Being from the east, I always thought of Oregon as being heavily forested and raining most of the time. I didn't give much other thought to what it was like here since, up until 1996, I never expected to be living here.
Was I surprised to discover that there is a huge area of desert, beautiful snow-covered mountains, gigantic areas of old lava flow, a fifty-mile stretch of coastal sand dunes, and miles and miles of beautiful coastline and picturesque towns, not to mention the huge stretches of forested lands, pristine inland lakes, and many beautiful rivers. It has been a true surprise to discover how many different aspects there are to Oregon both geographically and weather-wise.
Yes, it does rain quite a bit here between October and June, but the weather rarely prevents you from doing something if you want to. The temperatures are pretty moderate all year round near the coast. It's rare for it to get into the 70's near our house, and it's also rare for it to get below 32 though it's possible. If I was dying to be in snow, it's only a couple of hours to the mountains. So far, I haven't missed it, though we did get into some when we went to Crater Lake.
When the sun is out, it's gorgeous. The sky is a clear blue, the ocean a few shades deeper unless it's stirred up with winter storms. There's almost always a breeze so there are no mosquitos or other pesky bugs to speak of. It really is a beautiful place to live and I hope some of you will come and visit us some day. Planes do fly both ways and there is a small airport two miles from our house so you can get here from wherever you are!
