Save the Best for Last

Of the three countries I visited, I enjoyed Denmark the most.  Granted my exposure to Denmark was limited to Copenhagen and the scenery whizzing by the train heading north, but Copenhagen was definitely the highlight.  If you're there for two or more days, get the Copenhagen Card, it's well worth it.

The city is larger than Stockholm or Oslo, but nearly walkable if you take your time.  It seemed like public transit never went where I wanted to go or the walk to the stop was halfway to where I was going anyway.  On my second to last day I finally figured out the bus system and was able to hop on/hop off as needed.  The metro is good for going further afield, but the buses are the best bet within the city.

If you're in Copenhagen around the holidays, Tivoli is a must.  It is an adult version of Disneyland with holiday lights and mulled wine.  Go at night when everything is lit up and the atmosphere is festive.  If you find one of the Christmas markets be sure to stay a while and take in the holiday cheer.

There are a ton of attractions in and around Copenhagen to keep you busy, here are a few of the places I visited:

• Rundetaarn (Round Tower) - Hike up and take in the views of Copenhagen
• Rosenborg Slot - Former palace and gardens
• Den Bla Planet - Copenhagen's aquarium with a tunnel you can walk through for a 180 degree view of the marine life.
• Copenhagen Zoo - The lion exhibit is amazing if the lions decide to come out and play.
• Christianborg Slot - Current residence of the Danish royalty.  Don't skip the royal stables and the ruins underneath the castle.
• HC Andersen Eventyrhuset - A walk through museum with tableaus of HC Andersen stories.  Ripley's is next door if it's raining and you're looking to stay inside for a bit longer.
• Carlsberg Brewery - The guided tour and tastings are worth the price, plus you get two free drinks with admission.
• Tycho Brahe Planetarium - IMAX movies and a science museum rolled together.

Botanical Gardens

Copenhagen Zoo

Den Bla Planet

Side Trips

Between Oslo and Copenhagen I detoured to the West coast of Norway to the town of Bergen.  The Bryggen district contains the old wharf and commercial buildings that are now boast World Heritage Site status.  While once the former center of the league of Hanseatic merchants, Bergen is now a town for tourists and the jumping off point for exploring Norway's fjords.

Unfortunately I was in Bergen during the off season and unable to catch a fjord tour so I ended up attempting to stay dry and wishing I had gone North from Oslo instead of West.  You can take the Floibanen (funicular) from the commercial district for sweeping views of the city.  If it's dry, there is a series of hiking trials to explore and play areas for the kids.  There is also a cafe at the top during the busy season.

Bergen

Another distraction in Bergen is the Akvariet (aquarium).    You'll find a wide variety of animals at the aquarium and can view penguin feedings, sea lion shows, and exhibits illustrating the native environments of Norway.

Akvariet

To break up the trip from Bergen to Copenhagen, I stopped for a night in Fredrikstad and wandered around the fortified old town.  To get there, take a short (free) ferry ride across the canal behind the train station.  Walk around the fortifications, visit the museum, or stroll through the market in the main square.

Fredrikstad Old Town

Exploration by Sea

Norway has a long history of exploration by sea.  In Bygdoy, a short bus ride outside of Oslo, you can visit three museums dedicated to seafaring Norwegians.

Viking Ship Museum

With free wifi, you can wander around and listen to the online audio tour to learn more about the Viking ships displayed. Ornately carved and well preserved, these ships are amazing.

Fram Museum

Climb through the Polar Ship Fram and learn about the Arctic expeditions of Fridtjof Nansen and Otto Sverdrup, and the Antartic expedition of Roald Amundsen.  You can also view the Gjoa, the first ship to sail the entire Northwest Passage.

Kon-Tiki Museum

The Kon-Tiki museum is dedicated to Thor Heyerdal's Pacific ocean voyage on the balsawood raft, the Kon-Tiki.  Commentary from crew members provide insight into the expedition and the antics that occurred on the voyage.  If one crazy expedition wasn't enough, the Ra is also on display which Heyerdal floated across the Atlantic.

Other Attractions

Oslo feels like a smaller, more walkable version of Stockholm with attractions scattered further outside the core downtown area.

Within the core you can:

• Walk on the roof of the Norwegian National Ballet and Opera building.  
• Visit the fortifications of Akershus Fortress (beautifully lit up at night).
• Shop or grab a bit to eat in Aker Brygge.
• See The Scream in the National Gallery.

Further afield you can visit the Holmenkollen Ski jump, and participate in seasonal activities in the snow or on the water.  With attractions spread outside the city, the Oslo Pass is a good investment for the public transport benefit.   You also receive a discount at some restaurants so be sure to check before you dine.

