We left the Olympic Peninsula and set our sights on the Oregon coast. We traveled south along Route 101, large portions of which abut the Pacific Ocean and make for some beautiful driving views. Our first stop was a Walmart in Aberdeen – not a glorious stop, but necessary to stock up on a few items. Then we continued until we reached the small town of Astoria. A friend had given us some suggestions for places to stop along Route 101, and the Astoria Column was one such stop. There was a $5 entrance fee (good for the year) to help maintain the column. The column was built in 1921 to commemorate Lewis and Clarke’s expedition, which ended at Fort Clatsop. The column was painted around the outside to tell the story of the expedition. We purchased $1 gliders from the small gift shop and began climbing the spiral staircase to the top of the column. The views are well worth the climb! We also threw our gliders off from the top – they didn’t travel far at first, but then caught the wind and glided a ways into the trees. Apparently, people pick up the planes in the surrounding area for fun (which we found out when we inquired about the littering). After the Column visit, we went to Josephson’s Fish Market and picked up some maple wine smoked salmon (for $44/lb., so we got a ¼ lb.). We had also read that Buoy’s in town was a good microbrewery, so we headed there for a few beers. Our favorites were the oatmeal stout and the pale ale. A bit pricey, but the place sits right on the Columbia River with excellent views on the back deck. The best part was that the sea lions call the rafters of the building home, and we listened to their calls while we enjoyed the views, sipping our beers! The restaurant also has a glass door to look down into the rafters to see the sea lions. By the time we finished our beers, it was getting late, so we looked for a nearby campsite. We found one at Fort Stevens State Park, about a 20-minute drive from Astoria. Unfortunately, they only have 6 tent-only sites, so we had to take one of the more expensive RV spots. Not a huge deal as we were happy to have a home for the night. The park itself had over 500 campsites! There wasn’t much of a difference between the RV campsites other than location to the bathroom. One plus is that we had a water tap was right at our site!
Fort Stevens State Park 
Fort Stevens State Park
The next morning, we set off to continue down the 101. Our first stop of the day was Cannon Beach. We parked the car along the main street and walked the block over to the beach. There are a few particularly large rock formations just off the coastline that made for some nice pictures (which we found to be the case in many areas along the Oregon coastline). We walked along the beach a good distance, and then walked back along the main road in town. Here we checked two local toy stores to see if they had a favorite game of ours, Hanabi, that we had played with my friends in Missoula and have been keeping our eyes peeled for (good two-person and multi-person game). Unfortunately, we struck out. We drove a little further south to Mo’s in Cannon Beach to get a bowl of their famous seafood chowder. It was tasty and a good mid-day snack! Next stop was Manzanita, where we picked up a berry pie (including marionberries, an Oregon created berry) at Sisters and Pete’s Coffee and Treats and ice for our cooler. We were staying with my friend from high school in Portland this night and brought the pie for dessert! Our last stop for the day was the Tillamook Factory. We had some cheese samples, ice cream, and purchased some smoked salmon. The factory is new (opened within the last year), so feels more commercialized and marketed. Still interesting to visit, but we only stayed for about 45 minutes. At this point, we headed to Portland to see my friend and her family. The drive was about 2.5 hours and we made a quick stop at a Portland toy store to pick up Hanabi (had called ahead and they had it in stock!). It was great to catch up with my friend and we thank them for hosting us for the night (and making us dinner and allowing us to use their washer/dryer)!
From Portland we had initially planned on going south to Crater Lake National Park. We were both feeling a bit lazy at this point and had plans to meet my parents the next day in Bandon, Oregon (they had already arrived). Crater Lake would have added 5+ hours of driving to our trip, so we ultimately decided to skip it and arrive in Bandon a day early. Before we left Portland, we stopped at Puddletown Bagels (food truck) to get bagels to pair with our smoked salmon purchased in Astoria. Then we drove the 101 south again (not the most direct route, but more scenic) about 5 hours to reach Bandon. This is where our second vacation from our vacation started (first being at the beach in LBI a month earlier).
