[Okstate]

Since Oregon has a plethora (always wanted to include that word in a sentence) of outdoor activities perhaps we could start a listing of some favorite trips/tips & activities around the state. Many of you may know I'm moving to Oregon (this Wednesday 30th). Upon arrival my wife and I have approx. 6 days without our little 4 yr. old boy (being brought up by my mother-in-law) so we figured we will hit up a few places of interest. I'm open-minded but am aiming for one day to be on a jet ski. How's the temp. of water for anyone that may know? Where are some popular boating areas?

[IanofCascadia]

Since Oregon has a plethora (always wanted to include that word in a sentence) of outdoor activities perhaps we could start a listing of some favorite trips/tips & activities around the state. Many of you may know I'm moving to Oregon (this Wednesday 30th). Upon arrival my wife and I have approx. 6 days without our little 4 yr. old boy (being brought up by my mother-in-law) so we figured we will hit up a few places of interest. I'm open-minded but am aiming for one day to be on a jet ski. How's the temp. of water for anyone that may know? Where are some popular boating areas?

I can highly recommend a trip into the Wallowa mountains of northeastern Oregon... the scenery alone there is absolutely gorgeous and resembles something out of Lord of the Rings. The hiking and camping there is great (I went last year) and I've heard that the rafting is incredible too (near Hell's Canyon). This has got to be one of my favorite parts of Oregon to visit as it extremely uncrowded and an often overlooked gem. Also, La Grande is nice little town in the area. Has a couple great bakeries and coffee shops. Here's a little about the Wallowas:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wallowa_Mountains
http://www.fs.fed.us/r6/w-w/recreation/wilderness/ecwild.shtml

Also, if you haven't been up there, be sure to check out some of Washington's National Parks as well as Mt. St. Hellens. The Olympic and Great Bear Rainforests are considered the only temperate rainforests left in the world and are a great place to see the rich ecology of the northwest. :tup:

[PacificNW]

I have to come out of my "lurking period" and comment on the above post. As someone who grew up in La Grande and have spent a lot of time in the Wallowa Mountains it's great to read a positive comments about my neck of the woods. Thanks, Ian. Now, back to my lurking. :)