europeannovice

Another great trip report and wonderful photos!

tomfuller

I hope that you had the time for a stop at the Tillamook Cheese factory. They usually have some free samples of cheese and curds. Their ice cream is great too. Haystack Rock is the most photographed spot in Oregon.

maitaitom

Tom, as you'll see later we did get to Tillamook, however it seems so did the rest of the state.

"Haystack Rock is the most photographed spot in Oregon."

I can see why. Tracy and Kim got some incredible shots (next installment)

CaliNurse

Thank you for your detailed fun Oregon trail tale !
I usually search trip reports for great information, but this is the first time following along as much for the great laughs.
Look forward to the rest of your adventures, including photos of Haystack Rock. Having been to that area only once, I look forward to a return. Meanwhile, will live and laugh vicariously via MTT's PVV.
(p.s. Agree! Turtle Bay Exploration at Redding is fantastic!! Parents/grandparents seeing this: be sure to take the trail behind the museum to the kids' water activity playground!)

annhig

[color=#323232]>

Even I have a photo of Haystack Rock on my phone, from my wonderful September '19 coast to coast trip.

And according to the captions, I also got to Tillamock. Who knew? Definitely no visit to the cheese factory though.

Really enjoying the commentary, Tom, and looking forward to seeing how much your photo of the rock resembles mine!

{Hi, Calinurse, fancy seeing you here!]

maitaitom

Our Oregon Trail Tale would now take us to the Oregon coast, however Tracy and I took a rather circuitous one due to some bad planning. It all worked out, and we visited Multnomah Falls before heading westward. Avoiding being crushed by oncoming cars leaving the falls, we headed to windy, but gorgeous, Cannon Beach. After a little hotel confusion (my error, of course), we took a stroll on the beach (where some photos made it seem like an impending tsunami was approaching) and got a view of the most photographed spot in the state of Oregon (thank you Tomfuller), Haystack Rock. The Oregon coast journey of our trip begins below. God, I missed traveling! Same as always ... link with photos with story below and story with no photos below photos.

https://travelswithmaitaitom.com/cha...each-the-rock/







CHAPTER FOUR - MULTNOMAH FALLS, CANNON BEACH & THE ROCK

Day Five: Terrible Tree Trimming Timing, Real Waterfall, A Bridge Not Too Far, Couples Photographer, Life In The Fast Lane, I Hear It’s A Riot, Clam Chowder Parade Begins, Not That Cannon Beach Hotel, Last Two Rooms Left In Town, Take Off Your Mask, Does This Beach Ever End, I Am A Rock, The Elusive Puffins, Sweating With The Prawns & A Local Legend

There are not enough superlatives for A’ Tuscan Inn. Comfortable bed, great shower, fireplace in the suite, a personable hostess and a fantastic location just minutes from the historic center of McMinnville make this B&B shine.

Speaking of our “personable hostess,” Erin concocted another great start to the day. We started with a honeydew, poppyseed muffin with local homemade raspberry peach chardonnay jam.

Next out was the Quiche with morels, bacon and Pepper Jack cheese served hot out of the oven.

Finally, a plate of brie, tomato cheddar, dried fig almonds, Pepperoncinis stuffed with goat cheese with sliced apples and strawberries ended our morning feast.

Kim told us the night before that he had a Zoom meeting that would last a few hours, so it was fortunate we had our own car. Looking for something to see before heading for Cannon Beach, I noticed on the map that Willamette Falls was about an hour away. I quickly read that Willamette Falls “is the largest waterfall in the Northwestern United States by volume, and the 17th widest in the world.” I probably should have read more before we left.

The drive took us through farmland and hazelnut orchards that were surprisingly green, even with the lack of rain. What we didn’t see much of were vineyards. Considering Willamette Valley is such a big wine producer, that was a surprise. We pressed on.

In about an hour, we saw a sign for the Willamette Falls Overlook exit on Highway 99E. As we approached, the next sign proved more ominous “Exit Closed.” It seems that we picked the day when the trees at the Willamette Falls Overlook were being trimmed, which will teach me not to go out on a limb. We took the following exit assuming there would be other great places to see this “wide, four-story tall waterfall.” You know what they say about the word “assume.”

