That Oregon Life · Stories & discoveries
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Wine gets most of the attention in this part of the Willamette Valley, but there's another kind of treasure to be found here. Instead of pinot noir, this place deals in things that are millions of…
Most Oregonians and tourists have driven right past them without a second thought. You've fished and boated there. Swam and picniced nearby. Beneath the deep blue water of some of Oregon's most familiar reservoirs lie hidden…
If you've spent much time scrolling through Oregon news lately, you've probably seen some version of the same strange story. A reservoir is being lowered. A dam is spilling more water. Fish are dying. A town…
There’s something about Oregon that feels like it was designed for a treasure hunt. Maybe it’s the fog curling through the Coast Range. Maybe it’s the abandoned mining roads disappearing beneath sword ferns, the black-sand beaches,…
There are road trips where the destination is the whole point, and then there are those wonderfully strange Oregon adventures where simply getting there feels like part of the story. Way out in the high desert…
As wildfires force evacuations, destroy homes and send smoke across Oregon and the West, some people are apparently watching the devastation with something other than concern. They’re betting money on it. Online prediction markets have begun…
Smoke had drifted into Lane County again, turning the sky a sickly-yellow and the surrounding hills into indistinct hazy blue, when I found myself remembering an old newspaper clipping I’d saved during some research into western…
Oregon’s already devastating 2026 wildfire season is now within striking distance of becoming the largest on record for total acreage burned. As of Monday morning, August 3, 60 large fires had burned an estimated 2,014,481 acres…
The U.S. Navy Blue Angels are returning to Oregon this August, bringing their unmistakable blue-and-gold fighter jets, tightly packed formations and thunderous aerial maneuvers to the Oregon International Air Show in McMinnville. This year’s show is…
Part two of two. Read Part One here. At the bottom of Crabtree Valley, the argument seems impossibly far away. Crabtree Lake lies dark beneath the trees. Water gathers along fallen logs. Moss hangs from branches…
Some restaurants give you a waterfront view. Big Fish Cafe gives you that, plus the entire boat. Tucked beside the Umpqua River in Reedsport, this wonderfully unexpected restaurant occupies a former Coast Guard cutter that’s been…
Walk through the doors at Hamley Steakhouse & Saloon and it doesn't take long to realize this isn't just another place to grab a bite to eat. Rich woodwork, handcrafted details, glowing antique style lighting, historic…
