I have fond memories of our vacation in OR...esp crater lake. Bluest blue I've ever seen.

We did 2 weeks in Oregon last year and just loved it. We just returned from a 2-week road trip to Rocky Mtn National Park, Wyoming, and Montana for a lot of hiking and sightseeing. And a lot of driving too, but it was really relaxing and enjoyable.

Edited to add that a friend and I are going back next summer to McMinnville to the Pinot Noir festival and plan to spend a few extra days in Portland again. DH isn't a wine drinker so this is a girl's trip.

Two years ago we vacationed at the Salishan Resort on Oregon's coast, and it was drop dead gorgeous. The weather (late-August), the resort, Portland where we flew in to, and every place we saw while we were there. We're planning on another trip back there next Summer, and it can't come soon enough!

DS and I vacationed in N Ca thus past July, hoping to finish up a trip we started a few years ago. We flew into SF, rented a car, and drove to Muir Woods(beautiful!), down to Monterey, and a few miles into Carmel, with the intent of driving down to Big Sur to put our arms around a 'BIG tree' and ooooh and ahhnnn! Also to check out what used to be a surfers paradise, and enjoy dinner at a tree-top restaurant while looking out at the blue Pacific. Unfortunately, a horrific fire kept us from taking that drive. The up sde? Another trip to N Ca to finish the trip, and possibly visit Oregon.

Timely post, thank you! I'm planning for a February school vacation get away and am shocked at the prices of cruises to the Caribbean. We have been to N CA many times, but not to Oregon or beyond. I will have to see what the weather is like in February. We want warm when we are escaping the NE winter weather.

Bonnieann, you don't want to come to the NW in February. Not as harsh as the NE, but definitely not warm and probably not sunny. Cold and rainy.

Thanks Olychick. I'm still obsessing over the Caribbean or maybe Cancun. We haven't been to Cancun and the package deals are very appealing in February.

Yeah, if 50 degrees, rainy, and dreary is your type of vacation, the PNW is for you. I have two colleagues from Oregon State. They are very happy to be here in the Carolinas.

Next summer I really want to go to Portland and Vancouver because I have friends there I want to see.

Edited to add: Don't come to the Carolinas in Jan or Feb either. Those are our worst weather months, and although we don't get a lot of winter storms, we can get snow, freezing rain, and ice through the end of February, and everything shuts down. We can also see temps in the teens and even single digits. So, the weather can be nice, or it can be pretty unpleasant. Luckily, it only lasts for a few days.

People in the PNW are dreaming of those warm weather vacations in Feb, too. When I was younger, I saw so many people become "snow birds" and move to AZ for the winter. So silly, I thought, until I got old and the cold, wet weather started to get to me, too! What I'd give now to spend the winter in the dry hot sun! But, alas. I can't leave my grandson, so I just tough it out.

Thanksgiving and Christmas can be very pleasant here. We can easily have 50's and 60's. Many Thanksgivings we open the windows, and DH often grills a tenderloin on Christmas Eve because it is so mild. Last two Christmas Eve's were rainy, so no outdoor grilling on the Weber. We cooked the meat inside on convection roast.

But if someone is looking at places like Outer Banks, Wilmington, or Charleston, etc. it is really pretty nice usually before January.

Convinced. Just booked a flight to San Juan and a cruise to the Southern Caribbean for February. The PNW will have to wait!

Bonnie_ann, are you still of childbearing age? If so, you might want to seriously rethink San Juan.

No, I'm way past that. I do understand the concerns re: Zika for those of childbearing age. Your reminder bears repeating for anyone who is or may become pregnant.