What is your opinion of Oregon given recent events?

[DesEtoiles]

Negative? Unchanged?

Kind of gives you the impression Oregon is a remote rugged wilderness area.

I guess a lot of it is, once you start getting away from I-5. But I've lived in other states with a lot of rural/wild areas - Texas, Ohio.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

1. Oregon has a lot of rugged wilderness.

Six years ago, two census takers got lost in south east oregon and weren't found for three days.

That said, unless you're a caught in a freak storm, or taking a census count in the boondocks, you're perfectly fine.

[nancyr]

It's mostly civilized.

We know pretty much where it's safe and where precaution should be used. Not many of us would venture onto an untraveled forest service road in the dead of night for a scenic trip to the coast. Nor would most of us attempt to scale Mt. Hood in December. Whatever happened to plain old common sense? Oregon is heaven on earth actually.

[depakid]

29. Even native Oregonians get themselves killed

It always impresses me how many people drown in our rivers and lakes every year. Or you'll get the occasional person washed out to sea by a sleeper wave.

Of course you're right about not climbing the cooper spur route in December or taking off toward the coast from Wolf Creek. Those are the sorts of things that residents generally wouldn't do.

[Parche]

2. oregon

I have lived in Portland/Beaverton all my life, and it is the best!!!

Those hikers should never have gone up in that storm, they must take responsibility
for their own actions.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

3. hikers?

[cwydro]

6. Um, I think they have taken responsibility.

Sheesh.

[Left Is Write]

14. "Take responsibility"? Er, yeah. I think they've gotten the ultimate punishment -

don't you?

Do they have to be continually disparaged also?

[Quantess]

19. Climbers, hikers, outdoor enthusiasts, support the local economy .

Why should Oregon not spend some money to rescue them, when they spend some money on Oregon?

You just HAD to bring this up...

[Parche]

41. spend

True, but common sense in the storm of winter here is not the time to go hiking.....

[uppityperson]

33. "hikers"? what hikers are you talking about?

[Caoimhe]

4. It's terrible, just horrible, I say...

Stay away, don't move here.

:yoiks:

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

8. I agree. Washington too.

It's a great place the visit and spend money.

Just don't move here. You'll hate it. It's dirty and rotten and you'll die horrible. Just visit with the money.

[SoCalDem]

12. 4 out of 5 doctors agree..you'll get scurvy if you visit oregon

and decide to stay :evilgrin:

or rickets

or beriberi

[Mythsaje]

15. Don't even VISIT with the money...

Just send the money. We'll take good care of it.

[Porcupine]

87. But MUCH nicer than N. California.

Go to Oregon first. Maybe buy yourself your retirement home. They're way cheaper than LA or the Bay Area.


Bwahahahaaa

[Mythsaje]

5. I grew up in Central Oregon...

Within horse-riding distance of thousands and thousands of acres of government (BLM) land.

There's a LOT of wilderness in Oregon.

[Caoimhe]

10. I live in Central Oregon

It's growing too fast here, stop saying good things about it! :sarcasm:

[Mythsaje]

13. I've heard that...

Someone told me a few years back that I wouldn't recognize Bend anymore.

I went to grade school in Terrebonne and it was a tiny place without even a stoplight back then. I imagine that it's grown quite a bit since I was last there in...1988, I think?

[pdrichards114]

26. My best friends parents live in Terrabonne. Small world, very small town.

[DesEtoiles]

45. right - Bend area is rapidly being developed- property values

through the roof

[Caoimhe]

88. Yes and Measure 37 is the scourge of our state

Oregon WILL look like every other "sprawl state" soon. We had some of the most progressive land use laws in the nation, and they've been slowly gutted and the death knell was Measure 37, which requires anyone who has land they want to develop that can't be, due to land use restrictions, to be compensated for the value of what the developed property is worth. Local governments cannot afford to pay top dollar to keep things from NOT getting developed, especially smaller population counties in the East of the state. The whole thing sickens me, and I work in a business that benefits from development, but I cringe with each new high density subdivision that comes through, approved for out in the sticks where the roads aren't improved, the local schools are full and a long bus ride away, there are no parks, no sidewalks, nothing. Farm land is being gobbled up by the cheapest housing possible, and most often, these cookie cutter houses sit idle or are instantly turned into rentals. A subdivision behind my house is less than 3 years old and is now the highest crime part of my town.

[cwydro]

7. Hearing that a place is rugged and has wilderness

is a POSITIVE for me, not a negative.

