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Cape Perpetua Visitor Center

Location = Cape Perpetua Visitor Center. 2400 US-101, Yachats, OR. From Florence, drive about 22 miles north to Cape Perpetua - about 11 miles south of Waldport. From Hwy 10, take the Oregon Coast Trail Rd on the right and head up hill to the Visitor Center. The views at the top are gorgeous. There's also 3 hiking trails, Cape Cove Beach, and viewpoints for Thor's Well, Spouting Horn, and Devil's Churn.

Next up is Waldport - about 34 miles north of Florence In Part 2, and it's a cute little town divided by the Alsea River. It's a great town to go crabbing or fishing, with boat rentals available. I'm not big on fishing, but.... a fresh salmon or trout for dinner sounds perfect. How about we share - if you catch it, I'll cook it. Is that a YES?

A few fun things to do in Waldport include: Gov. Patterson Memorial State Recreation site & walk on the beach or go to Alsea Bay Historic Interpretive Center. Waldport even has a public golf course and the Coastal River Adventures.

Plan on 8-12 days total for Parts 1-3 on the 363 mile Oregon coast Hwy 101.

Part 1 = Brookings, Gold Beach, Bandon. Part 2 = Coos Bay/North Bend, Winchester Bay, Reedsport, Florence. Part 3 = Waldport, Newport, Depoe Bay, Lincoln City, Canyon Beach, Astoria. Hike the Oregon Coast Trail if you love crazy challenges.

Great add-on trip: Lost Home of 7 Dwarfs, OR.

Newport is about 16 miles north of Waldport. The shops & restaurants are also a nice break from the go-go-go activities. Check out Sea Lion Docks - it's on Port Dock One behind Clearwater Restaurant at 325 SW Bay Blvd. Because it's usually flipper to flipper crowded, you'll probably see some interesting interactions.

Newport also offers: a Ripley’s Believe it or Not, fly a kite or look for agates on Beverly Beach, South Beach State Park & hiking for miles, the Yaquina Head Lighthouse & State Park, fishing charters, and a golf course. For fun on Yaquina Bay, rent a boat or kayak.

Newport also has yearly festivals like the Performing Arts Festival in August and a Wine & Seafood Festival in February - it's mostly just wine, but still a sing-along blast. Oregonians have created their own blends like Blackberry and Cranberry wines.

Oregon Coast Aquarium

Location = OR Coast Aquarium. 2820 SE Ferry Slip Rd, Newport OR.

The Oregon Coast Aquarium is a non-profit world class marine education park. It's perfect for a 2 hour break and has some really nice ocean wildlife displays along with fun & educational animal shows.

Their "Encounters" program lets you can get all touchy-feely with moon jellies and octopus. The "Passages of the Deep" attraction is pretty amazing - you'll explore the ocean depths as you travel under water thru 3 different tunnels. Oregon Coast Aquarium also has a "Jelly Gallery" that's really impressive. Did you know that jellyfish have no brain and actually can't swim. They move about with the currents.

Oregon Coast Aquarium has indoor & outdoor exhibits with birds, wildlife, and marine creatures. After you've done all that, take a wander around the nature paths for a little education in plant life. Let me know what your favorite aquarium creature is?

Location = Devil's Punchbowl. 122 1st St, Otter Rock OR. Parking is along the street.

Devil's Punchbowl is about 8 miles north of Newport. It's another gem that you should definitely see. It's been designated as a Natural Site and formed when 2 sea caves collapsed into each other. The best time to visit of course is at high tide - but you'll want to stand back because she's gonna blow.... .

The waves are forced into Devil's Punchbowl.... and, like a massive blow-hole the water is pushed up, spouting high into the air.. It makes for a magnificent display of nature in action. Just don't get caught exploring the bottom of the cave when high tide is approaching - they didn't name it "Devils" Punchbowl for nothing!

After seeing it erupt like a volcano, we came back at low tide to see the punchbowl empty. We hiked down for giggles and stood in the ginormous hole. The bottom has quite a bit of debris that washed in. To get a SIZE perspective - find the 4 people in the photo below. You could fit a really big house down there. WOW it's huge.

Whale Watching

Depoe Bay is one of the best whale watching spots on the Oregon Coast, and about 13 miles north of Newport. It's almost guaranteed you'll see whales from June to September. Choose from several boat charters and book a tour online before hand.

