Abby's American Adventure
9/23-9/25
Saturday:
Phew! I woke up in the Hoh Rainforest and enjoyed a hot cup of coffee in the foggy/misty trees. Phoebe woke up and hopped right in the car and we headed towards Olympia, where she needed to go. We chit chatted about America and politics of the world and listened to podcasts. It turns out Phoebe plays in a punk band! She has a gig in Flagstaff on November 3rd, and I think I may be able to catch it! I dropped her off and headed towards the 101.
The drive was nice, nothing elaborate and I hit Cape Disappointment before I knew it. I had chosen this spot obviously for the name and it was not a disappointment! It was right where the Columbia River met the Pacific, so there were some cool little beaches and a nice lighthouse overlooking the main beach. It seems that an explorer came in search of the Columbia River and was disappointed he didn’t find it, so he turned around. In fact, he was very NEAR the Columbia River and just hadn’t paid attention. So, Lewis and Clark camped out here to finally end their trip.
It was an OK campsite, but I wasn’t needing anything fancy. I like to spend my time at the beach anyway. I usually just cook and sleep at the site. It was great to just read and get some sun. It warmed up quite a bit after leaving the peninsula!
Sunday:
I decided last minute to head to Portland today. I was thinking there was no real reason for me to go besides that I had heard of it and it was cool. I don’t think I know anyone there, so I wasn’t going to stay. This morning I got on the road and saw the road towards Portland and took that one instead. It was a great choice! I drove through beautiful forests outside of Seaside, Oregon to get to the city. And the city was SO fun! I had only heard of Powell’s books and so that’s where I went! It was JUST LIKE PORTLANDIA! The people look like the people in the show. Haha, it’s absolutely ridiculous. But, it also felt VERY much like a bigger city Asheville.
I picked out a couple used books and then went to Deschutes Brewery for lunch. It was great! Perfect weather, warm and sunny. I sat out on the porch, read my book, and ate a delicious BBQ sandwich.
I left Portland and drove towards Tillamook, through the Tillamook State Forest. It was a beautiful drive. Oregon has these perfectly manicured fir trees that look like a drawing of what a huge fir tree should look like. And these forests were made up of all firs. It was nice to go through the forests and the mountains to end up back at the sea.
I chose Cape Lookout state park and I chose correctly! I have just been choosing randomly on maps where to go, based on where it looks on the map and the name. This one is perfect. It has a GREAT sandy beach with beautiful cliffs overlooking the beach. My little campsite has no privacy but that’s okay, I’ve been mostly at the beach anyway. It’s a really cute little state park along the coast. I hear that’s where I’ll be camping most of the way down the 101.
Monday:
As I made my coffee at Cape Lookout, I looked through my atlas to see where to head for the day. I’ve also been able to use this Lonely Planet Roadtrips book to help as the 101 is supposedly a classic road trip. So, I decided to head towards the central Oregon coast and check out as many tidepools and cute towns that I could along the way.
I stopped just out of Depoe Bay at the Devil’s Punchbowl to see a caved in sea cave and see the tidepools there. I didn’t quite catch the tides correctly, so there weren’t too many pools to see. However, I did see a weird/cool cave that had a lot of cairns inside. I popped up to the winery for a 101 sticker. It was in a REALLY beautiful spot, it was called the Flying Dutchman. I highly recommend stopping in for a glass of wine and whale watching. I, however, was not about to have a glass of wine at 11am, so skipped it.
Anyway, I continued meandering down the coast and stopped at Yaquina Head for some more tidepools. I got in for free with my National Parks pass, which was awesome because I wasn’t expecting it! I hiked down to a beautiful rock beach with rocks that were black and round. They were very cool to see and the beach had a lot of seals hanging around. Once again, hadn’t played the tides right, so it was high tide when I showed up. Note to self, check tide tables when looking for tidepools.
After Yaquina Head, I found a campsite at Beachside State Park. It was kind of the worst, very near the highway. But the beach was so peaceful and quiet, I was able to spend most of my time reading my book and walking the beach. I even went into town (Waldport) for some of the best Mexican food I’ve had in a LONG time.
