Road Tripping Pt 2. Portland and the Oregon Coast

Nine hundred miles in, five days on the road, and we arrive in Portland (although not our turnaround point). A day in a city gave us a bookshop, donuts, and a no car day before the road took us to Astoria, our turn around point, and the rain-soaked Oregon coast. Goonies nostalgia, stunning coastline, driftwood forts, off-grid peace, and an almost flooded tent. Part two of our roadtrip was as unpredictable as the weather!

We’d made it to Portland, the most northerly city in Oregon. 900 miles from home and five days into our trip. We had seen so much that it felt like more than five days! 

I had booked the Moxy Portland as its a central hotel, a short walk to downtown and had a great triple room. As a family of three we often feel like we are in rooms too big but here they have double rooms with a bunk over the top. Moxy hotels are known for being modern and functional, the room was small but with enough space for our bags and us. No fridge but a good sized bathroom - and a white noise machine to drown out the sound of the city. 

We finally had a no car day which was much needed. Portland is a very cool and compact city. Our main draw was Powell’s World of Books, a book store that spans a whole block. We spent two hours browsing the mx of new and second hand books and each bought a good selection. This place is so huge that it can be a little overwhelming, my advice would be to be prepared, and make a list of what you are looking for, authors you enjoy or genres. I had listed a few in GoodReads but came out with a difference selection. They had a good local author display so I chose a few based in Oregon. 

We then explored the city on foot, finding the famous Voodoo Donuts and eating at one of the many food truck plazas that are around the city. The afternoon was spent at the Oregon Museum of Science and Innovation (OSMI) which had a Jurassic World Lego Exhibition and lots of hands on exhibits which made the 10 year old very happy. Dinner at a food hall and refreshed ready for the next leg.

Our next stop was Astoria, and our turnaround point. As we snaked along the Colombia River the rain fell and it fell just like a British summer holiday. We were back on the coast (or mouth of the Columbia River). Astoria is a small maritime town with an abundance of history and the location of a few famous movies. We had lunch at the Astoria Brewing Company looking out at the river. Refueled our first stop was the Maritime Museum which told the story of the town and its connection to the coast, the shipwreck exhibition was really interesting as was the coastguard area. I was pleasantly surprised to find a large area devoted to the indigenous communities of the Pacific North West, whom I feel are not yet included or celebrated in tourism as much other another nations do. 

Then the excitement of the afternoon - in search of the Goonies house and the county jail. The approach to the house is very well done - this is a neighbourhood where people live so there are lots of signs with ‘Hey Guys’ and lines from the movie to ensure visits are respectful and not annoying to the locals. Fish and chips and chowder for dinner and we are ready to rejoin Highway 1 and the journey home - with our winding route along the coast this is still 1,000 miles away.

Our first stop was just outside Astoria and Fort Clapstop, here Henry earned his first National Park Service Junior Ranger badge and we all learnt a lot about he Lewis and Clarke expedition that bought early explorers across from the east. 

Next stop was another Goonies location, the Ecola State Park looks out along the Oregon coast and we got a taste of the spectacular scenery that was ahead of us. Below is the expansive Cannon Beach and Haystacks Rocks, better know as the Goonies Rocks (sorry if you’ve not seen this movie - the references will end soon!). We did a short walk here before heading down into Cannon Beach which is a beautiful small coastal town with cafes and restaurants, gift shops galore and plenty of places to stay overnight. After a lunch at one of the many bakeries we walked down to the beach, which is wide and wild and we walked towards to Goonies Rocks. Along the way we encountered a drift wood fort, complete with a secret note from whomever built ‘Eagles Nest’ and people practicing for a sandcastle building competition. 

