Road Trip | Oregon and Washington Coast
A few years ago we took a moto trip from Seattle to Santa Cruz on Highway 101. A few years before that, we visited Cannon Beach and Ecola State Park. While we love traveling just about anywhere, these trips always stick out in our minds as some of the most beautiful, and memorable. Maybe because they both happen to be trips we took for our anniversary, or maybe it’s the fresh ocean air, either way, when we were planning our anniversary trip this year, we knew it would be to the coast.
This year we packed the van and drove to the southern Oregon coast, making our way back north throughout the week and ending at the Olympic peninsula.
Our first stop was camping outside of Dunes City, where we were surrounded by avid ATVers and lavish RV setups. Feeling a bit like fish out of water, we mostly kept to ourselves. We did rent a side-by-side one day, and while I am often first to bash them for the noise and trail destruction, I have to admit it was pretty fun - aside from a bit of whiplash I got while Kyle sped over a particularly bumpy section of terrain. We spent the day playing in the sand in our little buggy and cruising along the beach. Not a bad way to start off a vacation.
While there, we also ventured into Florence, a quaint town located on the Siuslaw River. We got Mexican food and margaritas, local saltwater taffy (which barely made it home), and enjoyed some sunshine as we wandered around town.
From Dunes City and Florence, we ventured north to Pacific City where we rented an Airbnb close to the beach. I had grand visions of playing fetch with Wylie on the beach and picnicking, but the wind had other plans - like sandblasting us for the duration of our visit. We did make it to the beach and had a great time introducing Wylie to the ocean, but it wasn’t quite what we had hoped for. To be fair, it is the Oregon coast, and I am incredibly grateful that it wasn’t raining the whole time. While in Pacific City, we ate at Pelican Brewing because it is known for being very dog-friendly. Unfortunately, we had a very negative experience between Wylie and the waiter (that’s on us, not him) and moved her to the van for the majority of our meal. I’ve discussed her reactivity a little in previous posts, and this was one of the incidents that really opened our eyes to the amount of work that is needed to help her cope in social situations. But, that aside, the brewery was very dog friendly, and if you have a dog that is totally cool with strangers, it’s a great place to bring your dog to hang. Unfortunately, that isn’t us just yet and may not be. We also decided to get a bit dressed up and eat at the restaurant in the Headlands Coastal Lodge. It was yummy and just the right amount of fancy. I recommend making a reservation and getting a seat by the window to watch the sunset.
On our Highway 101 trip, we passed by Cape Disappointment but didn’t have time to visit. It has been on our list ever since and I’m so thankful we went back on this trip. Located at the southern tip of Washington, Cape Disappointment is home to two historic lighthouses and was a military outpost during the Civil War and World War II. Cape Disappointment is also home to Dead Man’s Cove, named for the dead bodies that would wash ashore there. We camped there for two nights, but I easily could have stayed longer. There is so much history at this site, not to mention some great hiking, sightseeing, and photography opportunities. I could go on and on about Cape Disappointment, but instead, I’ll direct you to the park website and just highly recommend you go visit - like, now.
We ended the coastal part of our trip outside of Forks, Washington, camping at Mora campground. The campground was lovely, located on the Quillayute River and just a short drive to Rialto Beach. We met up with some friends who were just ending a trip in BC and making their way home. It was just a one-nighter, but like most of our trips, inspired me to want to go back. I am not a Twilight fan, but if you are, the vampire vibe is still strong out there.
Our true final stop before making it home was in Leavenworth. We are no strangers to Leavenworth, having visited often, but this was perhaps our first time staying in town. We typically either camped outside of town or rented an Airbnb. Not having a plan for a stop past Forks, our friends recommended Loge, a hotel in Leavenworth designed for vanlifers, nomads, outdoors enthusiasts, and luckily, dog people. We indulged on our final night, staying at Loge in a trendy room overseeing their courtyard which happened to have live music that night. We ordered pizza and salad takeout and all three of us slept extra hard after a busy week of being on the road.
The Oregon coast holds a special place in our hearts, each time we go we immediately start planning what we want to do when we go back. We also daydream about buying a second home there someday, but that won’t be anytime soon. Heck, we still need to build a garage for our first home. In the meantime, we continue to dream and scheme about our next visit and what we should do. It has definitely become one of our favorite places.
Do you have a favorite place on the PNW coast? Share it in the comments below!