[Quantess]

9. It's just a big mountain range with a few lumberjacks

living in hermit-style cabins. They manage to co-exist peacefully with the Sasquatch.
:shrug:

[Trajan]

11. Drive 3 hours from Los Angeles

And you are in some of the most remote landscapes that exist in any state ....

My opinion of Oregon is based on the MANY wonderful resources that exist here; from awesome displays of wave power on rocky shores, to deep dense old growth forest covering a wealth of nature's produce, to wonderful cultural avenues of expression, to the best damned beer in the known universe ...

Hiking, skiing, rafting, sailing, fishing, climbing, biking, crisp sunrises to brilliant sunsets, mighty alpine vistas to dewy sweet meadows ... Oregon is a dream ....

[DesEtoiles]

46. I agree - bountiful farmers markets all summer, and fields

of tulips, dahlias and prolific blooming trees in spring

[Cleita]

70. Well, the interior of Nevada has California beat for that.

Other than the gambling meccas, that is one empty state.

[Cleita]

16. I love Oregon. My husband and I used to visit every year when

he was alive. The western part of Oregon is not as wild and remote as the eastern part. Eastern Washington and northern Idaho as well as many places in the Sierras in northern California are very remote and wild. My husband and I would spend a good part of the year traveling through those states taking in the stupendous scenery. In the winter we holed up in Texas or So. California. If you ever get a chance take the road through Portland and drive along the Columbia River, there are stupendous waterfalls that drain from melted snowfall from Mt. Hood. It's truly part of America the beautiful.

It's a good place to start wilderness adventures. There are many little towns on the way so you won't get stuck. It takes awhile to prepare you to go into more and more remote wilderness. You shouldn't at first until you get the feel of it and know how to prepare and equip yourself or you may end up like the people who get stranded and die in the wilderness.

[Trajan]

18. I thought Multnomah Falls was the most beautiful waterfall anywhere

Until I visited Silver Falls State Park .... Truly a Garden of Eden panorama ....

I love this place ...

[Cleita]

22. There's a lot of them in Yellowstone too. Well, Yellowstone is

an experience in itself because it's so unusual.

[judaspriestess]

17. From what I have seen so far

I love it. We actually want to move to Portland after our stint here in Vegas comes to an end. I originally wanted to go back to Texas but after visiting Portland I was hooked. :)

[Trajan]

20. Same here ...

I visited in 77, and was stunned ....

I've been here for 18 months now, and I am NOT leaving ...

[pdrichards114]

31. Welcome to Portland

I have lived in Oregon most of my life, Eugene and Corvallis, but Portland is such great city to live in.

[Trajan]

36. Why THANK you ....

It is rare to get such a rousing welcome from a native ... I will cherish it ...

An NYC boy moves to LA, Missouri, Boulder, and arrives eventually in Oregon .... It was meant to be ....

I had a coffee table book of the Pacific Northwest since I was a teen, and I opened it regularly, dreaming .... I still have that book ...

[Morgana LaFey]

78. World CLass City, and a very well-kept secret

except from those damn Californians who sold their houses for megabucks and then moved north to paradise.

[Cleita]

24. My very favorite place for stupendous scenery is the lake

district of Northern Idaho. Between the forests, mountains and lakes and breathtaking sunsets, you can't beat it in the USA. I believe British Columbia Banff National park is more spectacular but what we have is pretty spectacular too. However, until you become an experienced forest person, it's best to stay on the main roads near the towns as it gets really wild, really fast away from the main roads. I mean you have a good chance of running into a bear, a cougar or a Moose by surprise.

[underpants]

21. What, the helmets?

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=215&topic_id=43758&mesg_id=43758

I've never had a bad opinion about Oregon but then I have never been there.

[MrCoffee]

34. you are a menace.

that is all.

[bitchkitty]

23. It's pretty here, but it rains all

the damned time. I'm cold all the time, I miss hot steamy wonderful pine-smelling Georgia! :(

[Trajan]

25. Ya gotta love the rain ....

But, it doesnt rain much for a good 5 months of the year ....

5 wonderful, spectacular months of wildly beautiful floral growth, thanks to the winter rains ....

[Cleita]

32. We got stuck in Port Orford one year for three weeks when our

rig broke down. It took them that long to fix it. It rained constantly the whole three weeks we were there. We started calling it Port Awful. However, we had a chance to go through there again in late summer when the sun was out and it turned out to be a pretty nice place.

[Quantess]

35. never mind. self delete.

[Caoimhe]

72. honestly

i can think of worse places to be.

