Hwy-101 South: Washington and Oregon

(posted by Kizzy)

Today as I write this, we're in Santa Barbara, California. The weather is getting closer to sunny!

So picking up where Col left off. We drove from Seattle to Long Beach Peninsula, Washington. close to the border with Oregon.  We had planned to take a longer trip along the Washington coast but the weather forecast was not promising and everything in Washington  that seemed good to see were views and Vistas!

En route we stopped at this American diner for lunch - Slater's Diner. It was a good introduction to what was to come. This place, served great food, and it also transported you to somewhere in the past, our waiter was an Elvis impersonator in his spare time, and the venue was a shrine to the times of Elvis, Marylin Monroe and Lucille Ball.

In Long Beach, we stayed in the Adrift hotel. The name is very appropriate because how a hotel like this found its way here, you can guess that it was truly 'adrift'. The concept of the hotel is that of using various recycled materials , and it combines a simplicity with utility that is very refreshing. Add to that breathtaking views of the sea and you have a recipe for success.

our bedroom

interesting use of crates in the room

Our first impressions of Long Beach set the scene for the sort of dichotomy we saw along the coast. You get an odd mix of old and new, a mix of   the conscientious and  the somewhat less conscientious. The feeling of a community holding on to traditions, resisting change and at the same time  being swept along by the it's tide. A struggle all too familiar but illustrated in a very dramatic way against the backdrop of the beautiful West American coast.

the reconstructed skeleton of a gray whale !!??

car culture

Let me give you one more example. When we saw the beach Col and I had to restrain ourselves not to run straight to it. As we got closer we realised that some people shared the same views as we did but instead of running, they felt compelled to drive to beach and dip their car tires in the ocean water. I suppose you can understand why with  miles and miles of sand that you could not possibly cover in a day by walking. Some cycle, others ride horses (the horse poo makes for a lovely place to sunbathe), others drive...

The beach is beautiful, miles and miles of sand stretching as far as the eye can see and beyond...

a walk along the beach

To be fair not much is happening here. This town, like many we came across has it's center on the  Hwy-101, where you will find most shops and restaurants - what Americans call 'the strip".  Hence strip Malls, strip Motels etc.. Then you have oddities like Marsh's Free Museum, not a museum in the traditional sense but a collection of 'world wonders'.

Here we had our first glimpse of Jake the Alligator Man - apparently someone thought it was funny to make a replica of a half-man and half-crocodile, leave it in the beach and call the media on it. Just opposite the museum, hanging on a rack you will find the 'World's Largest Frying Pan'. Unfortunately I refused to take a photo. These are just a some of the things you will find here.

Jake the Alligator Man

The American West Coast has some funny oddities that pull you in. And as much as you try not to give into the tourist traps you have to accept that part of the journey is joining in the fun. Col loves it and at the end of it, I was bought in too. More  on this later in the post...

Oregon
We had to take some shortcuts here and there. One of the things we found, that we were not prepared for is that the American West Coast is incredibly foggy. For most if not all of the morning you can't see much far.

We crossed the border to Oregon on the back of the beautiful 'art-deco' Astoria-Megler bridge, dropping us in the west end downtown of Astoria, the oldest American city west of the Missouri River. We did not spend much time in Astoria, but we did make a stop to stretch our legs and take on a short trail to the Astoria Column.

Astoria Bridge

the trail to Astoria column

Astoria Column

From the top we  got a good feel of the city and great views of the Columbia river and the busy port just outside of the city.

view from the top

on top of the world

We took on the Pacific Coast highway again. This amazing 1,500-mile drive, mostly two lanes route takes in everything from temperate rain forest to near-desert, rarely loosing sight of the Pacific Ocean.

views we enjoyed en route

We stopped in the busy little coastal town of Cannon Beach and it's the weekend. Generally all the folk from the big cities tend to head down to these relaxed  coastal towns for a well deserved weekend break. For Cannon Beach this means they arrive from Portland. It's tiny, Col and I felt a bit stressed with all the cars trying to squeeze into this little town.

In contrast with Long Beach, Cannon Beach is totally geared up for tourism, with plenty of suggestions on how you can spend your money. Maybe even a bit too commercial for our liking. Having said that, we took one look at the beautiful views of the beach and all our stress was taken away. There's definitely some spiritual forces at work here, the spirit of nature. The weather was also nice and warm.

Perhaps I should mention that us city dwellers are probably used to the beach as a place to soak up the sun and swim, but here where there's plentiful it seems that beach takes on a different presence in people's lives. Here is where you come for your water sports, picnics, walking your dogs, jogging, or just having a walk... the beach is your local park... Nice huh!

We didn't find accommodation at Cannon Beach and were recommended to head further south to 'Rockaway'.

Rockaway Beach town was forgettable. We stayed in this motel (not very nice and the smell of bleach was so strong we thought it might poison us but at least we knew it was clean!). The nice part was that it was literally just in front of the beach and we were rearing to enjoy its company. So we geared up, took our books and sat down with the water just feet away from us... and yep - we lasted 5 minutes. It was so windy, the sand was being lifted by the wind and slapped on our faces. Defeated and sanded we retreated to our room and changed for dinner.

trying to enjoy the beach

It was cold and windy. But literally just a 10 or 15 minutes drive away in Wheeler (Nehalem Bay) where we had our dinner we had the most pleasant sunny warm weather you could imagine. No wind, no sand in your face. Actually very pleasant. 

