Our first stop is Salem. Salem is the capital of Oregon and is located in the north-central Willamette Valley.
The Willamette river flows north through Salem, creating a boundary between Marion and Polk counties.
A fun fact about Salem is the 45th Parallel passes through it's city limits.
Although Salem is the state capital, it is rather small (46.4 square miles) with just over 130,000 people.
Unlike other areas of Oregon, skiing is not an attraction to Salem. Elevation ranges from 120-800 ft within the cities limits and because it is a Marine West Coast climate, it sees more rain than snow.
Salem's central location relative to other attractions in Oregon make it a good place to visit (if you're using the GPS try 44˚55'51"N123˚1'44"W). It is just about an hour away from Portland Oregon and a hour and a half away from the Oregon coast and 45 minutes away from OSU.
There are also numerous parks located in Salem, making it a great spring time destination.
