Oregon is all about extremes. Last time I was in Oregon for vacation, we had to leave early because of fires. This time, we got the typical rain of winter in the PNW. But I keep coming back, because despite the less than desirable situations it is still so beautiful! And its a numbers game, I will eventually crack Oregon during the ideal time of year and get the best conditions I just know it! We were able to enjoy a long weekend, starting out in Portland. After a day of work meetings, Joe and I were able to: go for a run by the river, stop by Voodoo donuts for a snack, walk to and grab dinner in the Pearl District at Mediterranean Exploration Company (so so so good make a reservation and go), check out of our hotel (The Nines downtown- my favorite Portland hotel thus far), and then drive down to Cannon beach after dinner. Took us about 1hr 30mins to drive to our Airbnb, which I absolutely LOVED. This Airbnb was my PNW mountain/beach dream home- if you are looking for a place close to Haystack rock, Seaside, and a good homebase for exploring the coast of Oregon rent this place
Saturday: Breakfast within walking distance of our Airbnb at the Lazy Susan Cafe. The place was good, small and packed even though we arrived just as they opened. Also kind of pricey. We drove first south down the coast to Hug Point for some photos
then parked on the side of the road to hit up the Cape Falcon trail. It rained basically our entire hike, which was uncomfortable for sure. It was very muddy too, but we were prepared with our gear for all the elements. Not steep at all- mostly exposed with a few viewpoints from cliffside. We hiked 2.5 miles up and back to the Cape Falcon lookout- we could have kept going but again, uncomfortable, so we headed back and then did an offshoot to the Short Sand beach for a quick perspective from below. Took us about 3 hrs to do the 6 miles.
Then finally back to the car, and went back for a quick shower, warm up, and change. Once reset we walked into town since the rain had stopped for the day, grabbed some coffee and cookies, then walked to see Haystock rock up close. This thing was massive- and so was the beach! It was so cool to explore and see the sea creatures - tons of mussels and starfish clinging to the rocks. From there we stopped for a drink at Pelican brewery, which had more Chili's vibes than brewery vibes, and then headed to dinner at the Wayfarer. This place was awesome- we got a really good seat with window views of Haystack rock- their clam bake was incredible and margaritas were legit good.
Sunday: We drove to the town of Seaside this morning to check out Osprey cafe. Just a few blocks from the ocean, this place was worth the drive. The french toast was chefs kiss, and cheaper than the place the previous morning. Seaside seemed a little more residential with a few small hotels- it had a promenade along the beach for walking- and again another huge beach. After breakfast we drove to Ecola state park, which was actually right by our place, so it worked out so nicely. We parked in their large parking lot- cost $5 but from here you got some views, as well as the option of 2 different hikes! We did them both of course. We started with the Crescent beach trail- 2.25 miles roundtrip, took us an hour, mostly covered but the payoff of the beach was super nice. Then we turned around, back to the lot, and headed off on the Indian Beach trail- which was 4 miles, 1.5 hours roundtrip. This seemed to be the more popular of the two trails. The payoff on this one was at the very beginning with some awesome views, and again more at the very end.
We lucked out this day with the rain, it started to come down right as we were wrapping up our 2nd hike. Perfect timing- we did our change back at the place, then back into our little town for Hot chocolate at the Chocolate Cafe, shopping at the Salty raven store (local artist's apparel and gifts, we loved it!) and dinner at Driftwood. Wayfarer remains the winner of the dinners- Driftwood was ok, however can you really F up Clam chowder in a bread bowl? The answer is no- its gonna be good.
And that was it! After dinner, we drove to the PDX airport and headed on a red eye home. Oregon I'll be back! And this time, my dream of ideal conditions will come to fruition!