Did you GoSeeOregon yet? As we told you six weeks ago, Travel Oregon is supporting a one-of-a-kind project that adds “social networking” to the Oregon tourism experience. The website, GoSeeOregon.com, was built by Oregon-based GoSeeTell Network Inc. and allows travelers to share information, tips and recommendations about places to go and things to do across the state.
Of course you might ask why there is a need for another travel website about Oregon. The answer to this is very simple: GoSeeOregon.com is not about Oregon – it is about the people who travel in Oregon.
It is about the hikers, bikers, rafters, skiers, honeymooners, wine-tasters, beachcombers, Paulina-plunge-takers, fly-fisher(wo)men, theater-lovers, sand-boarders, beer-drinkers, campers, horseback-riders, rock-climbers, berry-pickers and all the others travel in Oregon to have a good time.
In a nutshell: GoSeeOregon.com is a website about you and we want to hear from you. We want to know where you like to go and what you like to do. What are your favorite restaurants, B&Bs, attractions and activities?
Oregon offers a wide variety of dance classes, as well as fantastic live shows ranging from ballet to hip hop to modern and ballroom. Since the team at Travel Oregon is celebrating the arts this month, it seemed only fitting to share a personal dance class experience.
I’ve been in love with dance for as long as I can remember- I was “that girl” who choreographed routines to country music for the second grade talent show. And I loved every minute of it. My adolescence and early college years were filled with memories of dance team, and a few moments under the spotlight. Not to mention a few memories of torn muscles and mysterious bruises, commonly referred to as “war wounds”. Since then, it has become slightly more difficult to leap from one side of the gym to the other, and splits are something I only dream of. Luckily, after months of searching for an adult dance class to sharpen my moves, I was ecstatic to find a hip hop workout class through the community courses at Chemeketa Community College.
Single, hot city magazine seeks adventurous partners for a single night of cocktails, carousing and camaraderie!
The ad was intriguing. The premise was simple: one night, eight bars, one bus. No, this was hardly your typical Friday night frat party. Instead, “Cocktails for a Cause” was Portland’s only bar crawl benefit event.
When I figured out that the event was a benefit for Live Wire! (read about them here) and took participants through some of the best watering holes in Portland (as featured in the February 2007 issue of Portland Monthly), I was sooo there!
While Oregon’s craft brewers and wine makers have garnered an international reputation for their libations, savvy mixologists and intrepid craft distillers such as SakéOne, Bendistillery (Crater Lake vodka), House Spirits Distillery (Medoyeff vodka, Aviation gin) and New Deal Distilled Spirits (New Deal vodka) have quietly transformed Oregon into one of the hidden gems of the cocktail world. Borrowing a page from local chefs, mixologists are creating seductive cocktails infused with local ingredients and fresh fruit such as berries, watermelons, pumpkins and yes—even avocados—while perfecting classics such as sazeracs and negronis. And so with the intoxicating spirit of liquid adventure in mind, my wife and I eagerly signed up to be part of the bar crawl.
In Oregon, we started to see vibrant splashes of color – pink camellias, yellow daffodils, purple crocuses– even some multi-colored tulips around the beginning of March. This spring and summer, we hope you’ll visit us to see Oregon in full bloom at one of our elaborate gardens, nurseries and flower festivals (here are some suggested trip ideas)
If you can’t make it up here to check out the brilliant splashes of color don’t fret! Our good friends at the Portland Japanese Garden recently set up a new photo blog that allows you a daily glimpse into the flora and fauna at the garden. Here is what Cedric from the gardens has to say about it:
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Visitors to the Portland Japanese Garden are astonished at the unexpected beauty of a rainy day, or the contentment they find at the banks of a bubbling stream under the summer sun. Nature can be revered in all seasons; this is what the Japanese art of gardening teaches us. Continually returning to the idea of bringing humanity into harmony with nature—by bringing nature closer to the human world—the art of gardening delights in the little pleasures nature provides. At the Portland Japanese Garden, our designer Professor Takuma Tono applied this spirit to the American love of garden flowers, giving us something to see in each season. His garden is like an unfolding performance, complexly layered in seasonal color, changing its expression with each new species in season. Autumn maple leaves energize the Garden after the last days of summer; camellias cheer up the dark of winter. Like luminous clouds, cherry blossoms hover over the samurai-style gate and antique pagoda lantern for a few short weeks, announcing the arrival of spring. In the midsummer heat, cool blue irises form an oasis across the strolling pond.
