Planning a trip to Corvallis and Albany

Getting There -- Albany is on I-5 at the junction with U.S. 20, which heads east to Bend and west to Newport. Corvallis is 12 miles west of I-5 at the junction of U.S. 20, Ore. 99W, and Ore. 34.

Visitor Information -- Contact Corvallis Tourism, 553 NW Harrison St., Corvallis, OR 97330 (tel. 800/334-8118 or 541/757-1544; www.visitcorvallis.com), or the Albany Visitors Association, 250 Broadalbin St. SW, Ste. 110 (P.O. Box 965), Albany, OR 97321 (tel. 800/526-2256 or 541/928-0911; www.albanyvisitors.com).

Getting Around -- Public bus service around the Corvallis area is provided by the Corvallis Transit System (tel. 541/766-6916; www.ci.corvallis.or.us/pw/cts). Adult fare is 75¢.

Festivals -- DaVinci Days (tel. 541/757-6363; www.davinci-days.org), held each year in mid-July, is Corvallis's most fascinating festival. The highlight of this celebration of art, science, and technology is the Kinetic Sculpture Race, in which competitors race homemade, people-powered vehicles along city streets, through mud and sand, and down the Willamette River. Prizes are given for engineering and artistry. Another offbeat celebration, the Shrewsbury Renaissance Faire (tel. 541/929-4897; www.shrewfaire.com), is held each year in the community of Kings Valley (north of nearby Philomath) in mid-September.