Day 5: East Ho!

Posted on by dirtbagyuppie

Day 5 was supposed to strictly be a travel day; point it east and go as far as possible. But on our way out of the campground the distractions started. We followed the signs to Cape Meares. We weren’t quite sure what it was but deep down we really weren’t ready to leave the coastal region and would do anything to prolong the inevitable so we took a segue to Cape Meares.

Cape Meares park has a cool little lighthouse, excellent views, and the most unique Sitka Spruce called the Octopus Tree.


After Cape Meares we started a slow trek toward Portland through the Tillamook state forest. On the way through we stopped at a few waterfalls and even tried to take a ridiculously skinny mountain road… needless to say we had a super sketchy turnaround. Ultimately, we made it to Trader Joe’s and REI to restock then navigated a weird Siri-route to get to Justin’s for the box we shipped out.

Prior to the Eagle Creek Fire we had planned to stay in that area a few nights. The rivers, waterfalls, and hiking in this area are second to none. Above all else we wanted to see Multnomah Falls. Unfortunately due to the actions of a 15 year old boy who has yet to be named we were robbed of those experiences. A few weeks before our visit said 15 year old was seen tossing fireworks into the gorge which lead to the Eagle Creek Fire. While the fire is still technically burning it’s estimated that the fire devoured over 48,000 acres. The resulting scars on the landscape will forever change the gorge. The drive through the gorge was still pretty, it was just another reminder how awful people are. Very sobering.

We camped at the Deschutes River Recreation Area where it dumps into the Columbia River. The campground was right on the riverbank and the facilities were very clean. We ate Annie’s ravioli, drank PNW IPA, played our new National Parks Trivia game, and slept hard.

This is how every travel day should end.

-J&C

Day 4: Tillamook Rambling

Posted on by dirtbagyuppie

Day 4 we awoke quite warm thanks to an extra blanket. Have I mentioned how much I look forward to insulation in Vinny?

Our destination de jour was Tillamook and I wanted to have coffee with a little view so we secured the load and started driving. We pulled off the road just as first light made an appearance and brewed up some coffee while overlooking Nehalem Bay. For some reason I couldn’t stop thinking about shellfish and mollusk gathering in that bay. It was actually like a little mini obsession while we were in that area. I almost bought a book on harvesting. Truth be told, I didn’t eve want to eat them I just wanted to see some. I digress.

We spent most of the morning checking out roadside pull-offs. Each one was quite pretty, but didn’t really hold a candle to what we had seen in the previous two days.

Just north of Tillamook we saw a sign for Kilchis Point Reserve. It appeared to be a small park/nature reserve offering a trail to some wildlife viewing on the bay. The reserve had a beautifully built trail system with many informative plaques along the route. It was raining pretty hard so we did not read them all. There is one in particular that I was very happy to have read: reptiles of Kilchis Point. It showed three slimy little animals. I though that it was just a cool sign covering creatures that in theory could live at the reserve. I never thought that we would see any of them. That is until the rain brought out the newts. They were all over the trail.

 

 

When we were in grad school Chelsea and I worked for a family that we will forever call “the most extraordinaire people that we have ever met.” He owned and operated a large car company and she was a movie star. His father had patents on many automobile parts, and her family were some of the settlers of Portland. Long way to say that Tillamook Cheese has special meaning to us now following Her indoctrination. Therefore, we made it a point to make a pilgrimage to the Tillamook Co-op. Tillamook is a very unique area in Oregon. It’s a group of lush plains areas with rich soil nestled between the Pacific Ocean and Oregon’s coastal mountain range. A series of rivers run through the plains and feed into Tillamook Bay. Between the rivers many groups of very happy cows make some of the best dairy. Driving south you just kind of pop out of the mountains into this beautiful hamlet.

When we got to the visitor center we found out that we would not be able to take a company tour because they are hard at work erecting a new super visitor center to be opened Spring 2018. I guess we will have to make a return trip next year… The temporary center did not disappoint. It has historical information regarding the creation of the farmer’s co-op and also information on the cheesemaking process and cows. Most importantly the visitors center has cheese samples, cheese for sale, and many many many different grilled cheese sandwiches!

 


We learned, laughed, shopped around, and ate a lot of cheese. Of course we stocked up on cheese for the return trip.

