The rules for the contest are as follows:

1. Contest runs from today through August 23 at 11PM Pacific Time
2. Winner will be notified via email at 11PM on August 23 and will have 3 days to respond with a mailing address. If no response is received in that time, a new winner will be picked.
3. Open to the entire world.
4. To qualify your comment you must tell me something about Oregon. It can be a fact, a memory, a book or movie that takes place in the state. Be creative.
5. For extra credit you can:
   a) include your blog's URL
   b) blog about the contest and link back here.

Comment #1: Tuesday, July, 22, 2008 at 14:58:45

Amanda says:
"Wow. What an interesting book and thanks for the contest!

I'm going to recall a memory of Oregon. Back in 1999 I was moving from Alaska to Colorado and drove/ferried the whole way. The best memories were from the coast highway 101. I remember being enchanted by Devil's Punchbowl State Park, the flickering lighthouses, the sand dunes, and a small town named Florence."

Comment #2: Tuesday, July, 22, 2008 at 16:20:09

Gina Stratos says:
"The Phillips-head Screwdriver was invented in Oregon."

Comment #3: Tuesday, July, 22, 2008 at 16:41:28

susan varney says:

"wagon trains went throug oregon"

Comment #4: Tuesday, July, 22, 2008 at 17:43:07

krystal says:
"Oregon has more ghost towns than any other state."

Comment #5: Tuesday, July, 22, 2008 at 19:04:32

Anne says:
"Orgeon is 2 states away from me where I am in Canada. I remember we drove down the coast through Washington State first and then through Oregon on our way to California with our girls when they were younger! Its a beautiful state. "Great giveaway!"

Comment #6: Tuesday, July, 22, 2008 at 19:42:10

Alessandra says:
"I've always wanted to visit Portland.

"I blogged about your contest here."

Comment #7: Tuesday, July, 22, 2008 at 20:21:15

sandy says:
"a friend who lives in oregon told me they have an aweome bus sytem and also all kinds of food- lotas of speciality restaurants that are true food"

Comment #8: Tuesday, July, 22, 2008 at 20:36:51

Carol Harrity says:
"In Oregon you cannot pump your own gas. An attendant must pump it for you."

Comment #9: Tuesday, July, 22, 2008 at 20:55:04

SmallWorld Reads says:
"My friend Debby was from Oregon. Actually, she grew up as a missionary's kid in Korea, but when they came to the states on furlough, the lived in Oregon. It's one of the few states to which I've never traveled."

Comment #10: Tuesday, July, 22, 2008 at 22:59:31

Melissa Reeder says:
"Ali Edwards the author of "Life Artist" is from Oregon."

Comment #11: Tuesday, July, 22, 2008 at 23:48:54

Kathryn T. says:
No sales tax in Oregon, and the largest forested park in the united states within city limits is located in Portland (aptly named Forest Park)"

Comment #12: Wednesday, July, 23, 2008 at 05:52:39

Thomas Gibson says:
"I remember driving along the coast of Oregon real late at night. Stopped at a less desireable roadside motel. Probabaly would have been better driving all night. Couldn't get any sleep due to the couple fighting on one side and the other couple making love on the other side."

Comment #13: Wednesday, July, 23, 2008 at 07:39:00

geekbearinggifts says:
"My memories of driving through Oregon center on how green and vital everything was. I've sometimes thought western Oregon it would be the perfect place to retire. Thanks for the offer!"

Comment #14: Wednesday, July, 23, 2008 at 08:45:01

Judith Rachmani says:
"The great 1986 coming-of-age movie, Stand By Me, featuring River Phoenix and Wil Wheaton, was filmed mostly in Oregon."

Comment #15: Wednesday, July, 23, 2008 at 09:50:38

Susan says:
"I could tell you a lot about Oregon, I live here! The wonderful Jean M. Auel lives here. We have the beautiful Mt. Hood. Wonderful skiing and other outdoor sports. The city of Portland can rival any big city for night life. We are just about perfect!"

Comment #16: Wednesday, July, 23, 2008 at 14:40:27

Angela Jacobs says:
"I remember the designated traffic lane for trucks and the trees!"

Comment #17: Wednesday, July, 23, 2008 at 15:22:43

Desmond says:
"Their athletic commission treats wrestling as though it were real, thus the paucity of wrestling events in the state due to prohibitive licensing requirements."

Comment #18: Wednesday, July, 23, 2008 at 20:08:25

christopher harner says:
"Oregon's state fish is the chinook salmon"

Comment #19: Friday, July, 25, 2008 at 13:45:19

Linda Pinto says:
"I remember driving up highway 5 from California to Washington state. I really appreciated the scenery as I drove through Oregon. I wouldn't mind doing it again but taking more time to really see Oregon."

