Oregon in 3 Days

I can not tell you how long I’ve wanted to go to Oregon. The trees, the water, the people. It’s been on my bucket list for as long as I can remember and even though it’s right here in the states, it took me a while to get there.

I think it took me so long because people had bailed on me over the years and I didn’t like the idea of traveling alone. Thankfully my dad had a fishing trip planned. And while he would be fishing for most of his time there, I liked the idea of at least getting to spend the evenings with a familiar face.

A weekend in Oregon was not nearly enough but I still tried to accomplish everything on my Oregon Bucket List (thanks to Pinterest I have a bucket list for nearly every state). This trip includes airlines and a rental car.

DAY 1

We arrived in Portland at around 10 a.m. on a Friday. From there, I split up with my dad as he headed straight to Astoria (where he would be fishing). I took the day to explore the city and found my way into Powell’s City of Books. This book shop spans a whole city block and is four stories high. They have color coded sections and a cute café where I ate a late breakfast.

After browsing around the store I drove ~15 minutes to Washington Park. This is a free park that includes hiking and biking trails. Hiking is something I try to do in other states when the landscape is different from Nebraska. I adored the abundance of trees Oregon had to offer. In this park is also a place called the International Rose Test Garden and it’s basically what is sounds like, miles and miles of roses. (Made me think of my nana, Rose Carson).

I ate lunch in the rose garden thanks to the food carts parked along the hills.

I then drove another ~15 minutes to Forest Park. This was tricky as there isn’t a welcome center or specified place to park really. The park hosts a wide range of hiking trails with many different entrances. So for me, I drove along the outside of the park and saw these small inlets of gravel off to the side of the road. When I saw one that didn’t look too crowded I pulled over, parked and got to hiking.

After taking in the natural beauty of forest park for about an hour, I got back in my rental car and drove the two hours to Astoria to meet my dad.

My dad and I ate at Portway, a local tavern not too far from where we were staying. We shared an order of the fish and chips and a bowl of their clam chowder along with some beers. 5/5 would recommend!

DAY 2

After eating some hotel breakfast I was on my way to the Oregon coast. It only took me 30 minutes to get to Cannon Beach. This small coastal town (smaller than Tekamah population wise!) is home to a famous landmark known as Haystack rock. While walking along the shore I overheard a guy say that at low tide, the ocean-facing side of the rock reveals a hidden cave.

In Cannon Beach I ate brunch at a Wayfarer Restaurant and Lounge. It offered me views of the ocean and that’s all I was really looking for in a restaurant. Despite being so close to the water I actually found their menu to be quite cheap (which is always a plus).

On my way back to Astoria, I stopped in the town of Seaside and made my way to their beach. This beach was sandier and had fewer people, which isn’t really say something because it’s not like Cannon was overflowing with people.

Both of beaches oozed peacefulness so I would recommend these two if you’re in the need for some relaxation.

Being back in Astoria I went to the Oregon Film Museum since a plethora of movies were filmed in Astoria (including The Goonies). The $6 pass lets you see a whole bunch of Goonies memorabilia and film some of your own iconic movie scenes, complete with green screens and everything!

After buying my brother an awesome souvenir shirt from the museum, I finished the day with my dad by eating at the same tavern as the night before (it was that good guys).

DAY 3

I drove back to Portland and caught both my flights home despite a three-hour delay on the first one, thanks Frontier airlines.

I loved getting to explore so many different sides of Oregon such as its coast, the small fishing towns and even the bigger cities. Even though it was a short trip I took a lot in and even have things on my list to see/do when I go back!

• Eat at Voodoo Doughnut
• See the witches castle in Forest Park (couldn’t find it during my first trip)

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