Two other hardwoods that are worth trying out are Golden Chinkapin and
Tanoak. Chinkapin is a great wood to turn and in my experience, did
not cause problems with drying and cracking. You can make big bowls
out of it and it finishes well. You will have real problems trying to
dry tanoak bowls after roughing, but if you let it spalt, it is well
worth the effort. Tanoak and chinkapin should be available in Southern
Oregon. Further North, in Washington, you should be able to find Paper
Birch, but I never found it an interesting wood to turn.
Good luck and happy turning,
Nissan Teman