At least Port Orford (Awful) has an easily accessible public beach with gorgeous sea stacks and rock formations, with barely anyone around (less in the rain!) Hope you took the time to explore the beach and Battle Rock!

[Cleita]

76. No it was way too rainy. I mean really dark deluge rains with flooded

areas and washed out roads and it never stopped. We didn't have any transportation anyway. (Our truck was up the coast in Coos Bay waiting to be repared and our truckless trailer was in Port Orford. Tow truck could only pull the truck to Coos Bay) and the beach was a couple of mile from where we were staying. However, like I said, we drove by there the following year when it wasn't raining and it was really a pretty place.

[DesEtoiles]

49. Eastern Oregon is arid - it's the high desert

[Caoimhe]

73. If you live in Madras, Biggs, The Dalles, John Day, Burns, Fossil, Millican.. any of those towns..

you know what high desert means. It's nothing to be taken lightly.

[MazeRat7]

27. I'm still waitin' for Big Foot to be found.... -nt

[helderheid]

28. I would move to Bend in a heartbeat if my husband would agree to it.

[ieoeja]

30. Oregon: the border between California and Washington n/t

[Buck Rabbit]

57. California's Canada according to Stephen Colbert

[icymist]

37. Oh for crying out loud!

Oregon is a great State. Why rubb this crap in it's face unless one wanted to belittle it? Hey! Knock off Oregon! If you cant face up to the stormy season, then head south, into somewhere south. Anyhow, we in Ogregon and Washington (where I'm at), sometimes have shit for weather. I'm sorry for that, but if you can't take it, well, BUG OUT!

[Cleita]

44. To redeem myself, one of the reasons to love the rain in

Oregon is the Azaleas and Rhododendrums that are better than rose gardens in their variety and beauty. Alas, I have tried to grow Azaleas and Rhododendrums here on the coast of California where I live now and can't. The climate is too dry and the soil too alkaline and clayey no matter how much I try to ammend it. Also, when we get the Santa Ana winds they just shrivel up and die even when I try to run a constant water drip on them to keep them from drying out.

Oregonians, love your Azaleas and Rhododendrums.

[DesEtoiles]

47. and spectacular hydrangeas

[sandnsea]

55. Used them in my daughter's wedding

Someone had dried a bunch of them and had them for sale at a yard sale. I bought a whole mass of them for about $20, they were gorgeous. Beautiful hydrangeas here and they seem to grow forever.

[sandnsea]

54. Flowers in February

Yes, the flowers here are absolutely spectacular, any time of year. But any time I think I can't stand the rain another minute, I just remember we're going to have flowers in February and it just doesn't get much better than that. Well, at least after 20 years in Montana February's.

[Caoimhe]

77. You've never lived until..

you've stepped on a slug in your bare feet as you ventured to retrieve your morning paper....

[Cleita]

83. Oh I've been slimed by slugs and snails pretty regulary.

I get them drunk on beer and then feed them to the crows. It's my revenge.

[northofdenali]

38. My husband was born there.

but he and his folks escaped to Alaska shortly thereafter (1952)..............

Actually, we have lots of kinfolk in Oregon, and I've always enjoyed my visits there. But live there? Nah. I like it where I am too much. Pretty country, though.

edited to add - Here, we prefer you leave your $$ at the border. Welcome to Alaska, now GO HOME. (:rofl:)

[Blue_In_AK]

39. I think Oregon's a wonderful state...

It's almost as good as Alaska. (And we do massive search and rescues here, too. People get lost up on Mt. McKinley almost every year.)

[Retrograde]

40. A few too many smugly self-satisfied Oregonians

but most of those seem to have emigrated to California, where they spend their time telling us how much more wonderful Oregon is. Aside from that, it's on the whole a beautiful place, with ocean, mountains and not-quite-deserts. I like the area around Bend, where one of the geologic features is the appropriately named Big Hole in the Ground. It is.

It does get a lot of snow, especially in the Cascades. A. Lot. Of. Snow. And I'm from Buffalo.

[Cleita]

43. Funny, so many here seem to like Bend and I find it the

least of the really great places in Oregon. Maybe it's because of the deforestation, which to their credit, the Oregonian environmentalists are trying to repair.

[Retrograde]

58. I like volcanos

especially the ones that are safely extinct. As far as we know. And I found 2 good brew pubs the last time I was there.

This is the flip side of the environmentally correct Oregon: there's a thin fringe of trees along 99 to try to hide the deforestation, but look into the woods and there are miles of logged-over land.

