Oregon beats Stanford


OK, it’s just a prediction but it’s a good one.   Today the Oregon Ducks, now ranked #1 in the USA, will host the Stanford Cardinals at Autzen Stadium in Eugene Oregon at the University of Oregon Campus.      Feathers will fly but the smart money says Oregon will win tonight. For most folks in the west, the game should be broadcast live on ABC at 5 pm or on ESPN if ABC coverage is not available in your area.   Check your local listings for details. The gamblers are giving Oregon a … wait for it … 20 point edge.     Those Stanford folks are pretty sharp, but not smart enough to beat Oregon’s very clever fast offensive strategy.

Score prediction?    Oregon beats Stanford  35-21

History of the Oregon Coast


* Note below why part of this post is NOT about “History of the Oregon Coast”.

We’ve got a brief treatment of “History of the Oregon Coast” over at the site Oregon Coast Travel.

Here is that History of the Oregon Coast from the Oregon Coast Travel website, along with some relevant wikipedia entries and other Oregon Coast link references:

Homo Sapiens first arrived on the Oregon coast approximately 400 generations ago, to subsist in the coast’s generous waters and forests. They fashioned canoes to paddle along the coastline, estuaries, and rivers, where they pursued salmon, seals, and ducks. They also gathered such seafood as clams. Inland, they hunted for game and gathered such foods as roots. On the whole, it was successful subsistence living. That was their lifeway for thousands of years, and as generations came and went, bands coalesced into tribes. The Oregon coast’s principal tribes were the Siletz and Tillamook on the north coast, Alsea and Siuslaw, central coast, and Coquille and Coos on the south coast, among others. The cultures of those tribes were similar.

European exploration of the Oregon coast emerged in the 18th century when Spanish mariners sailed north from Mexico to explore and eventually stake claims to the region. The British soon followed, and the years 1774-1795 in particular became a period of sharp contention between the Spanish and the British for claims to the northwest coast. However, neither side was able to successfully gain hegemony over the region.

In the meantime, Captain Robert Gray, an American, visited the Oregon coast by sea in 1788 and 1792, and returned with fur pelts. Following the Louisiana Purchase, Lewis and Clark reached the Oregon Coast in 1804 and laid claim to the territory for the U.S. They also returned with furs, and that prompted one John Jacob Astor to establish the first permanent white trading post in Oregon. The post, Astoria, lay at the mouth of the Columbia River. However, the venture did not prove as successful as Astor had hoped, and the British North West Company bought out Astoria. Both Britain and the United States continued to claim the territory.

On a voyage commissioned by the U.S. Congress, Charles Wilkes landed on the coast in 1838 and planted the American flag. Later, a flood of Americans arriving on the Oregon Trail established de facto the United States’ claim to the land.

From: History of the Oregon Coast

* We interrupted this blog for yet another in our ongoing series of search optimization experiments, trying to figure out what the heck the Google algorithm likes to see, so we can do Google’s bidding.

Of course the great folks at Google always say  “The search algorithm likes to see user-centric, quality content” and that’s true to some extent, but not true enough to make online publishing an easy living.   If that WERE true the search landscape would change dramatically, and you’d see good stuff where you now see fair to poor stuff, which we admit with some shame is some of … our stuff … even though we do have really good stuff sometimes.

America’s Wild Rivers Coast


One of the reasons I really love to live in Oregon is the Oregon Coast. “America’s Wild Rivers Coast” is a regional branding effort to point out the beauty and attractions of the southern part of the Oregon Coast and the northernmost part of California’s coast.     I spent many years working with the Southern Oregon Visitors Association “SOVA”  to help define the entire Southern Oregon region from the coast to Lake County and generally believe that’s a better approach than slicing and dicing things even smaller (as the individual counties, cities, and attractions tend to do – usually to limited effect) but the concept of a “Wild Rivers Coast” is certainly cool and totally appropriate for this amazing stretch of coastline.

We are here at the Sand Castle, a beautiful house in the Breaker House Vacation Rental’s excellent family of vacation rentals. http://www.BreakerHouse.com . Just north of Gold Beach and on the beach.

