- LA TO PORTLAND AND BACK -

I can't believe I'm only just getting round to posting these pics but hey, nevermind, editing work pics has taken priority over holiday ones! So, 6 months ago we took a mahoosive road-trip. We backed and forthed for a long time on whether to go to Hawaii or do a road-trip and the deciding factor in the end was that it was chucking it down in Hawaii! So, road-trip. Some things we learned:
1. LA to Portland and back is too far to drive when you only have 10 days, you will be driving ALL THE TIME.
2. Portland is VERY quiet on a Sunday/Monday, go on a weekend.
3. DON'T take the inland drive between Crater Lake and Portland unless you ain't planning on stopping (seriously, bed bugs).
4. Driving the I-5 in Summer is HOT and all you will see for 350 miles is tomatoes and tires (crap for I Spy).
5. Make a reservation to stay at the only hotel on Crater Lake WAY in advance otherwise you'll end up having to stay somewhere between there and Portland (see no.3)
So that's the bad stuff out the way, now here are the bits I recommend:
1. Crater Lake, insanely blue and all round UH-MAY-ZING, there are loads of hiking trails and it's an ace spot for a picnic!
2. Umpqua Hot Springs, I found this place through Pinterest, it's a little off track and full of nude stoners but it's beautiful, well worth the detour.
3. Columbia River, you won't be disappointed with the views, Multnomah Falls is a good place to stop too.
4. Take the coast back South, there are SO many gorgeous beaches
5. Gold Beach is covered in cool driftwood and it's a good stop for the night, we had a great seafood dinner at Spinner's.
6. Avenue Of The Giants is ridiculous. Put aside a few hours, you're gonna want to stop A LOT. (Drive through a tree while you're there too).
7. Shelter Cove, probably our favourite stop. When the PCH was being built they decided the terrain around Shelter Cove (and a good stretch North of it too) was too steep so they went round it leaving the area totally secluded. With a population of less than 800 it's a really peaceful place to stop and the Lost Coast that looms North is a spectacular sight. We stayed at the Inn of the Lost Coast which is right on the water.