[Cleita]

59. Yeah, I've been down that road a lot.

Well, you should be in your element. The whole Cascades Range from Mt. Shasta to Mt. Baker are all volcanoes. However, never think that they are extinct. One of the so-called extinct volcanoes in the Andes where I lived in Chile is belching out plumes of smoke every now and then. Stay tuned.

[DesEtoiles]

48. minimal snow in Portland (almost none) but there is icy rain

[Buck Rabbit]

61. Hold off smugness... baseball .. calm lake ..

... pinch thigh .. hold it ...

oh crap it's no use ...

^^ YOU GUYS ELECTED ARNULD ^^ TWICE ^^ ARNULD ...ah ha ha ha ha

err um .. sorry .. my neighbor from my favorite state to the South. I .. I don't know what came over me. Must have got some bad carrot juice. sorry ..

[blitzen]

64. the deserts are real deserts in SE OR....

different from Arizona, but true deserts nonetheless....

I'm an Oregon desert rat so I just felt I needed to add this slight revision

[Caoimhe]

74. yeah we are called sagerats or scrubrats

its cold desert half the year.. hot as hell the other half. If you manage to find that two week or so window in between.. there are gorgeous wildflowers with short lives to be seen and photographed!

[Crunchy Frog]

42. I wouldn't mind living there.

But I probably would avoid hiking in the remote rugged wilderness areas during the winter.

[Xithras]

50. Oregon sucks. Stay away from that place.

It's eevvvviiillll. It'll turn your kids into communists, make your wife a lesbian, and turn even the most ardent Republican into a tree-hugger. That's what my Freeper neighbor told me after I mentioned that most of my family is in Oregon, so it must be so!

On a more serious note, Oregon really does suck if you're there with out of state places. I've never been flipped off so much as when I drive my California badged Subie up I-5 in Oregon. Oregonians are pretty protective of their state and don't like the people moving in, so they tend to be a bit rude and xenophobic to "outsiders". When I climb into my dads truck with Oregon plates, all the problems evaporate.

[Cleita]

60. Not just Oregon, any state outside of California. We

had Idaho plates we slapped on our vehicles when we crossed state borders. It was worth having the double registrations.

[DesEtoiles]

51. Oregon is like living in NoCal without all the taxes, rolling

blackouts, extreme congestion...

[Cleita]

53. Also, you don't have to pump your own gas and it's cheaper!

eom

[Az]

52. Oregon is a state

That means it is greater than or equal to Rhode Island in size. People can get lost in Rhode Island. Heck people can get lost in the wilderness not too far outside Detroit.

[LWolf]

56. I love Oregon. It's a great place to live.

I haven't changed my mind about anything. I love being able to drive 14 miles to work through farms, ranches, and public land, with only 4 stop signs between home and work.

I'd like it to be a little quieter, a little less developed. At least in my area. If I want the city, I'd rather visit. Portland is a great place to visit.

[karlrschneider]

62. No change, it's one of many mountain states with dangerous rugged wilderness.

Aside from the high elevation, many places are equally risky - I could take a typical city dweller on a 10 minute boat ride from my house and drop them off at a spot from where it would be difficult in good weather, to nearly impossible in dead winter for them to easily survive.

[Lipton64]

63. My opinion of Oregon hasn't changed, but my opinion of the idiots who climb its mountains has.....

And personally I think given they were the ones who risked death going up the mountain in winter - if they are rescued - they should pay for everything. You create a mess - you fucking clean it up.

[Trajan]

67. There is always opportunity for missteps and mistakes ....

One can get lost walking their dog .... it seems a tad harsh to slam those particular climbers when MANY others do similar things without the vast experience they had ....

The S&R groups are VOLUNTEERS .... and we pay tax dollars to do these very things ....

I have always disliked meanness .... That will never change ....

[bridgit]

65. my husband used to live in Oregon, beautiful terrain & landscapes...

but he has no missed placed concerns about what it takes to survive in some of the wilder tracts; Oregon's search & rescue is 2nd to none, and they are often busy pulling people out both experienced & inexperienced

[hayu_lol]

68. The only problem in this particular case...of the mountain climbers...

is that they were not as well prepared as they could have been. Had they taken a locator, at least the rescue crews would have known where they were. The costs are enormous to mount a full-scale search where the location of the hikers is unknown. If the ground conditions are bad, it is likely that flying conditions are equally so.

Some have forgotten that much of the Oregon Guard is in Iraq.

If one chooses to enter wilderness areas, they must do so with full preparation for delay and injury. These guys were not prepared for what faced them.

Oregon is a beautiful state with a small population overall. Many areas are uninhabited for the most part. Help is never just around the corner.

