The Pumpkin Patch on the island of Sauvie in Portland, Oregon celebrated its 16th season in 2014. In 1998 the founder of the maze, Craig Easterly, brought the idea of the MAiZE to the island's famous Pumpkin Patch and it has been a tradition ever since. In total, over 500,000 people have attended the annual event at the farm and come to se the giant maze of corn and the fields of The Pumpkin Patch.
One of Portland’s oldest cultural organizations is also one of its most interesting.
The Portland Museum of Contemporary Craft is a must see for any art lover looking to spend a few hours seeing some of the best current craftwork in the Northwest or internationally.
With five different displays per year, exhibits are switched out about once every three to four months, giving even locals something to stop and see when visiting downtown Portland.
During the day many people will come and sit on the chairs and benches in the museum to read, or just take in the artwork.
From Hippy to Hip at the Portland Saturday Market
By Bonnie Caton
For Oregon.com
Cities like Amsterdam and Leipzig may compete for the title, but Portland, Oregon, claims the prize itself: the City of Books.
Proudly anchoring the west end of the tony Pearl District, it has grown and flourished along with Portland: when Walter Powell opened his shop in 1971, this was Skid Row. Now this landmark is considered the biggest, best and greatest bookstore in the world.
History, nature and workout
By Patrick Johnson
For Oregon.com
There is visiting the museums, restaurants, art galleries and tourist attractions of a place while on vacation, and then there is getting to know someplace.
Salem is no different, with many different activities from touring the state capitol building to riding on the Riverfront Carousel, to taking tours in wine country, there is much to do and see. But to get a real sense of what Salem truly has to offer, all you need to do is put on a comfortable pair of shoes.
I had 45 minutes to get the kids to a friend’s birthday party at one of those corporate pizza, arcade, bowling places, and we hadn’t bought a gift for the special birthday girl.
What I found, in my search for the appropriate gift, was a wonderful place to take a break, get a unique gift and pet a llama.
Rain Dance Marketplace started as an art fair on a farm outside of Newberg. The fair continued to grow, so the organizer, Celia Austin, decided to take it one step further and make a marketplace out of the show.
Take a deep breath.
That is Red Ridge Farm’s specialty.
We all know that travelling on vacation can be more work than, well, being at work at times. Connecting flights, rental cars, strange towns to navigate and depending on how busy your itinerary, travelling can create more stress than it relieves.
Located in the center of downtown Salem at Court and Liberty streets, this historic building is a shopping center, a home for several cafes and restaurants and hosts many community gatherings in its conference rooms.
There are many people I know that have avoided Earth Science classes, equating it with a class in trigonometry.
I have to be honest and say that when tasked with writing about the Rice Northwest Museum of Rocks & Minerals, I was less than enthused. After all, I get to travel around the state and see any number of exciting attractions, rocks and minerals seems like a step down from carousels, Sea Lion Caves and historic theaters.
Whether it’s Michael Jackson, or a guy with two pupils, meeting reproductions of Hollywood celebrities and freaks of nature are next door in the historic bay front of Newport.
The two attractions, The Wax Works and Ripley’s Believe It Or Not!, are along the Bay Boulevard, and offer something unique from the normal Oregon coast experience. The two are even connected with a tchotchke type of tourist store with gift items, and an arcade in the same building. It’s easy to visit both, with parking on up the hill behind the second floor.
Location:
From Interstate 5 exit 258 and follow Portland Road 5 miles to the junction of Highway 22 (Marion Street). Turn right (west) crossing the Willamette River, and continue 17 miles to Dallas. From Dallas travel south on Highway 223 approximately 12 miles through Pedee. Ritner Creek Bridge is approximately 3.5 miles south of Pedee.
Background:
Ritner Creek bridge was the last covered bridge on an Oregon state highway.
On a hillside west of the entrance to Champoeg State Heritage Area, above the banks of the Willamette River, stands the home of Robert Newell. A central figure in Oregon statehood and first Speaker of the House, he resided at Champoeg for nineteen years beginning in 1843.
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.
Location:
Travel four miles southeast of Cottage Grove on Row River Road to the intersection of Layng Road. The bridge crosses the Row River at this location and is located one mile from the Mosby Creek Bridge, also on Layng Road.
Location:
Travel five miles east of Cottage Grove on Row River Road to the junction of Government Road. Continue east on Government Road seven miles to the bridge.
Background:
When Dorena Dam was built in 1946, plans were made to span the Row River at the upper end of the reservoir. Government Road along the west bank was completed in 1949, and the Dorena Bridge was built a year later, after the reservoir was filled, at a cost of $16,547.
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.