There was a place to stop off the highway, but I couldn’t believe those were actually the falls, located in an industrial area. We didn’t even bother to take a photo as the view was less than stellar. (luckily the website Atlas Obscura took a similar one below…)

It seems Willamette Falls has been closed to the public for 150 years. Oregon City is planning the Willamette Falls Legacy Project, a new waterfront area that “will become a four-season destination attracting worldwide tourism so future visitors will get a close up view of the falls.”

I subsequently learned we actually missed an opportunity to see Willamette Falls from the Oregon City Municipal Elevator, which happens to be the only outdoor municipal elevator in the United States, and one of only a handful in the world. This is why I plan most of our trips long in advance, but in fairness, I had no idea Willamette Falls would even be on our radar until ten minutes before leaving McMinnville. Live and learn.

Our GPS then took us on a circuitous route through Oregon City to get back on the highway. As we were disappointed in not seeing the view of the waterfall I expected, I asked Tracy how long it would take to go to Multnomah Falls, a place I stopped at a few time on business trips, but hadn’t seen for more than two decades. “A little over an hour,” she replied, and since Multnomah Falls to Cannon Beach was about the same driving time as McMinnville to Cannon Beach, we figured we’d arrive in CB about the same time as Kim and Mary.

Nestled in the Columbia River Gorge, Multnomah Falls is, as we learned, the “most visited recreational site in the Pacific Northwest,” with approximately two million visitors. We parked in the middle of I-84 (yes, there was a parking lot there), walked under the highway and we were at the Multnomah Lodge (there is also an exit further up that allows you to drive and park at the lodge, but this lot was small, and there were no spaces available.) We walked over a bridge to a lookout of the lower and upper falls and a bridge that seemed relatively close.

I was deciding whether to make the short 0.2 mile trek to the bridge situated both above and below the falls, when people started asking me whether I could take their photo with the waterfall behind them. This became my job for the next 20 minutes or so as Tracy hiked up to the bridge (my non-repaired knee was not feeling stellar anyway).

The lower falls is 69 feet in height, while the upper falls extends to 542 feet. Tracy took this photo that reminded her of me.

She made sure to stay on the trail, since signs stated that there are frequent occurrences of falling rocks.

There were nice views from Tracy’s vantage point …

… and, of course, flowers.

Tracy and I had our obligatory photo taken by another amateur IPhone photographer, and we walked back toward the car. Once again she dared me to to attempt this creek crossing. Not being the Great Wallenda, I passed.

Getting back on Interstate 84 heading west proved to be a minor challenge. From the parking lot, one needs to merge into the fast lane to exit. A car in front of us attempted this feat, merged too slowly and came precariously close to the front of an oncoming speeding semi. The truck driver had to slam on his brakes to avoid crushing the rear end of the car.

It was now that I wished I had read the Subaru manual on how fast it goes from 0-60. With Tracy craning her neck backwards to gauge speeding automobiles, I eased on to the entrance and when she yelled “Floor it!” (she really did yell), I made my move, and we’re still here to talk about it today.

We made a quick stop alongside the Columbia River, and then took the two-hour trek to Cannon Beach. Our original travel plans had us stopping in Portland for the next two days, but when we called our hotel a couple of weeks before leaving they said many of the restaurants were closed and if they were open, it was only at about 25% occupancy due to a virus surge. Our hotel said Portland was a riot to visit at the moment, but we decided to go to Cannon Beach instead. Some day we’ll get there.

Kim & Mary stopped in Seaside for lunch and a walk on the boardwalk, while Tracy and I pushed on to Cannon Beach, where we dined for lunch at Driftwood Restaurant and Lounge, the restaurant we would also eat at on our first night for dinner.

My Crater Lake sweatshirt came in handy here, as the only tables left were outside and a Nor’Wester (a new weather pattern I coined for the Oregon coast) made the wind chill a tad uncomfortable. I needed something to warm the inside, too.