Tuesday:
I woke up early and went directly to Yachats (pronounced, ya-hots) for breakfast. I had heard of the Green Salmon, so ate a breakfast sandwich and had some of the best coffee I’ve had the whole trip. I drove just South to Cape Perpetua and took a walk down the Captain Cook trail. This was the greatest beach section of the Oregon coast for me, I hit the low tide JUST RIGHT. There were all of these huge spouts that would spray up when a wave hit and the rocks felt like what I think the Moon must be like. And the tidepools were FULL of anenomes and starfish. It was exactly what I was hoping for and it took my breath away.
I knew I wanted to see the Oregon Dunes, so I was planning on camping in the dunes today. However, I got a wild hair and decided to rent an ATV to see the dunes. I had no idea how much it would cost, but I called and it was about $75 for 2 hours, so I did it. I had SO MUCH FUN exploring the dunes and going to the beach on the four-wheeler. I flew down the dunes and got stuck a few times going up. I was a littttttttle scared when I got stuck, but I finally got the hang of all of it. The dunes were massive and this was really the best way to see all of them, even if I just saw a small chunk. The Oregon dunes are 50 miles along the coast. Don’t worry though, the ATVs are confined to small section of the dunes.
After riding, I headed even further south to be closer to Redwood tomorrow. I showed up to Harris
crahanam
26 chapters
15 Apr 2020
Down the 101--Oregon Coast
September 20, 2017
|
Oregon
9/23-9/25
Saturday:
Phew! I woke up in the Hoh Rainforest and enjoyed a hot cup of coffee in the foggy/misty trees. Phoebe woke up and hopped right in the car and we headed towards Olympia, where she needed to go. We chit chatted about America and politics of the world and listened to podcasts. It turns out Phoebe plays in a punk band! She has a gig in Flagstaff on November 3rd, and I think I may be able to catch it! I dropped her off and headed towards the 101.
The drive was nice, nothing elaborate and I hit Cape Disappointment before I knew it. I had chosen this spot obviously for the name and it was not a disappointment! It was right where the Columbia River met the Pacific, so there were some cool little beaches and a nice lighthouse overlooking the main beach. It seems that an explorer came in search of the Columbia River and was disappointed he didn’t find it, so he turned around. In fact, he was very NEAR the Columbia River and just hadn’t paid attention. So, Lewis and Clark camped out here to finally end their trip.
It was an OK campsite, but I wasn’t needing anything fancy. I like to spend my time at the beach anyway. I usually just cook and sleep at the site. It was great to just read and get some sun. It warmed up quite a bit after leaving the peninsula!
Sunday:
I decided last minute to head to Portland today. I was thinking there was no real reason for me to go besides that I had heard of it and it was cool. I don’t think I know anyone there, so I wasn’t going to stay. This morning I got on the road and saw the road towards Portland and took that one instead. It was a great choice! I drove through beautiful forests outside of Seaside, Oregon to get to the city. And the city was SO fun! I had only heard of Powell’s books and so that’s where I went! It was JUST LIKE PORTLANDIA! The people look like the people in the show. Haha, it’s absolutely ridiculous. But, it also felt VERY much like a bigger city Asheville.
I picked out a couple used books and then went to Deschutes Brewery for lunch. It was great! Perfect weather, warm and sunny. I sat out on the porch, read my book, and ate a delicious BBQ sandwich.
I left Portland and drove towards Tillamook, through the Tillamook State Forest. It was a beautiful drive. Oregon has these perfectly manicured fir trees that look like a drawing of what a huge fir tree should look like. And these forests were made up of all firs. It was nice to go through the forests and the mountains to end up back at the sea.
I chose Cape Lookout state park and I chose correctly! I have just been choosing randomly on maps where to go, based on where it looks on the map and the name. This one is perfect. It has a GREAT sandy beach with beautiful cliffs overlooking the beach. My little campsite has no privacy but that’s okay, I’ve been mostly at the beach anyway. It’s a really cute little state park along the coast. I hear that’s where I’ll be camping most of the way down the 101.