Comment #20: Friday, July, 25, 2008 at 15:38:35

Carol says:
"I really enjoyed visiting Mt. Hood when my daughter lived there. We climbed part way up and on our return we had lunch at Timberline Lodge. It was a beautiful place to visit."

Comment #21: Friday, July, 25, 2008 at 15:39:07

Tammy says:
"The hazelnut is Oregon's official state nut. Oregon is the only state that has an official state nut"

Comment #22: Friday, July, 25, 2008 at 22:26:45

amandasue h. says:
"State Gemstone - The Oregon sunstone is the official state gemstone. The large, brightly colored stone in the feldspar family is found in southeastern Oregon counties."

Comment #23: Friday, July, 25, 2008 at 22:48:46

Dale Louderback says:
"Wachovia bank has a call center in Salem Oregon"

Comment #24: Saturday, July, 26, 2008 at 07:04:29

Anna says:
"I know someone who moved to Oregon in the past year, and she says the best part is that she can garden year-round.

"Thanks for the contest."

Comment #25: Saturday, July, 26, 2008 at 13:46:13

Linda Moeller says:
"I wrote to a lady who lived in a nursing home in The Dalles."

Comment #26: Saturday, July, 26, 2008 at 22:55:48

Framed says:
"Powells Bookstore in Portland is one of the largest used bookstores in the world. I loved it."

Comment #27: Sunday, July, 27, 2008 at 03:01:10

Alicia T says:
"I can't wait til I can afford to move to Oregon."

Comment #28: Sunday, July, 27, 2008 at 17:35:02

Janel says:
"The Oregon Grape is the state flower."

Comment #29: Tuesday, July, 29, 2008 at 10:29:53

Tina says:
"The hazelnut is Oregon's official state nut. Oregon is the only state that has an official state nut. The hazelnut is also known as the filbert. "

Comment #30: Tuesday, July, 29, 2008 at 11:02:58

Shana says:
"My husband once brought back a great wine from a business trip to Oregon. I can't remember the vineyard or even the varietal but I remember being pleasantly surprised at how good it was!

"I blogged about your contest here."

Comment #31: Tuesday, July, 29, 2008 at 14:54:53

Steph says:
"Oregon. When I hear it, I think of my American History class. And then I realize we didn't really learn too much about it. Except a few dates here and there about certain important things. Which I pretty much forget now. This is why I've decided to take a stab at another U.S. history course in university. But all that aside, the first thing that does come to mind is a certain computer game I used to play when I was younger. A really old school one called 'Oregon Trail'. Ohhhh yeahhh. It was really lame, but I LOVED it. It was also a hard to get game for some reason and when I did eventually get to play it, I was enthralled. For some reason, when I was a kid I absolutely loved to pretend that my backyard = some sort of farming land / little house on the prairie-esque type of life. So Oregon trail was a step up. I was able to make all sorts of decisions as my family moved across the Oregon trail. We died along the way quite a few times and I can't seem to remember if I actually ever made it anywhere in the end, but it was good fun."

Comment #32: Wednesday, July, 30, 2008 at 10:17:25

Carol Drury says:
"Oregon is one of the few states I have not visited and it is on my list - it looks beautiful!!"

Comment #33: Wednesday, July, 30, 2008 at 13:31:07

Paula S. says:
"My cousin Tammy lives in Oregon."

Comment #34: Friday, August, 1, 2008 at 15:45:24

Richard Brandt says:
"I went to visit Portland, Oregon, for the 4th of July, 1994, and for that one day it was hotter in Portland than it was back home in El Paso, Texas. But it's a different hot in Portland!"

Comment #35: Sunday, August, 3, 2008 at 00:01:20

Cindi says:
"Hello, The state of Oregon has more "ghost towns" than any other state! Thanks, Cindi"

Comment #36: Saturday, August, 9, 2008 at 16:11:41

Mozi Esme's Mommysays:
"The Oregon coast is fabulous! The water is freezing, but the scenery is always breathtaking - cloudy, stormy, or sunny. I love Bandon, Gleneden Beach, just about any spot on the coast."

Comment #37: Friday, August, 15, 2008 at 00:45:47

marleen davis says:
"Both my daughters live in Oregon now, near Portland but I've only been there once. It's a quirky city with many hippies and such but it has an amazing Rose Garden that I so thoroughly enjoyed smelling and seeing."

Comment #38: Saturday, August, 16, 2008 at 09:02:42

Stephanie Ray says:
"Oregon is one of only a couple states in the United States where edible truffles, of decent quality grow naturally. "

Comment #39: Sunday, August, 17, 2008 at 03:46:35

Rebekah Crain says:
"FACT: Oregon will celebrate its 150th birthday in the year 2009."