Swedish Fish and Meatballs

Stockholm

Stockholm is a mix of new industry, shopping, and old world architecture.  While I didn't find any Swedish fish, I did have some of the best Swedish meatballs on my visit to Stockholm.  Even if you don't plan on going to a lot of museums, the Stockholm Card is worth it for the convenience.  No worrying about paying at each attraction and you can jump on public transit if you get tired or stuck in a sudden downpour.

Interesting Attractions:

• Vasa Museet - Learn about the age of Vikings
• Skansen - See below
• Kulturhuset Stadsteatern - Culture center
• Riddarholmen Church - Resting place of Sweden's monarchs
• Gamla Stan - Walk around the old town and take in the Royal Palace (don't skip the crown jewels).
• Drottninggatan - Stroll along the shops

Skansen

"Skansen is the world's first open-air museum, founded in 1891. Here you can stroll through five centuries of Swedish history, from north to south, with a real sense of the past all around in the historical buildings and dwellings, peopled by characters in period dress."

They aren't kidding about people in period dress.  Scared the bejesus out of me the first time I opened a door to find someone looking back at me.  That ratcheted up the overall creepiness factor given the gloomy day and overall deserted feeling of the park.

Besides the historical structures, you'll find a mini zoo, aquarium, and a traditional town with a functioning restaurant.  Skansen is a fun place to spend a day wandering around outside and has enough variation to keep everyone interested.

We Have an Arboretum?

I've lived in Seattle for too many years and had never taken the time to wander through the Arboretum.  If you're going to do it, May is just about as perfect as it gets.

It's a Jungle Out There

I rounded out the last day of my roadtrip with a visit to the Wildlife Safari in Winston, OR, and the Cascades Raptor Center in Eugene, OR.  Tomorrow it's a straight shot home to Seattle.

Wildlife Safari

The Wildlife Safari will bring out the kid in everyone.  There is a walk through village with animals in their habitats typical of a zoo, and a drive through area where you are in a cage and the animals roam free.  Admission gets you two loops around the drive through park and admittance to the village as many times as you'd like.  Definitely worth the trip if you're in the Roseburg area.

Cascades Raptor Center

The Cascades Raptor Center's mission is to rehabilitate injured birds with the goal of releasing them back into the wild.  The birds they have on display are used to educate the public about the various raptor species as well as common causes of injury (namely how humans are harming them).   It's a small park and your admission goes to the rehabilitation efforts.

Hiking Through Snow is Hard (What I learned at Crater Lake)

Crater Lake is like a lot of other natural wonders, you have to see it once in your life.  Beyond that, it's up to you.  I ended up hiking out through up to knee deep snow (snowshoes are not allowed on the road even if it's covered in snow) to the second lookout.  4.6 miles is a lot harder when you're post-holing and slipping every few steps.  The views were amazing, but I was glad I got an early start.  I was the third car in the parking lot when I set out and all lots were full when I returned.  The "touron" factor is worse here than at the Grand Canyon.   It is definitely worth the drive down from Bend if you've never seen it before, but do yourself (and your sanity) a favor and get an early start.

There's More to Bend, OR than Mt. Bachelor

Most people visit Bend, OR to sped time on the slopes of Mt. Bachelor. No longer a skiier, I was surprised at the number of alternative activities in the area.  Many activities and roads are only open seasonally so check ahead before heading out.

Snowshoeing 

I did spend a day on Mt. Bachelor, just snowshoeing through the forest instead.  The loop is 2.8 miles long and starts from the Nordic Center's Common Corridor trail.  Tromping through fresh powder, over logs, and around creeks is a lot harder than it sounds.  There are a plenty of other trails in the area besides Mt. Bachelor.

Newberry National Volcanic Monument

The Newberry National Volcanic Monument is actually a caldera that is seismically and geothermally active.   There are two main access points to the area:  Lava Lands and Paulina Lake.  Lava Lands provides views of the Lava Butte cinder cone and hikes through the pines.  Paulina Lake provides many more hiking options including trails around the crater rim, along the lakes, to waterfalls, adn across obsidian flows.  Unfortunately, both access roads were closed for the season so I was not able to hike in the area this trip.  

High Desert Museum

The High Desert Museum is worth the short trip south of Bend.  A combination of cultural history, forest education, and wildlife zoo, it is an eclectic museum that will keep you entertained.  Be sure to catch one of the talks throughout the day; they are fairly short and interactive.  The river otters love to play for the cameras so don't forget yours.

Pilot Butte

If you hike to the top of the cinder cone in town you'll be rewarded with panoramic views of the city and surrounding mountains (or the incoming storm depending on your luck.)  The parking area at Pilot Butte State Scenic Viewpoint is large and well visited if you decide to walk to the top.  The gate to drive to the top is only open seasonally.