Funny thing this. There are miles and miles of beaches and we didn't swim. They are very beautiful to watch and families plan whole activities around them except swimming. The beaches on the coast are not very welcoming to swimming, there's big waves, wind, yes it's very windy, massive rocks all around and the weather... it's always foggy. But you can look at them, they're gorgeous. Oh, and you have all these warning signs saying that you can go in but at your own risk. The main risk is apparently 'sleeper  or sneaker waves" check out the link  they sound scary !

Hwy-101 veers inland for 50 miles between Tillamook and Lincoln City. Running northwest from Tillamook, you get this great scenic drive: the 35-mile long Three Capes Loop. We didn't get to see all three Capes because the side road had collapsed and the road was cut off. There was no signs to tell us this - we simply had  turn back ! But we were blessed with good weather for a portion of the drive and we got to see Cape Meares and the coastal village of Oceanside.

houses perched on the hill of Oceanside

When you see these places, what these people wake up to every morning it makes you want a piece of what they're having. It makes me wonder that they have to be better people just by getting the opportunity to see this everyday...

Oceanside beach

At Cape Meares, we had the opportunity to visit a restored 1890 lighthouse. There were promises that we might be able to see some whales here but we were not lucky. No sightings. 

 

view from the lighthouse

 Our luck was running out. We had a really foggy morning and made the decision to drive almost uninterrupted to Florence missing out on some beautiful places like Cape Perpetua and Heceta Head along the way. We took solace in the fact that there's plenty more to come.


In Florence we had our first sight of the Oregon Dunes. We could see it, but we could not believe it, one side you have the forest and the sea, on the other side you have the dunes. It's hard to take in that it's all in the same place. We stayed here for one night.

first sight of the dunes

And we started to get some insight into the relationship Americans have with their dogs...

Notice outside a restaurant

We liked Florence, quaint and charming. And we had one of our favourite breakfasts here at Little Brown Hen Cafe. 

We crossed the Siuslaw River Bridge to the Oregon Dunes county. The bridge itself is one of a half dozen designed by Conde McGullough and decorated with his trademark Egyptian obelisks and art deco stylings. We took note of his style and found a few more of his signature bridges along the way.

Siuslaw River Bridge

Our next stint was camping. Yep, first time for me and I was nervous. We bought our equipment in Reedsport: a tent, two sleepings bags and a mallet.

We stayed in William M. Tugman State Park for 2 nights, along the Umpqua river midway between Florence and Coos Bay at the heart of the dunes.

We were blessed with good weather and a good location. Our first challenge was in setting the tent, we struggled a bit but we made it.

Before

and after

inside the tent with no foam mattresses

Next thing was sorting out the fire, we had the wood, it worked out fine too and after a hard day's work Col sat down and enjoyed his masterpiece, bier in one hand. We had a good time. Our first night was not so popular, however. We forgot one thing, the foam mattress to even the floor surface and create a layer between our bodies and the cold floor.

Next day we were out between Coos Bay and Reedsport sourcing a foam mattress to make sure our second night was a bit more comfortable and warm. We were rewarded with a good night's sleep. We're loving this. So next thing we have to try is cooking: we got us some sausages and corn and we had our first camping dinner! :-D Happy faces!

We did it the simple way but let me tell you camping here is a serious business, I probably did not take much notice of it in Europe. People here have serious equipment, almost like skiing. You see these massive cars and trailers that can carry the world: bicycles, buggies, the family, and more and more toys...

We didn't come here to just camp and eat, so we took on our environment and did what you got do here: ride the dunes! We loved the Oregon dunes, personally my favourite. Col and I rented a buggy to ride the dunes. It just looked so much fun, but I confess I was really scared once Col took on the wheel. Nothing to do with his driving is just that after you drive the dunes for a while you can't really tell north from south, up from down... You loose perspective. It does something to you.

Our ride

Yes, we had to wear helmets

the designated driver

 

We visited more dune sites, but the buggy rental companies are not all based near the dunes which makes it difficult for you to access the dunes if you're not a buggy owner. We watched people with incredible gadgets driving their buggies to some great sites. We could not do it unfortunately.

At the Redwoods visitor centre we were recommended to stop by two lakes, the first one, a gorgeous, blessed gem, surrounded partly by the forest and on the other side you have miles and miles of dunes. Absolutely breathtaking.The second one was lake Mary, a bit more popular but equally beautiful. In both occasions, Col the Scot, took a swim. I had a dip in the first one, and read a book whilst he swam when we visited the second one.

Lake Mary

We take on the hwy-101 again, crossing again those beautiful art deco bridges to land in Coos Bay, where a  Californian surfer dude tried to hitch a ride from us. Col could hardly understand a word of what he said and nodded every now and then. We agreed that he was a 'questionable' character and that it would not be on our best interest to help him. We hope he made his way home, somehow...

At this point our Oregon adventure ends. Our next blog entry tells our story in California, where we celebrated our 4th year marriage anniversary! We're a bit behind because we've not had consistent internet access.

These are just some of the gems we had access to through conversation with locals. There is no shortage of this on the coast and really you are spoilt for choice.

A few thoughts
I struggled a bit with writing this entry and it took me sometime to understand why. No one we know lives here or there, no magical couple we met along the way, or anyone who joined us for part of our journey. Still fantastic but harder to make out one place from another because for most part we were observers.

Oregon was a great introduction to the Pacific Coast. You see strip towns and places where the timber boom went bust, beach loops, moderately touristy towns populated by at most a few thousand people, and endless state parks per mile. You have that and you have the coast. And as we drove south, we made decisions about where to stay, where to eat and what to do along the coast. Sometimes we got lost, sometimes Tom Tom got lost, sometimes we lost our tempers. We're still perfecting our team work approach and we're learning so much about each other. It's been great!

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