfalls you’ve listed, so will have to get back to spend some more time inland 🙂
Yay glad you love the PNW too! I wish we had more time though to explore the other parts of the state. We sure did miss out on exploring the coast. I bet Cannon Beach and Cape Kiwanda were stunning!
The Pacific Northwest is my favorite area of the country because of its fantastic weather and natural beauty. I lived for a short time in Seattle, and my heart is still there, but my mind took me back to the East Coast. Oregon is a place I’d really like to explore, but I’ve never been outside of Portland. There is a great whiskey/bourbon bar in PDX, though! 🙂
So true about the weather and the natural beauty! Aww, that must’ve been hard for you to leave Seattle. After we visited the PNW, my husband and I actually were thinking of moving there. It’s hard to live in Vegas sometimes coz of the nasty weather. 🙁 Next time, you should try and get out of Portland coz I’m quite sure you’ll fall in love with Oregon as much as you love Seattle. Thanks for stopping by John!
Why would anyone say no to chasing waterfalls? The Wahclella Falls looks incredible! Wish I could have a Blue Star donut right now, the chocolate looks so thick and delicious.
I know right? Damn TLC haha. We didn’t get to go to Wahclella Falls, unfortunately. You might’ve confused it for Multnomah falls. Wish we could visit and explore the other parts of the state. The donuts were absolutely to die for! So gooood!
I too love road trips and I enjoyed reading your article. Oregon is so stunning! Also the food photos really made me want to eat them all 😉
Yay that’s cool that you love road trips too Salini! You get two thumbs up from me! 😀
Portland is a really fun city. I love the fish sauce wings, though I agree they are a bit of a salt bomb. I have only been to Voodoo Donuts, which I really liked, but looks like I will need to do some more donut research at Blue Star next time I’m in Portland…I can never have too many donuts!
I did too but I wish it wasn’t salty. Did you get to try the boar collar meat? It was so good! We might try Voodoo Donuts when we go back. But it seems like its a tourist trap, from what others have told me. You must try Blue Star when you visit again Drew!
I have to say that I was got by surprise with the amazing Multnomah Falls. At first, reading the title and being Oregon I was not expecting anything very exciting, but for sure your post definitely gave me some serious thought about this place. Thanks
Thank you Joao! Glad I changed your mind about Oregon. 🙂
The waterfall looks amazing! I am glad you could make it while it was cold and freezing. It could be dangerous since the path was icy but you made it and had the place for yourself 🙂
Yeah it really was dangerous. My brother wasn’t wearing proper footwear and almost slipped and fell off the trail. We had to stop midway and go back to the car because there was no way we were gonna make it to Wahclella Falls. The other falls weren’t as hard to get to though, thank goodness!
I think the Latourell Falls is really beautiful and majestic. Its pristine waters even though its icy is still amazing to look at. I definitely want to bring my family here for an amazing adventure.
It is super stunning! And I love the fact that it only requires a short hike to see the falls. Hope you guys get to go soon April! 🙂 Thanks for stopping by.