Peds and Pedals

In addition to the large number of destination areas around Bend, there are also a ton of cycling and walking paths throughout the city.  Walking along the Deschutes River is a beautiful way to end your day.

Staying Power - Hiking Through Time

Mother Nature is not afraid to scorch the earth and start over.  This leg of my journey took me through Shaniko, OR, on the way to John Day Fossil Beds.

Shaniko

Shaniko, OR, was created as a railroad terminus in 1900.  Unfortunately, the railroad tracks could not to go any further than Shaniko due to terrain issues and the great railroad race of Harriman and Hill built tracks from the Columbia River along the Deschutes River, headed to Bend from 1908 to 1911. A fire in 1911, and suspension of railroad service in 1942, led Shaniko to become the ghost town you see today.  The community continues to restore the old buildings and keep the history of the town alive.

John Day Fossil Beds

The John Day Fossil Beds National Monument is made up of three separate units:  Clarno, Sheep Rock, and Painted Hills.  Each unit tells a different story of how the earth has changed over millions of years.

Clarno Unit

You stand the best chance of viewing fossils in the Clarno Unit.  There are two short hikes that take you through the story of how the land changed as well as provide a close up viewing of leaf and tree fossils in the rocks along the path.  Once your eyes get used to looking for the leaf fossils, you can spot them all over the place.  It's worth the hike up to the arch to see a large, fossilized tree trunk stuck high up in the wall.

Sheep Rock Unit

Along with the Thomas Condon Paleontology Center and the historic Cant Ranch, there are two major hiking areas in this unit.  The Foree section was created by floods of lava that seeped up through the earth and left dark striations in the rock to mark each event.

The Blue Basin section was created by volcanic ash that has turned to claystone.  You won't find many plant fossils in this area as the volcanic ash flows incinerated everything in their path.  They are still finding animal fossils in this section today, however all fossil displays you see along the trail are replicas.  Check out the palentology center to learn more about the techniques used to recover fossils in this area.

Painted Hills

The Painted Hills formations were created by alternating swamp and forest climates.  The bold pigments are startling at first, but then become playful as the sun dances in and out of the clouds.

Drunk History - Touring The Dalles

The first leg of my trip contained an equal part sampling of local wine and cider, and natural history.  I've themed this leg "Drunk History".

Maryhill

On the way into The Dalles stop and take in the peaceful monument of Maryhill Stonehenge.  Commissioned by Samuel Hill, the monument is a memorial to those who died in World War 1.  It was dedicated on July 4, 1918 and completed in 1929.  Unfortunately, there was a family playing hide and seek through the monument while I was there, but I was still able to wonder at the construction.

Maryhill winery is a beautiful location set on a bluff overlooking the Columbia River.  The atmosphere is a bit stodgy and their wind is on the expensive side, but if you get someone in a good mood they may slip in a few extra tastes.  Getting people to sign up for their wine club is definitely a goal, but if you can avoid the pitch and score a table in the sun, it's definitely worth taking some time out for the view.

The Dalles - Historic Drinking

Sunshine Mill is hard to miss as you drive into the center of town.  Built in an old wheat mill, it was the first building in town to have electricity and they still have the old Thomas Edison Motor on display.  Enjoy a small plate while sampling their wine surrounded by old mill fixtures.  Very nice people and there's something different everywhere you look.

If you're looking for something a bit more raucous, try Clock Tower Ales  further in town.  Set in the second Wasco County Courthouse, home to the last public hanging in 1905, they offer typical pub eats and a wide array of beers on tap.

Pictographs and Petroglyphs

Columbia Hills State park offers guided tours to a series of pictographs along the Columbia River.  A petroglyph is a drawing carved into the rock while a pictograph is a drawing painted onto the rock.  The process for creating a pictograph is quite complex and involves several, unappealing substances, but the outcome is quite durable.  The tour is about 1 mile round trip and takes between 1-1/2 to 2 hours depending on the chattiness of your guide.  The ground is uneven so be prepared with sturdy shoes that are good for scrambling and standing.

Mosier

Heading West toward Hood River you'll find the town of Mosier, OR, population 430.  Tucked up along the ridge is the Twin Tunnels hike.  This trail was once the original US Highway 30 and is now a paved trail for walkers and cyclists.  It is five miles long and passes through two tunnels blasted through the rock.  The path is wide and well maintained and provides spectacular views of the gorge and forest.

If you're looking for post hike libations, you can sample wines at Analemma Winery high up on the hillside as you pass back East through town.  If the hipster crowd is more your scene, check out Rack and Cloth for a pint of their unfiltered cider and a quirky 'za.  Their patio is a nice place to soak in the last bit of sun for the day and unwind.