A bunch of my friends and I took a trip to Portland, OR in March of 2009.  We decided to be adventurous and take the train from Sacramento to Portland.  The 15 hour journey began at midnight and took us through Chico, Redding, Dunsmir, Klamath Falls, Eugene, & Salem.  We also went through the Cascades and saw all the snow covered peaks.  Portland was a nice little town.  Moreover, Oregon has no sales tax so it felt good not having to fund the liberal government in California.