When Meowmy got invited to Vancouver, WA for Thanksgiving by her close friends, she jumped on the chance to drive up Highway 101 again to see her beloved Oregon Coast. Turns out our buddy Chris and his kitty Michi were heading to Portland at the same time, and so the plan to caravan together came into play.
We left the Bay Area on a beautiful Saturday morning and headed up towards Northern California with a quick stop at Cherry Creek Rest Stop (aka Irvine Lodge in Mendocino County), then a nice detour and lunch stop along the Avenue of the Giants near Myers Flat. All those tall redwood groves were spectacular to see, there was even one tree that looked like it had a door in it!
We were lucky enough to enjoy a spectacular sunset near Moonstone County Park, where Meowmy and Chris made a steak and asparagus dinner while Michi and I explored the cliff area. Then we headed to Trinidad Rest Area off the highway, which is a nice forest-adjacent rest area without a lot of traffic noise.
After a morning stroll in the Trinidad forest, we headed North to the Oregon coast with a lovely rest at Harris Beach State Park in Brookings and quick lunch at Natural Bridges in the Samuel H. Boardman State Scenic Corridor.
That night we found a gem of an overnight spot near Coos Bay, where there’s this little speck of BLM land called Bastendorff Beach, which is approximately 2 miles west of Charleston and has fantastic sunset views with Cape Arago Lighthouse off in the distance. Sadly Meowmy fell stepping out of our rig that night due to a precarious step and hit the back of her head on a rock, which gashed her scalp open pretty good. Luckily the bleeding stopped and she didn’t have a concussion!! It was a scary moment for me and our caravanning friend Chris, but it all turned out ok and the doctor said it would heal fine.
After a quick pit stop at Cook’s Chasm to see Thor’s Well and Spouting Horn, we ended up in Manzanita where there’s a whole stretch of road along the beautiful beach. Turns out the cops are really nice in this town, knocking on all the vehicles after sunset to let them know that you can’t overnight within the city limits, but also letting us know that the city limit ends just further down the same road. Nothing beats waking up to an amazing beach view, even if it was misty the next morning!
Being that it was our last day en route to Vancouver WA, Meowmy didn’t mind the wind and rain, stopping at Neahkahnie Viewpoint, Hug Point, Arcadia Beach, Silver Point, and lastly Cannon Beach, where she took a stroll all the way to Haystack Rock without another person in sight.
Stay tuned for Meowmy’s afternoon in Portland Japanese Garden coming soon!