In the blog discussing this years trips I explained how this trip came to be but a refresher that it was me and my best friend since age 12 to a place she's talked about for over 30 years. OREGON HERE WE COME! Warning; this is possibly my longest blog ever. And the most pictures ever. Again this blog is purely my personal digital diary to look back on.
We bought flights and booked lodging back in Dec for our July 8-11th 4 day weekend. She got to plan Friday, and choose the hotels (more on this later) and I planned Saturday and Monday. We both basically had the same ideas for Sunday. It was as epic as I had hoped, honestly more so. The views are breathtaking. And as it may be the only time I'm ever in that part of the country I'm so glad we really packed it all in. The trip went as follows.
Friday landed in Portland early morning, got the rental car and drove 3hrs to her big choice of the day. Hiking Coffin Mountain. She picked it as she said we're going to Oregon so we have to do a Mountain hike. This was listed as one of the easier ones but with the biggest payoff view. "Easier" is a relative term and clearly they mean for actual hikers. 2.5 miles. 1000 ft of elevation almost straight up (or at least what you can do with just your feet 😆 we're talking hiking not mnt climbing people). I felt like I was dying a few times but she was patient with plenty of breaks, reminders we would feel bad if we didn't summit the top and that I *could* do it. And we did! And FUCK did I feel damn proud and she was right, the views were once in a lifetime amazing! And we had brought a mini collapsible cooler with cold beer for the top to celebrate. Overload of photos coming your way because damn. But just know even these cannot do justice as it was just awe inspiring and truly indescribable. The bear grass wildflowers were hard to really capture. If you find this blog while researching just know they are like straight out of a Dr Seuss book. They are everywhere when in bloom.
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| So many wild flowers 💐 |
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| The white puffs are the bear grass |
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| If you zoomed in you could see the firelookout building we were climbing to. This is 2/3rds up the climb and we still have that far to go! |
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| But we made it! Relaxing on the helipad overlooking Mt Jefferson. We could even see Mt hood far in the distance to the left and lake Detroit to the right |
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| Celebratory local pilsner at the top |
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| Felt like I was on top of the world at almost 6k ft above it all |
After the 3hr hike (well 30 minutes was relaxing & recovery at the top, trip down was so much quicker than hike up) we drove 2hrs to the town of Brownsville to see film sights of Stand By Me, Barb's favorite movie from childhood (and possibly all time favorite TBH). If you're not a fan of the movie this will mean nothing to you but Barb and I had a blast the 2 hrs we spent in town including getting dinner at the local saloon and playing a game of pool and hitting the few spots around town from the film.
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| Behind the Blue Point diner when Gordie fires Chris's Dads .45 not knowing its loaded. "JESUS!" 😆 |
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| Perpendicular to main st. You can see this shot at beginning of film when Gordie leaves the store with a comic book heading towards the treehouse. |
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| They have Vern's penny embedded in the crosswalk from the end of the movie so I recreated his 'hey! A penny!' Shot. |
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| The iconic green bridge from the walk home at the end of the movie. Made me think of the last line of the movie: "I never had any friends like the ones I had when I was 12. Jesus, does anyone?" Friends for 32 years, so glad we became friends back in middleschool. |
We then drove on to our Air B&B little RV rental for the night that Barb picked out. It was a but small but fit our needs fine as we were only there from 9pm until 6am the next morning.
Saturday up ungodly early, darn west coast Kati problems. Awake at 345am. Gave me plenty of time to sit outside the RV uploading photos to FB and smoke and even call the hubs before checking at 530am if Barb was up. We hit the road for the coast before 630 getting Barb's request for Dutch Bros coffee. We tried to do the 'Three capes loop" but a wrong turn here and there thinking I was taking a short cut actually meant we missed the highlights of the loop. Oops. But the views we did see were pretty and we ended up at Tillamook Cheese Factory right before they opened. Then onto my choices for hikes for the day - Devils Cauldron and Smugglers Cove in Oswald West State Park after a short walk thru a literal rain forest. I'll skip the story of how I almost got run over by a car doing 60mph right after this as I don't think I'll ever forget the fear but lets just say if you have parking lots on both sides of the road but only one gets to the beach, you should have safer ways to cross a bending road on a hill then just listening for cars coming as hybrids don't make much noise and someone won't be as lucky.
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| Devils Cauldron |
Overlook at Devils Cauldron and the Pacific Ocean
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| "Shorties beach" AKA Smugglers Cove |
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| Far north end has waterfall |
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And a little cave!
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The drove up to Cannon Beach and Ecola State park for views straight out of the beginning of the Goonies movie (my fav from childhood). We had a mile walk to the beach from our parking spot. Then a mile walk closer to Haystack Rock. Grabbed a iced coffee from Sleepy Monks for the walk back to the car where we ended up having the best fish & chips of my life for lunch at the restaurant we happen to have parked in front of.
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| Hey you guuuyyss!! Goonies beach. And people say it's 'busy' on Saturdays in July. 😆 aside from limited parking I don't think PNW people know what busy looks like. |
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View from Elcola State Park
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Drove 30 mins on to Astoria only to learn the boutique hotel Barb had us get reservations for, she had chosen a scam website instead of booking direct and the hotel didn't have rooms left. Scrambled for 30 mins worried we'd be sleeping in the car to find a hotel for the night. Our only 'fight' of the trip and it was over quick and quite laughable afterward as Barb thought me putting on a mom voice and scolding "get your bags and get in the damn car. I'm not wasting my vacation sitting in this lobby looking harder for a cheaper hotel just 'cause we got fucked!" was hilarious. Especially because she had a view of the front desk guys shocked face behind me when I said it. 😆 She thinks it worked out as destiny as the hotel room I found us had a view from the window of Mikey's house from the Goonies that were we visiting the next day. Dinner down by the water and crashed.
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| View from a hallway opposite our room gave a beautiful glimpse of Megler bridge at sunset. |
Sunday morning was mostly all things Goonies. Morning walk to Mikey's house for a quick truffle shuffle. Then onto film museum, walk past favel house where Mikey's dad worked, and the spot where Chunk sees the police chase.
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| On pier opposite Mikey's house. Sadly no seals out. |
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| Mikey's house! I have a video of me doing the truffle shuffle but strangers on the internet don't need to seem my belly jiggle 😆 |
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| One eyes willie! |
We then had lunch at Bridgewater Bistro then on to the Astoria Column. Afterwards we left town and hit a hidden gem I had found online called Young River Falls about 20 mins south. There were only 8 other people there on this hot late afternoon and honestly one of my favorite stops of the trip for its secluded beauty. Continued on for a stop in Seaside to buy souvenirs for the trip for family and get ice cream before the 90-2hr drive inland towards portland and our hotel for the night. We had dinner at Pastini's which is apparently an 8 restaurant chain in NW Oregon that I really wish was national as it was delish!
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| Hilltop view of Astoria |
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| The column from below |
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| The view from above. I flee my balsawood plane off just like the kids |
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| View of Megler bridge from the column |
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| Young River Falls |
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| It was a hot afternoon so the cold water on my feet was refreshing. There is a swimming hole too if you plan ahead. |
