Traveling the Oregon Coast was amazing, spectacular, incredible and one of our most memorable trips. As you cross the 4-mile long bridge at the Washington Oregon border, you are in Astoria, a maritime town nestled against the hills along the Columbia River. Some of you will remember Astoria for the movie “The Goonies” that was filmed there. Others refer to Astoria as a mini version of San Francisco with narrow streets winding up and down hills, homes built “on top” of each other and many of those homes are of Victorian style. Jack, and his love for castles and mansions, had to go see the Flavel House, a 11,600 sq. ft. house built in 1886. From the top floor, Captain George Flavel, a noted bar pilot on the Colombia River, could see ships coming in the river and would go down and pilot them in. We could not get over the 14’ ceilings, the pocket doors and the woodwork. From here we traveled to see the Astoria Column, an artful summary of the triumphs, conflicts and turning points of the frontier and stands 125 feet atop the Coxcomb Hill.

Further down the coast is Cannon Beach, named for a cannon that washed up on the beach in 1846. Some say Cannon Beach is a small version of Carmel, but not sure we agree. However it is charming town of boutiques. As you drive thru the town you see Haystack Rock and if the tide is out, we could walked up to the Rock.

The Oregon coast has 9 lighthouses to see and we made it a point to see each lighthouse, starting with the lighthouse atop Tillamook Rock, “Terrible Tilly” because of the storms that often brought flying rocks and debris through the lantern room. Cape Meares Lighthouse was our next lighthouse, but we were so sorry to see that two people with high power rifles shot out 15 panes of the outer window glass and did extensive damage to the Frensel lens. If in the area be sure to drive the Three Capes Scenic Loop that encompasses Cape Mears, Cap Lookout and Cape Kiwanda. Cape Kiwanda is a sandy dune where you can see some great surfers enjoying the ocean.

Driving on we stopped at Depoe Bay, a very commercial town but has great views of the ocean and we were able to see two whales swimming a few feet from shore. Also here, as well as other places along the coast, when the tide is coming in you see the “spouting horn” a rock formation that turn crashing waves into a rising column of water. As we traveled the coast, we stopped at many wayward stops to enjoy the crashing of waves against the rocks. Close to Cape Perpetua is another spectacular view. There you see another spouting horn. Over years a cave was formed by the pounding waves and then a hole in the top of the cave setting the stage for an “ocean geyser” or spouting horn. We could not get enough of the spectacular ocean glistening in the sunlight and crashing against the various rock formations along the coast. Now the sun did not shine a lot but when it did, the view was spectacular.

Along with all the lighthouses we saw, there were many coastal towns that were interesting to stop and visit; Winchester Bay, Coos Bay, and Bandon to name a few. Winchester Bay is a great place to rent an ATV and go out and enjoy the ride up and down the sand dunes. Some of the “trails” looked very challenging. Coos Bay, not only has the casino but many antique stores that we had to explore. Brandon, being the cranberry capital of Oregon, has many cranberry bogs which we now understand since our visit to a cranberry museum in Washington. Driving from Gold Beach to Brooking, you once again have many wayward stops to enjoy the sounds of the ocean as well a few more lighthouses.

We did leave Highway 101 and the Oregon Coast a couple of times and headed to the I-5 corridor. Once was to see the Spruce Goose at the Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum in McMinnville. The museum is dedicated in memory of Captain Michael Smith who died in a car accident at the age of 29. The museum was his dream and he came up with the museum design to house the Spruce Goose. The Spruce Goose was our main reason to go and what a sight that was. The wing span is greater than a football field. Howard Hughes called it the HK-1 and forbid anyone on his staff to refer to the plane as the Spruce Goose. That name came from a photographer upon hearing that the airplane would be built out of wood due to all the metal being needed to build planes for the war. He “assumed” that the plane would be built out of spruce. However the plane is mainly built out of birch wood and very little spruce. Anyway the plane was amazing to see along with all the other hundreds of planes, helicopters as well as the space center. Plan on several hours if you want to see all.


Another great trip was to Crater Lake that rests in the shattered remains of a volcano called Mount Mazama, which erupted and collapsed into itself 7,700 years ago. The view of the lake, formed by rain and melted snow, is breathtaking with the intense blue color that seems to turn emerald green around the edge. It is five miles wide and the deepest in the US. As you travel around the rim you are in awe of the pristine lake with various formations in the lake such as Wizard Island which is another volcano that erupted since the collapse of Mount Mazama. You will see another island called Phantom Ship which is a 16-story island that resembles a pirate ship. Pumice Castle Overlook, a layer of orange pumice rock that has been eroded into the shape of a medieval castle.

In the winter this area receives average of 44 feet of snow. While driving around the rim, it was hard not to notice the 20’ snow poles lining the road. The crew arrives mid-April and starts plowing the road. There are electronic cables along the edges of the road so the snow plows know where the edges are. You are told that there is still snow visible in July!!! Because of strong, harsh and nearly constant winds, the trees, mainly whitebark pines, are interestingly deformed. The trees curve out from the ground as they grow and even curl around another tree. They seem to have ridges embedded in them by the wind. Crater Lake has been compared to one of the most beautiful sights similar to Grand Canyon.

Traveling through Oregon for 3 weeks we noticed several things, besides the coastline. One is all the mist and rain which people in Oregon said was nothing compared to what it will be like later in the year. However don’t think we have ever worn our rain coats for so many straight days. Also, like Washington, Oregon has many many drive thru espresso shops and they were not Starbucks (however Starbucks did start in Washington). Oregon is noted for the Oregon Coast Bike Trail and the many bicyclists with camping gear riding along the side of the road in the rain. However some of those trails are very narrow and not what we would call a bike trail. Also in Oregon you cannot pump your own gas. It is a state law that an employee of the station must pump your gas. The first few times were great but after that you got tired of waiting for them to pump your gas.

We look forward to another year when we can once again enjoy Oregon, the coast and the area around I-5 corridor.