So this is the Northwest

By Diane Daniel, Globe Correspondent, 10/27/02

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Charleen and Jim Livingstone of Belmont have traveled to many parts of the United States and to Europe, but until this summer, they had never seen the Pacific Ocean. Their first glimpse of it was from the fishing town of Newport, Ore., during a 10-day car trip in August that started and ended in Portland.

The Pacific "was so very different, cold and raw. I guess there's always a cool wind coming off it," said Charleen, who realized after seeing photos from the trip that she had worn a sweater most of the time. "And of course the surf is quite heavy, with big waves."

They enjoyed Newport, "a real working fishing town and a charming community. You could go down to where the fishing boats were, and you could buy fish right off the boats." She was delighted that the beaches were "very accessible, with parking, too, not like in New England."

The couple, who are in the furniture business, take a few trips a year. Charleen, 72, researches the route and reserves the rental car and hotel rooms. She said they usually try to stay in a couple of places for three nights or so and take day trips from there.

Jim, 75, makes sure they see some trains. This trip was no exception. One place that impressed him was The Dalles, a small city on the Columbia River, just across from Washington state. "They have two very-much-used freight lines on both sides of the Columbia — Union Pacific and Burlington Northern Santa Fe. We just don't have that in this area. They are very, very busy. I talked with the man who changes crews," he said. He also enjoyed seeing working barges on the river.

Charleen liked watching the multitudes of windsurfers speeding by in the Columbia Gorge. "They had windsurfing schools all around the waterfront. It brings a lot of tourists there."

The Livingstones were surprised by how many orchards Oregon has. "The whole fruit thing is very, very big, particularly pears, and agriculture across the state is important." They took a driving tour called the "Fruit Loop" that stopped at local farm stands throughout the Hood River Valley.

They visited Washington when they crossed the river into Walla Walla. "It was very isolated and pretty, and had a bustling downtown." A little south of Walla Walla, they stopped at the Pendleton woolen mills and outlet, but weren't too impressed. The highlight, on a tour of the factory, was watching how wool is processed.

They also spent three nights in Corvallis, home to Oregon State University, in the Willamette Valley between Portland and Eugene. "We stayed at a Holiday Inn Express right on the Willamette River, and there was an excellent restaurant right next door." Day trips from Corvallis included Newport for the ocean, Salem to see the capital, and Eugene, where the University of Oregon is located. "Eugene was pretty sophisticated; I wish we'd spent more time there," Charleen said.

On a day trip to Mount Hood, they turned back when it became "cold and gray, and it was spitting snow. Seeing it was beautiful, but then it got foggy and cold, and we only had sweaters on."

At the beginning and end of the trip, the Livingstones spent a few days in Portland, near the airport, taking the light rail into the city. They visited Lloyd Center, a shopping and pedestrian area, "with lots of parks and young people."

And of course Jim checked out the train station. "They still have a very nice station in Portland," he said. "You used to see a lot of them all over, but they're all torn down now. I was surprised by how many trains there are in the area, ones that go across the country, and also up and down the coast between California and Vancouver."

Driving around, Charleen said, was fine except for "a lot of lumber trucks on those little narrow roads."

One automotive treat was that "by law they have to pump your gas, which is very nice, particularly when you're in your 70s."

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