Don't be unfair to a state just because wilderness claimed lives. Taking on Mt. Hood in the winter is not a walk in the park.

[bridgit]

69. without casting aspersions most agreed, you may find it interesting...

to know the what-all my husband would take along just to cut wood in a snow filled forest; though my sense it that you need to understand...no one in this household is being unfair to Oregon

[Pastiche423]

66. Snow? Wilderness? Oregon?

Haven't seen that since I moved to the little Bay area six years ago. S.F. (the big Bay Area) is home and the weather here, on the southern coast is similar. You have a rainy season, then a not-rainy season.

I've been up and down the coast, but the furtherest inland I've gone is Eugene. If the proposed LNG terminal (cheney's baby) succeeds in being built here, I'm looking to move to Eugene.

The main reason I moved here, is the air. It's clean! On the day I moved, the city I was living in, Charlotte, NC had the worse air in the nation.

I don't do snow.

[Tinksrival]

71. Heaven on Earth!

I'm stuck in Chicago burbs now but I plan on pushing up daisys in Oregon, after I've lived a long life basking in it's beauty.


The Columbia River Gorge


Multnomah Fall


Oregon Coast


Face Rock


Mt. Hood


Crater Lake


Cresent Lake


Wahakeena


Not to forget.......The Painted Hills, Sisters, Smith Rock, the rain forests, all those water falls, I can't get enough of Oregon!
And it's next door to Washington State and...

Mt St Helens

[Caoimhe]

75. SHHHHHHHHHHH!

you sure seem to know how to ruin a good thing!

[Morgana LaFey]

81. And the thing about your photos is that --

they're not UNUSUAL scenes. They're typical scenes. Western Oregon (I'm not as familiar with OR on the other side of the Cascades) is just one big beautiful place. Everywhere you go: beauty. The climate is great, too (IMO). Moderate all 4 seasons with low humidity. I don't know how it rains so much and still the humidity is low, but that's they way it is.

[Caoimhe]

90. You say Painted Hills? Here are some of my pics:

http://travel.webshots.com/photo/1062609785043444909UrYfTD

http://travel.webshots.com/photo/1062612566043444909rordvT

http://travel.webshots.com/photo/1062611839043444909KDeYzL

http://travel.webshots.com/photo/1062618364043444909fEdQmp

[janx]

79. I love Oregon and have family there.

The population is growing. My brother and sister in law live there, and my mother retired there. The rainy season can be depressing, but the summer is so spectacular that it seems to be worth it. The wilderness needs to be respected.

[sweetheart]

80. Oregon, very nice

Beautiful natural place with an economy controlled from washington.

[XOKCowboy]

82. Oregon is a wonderful PLACE

On the west side you have a very rugged but beautiful coastline that rises immediately up the Cascades and on the other side is a very beautiful high desert. It's got Hell's Canyon, Crater Lake, some of the best fly fishing rivers in America, Mt. Hood (one of the most perfect volcanic mountains this side of Mt. Fuji), the Columbia River and Portland, the most liberal city in the US! :)

What's not to like about Oregon?

[Blue_In_AK]

84. I lived in a hippie commune out in the middle of nowhere

near Cave Junction back in 1971. Has anyone heard of Takilma? It was wonderful during the summer, but when the rain came in September it was miserable. Our living conditions were extremely primitive ... we ended up packing up the tipi and moving to the desert near Death Valley. Those were the days....

[thatsrightimirish]

85. I've been to Crater Lake,

Grants Pass, and Portland and I loved it. But don't worry, this CAlifornian is staying put in California!

[Blue Belle]

86. Kind of a loaded question don't you think?

You make it sound as if all that occupies Oregon off the I-5 stretch are Grizzly bears and buckskinned mountain men.

Oregon isn't any more remote or rugged than Idaho or Washington. We do have a major metropolitan area, international airports, ballet companies and symphonies in 2 cities, and a larger population than say, Nebraska or Connecticut. We have a Shakespearian company in Ashland that rivals Stratford upon Avon in England, lead the rest of the states in coffee roasters and micro breweries and we're gaining respect world wide for our wineries. And while we have had our share of tourist accidents as of late, most locals stay off of BLM roads and the Cooper Spur trail in the winter months... but then again, it just strikes me as common sense not to do those things. If you want to judge the remoteness of states by tourist death toll than it seems to me that more trees have killed skiing tourists in Colorado than hypothermia in Oregon.

[Taverner]

89. Oregon is still wild

I lived there.

When my friends visited me here in CA, their first response was where's the outdoors?