Oregon Trip- Cannon Beach

Part 1 of our Oregon trip can be found here

Day 3: We arrived in Cannon Beach too early to check in at our hotel and quickly discovered that most restaurants in town are closed on Tuesdays.  None of the places we’d bookmarked to try were open so we ended up at Local Grill and Scoop.  It was okay but nothing to write home about. After we drove up to Ecola State Park and walked around at Ecola Point.  We drove over to Indian Beach but decided we’d come back later when we had more time to explore it.

We came back to town and shopped at the farmers market for picnic food: salami, hummus and pita bread, and fresh peaches.  It was finally time to check in so we got settled in our room (with a killer view!) at the Hallmark Resort and Spa and then walked down to Haystack Rock to explore the beach and the tidal pools.

We went back to Ecola State Park and enjoyed our picnic at Indian Beach and watched the surfers and the sunset.  This was a highlight of the trip for both of us.

Day 4: We had breakfast at the Lazy Susan Cafe.  They take only cash but fortunately there was an ATM across the street! This place is tiny and has less than 10 tables.  The food is GREAT.  I had waffles and bacon and Tyler had…something. I was hungry and dove right in and paid no attention, lol.

After breakfast we drove a little over an hour south to Cape Meares.  Sadly it was enveloped in fog, so we couldn’t see the ocean.  This was a bummer but still made for some good pictures and we saw the mysterious octopus tree so that was fun.

We decided to part ways for the afternoon and Tyler hiked at Ecola State Park and I shopped and explored in downtown Cannon Beach.  I picked up food and wine for another picnic at Provisions 124 and I got a nutella crepe from Crepe Neptune that was divine.

When Tyler returned we drove down to Hug Point and explored the rock formations, waterfall, and cave.

We ate dinner in our room and then went down to the beach and enjoyed the sunset.  The hotel had free beach blankets so that was a nice amenity.  Originally we were hoping to have a campfire and smores on the beach (hotel provides everything for this) but due to the drought and a fire ban this was a no-go.  The sunset was beautiful and after the sun went down we watched as the stars came out one by one until we got too chilly.

  

Day 5: After checking out we ate breakfast at The Wayfarer.  Excellent views of Haystack Rock but the food was mediocre at best.  Then it was on to Portland….

Oregon Trip- Columbia River Gorge

Tyler and I decided to head to Oregon to celebrate our 10 year wedding anniversary a few months early.  Fall seemed like a good time to go and my in laws were happy to come stay with Gretchen for a week.  The first two days of our trip were spent in Hood River, Oregon.

Day 1: Flew into PDX on Southwest Airlines (no fee for checked bags, woo!  C boarding group, boo!)  Picked up our rental car from Alamo (got a great deal through Costco) and drove up towards Hood River. It was 50 degrees and raining lightly so our plan to visit some scenic stops along the way were postponed. We did hike down to Bridal Veil Falls though, not realizing the trail was very steep and pretty treacherous while wet.  Also I was wearing a maxi dress and flip flops so not the best hiking gear!  Fortunately I had my rain jacket and a husband to hold my hand and keep me from falling!  The falls were worth the hike, so beautiful!

Drove on to Hood River where it was not raining, just cool.  Still it wasn’t too cool to eat outside so we did just that at 6th Street Bistro.  The food and beer were good, nothing out of this world but it was a good meal.  After dinner we walked around down by the river and watched the sunset.  We got some amazing strawberry and hazelnut gelato from a little gelato stand that used only local and organic ingredients.

Day 2: Delicious breakfast at our B&B, the Villa Columbia, before we left to drive the “fruit loop.”  We stopped at several places along the route, including Gorge White House, Apple Valley Country Store, Packer Orchard and Bakery, and some scenic stops along the highway where we got pictures of Mt. Hood.  We ate lunch at Solstice and had a delicious cherry and chorizo pizza and salad with local pears, goat cheese, and hazelnuts.  In the afternoon we wanted some downtime so we sat on the balcony at the B&B and read books we’d brought along.  

In the evening we went back to Gorge White House for dinner (pear quesadillas, YUM!) and wine/cider tasting.  Without the sun directly overhead we were able to walk through the orchard and the flower fields and really take it all in.  This place is beautiful.  A million thanks to my friend Stacy for telling us about it!  It closes at 7 so we went back to the river front park and watched the kite boarders and the sunset.

Day 3: Tyler did a 12 mile run this morning along the closed portion of the scenic highway. We had breakfast at the B&B and checked out and then headed towards the ocean.  Along the way we stopped at Horsetail Falls, Multnomah Falls, and Vista House at Crown Point.  It was a beautiful morning and not crowded since the holiday weekend wa s over.