Come To Oregon While The Prices Are Dropping!!

This four-day, 255-mile road trip starts in Astoria, the oldest settlement west of the Rockies, and travels down Highway 101 through charming towns in the north and central coast, each with a unique range of offerings. Fly in and out of Portland, which has the closest large airport. The two-hour drive to Astoria on U.S. Highway 30 takes you along the Columbia River, and U.S. Highway 26 traverses the coastal range. With sweeping vistas all around you, it may be hard to keep your eyes on the road, so build frequent stops into your trip and remember to pack your camera.

Day One: Astoria

Nestled along the Columbia River, this fishing town, once the "cannery capital" of the United States, has polished its image in recent years, converting some of its waterfront canneries into restaurants, shops, and galleries. History lovers will enjoy how the town has retained its blue-collar feel, which is part of its charm. Start your trip at the 125-foot-high Astoria Column (503-325-2963), the highest point in town, and climb 164 steps for a sweeping view of the Pacific Ocean and the town below.

Next, check out the Columbia River Maritime Museum (503-325-2323, www.crmm.org), with interactive exhibits, including piloting a tugboat and a chance to walk on the bridge of a World War II destroyer. While on the waterfront, climb aboard the Riverfront Trolley (503-325-8790), which is run by a team of friendly volunteers who share the history of Astoria during the 45-minute trip. Hop off at the 11th Street pier to stroll the many art galleries and antiques shops there, and along the main drag of Commercial Street. Then have lunch at the Wet Dog Café (503-325-6975), Astoria's only brewpub. Housed in a converted waterfront warehouse, the Wet Dog's traditional pub fare features fish and chips, plus eight microbrews on tap.

After lunch, watch fishing boats from the Sixth Street pier before jumping back in the car for a 10-mile trip west to Fort Stevens State Park (800-551-6949, www.oregonstateparks.org). The 3,700-acre park originally served as a military fort and is now home to the shipwreck of the Peter Iredale, an English sailing ship that ended its working life here in 1906. Ask for self-guided tour material at the information kiosk to plan your afternoon, including touring the abandoned fort and military museum. There are also 14 miles of biking and seven miles of hiking trails that wind through the park.

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1847 Franklin Avenue Astoria,Oregon 97103

707-487-0471

Your Road to Some of the Country's Most Beautiful Places

There are few places in the country that are as scenic as the western Oregon coast. From Astoria and the northern Oregon coast area to Brookings on the southern Oregon coast, there is a wealth of beautiful vistas, historic sites, state parks and wildlife areas, stunning beaches and other attractions waiting to be enjoyed. And connecting it all is the Oregon Coast Highway.

Stretching nearly 400 miles along the Pacific coastline, Hwy 101, also known as the Oregon Coast Highway, connects with several major highways and side loops to help you thoroughly explore the entire Oregon coast along with the nearby towns and cities. Although it's possible to drive the route in one day, there is so much to explore that it's best to allow several days at the least. A week or two is more reasonable, and many people stay at an area campground for the summer and really get to know the area.

The Northern Oregon Coast

From the north, scenic Oregon coastal drive begins in Astoria, located in the northwest corner of the state. Here the Columbia River tumbles toward the Pacific, and this area of the northern Oregon coast also offers river rafting and fishing, rock climbing and the Columbia River Maritime Museum.

Continuing south on the Coast Highway south, you will find the towns of Warrenton and Fort Stevens. From there, follow Old Hwy 101 to Fort Clatsop National Memorial where the Lewis & Clark Expedition sought shelter during the winter of 1805-06.

The northern Oregon coast is home to resort communities such as Gearhart and Seaside, which has a two-mile promenade along the shore. Also in this area are the Tillamook Lighthouse, Ecola State Park and the town of Cannon Beach, which is known for artists, festivals, and fantastic views of rock formations.

