Oregon Part 2: Rockaway Beach to Astoria

On our way to the coast we drove through Tillamook. Everyone seems to talk about the Tillamook Cheese Factory so it was on my list. But Chase saw this place first and decided to pull in to check it out. Im so happy we did! It was the cutest shop with all sorts of meats, cheeses, spreads, candies and anything else you can think of. It was a rainy day and nice, cozy stop. We sampled a lot and grabbed some goods to go. 

Once we got to Rockaway Beach we set a picnic up to have lunch. We ate our baguette, cheese, jam and meat from Blue Heron. Can I tell you how amazing the Marion berry jam was?!! We still have the tiniest bit left in our fridge right now and Im savoring every last bit. 

The weather was rainy on and off all day and it was cold. But Chase found us a fun hike after we checked into our airbnb. It was the Cedar Forest Trail and we hiked through such beautiful, lush, thick forest! 

Chase knows how much I love trees! I mean, we all love trees right? But for me, the more trees the better. The bigger the trees the better. I grew up not far from the redwoods and camping at Big Trees National Forest. So I miss them a lot. Although Utah is gorgeous, we do not have grand forests here full of giant cedars and sequoia's like where I grew up. So whether Chase meant to or not, him taking me on this hike and finding this tree meant the world to me! 

Trees are such a monumental symbol of life and wisdom. They are strong and give so much to the world. Heavenly Father knew what he was doing when he planted trees on the earth for us to enjoy. 

Our first run in with wild blackberries! Chase picked many on this trail. He was like a kid in a candy shop. I also partook of the berries but wasn't willing to go to great lengths to get ripe ones like he was! Ha ha! 

I believe this beach was at Oswald State Park. I found a short hike down to a beach called Short Sand Beach ( I think that's what it was called). 

The beauty of the Oregon coast is unreal.

We had this whole beach to ourselves except for two girls leaving when we arrived. They were kind enough to snap our picture. Can you see the waterfall behind us?

Chase ventured over to the falls and I stayed behind. I was too cold to get anymore wet. 

I marked the sand with our initials which would soon be washed away by the tide.

The sun tried to peek through the clouds for just a moment and it was breathtaking. 

We found the cute town of Manzanita on our ay up to Cannon Beach. We stopped for chai lattes and pumpkin coffee cake. This town was one of our favorites. The slow and easy vibe was just what we like and it reminded me a bit of Lake Tahoe.

We took morning strolls along the city's beach with our lattes and enjoyed the views and ocean air. 

This picture is super silly! I told Chase I wanted to take one of those pictures where your finger is touching the tip of something giant in the background. So after a few tries he got me touching the tip of Haystack rock. 

Again, I asked a nice stranger to take our picture. Ive always wondered how people get these candid shots of themselves kissing or laughing in these picturesque scenes? Well the lady started snapping and I looked at Chase and said "Lets kiss!" Ha ha! So he gave me a quick peck on the lips and she captured the moment. I totally embarrassed him but it was worth it! 

Haystack Rock is pretty cool. I would love to come back during low tide and explore and see all of the puffins that come each summer! 

More charming PNW homes! 

More wild blackberries along the road!

The town of Cannon Beach is very cute but very touristy. I loved walking around and exploring but was happy we were staying somewhere  outside of Cannon Beach. I can imagine how busy it is in the summer months! We grabbed some homemade salt water taffy for the kids ate shared some fish and chips at a local spot. We also met a biker named Terry from Dubai (originally from England) who was biking the coast. It was interesting to talk with him about his journey. He had started in Vancouver and his goal was to end in Mexico! We would continue to see him a few more times along the road as we drove the coast. I could see the gleam in Chase's eye as he spoke with him and his own desire to do something similar one day in the future. 

We headed to Ecola State Park and took a hike to Crescent Beach. It was beautiful and again we had the beach to ourselves to explore. 

From there we drove up to Astoria. We only stayed about an hour. We walked along the docks and saw some of the giant cargo ships.

It seemed to be a sleepy little town closed down for the season. It was still a nice drive and fun to see. 

We headed back to our very tiny and smelly airbnb. It was not exactly as described when I booked it and we made the best of a not so comfortable situation. The permanent tenants trailer looked straight into our windows. His lights shone right through on our bed while we slept. The house was on a slant so we would roll "downhill" at night while we slept on the bed 😂. It smelled of mold and mildew pretty bad. But at night we played scrabble and watched Netflix on my laptop. It rained so hard the first night it was like sleeping in a tent it was so loud! We had booked it for 3 nights but only stayed 2. We checked out early and headed further south to Newport!

On our way we stopped at Blue Heron again. This time the sun was shining and it was a beautiful day! 

I was able to see the farm animals out front. 

I loved feeding the hungry goats.

We got more baguettes, cheese and salami and hit the road! Next stop: Newport.