Comment #40: Tuesday, August, 19, 2008 at 18:50:43

Kristen says:
"I am a huge fan of the writer Beverly Cleary. As a little girl growing up, her works helped inspire me to write stories. I still love to write and to read thanks to her. I remember reading as child that she was from Oregon and in fact is from McMinnville, Oregon."

Comment #41: Tuesday, August, 19, 2008 at 21:18:56

Ruby says:
"Oregon's State Fish - The Chinook salmon"

Comment #42: Tuesday, August, 19, 2008 at 21:28:24

Zoey Smith says:
"My most recent memory of Oregon was on 07/11/2008. We (the Hasa Pool Products #16 Team) went back to Roseburg for a NASCAR Camping World Series West race. Our driver Moses Smith qualified third and finished seventh. The weather was mild and the scenery beautiful! We had a great time."

Comment #43: Wednesday, August, 20, 2008 at 11:19:07

hermes says:
"I live in Portland. Fact: Oregon is prounounced OR-EE-GUN, or as my mom does, OR-EE-GIN. Never OR-EE-GONE. :P"

Comment #44: Wednesday, August, 20, 2008 at 12:29:06

Sherrie says:
"The 1975 movie "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" with Jack Nicholson was filmed in Depoe Bay, Oregon. I will be linking your page in a blog at my blog Just Books."

Comment #45: Thursday, August, 21, 2008 at 18:18:50

Sue Farrell says:
"I remember getting lost in Portland, Oregon many, many years ago."

Comment #46: Thursday, August, 21, 2008 at 22:32:13

Vicki Wurgler says:
"the film Mr. Hollands opus was filmed in Oregon"

Comment #47: Thursday, August, 21, 2008 at 22:51:51

Joy Renee says:
"This sounds like my favorite kind of story full of eccentric characters. and its set in Oregon my current home.

"Ashland, about ten miles south of where I live, is home of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival and Southern Oregon University"

Comment #48: Friday, August, 22, 2008 at 06:02:03

Elizabeth M. says:
"The most vivid memory of beautiful scenery for me is that of Crater Lake. We did extensive traveling across the US as children and I've visited the entire continental US and the national parks. What still stands out in my mind is the visual delight that is Crater Lake. It's the most beautiful lake I've ever seen. The color is amazing, truly amazing."

Comment #49: Friday, August, 22, 2008 at 12:09:37

Hesper F. says:
"My sister lives in Oregon and I am in Wisconsin and I remember thinking when I visited her that the trees there are so much taller and larger than the trees in our state. The forests are beautiful!"

Comment #50: Friday, August, 22, 2008 at 15:27:11

Barbara Fox
"I remember that when I was in Oregon, I felt right at home...which is really weird because home is North Carolina!"

Comment #51: Friday, August, 22, 2008 at 17:26:27

Paige "I grew up in Clatskanie, Oregon, and I remember the excitement in the area when The Goonies was being filmed around Astoria. When we saw it in the local theater, all the locals got a good laugh when the older brother wrecked the little bicycle and ended up "falling" from the road to the Astor Column in Astoria all the way to Cannon Beach, which is several miles away."

Comment #52: Friday, August, 22, 2008 at 17:31:39

CHERYL A FRANCISCO says: "We went on a vacation to Oregon when I was a teenager and had too much fun. We rode dune buggies, went to Sea Lion Caves, rode a mail boat down a river and had an awesome time!!"

Comment #53: Friday, August, 22, 2008 at 17:33:21

Kathy Scott says:
"My brother in law lives in Bend and he says the golfing is fantastic."

Comment #54: Friday, August, 22, 2008 at 17:56:08

Ed Nemmers says:
"My cousin and his partner recently bought land in Oregon to nurture grapes and become vintners."

Comment #55: Friday, August, 22, 2008 at 21:26:30

Donna Hunt says:
"Someday I would like to travel on the Oregon Trail and visit Mt. Hood. My husband traveled from California to Washington and told me how beautiful it is. He passed away almost 9 years ago, but I'd love to take my son there."

Comment #56: Friday, August, 22, 2008 at 21:46:47

flared0ne says:
"My wife says "Seattle is in Washington, not in Oregon.

"My bad. Can we throw out that earlier entry?

"People thinking of pioneering times often think of the Oregon trail. And there are arguments about where the EAST end of that trail started -- Westport, Missouri and Independence, Missouri both lay claim to that distinction..."

Comment #57: Friday, August, 22, 2008 at 21:51:33

Mollie G. says:
"Someone mentioned the State Nut of Oregon is the hazelnut.

"Interestingly, Oregon grows better than 99% of the hazelnuts produced in the US."

Comment #58: Friday, August, 22, 2008 at 22:35:23

Jaime C. says:
"The official state mushroom of Oregon is the Pacific golden chanterelle."

