Visiting Portland, Ore., provided the chance to stay at the luxurious Terwilliger Vista Bed and Breakfast and to visit a place residents feel is so unique that some call it the “Republic of Portland.” Winter is definitely the offseason, but Portland still offers so many sights that a week-long visit wasn’t enough. Rather than plan the trip in advance, my friend Susan and I decided to do one day at a time to best accommodate the fickle weather.

Looking for a dinner spot, we opted not to eat at Cranky Sue’s but instead at Dooger’s. We both had seafood platters that included Alaskan razor clams, thin fried clams that neither of us had ever tried before, and neither of us seemed to fully appreciate. That night, we stayed at the Tolovana Motel, right by the sea in Cannon Beach. The next morning we took an even longer walk up the beach. Even more massive rocks were offshore here, including one that’s been declared a marine sanctuary called the Haystack.