Oregon

For nineteenth-century pioneers, driving in covered wagons over the mountains and deserts of the arduous Oregon Trail, the Willamette Valley was the promised land. Rich and fertile, it became the home of Oregon's first settlements, and the valley is still the heart of the state's social, political and cultural existence. Waterfalls cascade down mossy cliffs along the Columbia River Gorge , south of which the twisting path of an old pioneer road leads through more beautiful scenery around Mount Hood. Central Oregon is located on a high chaparral desert with sage and juniper trees, with close access to the southern Cascades, as well as numerous lakes and rivers dropping into striking canyons. Further south, the major rivers drain to the Pacific carving steep gorges and making for some excellent whitewater rafting, while the Ashland offers a splash of culture with its annual Shakespeare Festival. South along the coast, wide and protected expanses of sand are broken by jagged black monoliths; white lighthouses look out from stark headlands; and rough cliffs conceal small, sheltered coves. With its sand dunes, dense forests, and sheer variety, the coast is every bit as appealing as its Californian counterpart, albeit not as warm. The rugged deserts and lava fields of Eastern Oregon are more remote and small towns still celebrate their cowboy roots with annual rodeos.