From Cannon Beach, Hwy 101 travels south through numerous parks and scenic areas before reaching Arch Cape and the resort community of Manzanita. Located approximately 40 miles from Astoria, Manzanita is often a first day exploration point for southbound travelers. A short distance south from Manzanita is Nehalem Bay State Park where visitors can get out and stretch a bit and soak up some sun and sea breezes.

Nearly 70 miles down the Oregon coast is Tillamook, home of Oregon's largest cheese factory. South of Tillamook are Cape Lookout, Cape Kiwanda and Pacific City. As an alternative route, some travelers prefer to take nearby Three Capes Scenic Loop, which passes through Cape Meares, Oceanside and Netarts Bay before rejoining Hwy 101 south of Pacific City and heading to Lincoln City, a resort community known for its kite displays and art galleries.

Siuslaw National Forest, Oregon Dunes and
Other Attractions of the Central Oregon Coast

Geographically, Lincoln City is approximately one third of the way down the Coast Highway, and many consider this area the beginning of the central Oregon coast area. A major feature of the central coast region is the Siuslaw National Forest, which begins near Tillamook and extends down the entire central Oregon coast. The forest encompasses over 630,000 acres of unique and varying ecosystems. With beautiful scenery, old growth forests, and dozens of park areas along the beach, Siuslaw is a vacation destination in and of itself.

Also in this area is Cascade Head, a headland that juts out into the ocean and is named for the waterfalls that drop over 150 feet to the ocean below. Cascade Head Nature Preserve, managed by the Nature Conservancy, is home to unique plants and animals as well as trails with spectacular views.

A bit further along Hwy 101 in the central Oregon coast area are Depoe Bay, the world's smallest navigable harbor and home to a whale-watching center with viewing areas and information. A short drive south from there you enter a 40-mile stretch of the highway that travels through more than a dozen parks and wayside stops. Many travelers choose to find a campground or lodging in this area and spend a day exploring before continuing on their journey.

On the north end of Newport, located approximately 140 miles down the Oregon Coast Highway from Astoria, sits the Yaquina Head Lighthouse. Newport also is home to the Oregon Coast Aquarium, Hatfield Marine Science Center, and other interesting attractions. It also has a quaint Old Town bayfront area with restaurants and shopping.

South from Newport are the towns of South Beach, Seal Rock, Waldport and Yachats, each with their own charm, scenery, and attractions. Continuing south on Hwy 101, you will find Cape Perpetua Scenic Area and Visitors Center and Devils Elbow State Park with views of the Heceta Head Lighthouse. Animal lovers will enjoy a stop at Sea Lion Caves. Located approximately 10 miles north of Florence, this massive cavern and seashore are home to hundreds of wild sea lions as well as seals, birds and other wildlife.

The Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area also begins near Florence. Stretching over 40 miles along the coast with nearly 14,000 acres of sand dunes, this area is a top destination for campers, nature lovers, and those who enjoy riding off-highway vehicles. Nearby Honeyman State Park also offers camping and dunes access, and a few miles south is Reedsport, home of The National Recreation Area Headquarters. Also in this area are the Dean Creek Elk Viewing Area and Umpqua Lighthouse in Winchester Bay.

Approximately 230 miles down the coast from Astoria is Coos Bay. It is the hub of the Bay Area, which also includes North Bend and Charleston. Here you will find museums, shopping, theaters, and restaurants, as well as practical needs such as repair shops, groceries, and medical services. Several state parks and hundreds of other attractions make the Bay Area a favorite with visitors to the Oregon coast.

The Southern Oregon Coast

The southern Oregon coast area includes the towns of Bandon, a coastal center with art galleries, theaters and shopping, Langlois with its numerous antique shops, Denmark and Sixes, where a side road leads to Cape Blanco State Park and lighthouse.

Home prices capsize on Ore. Coast

 

FLORENCE, Ore. -- They were a hot commodity three years ago: Million-dollar houses with frontage on the ocean, a lake or a river around Florence. Californians looking for a clean, quiet place to retire couldn't seem to get enough.