I had my first clam chowder of the trip (but far from my last) and a terrific wedge salad (Crisp iceburg lettuce, tomatoes, bacon pieces, crumbled bleu cheese & homemade bleu cheese dressing), while Tracy ordered the chowder with a green salad.

It was only a Thursday, but it seemed like half the population of Oregon was in Cannon Beach, which must be why when I tried to reserve a hotel, there were basically only two rooms at any good hotel still available in town. We snatched those two up in the nick of time.

In the heart of town we spotted the Cannon Beach Hotel & Restaurant. Tracy said, “Looks like we got a cute place for the next two nights.”

Inside, at the front desk I said, “We are the Mai Tai Tom couple (not our real names), and we have reservations for the following two nights.” Perusing her list, the woman said. “We don’t have a reservation for you.” Luckily I was in my “EuroTom” state of mind (calm and relaxed) and not my “CollegeTom” mood (just a bit temperamental), which no one ever wants to witness again.

I confidently checked my email from the hotel to prove to her we did indeed have a room reservation, however when I found it, much to my chagrin, the confirmation was from The Inn at Cannon Beach. “That happens a lot,” she stated, so as not to label me a person “who has turned into his parents” from a Progressive commercial.

About a mile south of the wrong hotel was the correct hotel, and it was spectacular. The Inn at Cannon Beach is situated at the south end of Cannon Beach, one block from the ocean. There are a number of cottage-style buildings, with gardens and plenty of Adirondack chairs interspersed throughout the complex.

Our rooms were huge, each with a fireplace, sitting area, a small kitchenette, complete with microwave and fridge, plus a large bathroom with a walk-in shower. Upon arriving, we were afforded the choice of fresh baked cookies or taffy. Since they didn’t have a dentist on call, we chose the cookies.

Waiting for Kim and Mary to get settled in the room next door, we turned on the news in time to see that the CDC said people who were fully vaccinated could now go outside safely without a mask. We threw our masks into the fire (just kidding).

Across the street from our hotel and a block down, we walked onto the large, sandy beach, where, in the distance, stood famed Haystack Rock. As we had noticed throughout Oregon, people take their dogs seemingly everywhere. Please don’t show this to Frankie and Remi.

We started walking toward Haystack Rock, a basalt seat stack that is 235 feet tall. Besides being an Oregon landmark, Haystack Rock is known for its birdlife, especially the Tufted Puffins (sounds like an 80s rock group). Had it been low tide, we could have walked out to the rock and perhaps seen some of what turned out to be elusive birds, as they like to hang out here from early spring through late summer.

First, of course, we had to get adjacent to Haystack Rock. Although as we walked the Rock became larger, it still seemed like we were far, far away. Along the way were some stunning views.

Some of the photos look like a tsunami is arriving, which could happen since on our drive down the coast ‘Tsunami Zone’ signs were prevalent.

Luckily, no tsunami appeared, but there were many more magnificent photographic opportunities.

Families, with their kids frolicking in the water, made for enjoyable viewing. The kids were having a blast.

Finally, we got to the closest point we could get to Haystack Rock, which was formed millions of years ago by lava flows.

We could see why this is the “most photographed spot in Oregon.”

As the four of us took photos of the rock, about a million birds flew out. Where’s Alfred Hitchcock when you need him?

On the walk back, I attempted to run, in what turned out to be a pathetic attempt to regain a bit of my youth. Chariots of Fire, it was not.

Dinner time. Back to the Driftwood we traveled, and fortunately people with reservations were seated inside. Driftwood has been serving food here for more than 75 years (1944), so they must be doing something right.

The Driftwood website states, “Our caring staff is known for their friendliness and service.” We were lucky enough to get a living legend as our server. It seems everyone in Cannon Beach knows Nancy, who obviously is a beloved fixture, and also one funny lady.

Tracy and Mary were trying to decide on which bottle of Chardonnay to share. “Not to worry,” Nancy said, “I’ll bring a taste of both for you to try.” They were big tastes.

Kim and Tracy both dined on Driftwood’s fish & chips; Hand cut Arctic cod, deep fried in light batter, which they deemed very good.