We were staying in Bandon for a couple nights and playing golf with my parents at Bandon Dunes Golf Course – a real treat! We stayed in Bandon at the Best Western and the Windermere on the Beach hotels the first two nights and at the Bandon Dunes resort the third night. We were grateful for the opportunity to be in a hotel and bed, so a huge thank you to my parents for hosting us. Dinners in Bandon were at the Wheelhouse Restaurant and Edgewater’s. Both delicious, especially since Patrick and I have been cooking most of our meals. We also had lunch at Tony’s Crab Shack where we had oysters, seafood chowder, and fish tacos! Over the weekend, the town of Bandon had a county fair set up as part of the Cranberry Festival. Patrick and I relived our childhood years, riding the swings and playing a few carnival games (I won two stuffed dogs).
The first round of golf was at the Bandon Dunes course. The course is very pretty, and many holes are situated such that you can enjoy breathtaking ocean views, even if your shots are going where you would like them to. It was a great round of golf! Dinner after golf was at the Pacific Dunes restaurant (good food) which we followed up with dessert at McKee’s Pub, the bar at the Bandon Dunes course. We were stuffed and exhausted afterwards (not used to eating so much!). The next day we were scheduled to play golf at the Pacific Dunes course, but unfortunately, it was supposed to rain all day. And that it did. We cancelled golf (they give you credit for a round in the future, never expires), and left Bandon to head to our next destination – Napa Valley. We drove a few hours before stopping at the pre-booked hotel room in Crescent City. Great ocean views! We got there just in time to watch a Broncos loss followed by an Eagles loss.
The next day, we drove the rest of the way (about 6 hours) to the Silverado Resort in Napa. My brother was able to join us for those next few days in Napa! The first night we ate dinner at the Alegria in Napa. The building was an old bank and we were sat in the old vault room for our own private meal! It was great catching up with the family and recounting some of our adventures. Over the next few days, we wine tasted our way through five different vineyards – Beringer, Far Niente, O’Brien, Rutherford, and Cliff Lede. All had their own unique experience. Beringer had a scent garden where we could smell many of the descriptors used in their wines. We then tasted some of their grapes, before sitting down in the tasting room. They paired their wines with a few small food items, which changed the tastes of the wines as we went, making for an interactive experience. Far Niente was by far the most expensive winery we visited, where we had a short tour followed by a tasting in their tasting room. O’Brien is a family run business and only sells wines at the vineyard and to members. The tasting took place outside in the garden area next to some of the vineyards. This was a much more casual tasting experience, so good to end the first day of tastings with this one. Dinner this night was at the Silverado restaurant – nothing special, but convenient.
The second day, we started at Rutherford, which offered the most unique experience. We purchased two bottles of wine from them and had a picnic (byo food) on their grounds overlooking the vineyard valley below. We had the picnic table reserved for two hours and there weren’t many others there, so it was a very relaxing lunch! We played Hanabi with my mom and brother as we sipped and ate. The second and final tasting of the day was at Cliff Lede winery. Here we sat out on their nice patio for the tasting. This was also a casual tasting experience; we were served 6 tastings and they were poured at whatever pace we wanted. If you become a member here, you receive unlimited tastings for up to four people at a time (similar to many of the other winery membership offers). Dinner this night was in Napa at Celadon. The atmosphere and food were very nice. The next morning, we were all heading in our own directions – my parents were headed to a wedding in Santa Barbara and my brother was heading back to Dallas. We had a late checkout, so spent the morning together and departed a little after lunch. Patrick and I were headed to Petaluma, CA to visit one of my good friends from college, her husband, and newborn! It was so great to see them and see their place in California as I hadn’t been out to visit yet since they moved from Philadelphia. They were also, of course, great hosts and we were appreciative of the hospitality! This brought an end to our vacation from our vacation, but Patrick and I were both excited to get back to camping. Next stop, Yosemite.
