Will be in OR, WA at Christmas

[The Advocate]

Hi All,

Travelling to the US for Christmas, from mid Dec to Early Jan.

Flying into Seattle and out of Portland.

Will be catching up with Bob, but hope to meet whom ever is about as well!

Any ideas on what to do and see greatly appreciated.

Cross posted from the main page, but it is more likely to catch up with any of you guys.

 

[IStream]

Unfortunately, I'll be out of the area at the time but it'd be helpful to know more. Have you ever been here before and done the tourist basics? You looking for restaurant recommendations? Will you have a car? Etc...

 

[Bob Perry]

Ad:

I'll keep a room reserved for you.

 

[mcsailor0303]

Check out the OR coast, or head down the gorge before you fly out of PDX!

 

[The Advocate]

IStream, touristy stuff but I dont do normal tourist. I love traveeling to experince what the locals do. My girl is from Portland and is back there for a bit to help her family. So I am doing christmas there but would love to find some stuff to do she may not know of.

Thanks Bob, very much looking forward to it.

mcsailor, she has said before she love Cannon Beach so am planning a side trip down the coast a bit. Any particular spots?

Thanks all.

 

[The Advocate]

Oh, I wouls love to do the gorge, tad cold though no?

 

[Innocent Bystander]

If the snow holds off, you should head for Mt St. Helens. Probably a fair amount of regrowth now but the reshaping of the geography and the matchstick blowdown of trees miles from tjhe caldera are worth a day of hiking around the mountain. Johnston Ridge is the NPS touristy show and tell and has good views up the mountain but the road and hike to Windy Ridge is better IMHO.

As to Victoria, Ask the locals if Butchart Gardens is worth a winter visit. My ladies loved it in the summer.

If you are like most sailors and seek out the land/water interface, Cape Flattery is a great hike with sea caves, great views, etc. Might be cold and wet at Christmas.

IN planning, remember at 48 degrees N, the winter days are very short and the persistent humidity makes black ice a common occurrence. Drive safe.

 

[The Advocate]

Thanks IB, all of but particularly black ice is well noted.

We get it occasionally in Vic, Aus, where I am from but it has been years since I have seen it, or not seen it so to speak. So thank you for the reminder.

We will be in her car, but I will do most/all the driving. Yes, I know you guys are on the wrong side

I have read about Butchart Gardens, I wonder what they are like in winter. The Cape sounds wonderful.

How long does sun shine for this time of year there?

 

[Innocent Bystander]

Thanks IB, all of but particularly black ice is well noted.

We get it occasionally in Vic, Aus, where I am from but it has been years since I have seen it, or not seen it so to speak. So thank you for the reminder.

We will be in her car, but I will do most/all the driving. Yes, I know you guys are on the wrong side

I have read about Butchart Gardens, I wonder what they are like in winter. The Cape sounds wonderful.

How long does sun shine for this time of year there?

If you are looking for daylight, around Christmas, you are looking at around 8 hours and 20 minutes from sunrise to sunset. Essentially 0800-1630. Weather is "changeable". A lot like Melbourne in the winter but my observation from having lived in the GNW is a strong front followed by beautiful clear days that over about a 9-10 day cycle add evening low clouds that turn into morning and late afternoon clouds and fog with nice breaks during the day to then cloudy and drizzle until the next front. The good days are crisp and beautiful. The foggy, drizzle days are what you pay for 800' deep water that moderates the climate 12 months of the year. Snow is forecast by elevation above sea level and it's rare to have road closing snow along the water but plenty in the hills above 2000-2500 feet.

KimB, Boomer, Bob and other current locals there can give a better picture of what its like but in my memory, only a few days are complete washouts. Don't let a bit of drizzle and fog stop you from enjoying a great area.

 

[Bob Perry]

What is this "sun"?

 

[Ishmael]

Butchart Gardens in winter is fabulous. Close to Christmas there are musicians, skating rinks, and all sorts of things going on. With the early dark, the Millions of lights show up really well, and if there's snow it's even better. If there's no snow, it's still good.

 

[Bob Perry]

I'm not really a flower and garden guy but I love Butchart Gardens.

 

[U20guy2]

IStream, touristy stuff but I dont do normal tourist. I love traveeling to experince what the locals do. My girl is from Portland and is back there for a bit to help her family. So I am doing christmas there but would love to find some stuff to do she may not know of.

Thanks Bob, very much looking forward to it.

mcsailor, she has said before she love Cannon Beach so am planning a side trip down the coast a bit. Any particular spots?

Thanks all.

Gold Beach and the Fern Grotto via the Avenue of the Giants if the weather isn't wet I think they still let people out there in the winter. So far zero rain south of Portland driest year so far on record we do need rain but if this holds out you should be able to check out Gold Beach and also the Fern Grotto via Avenue of the Giants if you make it to the very norther end of CA coast. Gold beach is basically right at the CA border.

 

[Jose Carumba]

+1 for Butchart.

Victoria has a good Maritime Museum, but amazingly there is no one definitive maritime museum in the Puget Sound area that I know of. Seattle has MOHAI (Museum of History and Industry) http://www.mohai.org/. Tacoma WA has the Foss Waterway Seaport http://www.fosswaterwayseaport.org/. Gig Harbor WA has the Harbor History Museum http://www.harborhistorymuseum.org/. Astoria OR has the Columbia River Maritime Museum http://www.crmm.org/.

If you like cars the LeMay Museum just off I-5 in Tacoma WA is a must. http://www.lemaymuseum.org/

If you like airplanes the Boeing Museum of Flight in Seattle http://www.museumofflight.org/ is amazing and the Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum in McMinnville OR http://www.evergreenmuseum.org/ is great.

Day trips:

From Seattle cross the sound on the ferry to Winslow and drive to Port Townsend. Lots of boat stuff there. Return the same way.

From Seattle drive South to Tacoma, cross the Narrows Bridge, visit Gig Harbor, then catch the ferry from Bremerton back to Seattle.

From Portland travel southwest to McMinnville and stop at the air museum, then drive out to Lincoln City on the coast. Turn north and drive up 101 to Astoria, then back to Portland.

 

[boomberry]

Another vote for Butchart, and Victoria, BC in general.

Cannon Beach, Or. is beautiful and there are plenty of lovely spots on the Oregon Coast and in Washington.I really enjoy day trips to Port Townsend and Seattle.

Have a fantastic visit, Advocate. You will really enjoy meeting Bob, Kim and all.

 

[Ishmael]

In Seattle, the Chihuly exhibit is incredible if you like glass. http://www.chihulygardenandglass.com/

We were blown away. Go mid-afternoon so you can see it at night too.

 

[boomberry]

In Seattle, the Chihuly exhibit is incredible if you like glass. http://www.chihulygardenandglass.com/

We were blown away. Go mid-afternoon so you can see it at night too.

Ish, ever since you and Anne posted about this exhibit in your trip blog, it has been on my to-do list when I next visit Seattle. It looks fantastic.

 

[blackjenner]

Make sure to look us up if you need anything. Brigadoon is located in the heart of Seattle, on Lake Union.

PM me offline if you want contact info.

 

[steele]

Cannon beach is a great winter spot, we go for a long weekend every Dec, lots of places to stay, but we like the Ocean Lodge.