Mary decided to have the special, a Shrimp Louie. I thought about having one, too, so Mary and I could sing Louie, Louie.

Instead, I threw caution to the wind, which should be the Oregon’s coast motto. I started with the Chilled Prawn Cocktail appetizer that came accompanied by a homemade cocktail sauce with fresh horseradish in it. Oh my God! Although I started sweating like I was in a sauna, I couldn’t stop dipping those prawns to get more of the heat from the sauce. I finished seconds before I believe my eyeballs would have popped out of my head. Compliments to whoever came up with that cocktail sauce recipe.

I somehow recovered to enjoy my petite filet with baked potato and garlic bread for dinner.

All the while, Nancy was holding court with many of the regulars as they sought her out to say “hello.” Finally, a gentleman (I think he might have been a former mayor) gave Nancy a hug and threw out compliment after compliment. All in all a tremendous night and a great meal.

Somehow, back at our hotel, Tracy and I had enough room to finish off most of that rum cake (that we warmed in the microwave) from Bistro Maison the night before.

We turned on the fireplace, set the timer on it and drifted off to sleep.

The four of us would get on the road together tomorrow and head up to the first settlement west of the Rocky Mountains. While there, we would tour a Victorian marvel and visit a historic column on the top of a hill. Then we’d venture back toward Cannon Beach with a little detour to a national park named after a couple of guys who made a famous expedition.


NEXT: CHAPTER FIVE - ASTORIA/LEWIS & CLARK NATIONAL HISTORICAL PARK

Day Six - Europe’s “Fattiest Pastry”, Oregon’s Oldest City, Captain’s Quarters, Saved From The Fire, A Crowning Monument, In Lewis & Clark’s Footsteps, On The Boardwalk, You’ll Shoot Your Eye Out, Root Beer Floats, Surprisingly Good, A Sticky Situation & Beachy Keen

Inakauaidavidababy

Before I read onto Chapter 4, May I say you certainly earned the stinkeye.

"We still had about a three hour drive to McMinnville, and Tracy asked me a couple of times how we were doing on gas. Of course, I was oblivious. During a long stretch of nothing, the car gave me the alert that we were in imminent danger of running out of gas. When I passed that information on to Tracy, I got the real “look,” and I guarantee it was not the look of love."

You got off easy considering that diesel issue you had in your past,

annhig

"We still had about a three hour drive to McMinnville, and Tracy asked me a couple of times how we were doing on gas. Of course, I was oblivious. During a long stretch of nothing, the car gave me the alert that we were in imminent danger of running out of gas. When I passed that information on to Tracy, I got the real “look,” and I guarantee it was not the look of love."

That reminds me of when we were driving back from Cannon Beach to Portland and it became obvious that our driver, Toucan2's sister, was worried about something and the something she was worried about was running out of gas. I can tell you that a) there are no gas stations along that road for a very long time and b) there's no mobile signal either. We made it, but only just.

tomfuller

After living in Oregon for the past 16 years, I have come close to running out of gas several times. Even if you know where the next gas station is, you do not count on it being open when you get there.
About 15 years ago, I drove east from Prineville to John Day. I arrived in John Day just after 5PM after the one gas station closed. I spent the night in my car because I knew I did not have the gas to make it back to Prineville or to Burns. John Day does have a hospital. There were 3 cars in the parking lot that night.
More recently, I was driving back home from Seattle, I didn't get gas when I left I-5 at Salem. I did barely make it across OR 22 and US 20 to the west end of Sisters (104 miles without a gas station).
Please if you have less than half a tank and you see an open gas station, stop and put in at least $20 even if the price is high.

