Sunday, December 17, 2006

During our weekly online chat (most Mondays at 2 p.m.), you ask and we answer your travel questions -- mostly. Here's one we couldn't get to last week.

I will be in the Salem, Ore., area over Christmas. Any suggestions for things to do within a few hours of Salem? Is December too miserable to do anything outdoors?

Better pack your galoshes -- and your winter parka. In winter, Salem and Oregon in general can be a mix of rain, snow and cold temps. If you don't mind bundling up, Silver Falls State Park, 26 miles east of the city, has hiking trails that wind past 10 waterfalls. For winter sports, Mount Hood is about an hour and a half away, or stay closer and ski or tube Hoodoo Mountain Resort. The Willamette Valley, on the same parallel as Burgundy, France, has great wines and vineyard hopping: More than 60 wineries sit within an hour of Salem. Outside the capital, find 30-plus antiques shops in the town of Aurora, or peruse the art galleries, historic murals and eateries in Silverton.

-- Andrea Sachs