 

 

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"The market rose markedly," said Tawfik Ahdab, analyst with the Pacific Valuation Group. "They brought with them lots of money and drove up prices. We have limited inventory, but we had a lot of demand. A lot of demand."

But today, 67 high-end homes priced from $500,000 to $2.5 million are sitting on the Florence real estate market. At the current pace of sales, it would take 75 months to clear out that inventory. Even then, some of the properties might linger: Not one home in the $1 million-plus range in Florence has sold in more than a year.

Florence real estate agents say months go by before they find a prospective buyer even to look at the high-end properties.

Million-dollar houses in the Lane County coastal community are severely overpriced, Ahdab said. "There's no market response to them. They're going to have to come down."

The houses are big -- 2,000 to 5,000 square feet -- and they're custom-crafted with sophisticated interior wood and stone work. They're perched on streets such as Sea Watch, Ocean View or Clear Lake. Some have breathtaking views.

Their owners have no intention of selling for less than they paid, Florence area real estate brokers say. More than half of the high-end homes are owner-occupied and the rest are vacation or investment properties, they say.

About 90 percent of Florence high-end buyers came to the Oregon coast from California, where they sold homes when the market was hot, said Dan Scarberry, principal broker at Coldwell Banker Coast Real Estate. Because they had comparatively large sums of cash, many made down payments of 50 percent or more on their Florence properties. That means they can wait out the market now because their payments are low.

"Most of them are going to ride it out and see what happens," said Dennis Johnson of TR Hunter Real Estate in Florence.

Besides, in the upper strata of properties, dropping prices a few hundred thousand dollars may not stimulate sales the way it would for the average house, Johnson said.

 Also: Tips for home short sales

"If you have someone with a place, for instance, for $1.7 million, dropping the price to $1.5 million isn't going to sell it. You're talking to the same customer, and if they really like it they'll pay the $1.7," he said.

The problem is that well-heeled buyers from the Golden State are hard to come by in Florence these days.

"They can't sell houses in California to escape California and move up here," Ahdab said. "A lot of people are upside down in California, and they were the ones feeding this (Florence) high-end market. They may not be coming back for a while."

For home sales, Florence depends on its in-migration, Adhab said.

"The source of housing demand in coastal communities is not the fundamental things like employment, wage increases or family formation," he said. "What creates households in Florence is people coming in from other areas. If these people aren't coming, we don't have much of a market at all. This has been the situation."

Those Californians who do turn up have sold homes for from 30 to 50 percent less than they would have three years ago, so they can't meet the sellers' stubborn price point, he said. With less cash, they have to try for a jumbo loan to finance any half-million-plus house.

"The jumbo loan market is not what it used to be," Ahdab said. "It's evaporated pretty much."

Oregon Coast) - There are two things that most people go to the Oregon coast for: a day with the kids - or a romantic weekend alone, generally enjoying the finer things.

Often, those two missions are conflicting: taking the little ones generally prohibits partaking in the upscale pleasures the coast has to offer.

Or does it? There are options for kid-friendly lodgings, restaurants and towns which pull out the stops for the kidlets or bring out the kid in everyone – yet don’t force Mom and Dad to sacrifice the finery. (at left, Manzanita)

On Oregon's north coast, the tiny town of Manzanita is endowed with a mysterious, woodsy vibe just above its vast expanse of crystalline beach. Here, the San Dune Inn provides a vast array of freebies like bikes, game equipment, popcorn and movies. Stay at this charming, unassuming place just blocks from the beach and you'll find stuff for volleyball and other games suitable for the sand, as well as beach balls, bikes and simple sandcastle-making gear like buckets. Owners Brian and Billie Hines have an enormous selection of movies, and their choice of board games is a kick as well. It's a kid's dream come true.

The Hines say they’re having steadily increased repeat business in the three years since they took over this little charmer. People are coming back more and more, bringing their kids, their dogs – or both, since it is very pet friendly. www.sandune-inn-manzanita.com. 888-368-5163.