Quick note: since size DOES matter..... charter a boat, not a rubber raft - just my opinion. But seriously.... who wants to capsize in this freezing water? And how do you feel about being a human toothpick?

While I've seen many divers have amazing experiences with whales, especially the friendly gray, blue, and humpback whales - they've also been known to get grumpy and aggressive.

What to expect when whale watching in Depoe Bay: grays & humpbacks are the most commonly seen and are typically curious. The might swim around a boat for several minutes, possibly coming fairly close to investigate further. If that happens, you're in for a treat. Occasionally you might see orcas, dolphins, or blue whales.

Gray whales grow to 49 feet long and 90,000 pounds. Humpback whales grow to 60 feet long and 80,000 pounds. And this is exactly why I'm not especially keen on being in a little 10 foot rubber raft.

If you prefer whale watching from land - head a couples miles north to Boiler Bay for a great panoramic view. If you’re there December to mid-January, or mid-March to end of May, you can watch as hundreds migrate south. Depoe Bay also has charters for ocean fishing or crabbing. Anyone catch a big one? Wanna share....we're friends right? Wait, come back. Photo below left: left of center is a gray whale skimming the surface.

Lincoln City is about 12 miles north of Depoe Bay and home to the only Outlet Mall on the coast. But..... I know you didn’t come on this incredible journey to go to a Mall.... unless of course you're from a town that doesn't even blip on the radar.

I happen to love blown glass which Lincoln City has several - so I drag my daughter to a few of the blown glass shops. Sometimes it's just fun to go on a good treasure hunt, to find your next gem. The artists can create the most brilliant, colorful, and gorgeous glass art pieces. 2150 NE Oar Pl, Lincoln City

If glass art isn't your jam - there's plenty of other stuff to enjoy. I recommend the Lincoln Community Center at 2150 NE Oar Place, Lincoln City - kids from 2 to 82 will have loads of fun. They have a rock climbing wall, therapy pool & pool with a slide & rope swing, gym, fitness center, and dog park. Lincoln City also has a golf course....blah!!!

Tillamook

We weren’t able to stop at Tillamook, 44 miles north of Lincoln City. They have a variety of things to do, like the County Pioneer Museum, hiking to Munson Creek Falls, and the Oregon favorite: Tillamook Creamery for ice cream & cheese. Sounds de-lish.

Manzanita

Drive 70 miles north of Lincoln City to Ocean Beach Rides. Yep - horseback riding on the beach is like double fun. I've ridden horses on the beach further south. The reviews for this place are good.

Hug Point State Rec Site

Location = Hug Point Site. Hug Point Recreation Site is about 10 miles north of Manzanita. Driving north on Hwy 101, go past Hug Point Rd on the right and take the next left onto Beach Access Rd. The scenery is pretty awesome right before sunset. When you get down to the beach, walk north to the sea caves that are carved out of rocky cliffs.

There's also a waterfall that cascades down to the sand. The waterfalls can dwindle if there’s been little rain during the winter and/or it’s late summer and the water is drying up.

We brought some snacks & settled in to watch the gorgeous sun setting over the horizon. Hug Point Rec Site's landscape of soft yellow & burnt orange cliffs make for a spectacular sunset - giving the cliffs a warm glow.

Cannon Beach is another popular seaside town, known for Haystack Rock. FYI: it's illegal to climb Haystack Rock.

Haystack Rock is located about 1.5 miles south of Cannon Beach and it's one of the tallest in the world. Haystack Rock rises 235 feet up from the water. Haystack actually means a tall, stand-alone rock formation with a somewhat rounded top. It formed when lava mixed with ocean sediment which eventually rose to it's current height.

Don’t forget to look down – the tide pools around Haystack Rock have some interesting sea creatures to look at: starfish, anemones, crabs, sea slugs, limpet snails, and others. You can bet if it's slimy, my child who is a grown adult still likes to pick stuff up - she like's to have herself a touchy-feely moment, slimy or not. YUCK.

More fun things to do in Cannon Beach: Tolovana Beach State Recreation Site including Cannon Beach is said to be one of the most scenic beaches, Coaster Theatre Playhouse, and Oswald West State Park with miles of hiking trails.

The last stop and most northern city in Oregon is Astoria. It's about 25 miles north of Cannon Beach. On the northern border of Astoria is the mighty Columbia River which separates Oregon and Washington.

