Oregon, and, indeed, the entire Pacific Northwest, is an especially beautiful part of the United States.

Portland is a 90-minute drive from the seashore to the west, a 90-minute drive from the mountains where the U.S. Olympic Ski Team trains, to the east. Across the mountains, Eastern Oregon is a high-desert plateau with fascinating ancient lava flows and rivers that offer fishing and white-water rafting.

The Willamette Valley, with Portland -- home of the "Silicon Forest" technical industry -- at the north end and Ashland -- home of one of the oldest and largest Shakespearean theater companies in the U.S. -- at the south end, is a remarkable agricultural region. To the northeast, up the Columbia River, is Hood River, home of world-class wind surfing, and further up the river, the Pendleton Round-Up rodeo.

There is olympic-class snow skiing, white-water rafting, wine festivals, music festivals, sausage festivals, apple and pear festivals, a garlic festival, Native-American indian festivals, sports festivals, rodeos, art festivals, sandcastle contests, needlepoint festivals, and the world-famous Portland Rose Festival.

You can learn more about a few of the places you might like to see through the links below:

• Festivals
• Wineries
• Breweries
• Gardens
• Museums, Zoos & Aquariums
• Recreation
• Sports
• Lodges & Resorts
• Camping
• State & Federal Parks
• Cities
• Counties
• Visitor's Centers
• Casinos
• Transportation
• Unique and Special Places

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