Considering I work in the wine industry, I often find little time to explore wine country on my own time. So I took the liberty of dragging a few friends along (willingly) for a day trip through the Willamette Valley to eat and imbibe our Sunday away.
We had a bit of a late start so our first stop was lunch. We didn’t want to sample wine on an empty stomach so we treated ourselves to what I thought was going to be a light lunch but quickly turned into a hefty sampler at The Dundee Bistro. Unable to decide on what to eat, my friends and I shared our meal. My favorite dish we had was the country style pate de campagne along with the unique hand tossed pizza blanketed in spring leeks, arugula, balsamic-onion sauce, olive tapenade and provolone. My friend David had the 2006 Ponzi “Rosato” that smelled of spring strawberries and married well with the Bistro Burger’s juicy meat. Who knew?! My only beverage companion at this meal was coffee so as to ready me for the long day of tasting ahead.
(Incidentally, we’re showcasing the story of farmers’ markets in Oregon in this new ad that tells the story of a family who left the Portland Metro area for a small town in the country to raise goats and make cheese).
Perhaps you’ve heard that Oregon’s temperate climate and fertile soil produces a smorgasbord of produce such as berries, world-famous pears, apples, and a myriad of green vegetables? You might also have heard that all across the state—from Portland to Ashland and from Corvallis to Enterprise—there are more than 65 farmers’ markets that provide you a place to not just buy fresh-from-the-ground goodies but also chat with the farmer who grew them.
And that’s exactly where my wife and I found ourselves on Earth Day (today) this year. It was one of those only-in-Oregon days. The blue spring sky was tucked away by a grey winter blanket and the rain was coming down incessantly as we walked towards the Corvallis Farmers’ Market at the Riverfront Park on the banks of the Willamette River. Despite the seemingly gloomy day, the market was alive with energy. Young kids in a kaleidoscope of costumes and families accompanied by dogs and strollers intermingled with throngs of other market shoppers.
This past Saturday (April 14), I had the pleasure of attending the second annual Oregon Bike Summit in Sisters, Oregon. The summit was a confluence of bike enthusiasts, bike manufacturers and recreation & tourism folks such as the contingent of seven from Travel Oregon. The goal of the conference was to brainstorm and talk about ways to tell the world that Oregon is the land bicycles dream about. With hundreds of mountain trails, designated bike lanes, widened shoulders, at least seven bike events per day and some of the most bike-friendly communities in the country (Portland, Eugene, Corvallis), it’s easy to see why Oregon is haven for incredible bicycling adventures.
For a first-hand view of why Oregon is a bike-nut’s dream, check out this video of the “Tour de Flanders Portland” – a 43-mile, 6030-foot climb homage to the ride of the same name in Belgium. The ride took place on April 7 and took more than 100 riders on a grueling but invigorating ride through the tree-lined West Hills of Portland (see ride map).
Have you ever experienced an epic powder day as late as April in the United States of America?
If not, you need to plan a Spring trip to Oregon! April 10, 2007 was one of those epic days on Mt. Hood. With over 10 inches of new snow in the last 24 hours, I hope your reading this and remembering your turns!!
And so it would be. My fishing buddy, Mike had just booked a guided fly fishing trip on an Oregon coastal river well known for being not well known. This would be a special outing on one of the Pacific Northwest’s best wild steelhead rivers. We would be accompanied by an accomplished fly fishing guide, Jacob Lund, who would help us find and maybe catch a particular strain of steelhead ranging from 12-25 plus pounds.
The email I received from Jacob a few weeks before our trip piqued my interest. A few key points that I found interesting were the nine mile hike and dressing in camouflage. And the best part was what he told us: “We will be carefully approaching spotted steelhead due to its wary nature. These fish typically spook or explode. This is sight fishing at its finest!” (this is not the usual boiler plate advice provided by a guide prior to a trip). After reading this, the excitement of the trip quickly elevated.
The staff at Travel Oregon is psyched to announce that The International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences has designated TravelOregon.com as an official “Honoree” in the Tourism category for the 11th Annual Webby Awards!
TravelOregon.com was chosen as an honoree out of the 8,000 entries received from all 50 states- and over 60 countries! But of course we wouldn’t have been able to make our website what it is without your feedback- thank you for helping make our website great!
Did you GoSeeOregon yet? As we told you six weeks ago, Travel Oregon is supporting a one-of-a-kind project that adds “social networking” to the Oregon tourism experience. The website, GoSeeOregon.com, was built by Oregon-based GoSeeTell Network Inc. and allows travelers to share information, tips and recommendations about places to go and things to do across the state.
Have you ever experienced an epic powder day as late as April in the United States of America?
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