Paqngo

Haha no wonder you got The Look. It’s nice to read a travel report.

wtm003

Great trip report Tom. We're wrapping up a 6 night Portland to the Redwoods loop. I have duplicates of many of your photos except the snow is missing from our Crater Lake pics. Our trip (lodging and food) was much more rustic than yours lol.

annhig

"After living in Oregon for the past 16 years, I have come close to running out of gas several times. Even if you know where the next gas station is, you do not count on it being open when you get there.
About 15 years ago, I drove east from Prineville to John Day. I arrived in John Day just after 5PM after the one gas station closed. I spent the night in my car because I knew I did not have the gas to make it back to Prineville or to Burns. John Day does have a hospital. There were 3 cars in the parking lot that night.
More recently, I was driving back home from Seattle, I didn't get gas when I left I-5 at Salem. I did barely make it across OR 22 and US 20 to the west end of Sisters (104 miles without a gas station).
Please if you have less than half a tank and you see an open gas station, stop and put in at least $20 even if the price is high."

That''s interesting, Tomfuller. I wonder why there are so few petrol stations. Should I find myself driving in Oregon again, I'll try t remember to keep the tank well topped up.

KarenWoo

Love your photos! They are gorgeous! Some of them look like postcards. They are perfect.

maitaitom

On Day Six of our Oregon sojourn, the four of us took an expedition to Lewis and Clark Land, otherwise known as Astoria, the first settlement west of the Rockies and Oregon’s oldest town. We’d visit a home of a sea captain, who was also Astoria’s first millionaire, check out a unique and colorful tower and walk in the footsteps of the intrepid Lewis and Clark at a national historical park bearing their names. I would also be lucky enough to devour one of my all-time favorite desserts before we all took one last walk on the beach. (story with photos in link below ... without photos and more spelling errors under photos)

https://travelswithmaitaitom.com/cha...storical-park/







CHAPTER FIVE - ASTORIA/LEWIS & CLARK NATIONAL HISTORICAL PARK

Day Six - Europe’s “Fattiest Pastry”, Oregon’s Oldest City, Captain’s Quarters, Saved From The Fire, A Crowning Monument, In Lewis & Clark’s Footsteps, On The Boardwalk, You’ll Shoot Your Eye Out, Root Beer Floats, Surprisingly Good, A Sticky Situation & Beachy Keen

Instead of opting for the pick-up breakfast at our hotel, we crossed the street to a little place called Sea Level Bakery & Coffee. I ordered a Citrus and Kouign Amann, a pastry whose name means cake. The dish originated in the French region of Brittany. The New York Times once called it, “the fattiest pastry in all of Europe.” OK, that sounded good.

To wash it down, I had a Chocolate/Orange latte, the first one of those since our 2011 trip to Eataly in New York City. Since I was now fatter and loaded with caffeine, I was ready to be a passenger in Kim and Mary’s automobile as we traveled 45 minutes up the Oregon coast to the state’s oldest city … Astoria.

Astoria also lays claim to being the oldest American settlement west of the Rocky Mountains. Although John Jacob Astor never set foot in Oregon, the city is named for this German-born tycoon from New York because of his investment in the region’s fur trade.

Once we reached town, we were on the lookout for the Flavel House Museum, which was the home of Captain George Flavel, a well-renowned bar pilot and businessman in the 19th century. Instead of making Manhattans and martinis, a bar pilot is someone who “navigates a ship from a pilot station over a (sand) bar and often into the harbor or to the docks.” Flavel guided ships through the dangerous bars of the Columbia River. As an entrepreneur, he was also one of Astoria’s first millionaires. In a Jerry Lee Lewis moment, Flavel was 30 years old when he married 14-year-old Mary.

Pulling up in front of the home, whose lush and expansive grounds encompass an entire city block, the Queen Anne style home with its “steeply pitched roof” and “octagonal-shape tower” was quite striking in appearance.

It’s lucky the house has survived. In 1922, Astoria suffered through a severe fire that torched much of downtown. A couple of times it was saved from the wrecking ball, which was going to pave paradise and put up a parking lot. I’m not sure if Joni Mitchell knew about that since there were no big yellow taxis in the vicinity.

Oh, the garden! The rhododendrons provided eye-popping color at every turn. The garden includes nine trees, along with a plethora of plants, bulbs and shrubs. Captain Flavel purchased many of the gorgeous garden flora from his trips around the world.

Fortunately, the house was not for sale or Tracy would have bought it for the rhododendrons alone.