Although it offers some of the most beautiful coastal scenery in … the world … Southern Oregon and Northern California are isolated enough that they do not get the press of, say, the central and Southern California Coast or even the northern parts of Oregon. All fine coastlines of course, but to really understand the American West you’ll want to travel the entire length of the coast to get a sense of the remarkable diversity of scenery and even history and cultures, as you move from the strong Spanish influence of San Diego through the Native American heritage and whaling history of northern California and Southern Oregon to the Lewis and Clark story in northern Oregon.

America’s Got Talent, Oregon


The rumors were true.    America’s Got Talent, the hit NBC TV Show, is auditioning talented folks from our area and I think mostly from Talent, Oregon right down the street at the Talent Middle School.

My *very talented daughter* is now regretting that she didn’t try out but hey, that’s show biz I guess.    We know a lot of the folks who are going to perform so hopefully they’ll…. win the million dollar prize at the end of the 2010 series!

Thanks to the Ashland Oregon Shakespeare Festival down the road, dozens of high quality local theaters like the Camelot Theater here in Talent, proximity to California and popularity as a California retirement area, PLUS a great all around place to live, Southern Oregon probably has a lot more talent than your average small rural town.

America’s got Talent, Talent Oregon!   Woo Hoo!

Visit the Whistle Stop in Talent, Oregon for Coffee


Here in Talent, Oregon we’re lucky to have not one great coffee shop but two, each with a different “personality” to suit your mood or temperament. Where Downtowne offers free wifi, the Whistle Stop is the place to go to mingle with the city.

I’ve written before about the Downtowne Coffee Shop but also wanted to give the Whistle Stop Coffee Shop a big shout out as they serve great coffee and tasty light fare like pastry breads and scones. If you want to feel the heartbeat of Talent, Oregon drop in to the Whistle Stop and say hi to Marina, the owner of the Whistle Stop who was recently voted Talent’s friendliest barista. The Whistle Stop is located right next to city hall on Main Street in a beautiful rennovation of Talent’s Railroad Station. An hour and a coffee at the Whistle Stop will introduce you to our fine little town in no time.

Oregon Coast Travel


The Oregon Coast is our state’s most recognizable travel destination.   Highway 101 – a National Scenic Byway – winds 363 miles from the Washington state border in the north to the California Border in the south.

At our Oregon Coast Travel website we have a mile by mile guide to Highway 101 that covers ever mile of the journey and the cities and attractions along the way.

This list is NOT all inclusive yet – I’ll be adding more over time… also feel free to leave any  travel or relevant information in the comments.

Astoria to Seaside

Near Astoria is Fort Clatsop where Lewis and Clark spent the winter after their incredible journey across the US as part of Jefferson’s expedition to explore the newly aquired Louisiana Territory.     Seaside remains a popular hotspot for visits to Oregon Coast beaches.

Cannon Beach to Manzanita

Cannon Beach is a very popular beach destination.

Manzanita to Tillamook

Popular attractions in this area include the Tillamook lighthouse and Tillamook Cheese Factory which offer a fun and educational factory tour.    The Cheese Factory is an excellent family attraction and located right off of Highway 101.

Tillamook to Lincoln City

Lincoln City to Newport

Newport to Yachats

In Newport you’ll want to visit the Oregon Coast Aquarium, a world class facility that was once home to Keiko the Whale.    Be sure to check out the Jellyfish exhibits where these amazing and beautiful creatures float in special lighting, and the walk through shark tank.    Allow at least several hours at the Aquarium.   If you are on a very tight budget and don’t have kids (who will love the aquarium!) the Mark O. Hatfield Marine Science Center is nearby and I think it still offers free tours of this Oregon Coast and sea life research facility.

Yachats to Florence

For many the central Oregon Coast offers the most spectacular scenery and the most sublime of the many great Oregon Coast Experiences.   Devils Churn at Cape Perpetua is an amazing sea feature where water rushes into a narrow channel several hundred feet long.   From a short hike you can stand right atop this combination of surf and a collapsed volcanic lava tube to watch the massive surges of water rush in.    Above Devil’s Churn is Cape Perpetua Visitor Center which excellent hikes and interpretive exhibits.

Florence to North Bend

Florence’s “Old Town” is a very popular Oregon Coast destination for dining and shopping with charming shops and several excellent restaurants all within a few blocks of beautifully remodelled buildings that formerly were at the heart of the fishing industry here.

