Journey without Destination; Cool stuff to see in North America

[alpinevibes]

They are currently in the town of Chimacum on the Olympic Peninsula.

If you are familiar with these areas, especially the Washington / Oregon areas right now, what should they not miss?

The rare Chimacum shout out! My wife is a [not so] proud graduate of Chimacum HS; I'll throw my $.02 in for the Canal and SW WA:

Hopefully they spent time in Port Townsend with all it's touristy things. From there, hit the Ajax Cafe in Hadlock, Finn River Cidery and the Chimacum Corner Farmstand. My suggestion is to take US 101 down the Canal and then go out to the coast. 101 is a beautiful drive with cool roadside stops:
101 Brewery in Quilcene for a local brew and grub
A hike up one of the drainages coming out of the Olympics; Dosewallips area is nice: http://www.wta.org/go-hiking/hikes/d...ver-state-park
Whitney Gardens in Brinnon for Rhododendrons and lush plants (not as lush in Oct...)
Hamma Hamma Oyester company for great oysters and seafood (Thurs-Mon).
A detour at Hoodsport and go up to Lake Cushman; Staircase at the far end of the lake is a nice short, scenic hike.
Then I would head west, towards Westport to see the ocean. From Westport head south to Longbeach then across the arch to Astoria.
If they have time, detour up to Quinault. The trails NE of the lake, as you head towards the park showcase huge ferns and trees.

Buster's Wallowa's suggestion is great and a nice variation if they want to mix up the inland journey from the OR Coast. If they end up in Bend and want to get down to NV (dhelihiker's Winnemuca suggestion is spicy), they should go west to Burns then take 78 to Fields-Denio road:
40mi of maintained gravel running along the base of the Steens mountains through the high desert- https://www2.powayusd.com/teachers/b...t%20Oregon.htm.
Stunning country with mountains, salt flats, and some money hot springs - http://soakoregon.com/alvord-hot-springs/

[TBS]

adding to Busters Most Excellent Tour of Oregon...
Camp Sherman is great except it gets a little damp and dreary this time of year.
Also See
John Day Fossil Beds
Oregon Vortex in Gold Hill for the kitsch
In addition to Steens Mountain, Alvord Desert and Malheur Wildlife Refuge are pretty spectacular. Note - the weather changes rapidly there this time of year- people get stuck and die.

If they go through the Redwoods on NoCal Coast, they should make a side trip to Shelter Cove and hike along the beach north of there into the Sinkyone. Warning - the road there is narrow and winding, much better suited to motos than a 3500 w/ trailer. It's also incredibly damp and dreary from October to May.

Also on NoCal coast, Trinidad is a nice town, and Arcata has the worlds largest concentration of white guys with dreadlocks

[TAFKALVS]

Some hikes around Leavenworth/Wenatchee would be good, the larches and maples are changing color. Lake Clara is a nice easy one.

[GeezerSteve]

Yeah, it's prime time for larches, both Lyall's (Subalpine) and Western, although there aren't many 6 mile hikes to see the former.

Next summer: Wenaha-Tucannon Wilderness Area has some nice short day hikes and lots of free dispersed camping.

Spring bird migration hotspots, e.g., Malheur, Wenas, Tulelake, Klamath, Potholes, Klipchuck, Snake River Birds of Prey