Head northward, and you'll encounter dozens of sandy and rocky beaches perfect for playtime. Drive about 12 miles and you'll find the ritzy resort town of Cannon Beach. Near a famed Lewis & Clark landmark, Fultano's Pizza sits and emits wonderful smells of Italian cuisine. With an outdoor patio here, you can still see some of the sights available at the end of Second Street, and enjoy exceptional - even gourmet quality - cuisine at a family pizza joint price.

Fultano's delivers to local hotels, and they feature slices for lunch. They have a special thin crust recipe that's especially tasty, crunchy and yet still tender in a way that manages to combine both those latter qualities seamlessly.

There are many of the standbys, as well as gourmet varieties like the Margherita (garlic and herb olive oil, three cheeses, red onion and more), a Greek-themed specialty, a Goat Cheese pizza, and specialties with Teriyaki Chicken, Linguica, BBQ Chicken and a variety of seafood selections. One item features a distinctive sausage with mashed grapes for the sauce, providing a subtle, sweet tang. The sausage is spicy and zippy, making a nice balance to the slight sweetness.

One must-try is their pasta (about $10). They have a homemade tomato sauce that is one stunning, mother-of-all sauces, and their meatballs are a serious delicacy. Still, even with its decent wine and microbrew selection, this is a place that welcomes the kiddies nicely. 200 N. Hemlock and Second Street. (503) 436-9717.

Drive north again, to Seaside, and you'll find a beach town full of things to do for children - most notably Broadway Ave. with its almost dozen arcade businesses, kooky gift shops, bumper cars and other attractions. See www.seasideor.com or the Seaside Virtual Tour for more.

One option for the connoisseurs as well as the kiddies is Zinger’s Homemade Ice Cream, featuring – you guessed it – gourmet ice cream. Mike Exinger makes his own here, including his own cones, and the difference is remarkable. Highlights include the powerful fresh fruit taste of the marionberry, using real Marion County berries, and the seasonal mango, which is tangy and unforgettable, often coming with juicy chunks of mango to chew on. Sugar free and diabetic options are available, but mostly Zinger's specializes in frozen excess. Singles are actually two scoops and doubles - well, they're twice as large.

Exinger admits his prices aren't arcade-cheap (cones are almost three dollars), but they are bigger than usual and it is ice cream of almost snooty standard. 210 Broadway. (503) 738-3939.

One highlight is Seaside Helicopters, which whizzes you around above the town for about $25 per person. It's thoroughly spectacular, as the helicopter takes you over the headland of Tillamook Head and Cannon Beach as well, allowing you extraordinary glimpses of the sea and these landmarks from this unusual vantage point. You even get to see "Goonies Rock" (pictured here) - where part of the cult film was made. Hwy 101, S. Seaside. www.seaside-helicopters.com. (503) 440-4123.

Down on the Central Oregon Coast - about 100 miles south - it's a vast playground for kids and adults. Lincoln City is filled with miles of super clean beaches and tons of shops and restaurants.

Just south of Lincoln City, you'll find another haven for families in a very unique resort called Bella Beach. Really, it's a collection of rather upscale, gorgeous beach cottages that are vacation rentals or for sale. There are about 40 rentals available inside this pretty place, and more are still being built.

The philosophy of Bella Beach is to create a place with a "neighborly feel," and indeed they've succeeded. Set in the midst of a Central Coast wooded area, there are the rustic architectural themes common to places like Manzanita or Cannon Beach, where garages are tucked away behind the buildings and front porches are the emphasis.

There's a playground for the kiddies, and the homes vary from hideaway lodgings for two with oceanfront hot tubs, to larger accommodations for bigger groups. Bella Beach also offers up accommodations for groups as large as 60, if you happen to have a business retreat or reunion of some sort.

Then there's that wondrous beach. Like many of the beaches in the area, the tide line is at a rather steep slope, so waves come in fast and hard, but dissipate quickly to shyly lap at your feet. 866-994-7026 or www.bellabeach.com.

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1847 Franklin Avenue Astoria,Oregon 97103