As a local Portlander, I have always wondered about the butte that sits along Interstate 205 in Northeast Portland called Rocky Butte.
So I took a drive to the top of one of Portland’s highest east-side points and was amazed at what I found.
Making the perfect cheese isn’t just about finding the right ingredients.
You have to have the perfect humidity levels, the proper setting, but most of all, you need time.
Since1935, cheese makers at the Rogue Creamery, along North Front Street in Central Point have been perfecting their skill – picking up world-wide awards for what many call the perfect blue cheese.
After a day of rafting, hiking, wine tasting or Shakespeare, sometimes the best way to blow off some steam is killing aliens.
Or passing your wife on the inside going into turn three, ala Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Maybe even go for a Jack Nicklaus par on a miniature golf course.
The Rogue Valley Fun Center, located right off Interstate 5 in Central Point near Medford is a great place to just have unadulterated fun.
“You can spend a hour here or up to a half a day here depending on what you want to do,” said manager Matt Chubb. “There really is a lot to do here.”
Length: 172 miles / 275.2 km
Time to Allow: Plan on 7 to 8 hours to tour this Byway.
Fees: There are fees associated with parking for more than a few hours near trailhead markers. Also, permits are required.
Rusk Ranch Nature Center is a nonprofit organization in Cave Junction, Oregon with a mission to promote the wellbeing of the residents of our community and conserve nature.
Oregon's capital city, Salem, as well as the surrounding region of Marion and Polk County are extremely diverse. Salem is known for state government, unique historic museums, award-winning wineries and beautiful gardens. However, the region also boasts outstanding outdoor recreational opportunities that are a well kept secret.
Fun on the Water
When you think of the beach, and board sports, surfing or boogie boarding are the first things that come to mind – but that’s not the case at the Oregon coast.
Known worldwide for the amazing dunes, the area around Florence, Oregon has some of the best landscape for sand boarding – that’s right, surfing on the sand.
Many of the shops in the area around the Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area offer sand boarding rentals, but there is one shop in Florence that not only offers boards, but lessons, accessories and their own private dune park.
Just four hours from Portland, the Sea Lion Caves features the largest sea cave in the world and an opportunity to see not only sea lions, but scores of other wildlife in their natural habitat.
What to Bring: The temperature inside the cave is the same as it is if you would be walking on the beach. In the winter, prepare for the colder temperatures. You will also need comfortable shoes as you will have to walk around in the cave for your best viewing angle.
If you are going to visit the Seaside Aquarium, and want to get the full experience, be prepared to get wet.
Years ago a curious 7-year-old named Michael Jones followed an old-timer into the depths of one of Portland's residential hotels. Captain Grumpy, as Jones called him, was sick of the child's relentless questions about the old days. There in the dim light, Jones saw the answer to one of his questions for himself:
Yes, the Shanghai Tunnels of Portland existed.