Astoria Bridge

The Astoria bridge is an impressive sight. It's 4.1 miles long - and the longest continual bridge in North America. When you're driving across the bridge, you almost have a "land-ho" moment as the state of Washington comes into focus. The Astoria Bridge is part of the coastal Hwy 101. See photo below left.

Lewis & Clark Fort Clatsop

Location = Lewis & Clark. 92343 Fort Clatsop Rd, Astoria OR. It's about 5 miles south of Astoria. Buy a $10 pass at the Fort Clatsop Visitor's Center. Memorial Day to Labor Day open daily 9 am to 6 pm. Off season open daily 9 am to 5 pm. FYI: cell service may be spotty in this area depending on carrier.

The Lewis & Clark Historic Park is a replica of Fort Clatsop originally built in 1805. It's a 50 x 50 foot camp for the 33 people in the expedition. Fort Clatsop was finished on Christmas Eve and named after the Clatsop Indian tribe that lived in the area.

The Lewis & Clark Historic Trail began in Pittsburg PA to the Columbia River mouth & Pacific Ocean near Astoria - 4,900 miles long. Even by car, it's a haul from coast to coast - I know because I've done it.

Lewis & Clark traveled primarily by boat along rivers, then rode horseback to get thru the Rock Mountains, and once in Idaho they traded the horses for dug-out canoes. The Lewis & Clark Historic Park & Fort has Rangers that lead kayak/canoe trips for a fun, educational outing. If you prefer to explore on your own - there's plenty of hiking trails.

Captain Flavel House & Museum

Location = Captain Flavel House. 751 Duane St. Tour Location = 714 Exchange St. The Tour starts at the Carriage House Visitor Center which includes the mansion a.k.a. the Museum and other displays. Cheap entry fee, open daily at 10 am. October-April open until 4 pm. May-September until 5 pm.

Captain Flavel's House is a beautifully restored and historic Queen Anne style mansion. The Flavel house was built in 1884-1885 by a German architect and is 11,600 square feet.

Captain Flavel's fortune came from real estate investments & piloting boats on the Columbia River or giving ship tours. He had it built for his family and planned retirement years.

The Astoria Column

Location = Astoria Column. 1 Coxcomb Dr., Astoria OR. $5 fee per vehicle good for 1 year. The Park is open daily from 5 am to 10 pm. Access to the stairs to climb the Astoria Tower closes at dusk.

The Astoria Column began as an idea in 1898 to build an electrified tower that would outshine the Eiffel Tower in Paris. It's 125 foot tall monument to the history of the Pacific Northwest people. The Astoria Column was finished in 1926 and visitors could climb the inside stairwell to the observation deck.

An artist engraved historical scenes into the column, starting with a 1792 scene in which Captain Gray journeyed by boat to the Columbia River, and then began relations with 2 different Indian tribes.

The Astoria Column looks out at the wide mouth of the Columbia River where it empties into the Pacific ocean. The views are stunning from the mountain perch. At night, have a look at the Column from town - it's lit up like a Christmas tree.

Vacation Travel Tips

• Average temps high/low = Summer 68/51 degrees F. Winter 53/40. Summer may get some rain. Winter rarely snows. It's usually windy, and adds a chill in winter.

• There are a few places that require a “pass” or $5 cash.

• Backpack essentials - water, bug spray, sunscreen, whistle, flashlight, cell phone, pocket knife, camera, and a light jacket for summer.

• Winter Essentials - waterproof hiking boots, and warm clothing.

• Hiking conditions - trails can be wet & slippery even in summer.

• Vehicle safety – keep a spare blanket, boots, jacket, gloves, and snacks in the car. All season tires are sufficient even if it's icy a few days.

• Wild animals - rarely seen on trails, but they're out there.

• Trash - pack out what you pack in.

• Rivers/lakes – river shoes are a must. Be mindful of currents & water temps. Heavy winter rains/snow means cold, deep & fast moving water. Most coastal cities are next to large rivers that flow into the Pacific Ocean.

• Rattlesnakes - not usually found above 6,000 ft.

• Wilderness areas – take a buddy & tell someone your travel plans.

• Tourist season - Due to the small town coastal culture, tourist season brings heavy traffic, including motorhomes on single lane roads. Locals from inland areas also come for fishing, camping, and sand-dunes in the summer & on holidays, so parking may be limited.

• Poison oak - Not on the coast, but is found 30-40 min. drive inland.

• Snakes - mainly garter snakes on the coast.

• Wilderness areas – take a buddy & tell someone your travel plans.

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