United States of America - Lincoln City & Newport Beach (Oregon)

Lincoln City & Newport are another 2 beautiful coastal areas of West America along Highway 101. I enjoyed the drive by the coast while listening to the sound of the wave. We also managed to catch the beautiful sunset down the Pacific Ocean.

Lincoln City has a casino and branded factory outlets like Coach.

Sunset at Pacific Ocean:

United States of America - Cannon Beach (Oregon)

Cannon beach is one of the popular summer destinations to appreciate the beauty of Pacific Ocean. During summer, it was packed with people grabbing chances to enjoy the sunlight. Accommodation is also aplenty just by the beach side for a good stay.

Complete your tour to Cannon beach with a nice seafood sumptuous meal!

United States of America - Bend (Oregon)

When you are in Oregon, do not miss out Bend. Land where 3 Sisters Mountain are situated, it also hosts a large Lava Butte which is the remains of historic volcanic activities. Join in to the spectacular scenery is Painted Hills (bottom left) and magnificient rocks where rock climbing enthusiasts hang around.

The memorable experience which I encountered was driving in the middle of the black lava from previous volcanic eruption. It was so beautfiul against the backdrop of snowy mountains.

United States of America - Mt Hood (Oregon)

Located just 2 hours drive from downtown Portland, Mt Hood stands up as a landmark visibly most of the time from Portland (Oregon). Starting November each year, the mountain turns snowy white gradually as winter approaches and become popular skiing destination starting end Dec or Jan.

From Portland (OR) or Vancouver (WA), I can see the mountain just at the east where sun rises. The journey to Mt Hood is great during winter when it was snowing. From drizzling rain, I can see pieces of ice and later on snow on the windshield. It could be dangerous though, so remember to bring the snow chain. Experience hooking up snow chain is another challenges for beginners. Luckily there are some good souls helping us with that. Imagine doing that with heavy wind blowing and snows falling!

Mt Hood is the perfect skiing resort for all levels of skiing/snowboarding. There are packages for beginners at US$100 for 3 lessons from reputable instructors and different difficulties of slopes. You can choose either skiing, snowboarding or combination of both. Do remember to browse the official Mt Hood website to check the snow condition (the resort might be close due to extreme weather or insufficient snow falls).
As winter closes up and spring/summer approaches, Mt Hood is a best place for hiking. Pictures below show hiking at Timberline Resort, Mt Hood.

United States of America - Grand Canyon (Arizona)

This is a must-see when you are in Arizona. The canyon was created after millions of years by the famous Colorado River and the wonder of the wind shaping the rocks.

From the viewpoint, I can see the Colorado river flows through the Canyon. If you have the stamina, you can try to hike down the canyon or take a water rafting tour. However, do bring along lots of water as it was very hot during summer which causes dehydration. I also visited the visitor centre which provided great information on the canyon.

United States of America - Hoover Dam (Nevada)

The magnificient engineering wonder of the world. When completed in 1935, it was both the world's largest electric power producing facility and the world's largest concrete structure. Recommend to take the tour and see for yourself!

I was there during summer and it was scorching hot at 40Celcius. Still amazed by the dam, I took some photos shots and ran back into the shelter. The tour into the body of the dam took us into the machineries involved in making the dam works.