Instead, the three geezers stepped inside the Visitor Center and paid $6 each ($8 for the young Tracy) to wander on a self guided tour of this 11,600 square-foot house constructed between 1884 and 1886.

The Visitor center and museum store are located in the old Carriage House where the Flavels stored their carriage, sleighs and small buggies, as well as housing the family’s three horses for a short time. Being the Carriage House, not surprisingly we found a carriage and a sleigh, however there was no sign of the Flavels’ Studebaker sedan, which also called the Carriage House its home for short while.

We toured all 2 1/2 stories, including six fireplaces with tiles from around the world. To start, we watched an interesting 13-minute film, which offered a glimpse into the life of the family.

The Music Room is where Flavel’s daughters (Nellie & Katie) would sometimes perform.

Whenever the Flavels’ hosted important events, they’d use the parlor. When Captain Flavel died in 1893, it’s said the viewing of his body was held here.

The library was described as “ the heart of the house,” with its over stuffed Turkish chair. There were docents throughout the home contributing additional information about the house and the family.

The dining room, with its unique light fixture. and conservatory is where the Flavels dined.

Downstairs, we also toured the kitchen.

Upstairs, we saw the main bathroom, with its distinctive tub …

… and five bedrooms.

Unfortunately the tower, which Flavel utilized “as an observation post for for ships navigating the treacherous waters at the entrance of the Columbia River” was closed due to Covid restrictions.

The Flavel House Museum was very much worth the time, and as we stepped outside we saw the old county jail building across the street that now serves as the home of the Oregon Film Museum. Lots of movies have been filmed in the state, and the Flavel House was featured as a museum in the 1985 movie The Goonies.

We skipped the film museum and drove a short distance to Coxcomb Hill (Astoria’s highest hill) to check out the Astoria Column. The 125-foot column was dedicated in 1926 by the Great Northern Railway.
According to the literature, the column is “patterned after the Trajan Column in Rome, the Astoria Column is truly unique. It's the world's only large piece of memorial architecture made of reinforced concrete with a pictorial frieze in sgraffito technique.”

The bas-relief scenes depict the history of the region on spirals up the column telling the story of the native tribes, the first European explorers, the Lewis and Clark expedition, the founding of Astoria and arrival of early pioneers in the 1830s. It also commemorates the “discovery” of the Columbia River by Captain Robert Gray on 1792. Due to Covid restrictions we were not able to climb the 164 steps to the top.

A concrete replica of a Native American burial canoe was erected on Coxcomb Hill as a memorial to Chief Comcomly, one of the Chiefs of the Chinook Tribe at the time of Lewis and Clark.

From the hill we looked out to the Astoria Megler Bridge, which spans the mouth of the Columbia River between Oregon and Washington.

From the Astoria Column, we drove the short distance (about 20 minutes) to Lewis & Clark National and State Historical Park to take a look at Fort Clatsop, the encampment of the Lewis and Clark Expedition in the Oregon Country during the winter of 1805-1806.

First we passed by a sign that we assumed meant Ralphie could not bring his Red Ryder BB Gun here. Park rangers didn’t want him to shoot his eye out.

An interesting tidbit: It took 3 1/2 weeks to build the original fort in the early 1800s. In 1955, it took 18 months to build the reconstruction, which, in turn, burned down in 2005.

Another replica was built a year later.

The ranger attempted to show us how to use a machine. As someone who nearly failed shop class in the 8th grade, his attempts were futile.

The ranger also offered some fascinating historical facts, and then it was time for us to take a little hike down to the Netul River.

Since we were on the Boardwalk, I told the gang that must mean our car was sitting at Park Place.

It was time to go.

We were a hungry bunch by the time we arrived back in Cannon Beach. My Kouign Amann was by now a distant memory. I secured a table inside Pacific Coast Brewing Company, while the other three stepped up and ordered at the bar.

Pacific Coast Brewing Company claims to have “the best onion rings on the coast,” but we really didn’t need an entire pound of them.

