What Mr. Morgan said is good and you might want to add Crater Lake as well.  Unless you have to leave Portland right away, there are a couple nice day trips from there.  One is Mt. St. Helens about 45 miles northeast (the volcano) and the other is up the Columbia Gorge where you can see Multnomah Falls (and others near it), the Vista View Point, some wine country and Mt. Hood (have lunch or dinner at the Timberline Lodge) then come down the other side and return.  Both trips end up being about 100 miles and most of a day if done properly.

Thanks Craig!
 
We choose to fly in to Portland because we wanted to get in the woods quicker than if we flew in to San Francisco. The urge was to see the coast (my wife wants to dip her toes in the Pacific) and the big trees. It sounds like there's so much stuff to do around Portland that I am thinking we may skip going all the way down to Sequoia National Park and save that for another trip. We are bringing my Mother in Law so we need to plan every thing ahead more so than when it's just my wife and I.

mike_mccue
Right on our return route!!!
 
Thanks a bunch. I've been looking for stuff to do on the return route on I-5 north, and I didn't realize that Crater Lake was a possibility. 

Yes Crater Look is fantastic! If you do that then I would say continue east then head north on (IIRC) Highway 95 up trough the Bend/Sunriver area...I used to live there and it's tre` cool. There is some great biking to be done in that area. Then as you head north you could continue to The Dalles and then head west on the Columbia River to the Portland airport. You could also cut back over the Cascades by heading west at Bend and go through Three Sisters and the Mackenzie Pass which dumps out in Salem.
 
Regards,
 

Great suggestions Mike. Thanks.
 
I'm adding pinpoints to a Google Earth file to keep track of everything.

Well, between Portland and the Coast IS a rain forest so that might be worth checking out.  Many people also visit the lighthouse in Astoria (the bridge across the Columbia there is AWESOME!).  There's also the Tillamook dairy and a history of flight museum as you go down the coast.  If you go down the coast, there's a small restaurant in Nehalem that we make a point of stopping at.  Just one of those that caters to the locals but has great food (and these huge blueberry pancakes that are about the size of the plate!).
 
(So is the plan to take the MIL back with you or leave her in the forest?  )

:-)
 
We are dragging her out on an adventure and plan to bring her back too.
 
We all get along real easy... but we can't take her hiking up a mountain so we are focused on easy access scenery and nice lodging where she might enjoy sitting with a scenic view while we take a short hike.
 
Pancakes... yummm!

As it stands, Crater lake is now a definite on the list.
 
In general, I have been surprised to learn how little virgin Redwood forest is left. I guess I knew that, but now that I've been scrutinizing online maps those sections seem rarer than I imagined.
 
We have Jedidiah Smith Redwood State Park and Humboldt Redwoods State Park on the list for good stands of old growth. I was surprised to learn that most of the Redwoods National park is not virgin forest but mostly a mix of 2nd growth. Live and learn. Does anyone know of other specific must see stands of Redwood?
 
Cannon Beach sounds fun but I am realizing that it is more of a beach town than I had first imagined. We may skip it to get a head start moving down the coast. The one place we picked to stay for a few days is about 400 miles down the coast so I am hoping to learn of some waypoints that are must sees on the way down. We are primarily interested in staying in natural settings or less developed areas.
 
My wife and I usually travel with a flexibility that can handle just about any surprise or detour... but this trip needs more planning so that I can promise mom that she will sleep in a nice bed. :-)
 
Ideas for the return trip also include Mt. Shasta, Volcano National Park, and Mt Hood.
 
Right now I'm trying to get details figured out so that we don't feel rushed getting down the coast, have some time built in so we can stop and see the stuff we happen upon, but actually get down the coast in a few days.
 
I have a feeling my wife and I could spend a couple weeks driving that 400 miles... so planing ahead and having some waypoints for nightfall seems like the only way to work it out for this trip.
 
Thanks!!!
 
 
 

Sounds like it will be a great time.
 
If you have time for more in the Portland area, you could also drive to the rain forest at Rainier National Park. There are some nice trails through there. The trees aren't redwoods, but they're pretty cool. The Hoh rain forest is a longer drive, but it's an awesome place (if you like that sort of thing). This forest is darker and older and has a different vibe.
 
The drive along the Columbia river has some fantastic scenery. Cannon beach is a popular "Look at the big rocks," type of place. Whatever you end up doing, I'm sure you'll be able to find activities that suit everybody.

Thanks Bubba.
 
The drive along the Columbia to it's mouth at the Pacific sure looks like a beautiful route when I zoom in on Google Earth.

As you go east from Portland the Gorge (as it's called) is really stunning.  There's a very distinct change when it goes from the rainy area to desert area too.