As you all know, I’ve got this thing about visiting ALL 50 states at some point in my life. I’ve gone to quite a few so far, and added Massachusetts to my list last month. Next month, I’ll be adding Nevada. I haven’t been to Oregon though, and it’s someplace I’ve wanted to visit and see ever since I was 6 or 7 years old.
You may be wondering why a little girl would want to go to Oregon, when she doesn’t know a soul there. 
One word - Ramona. Did you ever read the Ramona Quimby series by Beverly Cleary? I did, and Ramon lived in Oregon, not far from Mt. Hood, on Klickitat Street. I just googled that street name to be sure I spelled it correctly, and learned that it’s a real street in Northeast Portland, Oregon. Not only did Ramona Quimby, and her sister Beatrice (aka Beezus) live on Klickitat Street, but it was home to Henry Huggins as well. There are statues of the characters in Grant Park. When I make it to Oregon, I will make it a point to visit the street and the park. Of course, I’m sure there’s much more to see in Oregon, so I’ll need to check into Oregon vacation rentals so I can take my sweet time exploring the area that I read about so often in Beverly Cleary’s books. With a family of 5, it’s so much nicer to stay in a rental home than a hotel, since it means we have a bed for everyone, privacy for mom and dad, and a kitchen to save on meals.
Hey, is Whopper Burger a real chain? That was Ramona’s favorite place to eat out with her family.
Beverly Cleary books are such good books. When I taught school, I always had those in the free reading area. I’m curious to know about Klickitat Street and see pictures of it.
Hey, Portland rules! Only 45 minutes to Mt. Hood (a skier’s fantasy) and 90 minutes to the coast! Oregon is gorgeous!! After your first visit, you’ll wonder what took you so long to get here. (BTW, all prior comments were stated by a native-Oregonian, born and raised in Portland.)
In all seriousness, Portland has not yet lost its “undiscovered secret” status…it truly is a delightful, interesting, gem-of-a-place-to-be place. (But shhhh…don’t tell!)
Not only will you visit the home of Ramona Quimby, but you can stroll the former hometown of (and inspiration for) “The Simpson’s” creator, Matt Groening. You can see where films like “Drugstore Cowboy”, “Bandits” (Kate Blanchett, Bruce Willis), “Stand By Me”, “Kindergarten Cop”, “Feast of Love” (brand new) and Jennifer Aniston’s latest film (among many others - remember “The Shining”?) were/are being made. Authors like Jean Auel, Chuck Palahniuk (Fight Club), Monica Drake (Clown Girl), Ursula K. LeGuin, Ken Kesey, etc. all call Oregon “home”.
If you have any questions or need suggestions on sites to see, don’t hesitate to ping me!
dk in pdx