Instead, I had a delicious root beer float, the drink that literally helped me gain strength during my 105-day hospitalization in 2010. I don’t think I’ve had one since, and after drinking this one I don’t know why I have eschewed this tasty treat (made with Stephen’s Root Beer) for so long. It paired perfectly with my hamburger and Tracy’s fish tacos.

Kim decided upon clam chowder while Mary had the barbecued chicken salad. All in all, another good meal.

It was mid-afternoon, so we returned to the hotel and took a nap. Damn, we are getting old.

We didn’t have dinner reservations, and though low on TripAdvisor’s rating scale, we chose MacGregor’s Restaurant and Whiskey Bar, because most of the actual reviews were good (I never understand how they come up those rankings). While waiting a half hour or so for dinner, we took a little stroll through lovely, and chilly, Cannon Beach.

There are no shortage of restaurants …

… or shops here.

Next time, we’re definitely bringing the dogs.

This was the closest we came to seeing a Puffin.

Our dinner, contrary to the previously mention rating, was delicious, starting with the black Manhattans (we’ve all subsequently perfected that potable potable recipe).

“Polly’s Famous Chowder” was phenomenal, although it tasted more like a potato chowder. It came as a side with Tracy’s halibut burger.

Mary’s lobster bisque, which came with her lamb burger, was also a “wow!”

Meanwhile, Kim tried the special Alfredo linguine, and I ordered a very good plate of fish and chips.

I thought I was full until I saw the dessert menu, which included one of my favorite dishes on earth, Sticky Toffee Pudding. I can never get enough. MacGregor’s got high marks from all of us, and its creamy, delicious soups were the best we tasted on the entire trip.

Needing to walk-off the calorie-laden Sticky Toffee Pudding, I joined the other three for a short walk on the beach.

We got one last peek at Haystack Rock …

… and although I wouldn’t have minded to sit for a bit, it was time for bed, because we had a fairly long drive the following day.

We’d stop at many viewpoints along the way including a death-defying car maneuver to get a glimpse of a place that needs to improve its signage. Then we’d stop to see if we could tour a famed cheese-making facility, and view Oregon’s longest pier. We’d also have time to hike to a lighthouse, have a very good lunch, stop at a few more viewpoints on our way to Yachats, where we stayed in a room with one of the best views of any hotel we’ve stayed at in the U.S.

CHAPTER SIX - ZOOMING DOWN THE OREGON COAST

Day Seven - Give Me A Hug, Getting High In Oregon, A River Runs Through It, Pier Review, Simple Symon’s, The Big Cheese, Check Out Those Tentacles, Seeing The Light (Part One), “Best Clam Chowder In The World”, Foulweather Ahead, Seal Of Approval & Room With A View

twk

Probably has a lot to do with the fact that self serve gas pumping is not allowed in Oregon. Think about how many convenience stores would forego gas if they had to hire pump attendants. Self serve is often considered a loss leader to drive in other, more profitable business, but when you add a significant labor component, the loss becomes to big to support the increase in traffic.

annhig

>

Which leads to my next Oregon petrol station story - the one where you are not only allowed but required to serve yourself. Again riding in the car with Toucan2's sis, we needed petrol and went to one in Hood River, near the bridge. My friend was telling me that we weren't allowed to serve ourselves which was why she was staying in the car, but I could't help but notice that other cars were arriving, their drivers were getting out and serving themselves and paying and leaving. Being a polite guest I didn't want to say that she was wrong, but eventually I had to suggest that perhaps this was the exceptional gas station that proved the rule. As indeed it did. Why that one is different to every other gas station in Oregon I still have no idea.

Jean

Great report! Today, I heard this sort of trip called a Vaxication.

maitaitom

"I heard this sort of trip called a Vaxication.."

Wish I'd thought of it. In retrospect I wish we had driven across the Astoria-Megler Bridge over to Washington, because I found out afterward it was the "longest continuous truss bridge in North America," and I doubt I'll ever get to Astoria again.

CaliNurse

[QUOTE=maitaitom;17256896]"I heard this sort of trip called a Vaxication.."

Better that than a vexication

lisukovigor492

this is generally very surprising .. pleases only that this is not the last time