The concept was incredibly visionary, the result is spectacular.  When Lewis and Clark’s Corps of Discovery completed their unprecedented cross country exploration in 1805, they ended in Astoria on the dramatic Oregon Coast.  Today the landscape is largely unchanged, due to the forward-thinking of the founders of the Oregon Territory centuries ago.  They deemed there would be no private ownership on the coast, which allows you to walk in their footsteps on unspoiled beach, where the landscape is largely unchanged.  The stunning coast boasts dazzling beaches and hushed temperate rain forests in the north and sandy beaches, dunes, and rugged cliffs in the south.  Sometimes the only sound along the shore is the soothing ebb and flow of the ocean and the calls of sea gulls overhead.  In other places, waterfalls tumble down, whales spout and sea lions bark.  This is but one of the places in Oregon that has been carefully preserved at the forefront of environmental stewardship. Along the Columbia River Gorge, an 80 mile geologic wonder that forms the border between Oregon and Washington, cliffs rise to 4,000 feet.  Off the coastal roads, no other place in America matches the dramatic beauty of Crater Lake – deep, pure, astoundingly blue and surrounded by sheer cliffs nearly 2,000 feet high. It’s the beginning of the Volcanic Legacy Scenic Byway All America Road, which traces volcanoes on the Ring of Fire. Continuing on, the area around Bend is considered “high desert.” And, of course, there’s Portland, deemed the most walkable city in the United States. Take your time and savor the Oregon, meandering through the timeless landscapes.