Monday:
As I made my coffee at Cape Lookout, I looked through my atlas to see where to head for the day. I’ve also been able to use this Lonely Planet Roadtrips book to help as the 101 is supposedly a classic road trip. So, I decided to head towards the central Oregon coast and check out as many tidepools and cute towns that I could along the way.
I stopped just out of Depoe Bay at the Devil’s Punchbowl to see a caved in sea cave and see the tidepools there. I didn’t quite catch the tides correctly, so there weren’t too many pools to see. However, I did see a weird/cool cave that had a lot of cairns inside. I popped up to the winery for a 101 sticker. It was in a REALLY beautiful spot, it was called the Flying Dutchman. I highly recommend stopping in for a glass of wine and whale watching. I, however, was not about to have a glass of wine at 11am, so skipped it.
Anyway, I continued meandering down the coast and stopped at Yaquina Head for some more tidepools. I got in for free with my National Parks pass, which was awesome because I wasn’t expecting it! I hiked down to a beautiful rock beach with rocks that were black and round. They were very cool to see and the beach had a lot of seals hanging around. Once again, hadn’t played the tides right, so it was high tide when I showed up. Note to self, check tide tables when looking for tidepools.
After Yaquina Head, I found a campsite at Beachside State Park. It was kind of the worst, very near the highway. But the beach was so peaceful and quiet, I was able to spend most of my time reading my book and walking the beach. I even went into town (Waldport) for some of the best Mexican food I’ve had in a LONG time.
Tuesday:
I woke up early and went directly to Yachats (pronounced, ya-hots) for breakfast. I had heard of the Green Salmon, so ate a breakfast sandwich and had some of the best coffee I’ve had the whole trip. I drove just South to Cape Perpetua and took a walk down the Captain Cook trail. This was the greatest beach section of the Oregon coast for me, I hit the low tide JUST RIGHT. There were all of these huge spouts that would spray up when a wave hit and the rocks felt like what I think the Moon must be like. And the tidepools were FULL of anenomes and starfish. It was exactly what I was hoping for and it took my breath away.
I knew I wanted to see the Oregon Dunes, so I was planning on camping in the dunes today. However, I got a wild hair and decided to rent an ATV to see the dunes. I had no idea how much it would cost, but I called and it was about $75 for 2 hours, so I did it. I had SO MUCH FUN exploring the dunes and going to the beach on the four-wheeler. I flew down the dunes and got stuck a few times going up. I was a littttttttle scared when I got stuck, but I finally got the hang of all of it. The dunes were massive and this was really the best way to see all of them, even if I just saw a small chunk. The Oregon dunes are 50 miles along the coast. Don’t worry though, the ATVs are confined to small section of the dunes.
After riding, I headed even further south to be closer to Redwood tomorrow. I showed up to Harris
Beach State Park and am so happy to be here! It was kind of cheap to stay here tonight and I just got a fantastic free shower. I saw the most fantastic sunset down at the beach this evening. Supposedly puffins go here to breed, but I didn’t see any. It has been amazing to see the American public stop everything to watch the sunset, no matter where we are. It looks kind of silly because everyone stops and turns in the exact same direction in little groups of people. Everyone is nearly silent and takes in the sunset and then returns back to what they were doing. Harris Beach had that happen tonight and it was absolutely beautiful.
1.
Introduction
2.
Leg 1-- DC and Portland, ME
3.
Leg 2-- Portland to Michigan
4.
Leg 3-- Michigan to Wisconsin/Minnesota
5.
Theodore Roosevelt National Park
6.
Badlands National Park
7.
Grand Teton National Park
8.
Yellowstone National Park
9.
Leg 4-- Bozeman, Driggs, etc.
10.
Payette National Forest/Snoqualmie/Getting to the PNW
11.
Lopez Island
12.
Orcas Island
13.
Olympic Peninsula
14.
Down the 101--Oregon Coast
15.
Redwood National Park
16.
San Francisco and N. California to Oakland
17.
Yosemite National Park
18.
Kings Canyon and Sequoia National Parks
19.
Los Angeles
20.
Joshua Tree National Park
21.
Grand Canyon
22.
Zion National Park
23.
Moab-Canyonlands and Arches
24.
Colorado
25.
New Mexico
26.
Texas!
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