After marveling at Multnomah Falls, we swung back through Portland and drove through a few cool neighborhoods — Pearl, Slabtown, Northwest and Alphabet District — before settling on lunch at a tasty Thai restaurant called Red Onion. We could’ve spent even longer in Portland but felt like the city had already won us over…and there was so much more to explore in the rest of Oregon!
I stumbled across a cool Oregon visitors guide that highlighted many of the unique sights and attractions along the 363 mile coastline (available here: http://www.journalgraphicsdigitalpublications.com/epubs/MEDIAMERICA/Mediamerica2013OCVAguide/mobile/index.html?doc=1709ECC683F6A2391467943760459FC5). One of the most fascinating facts about the Oregon coast? Practically all of it is considered public land, available for use by anyone at any time. Private property can abut the coast but ends at the vegetation line; this has been enshrined in the Oregon constitution for nearly a hundred years. I made a lengthy list of intriguing spots to visit but due to our limited time had to pare them down to just a few. First stop, Nestucca Spit in Pacific City: a small town and wide stretch of beach, leading up to a hulking monolith of a rock that reminded me of something out of The Fifth Element. We started walking towards it but turned back after the distance turned out to be further than it appeared…
Also interesting in these pics: a free coffee program at certain rest stops to help encourage tired drivers to take a break, or at least caffeinate; tsunami debris warnings, and several ways in which the mighty Pacific could get you.
