Always take the scenic route, you never know what adventures you will find!

The Oregon Coast has long been on my bucket list. And here we are… Now, the question is, how much can we pack into a few short days?

Friday evening finds us dropping anchor (or stabilizers, in this case) in Astoria, Oregon. The sun is about to set, so we quickly unhitch the camper and set it up, then go for a walk to take in the scenery and beautiful sunset sky. I do love coastal towns.

Saturday morning, we spend a bit of time debating how we will spend the day, and how much we can reasonably do today without it becoming stressful and unenjoyable…

Eventually, we decide to drive across the Astoria-Megler bridge for starters. Once across, the road seems to take us to Cape Disappointment. Why not? It was one of the possible stops on our list…

A short hike brings us to North Head Lighthouse, and a beautiful view of the Pacific Ocean.

From there, the road takes us to another hiking spot. A trail that goes to Cape Disappointment Lighthouse. This lighthouse is only 2 miles from the North Head Lighthouse, and was built first. Ships coming in from the north could not see its light, which is why North Head Lighthouse was built afterwards.

Along the way to Cape Disappointment Lighthouse, we round a bend and come upon Deadman’s Cove.

By this point, the stomach growls are intensifying and we decide it’s time to head for some food. Mo’s Seafood + Chowder is our choice for the noon meal. Shrimp skewers were delicious!

Next stop – Lewis + Clark National Historic Park. A walk through Fort Clatsop and some time spent in the museum leave us with many interesting tidbits to discuss on our way out.

The Three Capes scenic loop was on our list as well, and it looks like we may have time for that yet today! It’s a little drive down from Astoria. A pretty drive along Hwy 101…

Cape Meares is our first stop. There’s another little lighthouse there, as well as the Octopus Tree, which we wander out to see. I wonder what makes a tree grow so many trunks?

We arrive at Cape Lookout just in time to unpack our picnic supper, then find a quiet spot on the beach to enjoy it as the sun sinks into the water. A beautiful ending to a fun-filled day.

The next morning, we are packing up again, hitching up the camper, and on our way. Our first stop is not too far down the road: the Shipwreck of the Peter Iredale.

The rest of the morning and early afternoon, we are meandering down Hwy 101, enjoying the beautiful views of cliffs and ocean.

Mid-afternoon, we decide it’s time for a stop. My boss at Honeysuckle Café in Liberty is from Oregon, and she had given me some recommendations of places to stop in Florence.

First stop in Florence: River Roasters. A delicious brevé in hand, we set off to wander the streets.

All too soon, it’s time to get on the road again so we can reach our destination for night. We reserved a campsite at Horsfall Beach, and want to get there in time to make some supper and enjoy it on the beach.

Stir-fry is made, and we settle into our camp chairs to enjoy it. The sun is setting behind the clouds, and the sky is being painted with beautiful colours. With the sound of waves crashing in the background, what more can one ask for?

The night was not quite as peaceful as we had hoped for. A group of ATVers had their campers parked in a circle, and it seemed as though their pow-wow was an all-night deal. At least the music never died down until morning…Oh well.

Morning finds us on the beach again, sipping our coffee and enjoying the foggy morning. Siegfried is amusing himself with digging holes in the sand. We’ll have to bring him to beaches more often, I think.

We have one more stop/detour before getting to Glenn: the Redwoods are calling and we must go 🙂

We really don’t have a lot of time to stop, but the drive itself through the Redwoods is beautiful. We take a small detour on the Newton B. Drury Parkway, and stop at the Big Tree Wayside. Let’s just say, a person feels pretty small next to these trees…

Around 10 p.m. we arrive in Glenn, where we will be spending the next week or two…