Gems of Oregon & Washington

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Day 1 – Home to The Dalles, OR

This morning you will be chauffeured to MSP airport for your flight to Portland and the beginnings of our “Gems of Oregon & Washington” Tour. Ahead of you awaits some of the most beautiful scenery in the country! Your tour director has everything planned and your motorcoach awaits in Portland so off we go! We will find lunch before we begin a beautiful drive with great photo stops of the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic area. Our first stop, Vista House at Crown Point, some 700 feet above the river, will give you spectacular views of the river both upstream and down! This National Historic Landmark was built to offer visitors on the old Columbia River Gorge Highway a place of comfort, rest and a chance to enjoy the sights! We’ll continue our drive this afternoon with a stop at Multnomah Falls. This 611 foot waterfall is as spectacular and beautiful as any in the country and an opportunity to take in the beauty here is priceless. We continue on through Hood River and will enjoy a stop in this fruit growing paradise! Our stop for the night is in the town of The Dalles on the banks of the Columbia River. Enjoy an included dinner this evening with our group before a peaceful rest!

Included Meals: Dinner 

Hotel: Fairfield Inn and Suites 

Day 2 – The Dalles to Bend, OR

Today we leave the Columbia River Gorge and travel south with the Cascade Mountain Range to our west. We’ll travel through farm and ranch country and make some stops for pictures along the way. This afternoon we visit the Lava Lands Visitor Center, which is part of the Newberry National Volcanic Monument. This area has a history of volcanic eruptions and we will have the chance to travel to the top of Lava Butte to not only take in the great view of the Oregon area, but to also see the molten land that lies below! We then continue on to Bend where we will spend the night. Dinner tonight will be at a local restaurant and you’ll enjoy having time to walk along the banks of the Deschuttes River just outside our hotel.

Included Meals: Breakfast, Dinner 

Hotel: Hampton Inn 

Day 3 – Bend to Crater Lake, OR

This morning we’ll have breakfast before we continue our travels south along the Cascade Mountain Range. Our destination today is Crater Lake National Park. Your first view of the lake will surely be one of those “Wow” moments! However, your second and third views will be the same! We will have ample time to enjoy the views of the lake from all sides as we spend the day exploring this deep, pure, blue-in-color lake with cliffs surrounding it that are almost 2,000 feet high! Take plenty of pictures, but we also encourage you to just pause and look because pictures just can’t recreate the beauty before you! This afternoon we check into our rustic lodge accommodations before we have dinner at the fabulous Crater Lake Lodge, which was built in 1915 close to the rim that overlooks the lake, it is simple but lovely.

Included Meals: Breakfast, Dinner 

Hotel: Crater Lake Lodge 

Day 4 – Crater Lake to Albany, OR

We depart Crater Lake National Park for a scenic drive through the Cascades as we descend to the Willamette Valley. We’ll stop in Eugene, home of the Mighty Ducks and the University of Oregon for lunch on your own and a “look-see” before continuing our journey northward to Albany, OR. Our stop before check-in is at the famous carousel built by the citizens of Albany over a twelve year period as a community project. Visit the carving area and learn of this amazing project. Dinner is included this evening at a Hungarian restaurant.

Included Meals: Breakfast, Dinner 

Hotel: Phoenix Inn 

Day 5 – Albany to Long Beach, WA

The destination is Washington State today while driving northward to the beaches. We’ll proceed through the suburbs of Portland, heading out on the Sunset Highway to the “blue Pacific.” Arrive in Astoria, home to the Lewis and Clark Encampment of 1805 and cross the mouth of the Columbia River to picturesque Washington. We’ll stop at the Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center located on panoramic Cape Disappointment, then drive to Long Beach for a two night stay at the site of the world’s longest beach! Dinner is served in an historic home for your enjoyment.

Included Meals: Breakfast, Dinner 

Hotel: Best Western Long Beach (2 Nights) 

Day 6 – Long Beach and the Peninsula

This day we sightsee the peninsula. We tour Long Beach with a stop at the Cranberry Museum and a cranberry morning treat (home to Ocean Spray). Next we visit Oysterville, once a thriving town for exotic oysters sold to the gold miners in San Francisco, presently home to just twelve lonely citizens! Learn of the town’s history and visit the original church before returning to Long Beach for a “bucket lunch” on the beach with time to explore. Our last stop is the World Kite Museum which has a world famous kite competition. This museum will surprise you and you may even learn to build your own kite! The evening is yours to enjoy and explore a second night in this charming beach town.

Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch 

Day 7 – Long Beach to Tacoma

Depart this morning with a destination of Tacoma. We stop at the historic Northwest Carriage Museum (you won’t want to miss this!) at Raymond before heading inland to Olympia, the capital of Washington. Then onto beautiful Gig Harbor for a stop at a distillery, followed by checking into our hotel in Tacoma for another two night stay. A seafood dinner is included this evening on the shores of Puget Sound.

Included Meals: Breakfast, Dinner 

Hotel: Hampton Inn (2 Nights) 

Day 8 – Foot hills of Mount Rainier

We’re off to wonderful Northwest Trek where we’ll visit moose, elk, mountain goat and other NW animals in the open. Our tram ride is special as we get up close and personal – So much fun! A bit further down the road at Elbe, we board an antique train that takes you into the Cascade foothills at the base of Mount Rainier. Return to Tacoma for a second night.

Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch 

Day 9 – Mount St. Helens and Portland

A brief overview of Tacoma is planned before we set out to complete our circle. We drive southward for a climb up Mount St. Helens to Johnston Ridge and the Interpretive Center, located just four miles from the active crater. Enjoy the fabulous views and the story of this volcano that erupted in 1980. Lunch is included today before we continue to Portland. After checking into our hotel, which offers a view of the Columbia River, a dinner cruise on the Portland Spirit is on the agenda this evening.

Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner 

Hotel: Red Lion on the River 

Day 10 – Portland to Home

This morning we have a city tour of Portland, voted one of America’s most livable cities! Enjoy the downtown, Old Town, Chinatown, the financial section, and of course, the crown jewel of the “Rose City,” the International Rose Test Gardens in Washington Park. When in season, there are over 10,000 blooms in this scenic park in the center of the city. Then our coach turns towards the airport for our return to the Midwest with fond memories of the Gems of Oregon & Washington in our country’s special Pacific Northwest!

Included Meals: Breakfast