We continued towards our first campsite, with a stop off at the Tillamook Creamery for ice cream, this is kind of like going to Cadbury’s World but think ice cream, cheese and butter. We wound our way along Cape Meares, found a secret beach and the Lost Bay Tunnel and finally arrived at Hart’s Camp at Cape Kiwanda. Tonight is our first under canvas so we made camp, ate dinner and then strolled along the beach before snuggling up in our sleeping bags. The Oregon coast weather in June is decidedly  British - unpredictable  with the chance of downpours and sunshine. 

Because of my rule of no one night camping we had another car free day. We woke to rain thundering down on the tent and as I unzipped the tent I came across a flooded porch. The rain abated enough to get breakfast but we were soon retreating to a coffee shop to shelter. Oh how at home we felt!

In between the showers (downpours) we explored Cape Kiwanda, climbed the foreboding sand dune and ran back down it. The beach here is stunning and covered in drift wood, you are allowed to light fires on the beach but it was a bit wet for that. We walked along the beach, explored some rock pools and enjoyed the wild coastal views. We did have to retreat to the coffee shop again to avoid the rain, life’s tough! The rain held off enough to enjoy the sunset before another early night to avoid the chill. 

The following day was due to be a long one on the road and packed full of stops. Not my first choice but a lack of available accommodation meant it had to be this way. I can not emphasis enough how booking early is required in the US for the popular spots. 

We woke again to heavy rain which was only due to get worse so we did out best to get the tent packed up keeping as much dry as possible and then hit the road. The rain just got worse and worse. Our first stop was Depoe Bay, where on good days you can see whales from the shore - today was not one of those. Rain and heavy seas stumped that plan. There is a small museum where the stories of the whales and sharks are told, its a good place to spend on hour to learn about the ocean. 

Back on the rainy road and we stopped at points along Cape Perputua. First stop was Devil’s Churn where waves are pushed up a narrow inlet and crash into the air. We watched from the overlook but it was too wet and slippy to take the path down.  At Captain Cook point the rain had abated so we pulled in and took a short walk down to Cook’s Chasm, a another inlet with waves crashing in. On the same rocky outcrop is Spouting Horn, a sea cave with collapsed roof that as the name suggests spouts water - but only at hight tide. Thor’s Well is a sink hole close to the shoreline but it was too wet and slippy to get to it. 

Our final stop for the day was the Oregon Dunes, and we took a walk across the dunes to the sea. This is an expansive area with lots of opportunities for hikes and ATV usage. To be honest, we were all done with the wet day and just wanted to get to out accommodation. 

And our lodgings for the night redeemed the day for us! I had hoped to do this section slower but I had struggled to find accommodation. I had found the off-grid  Beach Overlook on Hipcamp and this was just what we needed. A hut on a cliff top in private land, we wound down backroads to get there and settled in quickly. We explored the grounds and then clambered down to the deserted beach for an evening stroll. We had an early night as the rain started again and were refreshed for the next day.

The day started with an outdoor shower and a last wander around this peaceful place. Today was our last in Oregon and the coastline came out to WOW us. Rejuvenated by blue skies and the sun we contented south on Highway 1. 

We stopped for coffee at Port Orford and discovered a beautiful beach, we could have happily stayed here all day. We admired the view, drank our coffee and headed off the our first stop - the Natural Bridges. The bridges are a series of collapsed sea caves with clear blue water lapping through them. We spent some time at the viewpoint and started along one of the unofficial trails the guide booked warned us about - it wasn’t long before my fear of sheer drops sent us back. We could see people on top of the bridges - gulp!

Our final stop was at Whaleshead Beach where we had out tailgate picnic. The rocks apparently resemble a whale - not sure I would have known that without a guide book! The tide was out so the rocks where exposed and there were rock pools to discover, the beach went off into the distance as far as the eye could see. Today really was making up for the washout of yesterday. 

Our final push and we crossed the border back into California and arrived at Kamp Klamath. Luckily it was warm and sunny as we had some seriously wet kit to organize before we could make camp. There was a lot of faffing but we were now ready to explore the Redwoods.

See part three for the journey through the Redwoods