Comment #59: Friday, August, 22, 2008 at 22:48:13

Susanne Troop says:
"Oregon has more ghost towns than any other state."

Comment #60: Saturday, August, 23, 2008 at 00:20:40

Chrysa Duran says: "I drove through Oregon last year - It was really pretty! I loved all the redwoods and the coast."

Comment #61: Saturday, August, 23, 2008 at 00:45:45

Suanne Giddings says:
"Whorehouse Meadows in Harney County was exactly that during the days of the Old West. Setting up facilities under a canvas tent in the secluded meadow about a mile east of Fish Lake they would then meet up with cattle and sheep herders. In the 1960's the Bureau of Land Management issued a recreation map renaming the meadow, "Naughty Girl Meadows" But in 1971 the Oregon Geographic Names Board took strong objection to the change and brought their argument before federal arbiters. After ten years the old name was restored in 1981.

"Thank you for sponsoring this sweepstakes! It is very generous of you!!! Wishing you continued success!"

Comment #62: Saturday, August, 23, 2008 at 03:07:25

V says:
"Multnomah Falls is in the Columbia Gorge. It is stunning when the falls have frozen in the winter. The rest of the year the area is magnificent with all it's greenery, ferns, and water trickling down the sides of the mountain.

"Also, the movie "Never Give An Inch" starring Henry Fonda and Paul Newman was filmed in Oregon and is about a logging family. It's somewhat of a classic."

Comment #63: Saturday, August, 23, 2008 at 03:49:06

kathleen Yohanna says:
"Oregon will celebrate its 150th birthday in the year 2009. Oregon is not that far from California but I have never been there. I understand that it has beautiful countryside and farmlands. Oregon is on my list of "must see" places. I would like to visit Portland."

Comment #64: Saturday, August, 23, 2008 at 09:08:22

Stephanie says:
"I have always wanted to live in the Pacific Northwest, and I LOVE Oregon. I have family in Eugene, and as a young girl I would spend my summers there with a cousin just a few months older than me, swimming in the Willammette. Those are my absolute favorite memories."

Comment #65: Saturday, August, 23, 2008 at 12:36:31

kathy pease says: " The Oregon Trail is the longest of the overland routes used in the westward expansion of the United States"

Comment #66: Saturday, August, 23, 2008 at 14:37:29

Kayce Crews says:
"Carl H. Severinsen (of The Tonight Show) was born in Arlington, Oregon in 1927. "

Comment #67: Saturday, August, 23, 2008 at 14:50:03

Heather C says:
"Ramona Quimby, Age 8"

Comment #68: Saturday, August, 23, 2008 at 18:02:51

Theresa N says:
"They have a beautiful coast line."

Comment #69: Saturday, August, 23, 2008 at 19:43:11

Erica G says:
"Oregon's State dance is the Square Dance."

Comment #70: Saturday, August, 23, 2008 at 20:09:05

stephen watkins says:
"When I was a student, at Portland State University, I had the chance to photograph the 'FREE WILLY' ORCA.She was housed at the Oregon Coast Aquarium."

Comment #71: Saturday, August, 23, 2008 at 21:45:46

Veronica Garrett says:
"Oregon's state motto is "She Flies With Her own Wings.""

Comment #72: Saturday, August, 23, 2008 at 22:06:22

Lily Kwan says:
"Oregon doesn't have a sales tax."

Comment #73: Saturday, August, 23, 2008 at 23:01:38

L McLendon says:
" Here is a neat fact about Oregon for all those independent women out there:
- State Motto
"She Flies With Her Own Wings"

That is good enough for me!"

Comment #74: Saturday, August, 23, 2008 at 23:05:07

Kristen Hendricks says:
"The movie Prefontaine with Jared Leto was set in Oregon."

Comment #75: Sunday, August, 24, 2008 at 00:41:50

Charlene Kuser says:
"Oregon Turkey Trot.A Fun Run"

Comment #76: Sunday, August, 24, 2008 at 01:35:07

Janice says:
"I grew up in Seattle, but both of my parents were born and raised in Oregon. Almost every year at Thanksgiving and Christmas (and sometimes during the week before Easter, too) we visited my grandparents and relatives in Portland and Turner. We also visited relatives in St Helens and Beaverton. Turner was a very small town and one of my grandfathers and my uncles owned the supermarket there when I was young. At night I would sit on my grandparents front porch and watch the train go by. One of my uncles had a small farm in Turner. He raised Shetland ponies and my Aunt raised blueberries. In the summer in addition to visiting relatives, we usually spent a week on the Oregon coast camping, digging clams, going for walks on the beach and picking up agates and shells, and sitting on the beach at night and watching the beautiful sunsets. I no longer live on the west coast and I sure do miss Washington and Oregon. "