North Bend to Reedsport

Coos Bay to Port Orford

Coos Bay along highway 101 remains a major shipping point from Oregon but thanks to an extensive urban renewal project along the waterfront and the Mill Casino Coos Bay now offers attractive tourist features right off the highway.

Here, 101 diverges from the coast until Port Orford, so if you have time head west on the Cape Arago highway to Shore Acres State Park with some excellent coastal scenery and wonderful coastal gardens.

Port Orford to Brookings to California

Port Orford’s Battle Rock Park is right off of the Highway and the view is spectacular.   There’s an excellent information center here as well with helpful staff.

Brookings is a very popular coastal destination for Oregon’s heading to the beach from Medford and inland Southern Oregon.

Oregon’s Multnomah Falls in the Columbia Gorge


Multnomah Falls, Columbia River Gorge, Oregon

Columbia-Gorge-2008 146
Originally uploaded by JoeDuck

Hey, I’m kind of temporarily tired of blogging about technology and politics and even blogging about the Oregon Coast, so how about an Oregon waterfall?  This shot of Oregon’s iconic falls – Multnomah Falls in the Columbia River Gorge – from our trip last month to Northern Oregon.

Multnomah Falls is under an hour east of Porland on Interstate 84 where the easy access makes this one of Oregon’s most visited attractions and a tourism destination for over 100 years.   The area is home to some wonderful hikes and great scenery along the gorge.  Portland, charming  Hood River, the Bonneville Dam, and The Dalles are all nearby.   We had a great stay at the historic Columbia Gorge Hotel atop a waterfall on the cliffs above the Gorge near Hood River.

Full Sail Brewery, Hood River


Full Sail Brewery, Hood River
Originally uploaded by JoeDuck

Full Sail Ale is one of the most popular beers in the Northwest, and our Full Sail brewery tour in Hood River helped us understand why Full Sail remains so popular. We had a great guide, Gary, and thanks to his expertise and the fact we were the only two on the tour we were able to ask a lot of questions.

Gary explained that in 1985 the town of Hood River was suffering badly as the Timber Industry was in decline.    A group of friends, hard up for work, decided to start brewing beer and took over a small building which remains a small part of the huge brewery complex that now produces millions of bottles of Full Sail Ale and Henry Weinhard’s as part of the Full Sail contract with Miller Brewing.

More detailed brewing information about the tour at the Oregon Blog:  OregonEx.com

Columbia Gorge Hotel, Hood River Oregon


Mini Vacation time!    Heading to the Columbia Gorge Hotel in Hood River, Oregon.    We’ve never been there but it’s supposed to be really neat – perched next to a huge waterfall with great food and historic ambiance:

Built in 1921 by timber tycoon Simon Benson, the Columbia Gorge Hotel was known as  the “Waldorf of the West.” A magnificent villa perched on a scenic cliff, the Hotel offering sweeping views of the majestic Columbia River as well as the very finest accommodations and dining in the northwest.

The Hotel was a favored retreat for movie stars like Clara Bow and Shirley Temple, presidents like Roosevelt and Coolidge, and other social and political dignitaries. These were the days of steamers and speakeasies, of Valentino and the Model T; a time when people were dancing the Charleston and listening to jazz at The Cotton Club.

Hmmm – I hope I don’t have to dance the Charleston….

Christy Lee Cook and the Country Folks Restaurant, Selma


Here in Southern Oregon we were rooting for the “other” Cook in American Idol Christy Lee Cook, rather than American Idol winner David Cook.    On the way home from California Sunday we dropped in to the Country Folks restaurant of Selma, Oregon.  My wife and daughter had been there before but I hadn’t.     In addition to being “Christy Lee Central” for local fans who would watch the show from there every Tuesday and Wednesday, Country Folks has simply *outstanding* home cooked food, so I really wanted to put in a plug for them.

We ordered fried chicken and an open faced turkey sandwich with stuffing, potatoes, and gravy.    The chicken was excellent, but the sandwich was a country cooking work of art –  a plate brimming with fresh mashed potatoes, rich gravy, juicy turkey, a scoop of dressing, and cranberry sauce on the side.   After that meal I can’t imagine eating anywhere else along route 199 – Oregon’s very scenic road from I5 to the Coast past Cave Junctions (near the Oregon Caves National Monument), through the Redwoods, and on to the sea.

Local Newspaper Article about the Country Folks Restaurant