PNW Vacay Part 3: The Oregon Coast

Hello and happy Tuesday!

I hope your week has gotten off to a great start. I was sluggish yesterday thanks to a long travel day on Sunday, but it was nice to sleep in, unpack, do laundry, and run a couple of errands. Of course, the kids had places to go too!

I’ve shared parts one and two of our trip to the Pacific Northwest, and today, I’m linking up with Joanne for…

…to share all about part 3.

I apologize but this post will probably be the one that has the most pics 😂…and please note that I actually have narrowed down what I want to share. haha

Once we left Eugene, we had about a three hour drive to the Oregon coast. Travis had found this really cute house in Rockaway Beach, and we were excited to go there.

To be honest, Travis planned these couple of days to “appease” me in the sense that he knows how much I love a beach. Of course, I had to manage the kids’ (especially Hadley’s) expectations that this isn’t the same kind of beach and ocean water that they are used to when we go to Florida.

I am glad that we took the two days here, and honestly, the timing was perfect because we were tired! We’d been busy and the time change had officially caught up with us.

Anyway, the details of the house were so cute, and I even loved the front door as it is one of my favorite colors!

The living room picture window was, well, picturesque. The cute little gate open with the ocean view…we were ready to get the lay of the land.

This little nook was perfect for sipping coffee and reading.

This little window with the view was too cute as well.

The view from the kitchen:

The details throughout the house were just perfect. I’d never seen this before, but this little hatch opened to allow in the breeze, and you could hear the ocean! There was one in each of the bedrooms.

After unloading the car, Hadley and I headed to the beach.

The short walk was perfection...

…as were the views.

I was surprised at how warm it actually was there. It was in the high 70’s, and with the sunshine, it felt warmer.

Once Hayden and Travis got to the beach, I took a little walk.

It was such a lovely day. I ended up walking about half a mile and spotted a restaurant on the ocean that I’d seen as a dinner option. I just didn’t realize how close it was to our house. So, I walked back and told my family that I’d spotted it.

We hung out on the beach for a couple of hours, and then we walked to the Sand Dollar restaurant. There was a bit of a wait, but we ended up being able to sit on the patio for dinner. We had amazing views as well as delicious food. I had clam chowder, and it was so good.

Then, we walked back to our house. I had Hadley take my pic with Trav since we didn’t get one on our anniversary the day before.

Then, I persuaded the kids to let me take their pic since I said the next day the weather forecast called for rain…which meant that we’d most likely not have a sunset session. Hadley wanted a couple of pics too.

The kids headed back to the house, and Trav and I watched the sunset. I love a beach sunset…even for just one night!

While Travis and I watched the sunset, the kids walked a couple of blocks to the market to get marshmallows to roast. Truly, the town seemed kind of “sleepy,” but it was nice that our location was close to some restaurants and markets. They kids are the perfect age for a bit of independence…and they have no trouble using a debit card. haha!

Anyway, once they got back, we sat on the back patio and roasted some marshmallows.

Hadley perched herself up on the chair outside the patio. She had quite the view of the ocean.

After the fire extinguished, we came inside and got ready for bed. We’d had a great first day on the coast.

We’d checked the weather, and we knew Wednesday seemed like it might be overcast and rainy…and it was. I’m really glad we hung out at the beach the day before, since this day was more of what I assumed Oregon weather to be like.

We slept in, and then I went to the beach to read and sip my coffee. It was 57 degrees…and I loved it!

Hayden ran while Hadley slept in. Around 12:00, we got moving and decided to drive about a half hour to Cannon Beach.

We’ve all seen The Goonies movie, but Hayden and I definitely consider it a favorite. So, we made our way to Haystack Rock once we got to Cannon Beach. This is definitely a popular tourist spot, but it wasn’t too crowded. The weather was pretty chilly!

We explored for a bit…

…and then we made our way to Pelican Brewing Co. for lunch. Travis has a real knack for knowing if there’s a brewery nearby. Travis and I split the fish and chips, and it was a delicious lunch. Hadley had the clam chowder, and she loved it.

Honestly, this afternoon was one of my favorites. We had nothing on the agenda, so we explored the town of Cannon Beach. I found the library, and the kids found the candy store. We walked around for about an hour going in and out of shops. I ended up getting a sweatshirt, and it’s now one of my faves.

Then, it really started to rain, so we made our way back to the car.

The drive on Highway 101 is unreal. Again, it was nice to have the time to just pull over at the scenic stops. I couldn’t get over the fog…

…and Hadley is always up for a little walk.

It was so pretty, and the pics don’t do it justice. I felt like everywhere I looked was a Bob Ross painting!

Hayden was really wanting to watch the NBA draft, and due to the time difference, that meant he wanted to be home around 4:00. We made it back in time, and while he watched the draft, I read.

We had a lovely, lazy evening at the house. We were all pretty full from lunch, so we just ate sandwiches and other leftovers at the house. I baked cookies too.

That night, we watched Stand By Me. It was a really great way to end our day.

Thursday morning, I went to the beach for about thirty minutes. It was chilly, but I loved it. If I’m near the water, I always say “goodbye” to the ocean.

“Until we meet again…”

Then, it was time to pack up and say goodbye to this cute little house.

After we packed up, we made our way to Astoria. My brother had been there many years ago, and again, like him, we love The Goonies.

We drove about an hour and a half, and made it to Astoria. The Goonies house was easy to find (thanks to a Google search for the address!)

We parked and walked up the gravel driveway to the house.

This was the view looking out from Goonies house:

Hadley snapped our pic, so I could send it to my brother. (He gives me grief for not following his suggestions when we are traveling…haha!)

After we left the Goonie house and walked to our car, I looked up and saw this view, so of course I had to take a picture.

As I took that pic, my brother texted back and said I had to go see the elementary school from Kindergarten Cop. Right as I read this message, I turned around and saw an playground and wondered if I was looking at the back of the elementary school. Well, I was! I walked around to the front to send him another pic as proof. I was telling the kids about it, so now we have to watch that movie too.

After that, we got back in the car, and drove a bit, crossing a beautiful bridge into Washington. Even rest stops in Washington have views:

We drove a couple of hours making our way to Olympic National Park, and the Lake Quinault Lodge.

We couldn’t wait to explore the national park and this property!

So, that’s part three of our trip! I’m so glad we added in these couple of “beach” days as they were perfectly timed to relax a bit and have a different beach experience.