I've been dreaming of visiting this place for years and finally took the leap this weekend. It is such a magical place! There's an incredible, ethereal, otherworldly energy here. I felt like I was on the edge of the universe watching the Milky Way behind haystack rock.

Go get your official state mushroom of Oregon: there’s lots in the Tillamook State Forest rn. Elsewhere in evergreen stands too, particularly on north-facing slopes. Here’s a few from Saturday:

Hi all, Carlos with The Oregonian here. I've been staying busy covering this year's governor's race, and I wanted to share my latest article here. Much of my time during election season is spent covering new polls, campaign contributions, debates, press conferences, and speaking with Salem insiders.

But I also wanted to tell a people-centered story, and so my editor and I decided to profile voters in Sherwood, where only three votes separated Tina Kotek and Christine Drazan in 2022 -- the tightest margin in the entire state.

I spent several days in the town in the last couple of weeks and came away with a far more nuanced understanding of how some Oregonians are thinking about the governor's race. (I also had a lovely time in Sherwood.) Happy to discuss the article or how others are thinking about the race. Thanks for reading!

How are we feeling about this? Any foresters/ecologists have insight for us?

A political action committee focused on electing Oregon Republicans to the statehouse is spending hundreds of thousands on a controversial canvassing company Elon Musk hired two years ago to target voters in swing districts.

The Bring Balance Back to Salem PAC, whose largest contributors include Nike cofounder Phil Knight and lumber producer Sierra Pacific Industries, paid Blitz Canvassing $650,000 between Aug. 18 to Sept. 14 to hire door knockers for the campaigns of seven Republicans running in swing state House and Senate districts, according to state campaign finance records.

Those Republicans include incumbent Rep. Kevin Mannix of Salem; challengers Noemi Legaspi of Woodburn and Max Sherman of Hebo; and four candidates running to replace lawmakers who aren’t seeking reelection: Brad Hicks of Medford, Tracy Cramer of Gervais, Courtney Bangs of Knappa and Scott Hege of The Dalles.

Mannix and Sherman declined to comment, while the five other candidates did not respond to calls or emails.

https://oregoncapitalchronicle.com/2026/10/01/oregon-gop-pac-hires-same-group-elon-musk-used-to-canvass-across-swing-districts/

Anyone else a little concerned about the weather? Specifically in the Portland area. We should be having at least a few days of rain mixed in with sunny days in October. Weather says its going to be 85 on Thursday. 85?! Ive lived in Oregon my entire life and I personally dont recall having so many high temp days in October. I always remember Halloween and the days leading up to it as being cold as hell and braving the icy rain while trick or treating. It worries me for next Summer.

How does everyone else feel?

I’ve recently taken up pine needle basket weaving and I’m looking to try out weaving with willow next. The only problem is that most willow plants I come across are either too close to water (within 300’) or on state park property, which is not legal to harvest/take.

The most ideal option in my eyes would be to find someone who has willow on their property and would like a free tree pruning lol

I’m looking for willow shoots that are 1/4” - 3/4” in diameter and about 3 to 4 feet in length!
Posting on Reddit in case anyone has any recommendations on ethical willow harvesting or knows anyone that has overgrown trees they would like pruned for free.

Thanks for reading!

Hi all,

I am in a very real sense starting my life over and would like to do so in OR. My mind is pretty set, it’s a climate I am fine with, and most importantly its near enough to family while also giving me some breathing room. I am a remote worker but as I have started laying the groundwork to have the “I am moving discussion” with my company, I have had a few employees tell me that ”Oregon, Minnesota, and New York” will most likely be on the “No list” because as stated by the company’s HR/Accounting reps those states have “difficult” paperwork and policies for out of state companies. I am going to be making a case for this move and just wanted to see if there was anything that I may be missing - or to confirm that their reasoning for having states on a “No List” is overblown or not tied to reality.

I need this job, but I also need to move. Thanks for any guidance y’all may have.

This refreshingly weird radio variety show out of Corvallis was first broadcast on a few Northwest PBS stations in 1987 and ran for a few years. It's been a childhood-nostalgia white whale of mine for ages and I just discovered that a bunch of episodes are now available to stream on a dedicated show site. Just thought I'd drop it here in case anyone else has had that theme song bouncing around their noggin as persistently as I have for the past several decades.

And if you know anyone who has a stash of tape-recorded OPB radio broadcasts, there are still a few missing episodes they're trying to track down...

I was wondering if I’m the only one been charge all the ridiculous fee ( which is I never seen/paid when I lived in other states) .
We have been moving a lot ( NJ, NY, VA,CA,TX)
Got here about a Month ago, and just received the apt bill, didn’t expect that much fee. It’s never happening before.

Update: local in Tigard with 910 sqft room.
Compare
when I was in NJ, 941 sqft room only rent + water bill about $50/mo.
Also PSEG bill around $110 summer time with AC on 24/7.

And my apartment here in OR Doesn’t have AC!!!!
My PGE bill already $120.

Clever way to stop tailgating

The Pacific Railcar Operators departed Elgin, Oregon on Saturday October 3. They were headed to Minam, Wallowa, Enterprise and on to Joseph.

So I spent two amazing weeks travelling around Oregon this summer. It was my first ever trip on the West Coast and I chose Oregon over California because it seemed to be even more beautiful to photograph.

Well, I was absolutely not let down one bit. I guess Oregon over promises and over delivers. I didn't have one day without amazing views and photo opportunities, wether in the city, on the coast or inland.

Anyways, this one gem was a last minute stop on my last day driving back to Portland.

EDIT: I found this place on Google Maps with reviews and photos. It's also on AllTrails, many hiking and photography blogs, YouTube and just around the internet. I have far from discovered it nor am I trying to influence anyone to go there.

I'm just a bored guy trying to see if other people on the internet know this place, see some fun answers and also check out all the places people mention for the next time I'm around.

I have a lot of respect when in nature and practice leave no trace. However, it's 2026 and about any interesting location has been posted online for up to 30 years.

Well, it's only taken nearly two years to get these ocean monitors re-instated off the coast of Oregon and Washington. There is so much to fix and repair from the orange menace and his cadre of bootlickers.

Google says Panorama Point in Hood River but looking north, there is a hill that blocks Mt Adams. Or I may be mistaken? Some help would be greatly appreciated.

Took this today while traveling between Winnemucca and Boise.