My Oregon Bucket List

I love living in Oregon. I've lived here for the majority of my life. (there was a brief stint in Southern California when I was a little) For all of that time that I have been here, there is plenty I haven't done yet. I guess I sort of take for granted all the cool things in my state, and figure it will always be here, so it isn't a priority when we have some vacation time.

1. Camping in a Yurt

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Yurts are a cross between a cabin and a tee-pee. They are mostly found at the coastal state parks, and people can stay in them pretty much year round. I have always wanted to camp in them, but I think its kind of silly to do now, because I really don't mind tent camping. This is a to do once we have littles.

2. Crater Lake

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I have never been here, and sometimes I can't believe. Crater Lake is a national park in southern Oregon, just north of Medford. You can stay in lodges around the lake, and I know you can take tour boats around the lake as well.

3. Crabbing in the Pacific

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There is a 99.9% chance this made it on my list because of Deadliest Catch, but whatevs. I like crab.

4. Goonies House

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Goonies was filmed in Astoria, Oregon on the northern coast. There are tours of the filming locations, including the house. Plus Astoria has some other neat things like the Astoria column.

Astoria column

5. Painted Hills/Fossil Beds in John Day

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Another national park, but this one is in eastern Oregon. I usually forget about anything east of Bend, but it is like a whole other world compared to the Willamette Valley.

6. Portland

Schnitzer concert hall (where we just saw Aziz Ansari!)/Japanese Gardens/Powell's Books/Voodoo Donuts/ The Grotto at Christmas/Rose Garden

I grew up in Portland, and I actually have been to a lot of these places, but I would love to go back as an adult. I have NEVER been to Voodoo, I'd like to go to check it out. There is also a ton more.

7. Mt. Hood Railroad

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This scenic railroad runs through Hood River, which is one of my favorite places. At Christmas time they do a special Polar Express train ride which I would love to do. Of course its weird for a 30 year old woman to go on a Polar Express train ride, so this is another thing that I should put off until I have a little.

8. Sunriver

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So, I've been to Sunriver before. It was actually the first vacation the Mister and I ever took together, but I love it and I want to go again. Sunriver is a resort community outside of Bend. It has tons of bike trails and is a great place to stay if you are snowboarding up at Mt. Bachelor. There is also some fantastic hiking in that area.

9. Riding ATVs in the dunes

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There are some serious sand dunes on the coast and people bring there ATVs and cruise all over them. I think it would be so fun to do at least once.

Have you been to Oregon? What was your favorite part? Do you have a local bucket list for where you live?