Bumpass Hell.
It sounds like a place to avoid like hell when you’re on vacation.
But Bumpass Hell, the top hydrothermal feature in Northern California’s Lassen Volcanic National Park, is one of the “must-see” stops along the 30-mile-long main road through the park.
Unfortunately, those headed to Lassen this summer this summer literally won’t be able to “go to Hell.”
One of the great things about living (as I now do) in Eugene, Oregon are the nearby natural wonders: Mountains, lakes, rivers, streams, and the beaches and sand dunes at the shore of the Pacific Ocean.
During the past year I’ve had an opportunity to explore some of the scenic places with an hour or so by car from my home.
And the sweetest of these visually “sweet” destinations is in the Coast Range west of the Willamette Valley.
Both resident and visiting wine drinkers in Oregon’s Willamette Valley are confronted with a Gordian knot-like problem: With over 500 wineries, how can you possibly figure out which to visit and which to skip?
But there’s a simple solution: Rather than spending hours visiting Websites or consulting guidebooks to decide where to go, just pick a few and go taste wine!
Here are five wineries, plus a couple of places to taste beer and eat good food, that I discovered during a three-day, two-night long weekend in mid-valley back in April of this year.