Oregon has 300 miles of public white-sand beaches. U.S. 101, parallels the coast along the length of the state. It winds past sea-tortured rocks, brooding headlands, hidden beaches, historic lighthouses, and tiny ports, with the gleaming Pacific Ocean always in view. With its seaside hamlets, outstanding fresh seafood eateries, and small hotels and resorts, the Oregon Coast represents the finest in Pacific Northwest living. The Willamette Valley is the heart of Oregon's agriculture country. The valley's flat terrain and temperate climate make it a favorite for hikers and cyclists, who also enjoy the paved paths in the college town of Eugene. Nestled among its rolling hills are over 200 wineries producing a medley of wines. The valley, dubbed Oregon's Wine Country, is one of Oregon's major wine-growing regions. Portland offers a wealth of culture, culinary choices and proximity to the ocean and mountains. Strolling through downtown or Portland's many neighborhoods, there's an unmistakable vibrancy to this city -- one that is encouraged by clean air, infinite trees, and a diverse blend of historic and modern architecture.

Thunder eggs are a kind of solid geode: a rocky shell with a filling of agate, the refined variety of the mineral chalcedony. They form in rhyolite lava beds, perhaps where the volcanic gases left bubbles frozen into the rock. Later, mineral solutions deposited the filling. According to Pacific Northwest native legend, the Thunder Spirits lived at the highest reaches of Mount Hood and Mount Jefferson, and when they became angry at each other, they threw these spherical rocks at each other. While thunder eggs can be collected all over Oregon, the largest deposits are found in Crook, Jefferson, Malheur, Wasco and Wheeler counties.

-- IN MEMORY OF RON STRATTMAN -- "THE NORTHWEST COAST" --
June 28, 1951 - August 11, 2006

Website Design, Layout and Photographs by Lynn Marie Tillquist © copyright 1991
* Photographs by Ron Strattman © copyright 2003 & 2005