Closest sun getaway? (Portland, Bend, Ontario: rental car, rental, homes)

[lovethegreen]

Hi all, I've been a lurker reading this marvelous forum for a while, but now it's time to introduce myself. I've lived in Portland a little over a year and before that many years in Seattle with a few sunnier places inbetween. And I need to see the SUN now! I have SAD and do daily treatments with a lightbox which help tremendously, but my heart still sinks when I look at the forecast and it is nothing but rain. I was here for last winter and it was really decent - much brighter than I expected but this winter is different. If I were to hop in my car and drive, what is the closest place for a sunny weekend? My own research so far has brought up Yakima and Bend. I've lived all over the US and all factors considered I am happy to live here, and I "love the green" very much so I need to make peace with these winters. Thanks for any advice you have.

lovethegreen

[questioner2]

On a cloudy day in Portland Oregon you can check the website Welcome to The Weather Underground : Weather Underground and type in Or and it will bring up a long list of cities in the state. I have done this a few times and have come up with a conclusion, most places in Eastern Oregon are very cloudy in the winter. Yes, many of them are dry and do not rain all that much. In fact most of the area east of the cascades have less than 15 inches of rain a year, but that does not mean they are sunny in the winter.

[roneb]

Speaking for myself, there is still a difference between low nimbostratus clouds that create a dark, rainy, gloomy environment and higher cloud cover with snow on the ground. The latter is much brighter and easier to live with in the winter. In that case a simple trip over the Cascades can do wonders!

[PSP2PDX]

Just to add my 2 cents worth being that I travel back and forth quite frequently to Palm Springs. In less time than it would take you to drive to Bend, you can fly to Palm Springs and almost be guaranteed sun. Chamber of Commerce states "over 350 days of sunshine a year" which for me can get a bit boring but for someone with your feelings about the rain and clouds in Portland, it might be a great getaway for a day or two. Alaska Airlines offers 2 non stops a day this time of year and with a little advance planning, you can get fares quite reasonably. Just a thought.....hope it helps!

[lovethegreen]

Questioner2, thanks for the pointer. wunderground's list is perfect for scanning the whole state quickly though like you say the news is that it is cloudy everywhere! eeeaaaargh

roneb, I do know what you mean a cloudy day with high clouds can be much brighter than what is typical here. And snow makes it so much brighter too with its reflectiveness. Today the clouds were so low I saw them brushing the tops of the west hills....guess it's pretty foggy up there?

psp2pdx, thanks for the recommendation but I just checked expedia and saw fares all above $300...do they get lower? Once airfare comes into it I could go to lots of good desert locations but then there's the rental car, etc.

It's such an irony that in places where it is sunny all the time I get sick of the sun pretty quickly - start longing for places with shady forests. It's clear I just have to get a lifestyle where I have different summer and winter homes...any minute now.

[bobmulk]

Actually, it's longer to travel to Palm Springs than to get to Bend because you have to be at the airport two hours early and you have to fight traffic to get there.

Even closer might be The Dalles which is sprucing up its downtown and right on the Columbia River. Probably an hour and a half away and east of the Cascades.

[sav]

I really feel for you. We moved to a Portland suburb from SLC UT almost 4 years ago and are moving next month, in part because I have pretty significant seasonal affective disorder living here. Have lived in many places in my adult life, including CT, MA, NH, NM, MN, OH and upstate NY and I didn't have it before, but here October comes and I feel a gloom descend.

I agree w/ previous poster that the Dalles, or maybe even Hood River would be your best bet. It is not necessarily open sunshine, but is definitely brighter. Bend definitely has advantage if there is snow, it makes everything super bright.

I found exercising in the outdoors to be moderately helpful in the winters here, I commute to work on my legs (jogging) 3 days per week and I often find that just getting outside, even in a downpour, is helpful. For what it's worth, the artificial light lamps didn't seem to help me much.

Good luck. I know it can be hard. The northwest is such a cool place and has so much to offer, I eventually just decided though that it wasn't the right climate for me.

[lovethegreen]

Bobmulk, I'll keep an eye on the conditions in The Dalles as well - why on earth does the town get a "the" in its name? An hour and a half drive would be far better than the minimum three hours to Bend or Yakima. I still have to get up early enough to drive anywhere first....see next para. I have hypersomnia as well - it's like I'm a bear going into hibernation.

Sav, that's a shame you have to move but I understand it well. Yes the gloom comes in October shortly after the fall equinox and it isn't fully gone till spring equinox. I find the light box helps a lot with my energy but my sleep cycle is really screwy keeps shifting later and later - I get up at 2pm now. I'm planning on trying a dawn simulator to see if that can address the delayed sleep cycle. Salt Lake City has to be very sunny so I can understand the shock - I once lived in Tucson and whew that's a lot of sun. It took two months there before I felt "full" of light and then it began to get annoying and I noticed the scary lack of green. Good luck on your move!

To everyone - Do you guys know of anywhere in the Portland area that has a glass roof that is a good place to hang out? What I'd like most would be some kind of indoor plant conservatory with a geodesic glass dome - some cities have them and they are awesome even on a cloudy day.

[PSP2PDX]

I don't know about a glass roof anywhere but to answer you earlier question regarding air fares to Palm Springs. Check the Alaska Airlines website directly, not Expedia or one of the others. They have "web specials" and also offer weekly 20% off fares to different locations. I have seen the fare as low as $99 each way. There is also the option of Ontario which is only about an hours drive to PS and I have seen fares as low as $79 each way. The comment from bobmulk is a factor when you consider check in time at the airport, etc, but at least it does give you an option where bright sunshine and blue skies can almost be guaranteed.

[jfwells]

Kahneta, over on the Warm Springs Indian Reservation, advertises over 300 sunny days a year. (I think having the sun peek out for 15 minutes counts as a sunny day, lol)

Anyway, they have a nice spa and hot-springs so you can get a day away from the rain, even if it is overcast. Just hop on Hwy 26 over Mt. Hood and you are there.