Memorial Day Weekend Roadtrip

On Saturday morning we set off (with freshly groomed Jolie & Tiffany and no hotel reservations) for our first visit to the northwest corner of Oregon and the southwest corner of Washington. On Sunday we headed south along the Oregon coast to Cannon Beach and back to Portland. We enjoyed many new sights and some great food. Here are the details ...

THE ROUTE

From Portland to Astoria
Portland to St. Helens
St. Helens to Astoria

Astoria, OR to Long Beach, WA
Long Beach, WA to Leadbetter Point State Park
Leadbetter Point State Park to Cape Disapointment State Park (and back to Astoria)
Astoria to Gearhart
Gearhart to Cannon Beach (and back to Portland)

SIGHTS, SOUNDS, FOOD, and DRINK

We arrived in Astoria and enjoyed lunch at Andrew & Steve's Cafe (family owned and operated since 1916). After lunch we traveled over the Astoria-Megler Bridge to Long Beach WA and on to Oysterville, WA and Leadbetter Point State Park.

As dinner approached, we decided to hunt for lodging (calling hotels to inquire about cancellations, since everything was booked for the holiday weekend). Our 3rd call connected us to the Crest Motel. Not only had they had one cancellation, but they welcomed dogs, and the room had a panoramic view of the Columbia River! After checking-in (along with many fishermen - Sturgeon season had just started), we decided to go to Rogue Ales Public House (near the our motel, on Pier 39) for dinner and drinks. Not only was our dinner and drink great (Jenny had the Fish & Chips, and Robert had the BBQ Pork Shanks), they even had someone playing guitar and singing current alternative rock music.

On Sunday morning we strolled through the Astoria Sunday Market. We sampled scones and macaroons, and lunched on homemade grilled vegetable quesadilla and BBQ beef brisket. After the market we traveled back to Pier 39 to retrieve Robert's Visa card from Rogue. While there, we read about the history of the pier, looked at exhibits from when the pier was a cannery (built in 1875), and enjoyed a latte at the Coffee Girl coffee shop. The coffee shop sits at the end of the pier and has gorgeous views of the Columbia River. After departing the Coffee Girl, we wound our way up to the top of town to visit the Astoria Column. Although we elected not to climb to the top of the tower, the views from the top of the hill were magnificent.

So how was the weather you ask....well, the average summer high in Astoria never gets out of the 60s! Here is more info about Astoria. On our next trip to Astoria, we plan to visit the Columbia River Maritime Museum. Read more about Astoria in Terry Richard's Blog.

After leaving Astoria we drove 14 miles south to Gearhart. Gearhart is a quaint, upscale beach community with many homes resembling those found in Cape Cod or Nantucket. (We really liked Gearhart.) After driving around the Gearhart neighborhood, we continued south through Seaside (right next to Gearhart) and on to Cannon Beach for a quick stop before returning to Portland.

On our journey we saw two Bald Eagles, a young Black Bear (running down the side of the road in Ledbetter Point State Park), and a racoon.