I had never heard much about Oregon until I started to research on sights in this state below Washington. It was to my surprise to see there are many natural wonders so it quickly became Chi and I’s next road trip. We couldn’t fit sightseeing the entire state but focused on exploring the Oregon coast.

Day 1 – Saturday May 28, 2016

We departed early and drove to our first coastal stop, Astoria. It was a quaint seaside town with a long line up for Bowpicker’s famous fish and chips. We waited over an hour but it was delicious and one of the best deep fried fish I’ve ever had.

We continued driving south until we hit Ecola State Park. Although it was a grey day, the view was spectacular.

We completed our first short hike to beach and climbed the rocks. It was getting misty and started to rain… but it didn’t damper our spirits.

Next, we visited Cannon Beach and sightsee Haystack Rock. We strolled along the beach and flew a kite that Chi bought. The beach town was very cozy with lots of people and little cottages. It was relaxing to wander around.

We ate dinner as Sweet Basil’s Cafe and checked into a nearby AirBnB farmhouse in the next town over.

Day 2 – Sunday May 29, 2016

We departed early to hit our first big hike, Neahkahnie Mountain. But first, we had breakfast at Bread and Ocean in Manzanita. The cinnamon bun and breakfast sandwich was top-notch.

We started hiking up Neahkahnie Mountain (South Trailhead) and the weather was quite misty. The forest was mysterious and hidden in fog but it also serene and peaceful. I started to worried we wouldn’t be able to see the view at the top. We reached an outlook but there was no signage. Luckily, we bumped into other hikers who told us they came from the north trail head so we didn’t end up heading back down.

From the outlook, there was a steep boulder to climb up where the trees aren’t in the way. With a little hesitation, I climb up. Chi and other hikers followed after I confirmed the view was worth it… Boy… was the view ever worth it. Sadly the clouds and fog were hiding some of the view. But the sun slowly started peak behind the clouds and lifted the fog. It was breathtaking, like a curtain revealing the coastline.

We randomly decided to stop by a town called Rockport to checkout the local Kite festival. It was a small area but lively.

We headed for lunch at the popular Tillamook Cheese Factory. We watched cheese being made and got some free cheese samples. For lunch, the grilled cheese and burger was nothing special. We also got the ice cream, but it was too sweet and soft for my liking. Overall, this stop was way too crowded, touristy and dismissible.

We moved on to the famous three cape scenic drive. The first cape, Cape Mendes was a short hike with a pretty view and a small lighthouse.

Next, Cape Lookout only had trails to see any views. A fellow hiker told us we could hike 0.5 miles on the Cape Trail and see most of it. When we got to that point, Chi pushed us to just finish hiking to peninsula. Even though it was 5 miles round trip, it was tiring after our morning hike. The view was nice but I don’t think it was worth it given what we saw in at the 0.5 mile point or this morning.

Finally, Cape Kiwanda was the last but most stunning cape. Planning ahead, we put our names down on the 2 hour waiting list at The Pelican Pub and Brewery before we explored the beach. There was no trail head or any information board… but we saw people climbing on top of the sand hill. Chi was tired… he didn’t want to climb up to see the view. I was tired too but “yolo” I’m climbing it. I convinced Chi to come along with the guilt of making us do that last hike together.

It was quickly worth the climb. The top surprisingly revealed beautiful rock formations and it was unlike anything we’ve seen. I rubbed it in his face —”Good thing I forced you to come”. We wanted to explore closer but we were tired, there were warning signs on fences and Chi was barefoot and left his shoes at the bottom.

On our way down, I saw whales spouts from afar… Chi was ecstatic because he claimed he saw them on the way up and I wasn’t sure if it was true. Dinner was very satisfying because of all the exercise we did but it nothing special. We rented a cozy cabin for the night but since we checked in so late, we didn’t get to start a fire and enjoy the cabin life.

Day 3 – Monday May 30, 2016

We started our morning with another hike —Cascade Head. This hike was through a nature conservancy and then onto open grasslands. The only con was the last part to the upper outlook was a steep climb with no shade. It was worth it but my favourite hike is still Neahkannie while Chi liked this one the most.

We went to Tidal Raves for a seafood lunch and this spot had a million-dollar view. The food was delicious and service was great. We even spotted a seal swimming nearby!

We went to the Oregon coast aquarium which was not bad (but I think Vancouver and Toronto has nicer ones). However, I got to touch some sea anemones, abalone, sea cucumbers and starfish.

We checked into our beach-front balcony hotel after. It was an upgrade from the last two nights for sure. We walked along the Newport beach and then ate dinner at Local Ocean Seafoods. It was fresh, affordable and delicious.

Day 4 – Tuesday May 31, 2016

We decided to stop by the 804 trail and see why people liked the hike. To our surprise, the coasted were filled with rocks being splashed with strong waves. It was like watching geysers or water fireworks. It was beautiful.

We continued driving south to Cape Perpetual. Unfortunately, Devil’s churn and Spouting Horn was underwhelming due to low tides and calmer waters. We explored the tide pools for wildlife and climbed random rocks.

We were about to move to our next stop Thor’s Well, when in the car, I discovered we were already there and we just missed it. So Chi urged me to climb back down and get a closer it. It was worth it. It was much more impressive up close.

We stopped at Abby’s pizza for lunch before renting sandboards in Florence. We got basic instruction and headed to the dunes. This time, I had wax in my pocket for each run to ensure I’m actually moving. It was fun after we found a taller hill to get some momentum but climbing the dunes after each run isn’t fun. It was somewhat like snowboarding except you put you weight on the back foot.

Our next sandy activity was renting ATVs to drive around. These dunes were much taller and very impressive. My ride started out wonky with a random broken flag (you can’t drive without it) and getting stuck in the sand. But we overcame that and rode the the beach and over the dunes. It was a blast and we pretty much had the area to ourselves.

Our final stay was at a Yurt in Jessie Honeyman State Park. We checked in and made a easy campfire dinner. It was short but fantastic yurt camping experience.

Day 5 – Wednesday June 1, 2016

Our last day was mostly spent driving back to Seattle but we did plan some hikes to stretch our legs. We did a short but pleasant hike to Drift Creek Falls. We were there in solitude and got to go right up to the falls.

We had a hearty lunch at Hearth and Table Kitchen and spent some time shopping at the Lincoln City Outlets before heading to Portland. We stopped at Saburos Sushi House for monster size rolls before getting back to Seattle.

The Oregon coast is incredibly beautiful and diverse in landscapes. It was an active, fun and picturesque road trip. I would love to go back but likely spend more time relaxing at one coastal town (maybe Cannon Beach or Cape Kiwanda) and there is more of Oregon to see.