With full bellies and our fill of human interaction for the day we took to the woods. First stop: Munson Falls. While sailing down PCH we saw a very small sign pointing us toward Munson Falls. We knew that we wanted to check Munson out from our reading in An Explorer’s Guide to Oregon. The book said that this is 319 foot waterfall is the largest in the coastal range so the unassuming roadside sign made me second guess the book’s glowing review of Munson. I am very glad that we trusted the book.


Caption: It’s hard to believe that the fields we drove through to get to the falls would abut this lush old growth. Vinny seemed to really like it.

As the rainy morning moved on a sunny afternoon layed itself out in front of us. Up to this point we had had a pretty full day: beaches, newts, cheese, and waterfalls. We were ready to find a place to bed down. Unfortunately, we just kept finding cool things to do. As we turned toward the ocean we left the cows and pastures and started to climb. We kept going up until a surprisingly nice parking lot appeared. The parking lot was for the Cape Lookout trails. Without any internet connection we had no clue what to expect. We could hike to the beach (way the heck down there); take the Cape Lookout Point Trail; or hike to the campground. The posted trails map looked promising and we knew that we were quite high up so we picked the Cape Lookout Point Trail and started out.


This bench cut trail heads west from the parking lot through a stand of towering Sitka Spruce. As you continue down the trail the ground quickly disappears to your left but the trees remain. It switches back and forth along the Cape Lookout point. We didn’t make it to the end of the trail due to some very slippery conditions. However, the views along the way were stunning.

 


The trail is well maintained and is a must if you are in the area. Next time we come out we plan to make it to the end.

When we finally did bed down we found ourselves at the Cape Lookout State Park Campground where the campsites are essentially on the beach. The view out the backdoor was nothing to scoff at.

Because we were in the off season it was almost completely empty. We camped near the bathrooms and the beach entrance. Another windy rainy night in the van on the beach. Things could be much worse than this right?

-J&C

Day 2 Portland to the Coast

Posted on by dirtbagyuppie

If you know us you know that we do not live in or near a city by choice. That doesn’t mean that we don’t appreciate the amenities that cities provide. Prior to heading out in Vinny we spent some time in and around Portland availing ourselves of the city’s offerings.

First we had breakfast at J&M Cafe downtown. I tried scrapple, a pork-cornmeal sausage, which was uniquely delicious and Chelsea had two of the biggest pieces of bacon that I have ever seen. This of course was before we experienced the middle of our country and again renewed our vow to eat less meat and possibly move back toward being full-time vegetarians. (More on this in a future post.) The breakfast was wonderful and the service was perfectly Portland.

After breakfast we set up Vinny for what we will call Vinny 1.0 Initial Essentials. (Remember that he will be getting multiple build-out posts in the future) We set up the bed; organized the gear; and secured all of the personal items. The goal of this maiden voyage was to see how we would use the van and try to set up a possible floor plan.

We rounded out the morning at my favorite city spot: REI. Usually these trips are pretty conservative but this time Chelsea told me to get the things that I have been wanting for a while and well, we both went a little nuts. No biggie, it’s our honeymoon right? So we spent money on adventure facilitators that will bring us joy well into our marriage.


As morning quickly turned into noontime we headed to Justin and Valerie’s place for lunch. They moved out here last year from Michigan and were able to give us great insights on Portland and where to go on the coast. They live near Mississippi Avenue so we walked to lunch. As an aside, Mississippi Avenue and their neighborhood are both super cool places and we will certainly be going back to spend some time there. Stormbreaker Brewing has daily BBQ and Mac-n-Cheese specials. You read that right. It doesn’t mean that the day we were there mac was a special, it means that each and every day they have a special mac and a special BBQ: amazing! We shared both and they were quality eats. The beer was pretty dang good too. They offered outside seating under a carport and it rained. In all honesty this is exactly what we wanted from Portland.

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Been there, done that, got the t-shirt.

Justin and Valerie were super hospitable and let us hang around there place for a few hours while we waited for USPS to deliver the remaining outdoor gear but the day was slipping away and we wanted to get to the coast before nightfall so we had to leave before the package arrived. It eventually came and we picked it up on our way back east.

Pointed West we embarked on the adventure part of the Honeymoon. We took 26 (Sunset Highway) out to the Pacific Coast Highway. The van kept up with traffic through the mountains heading out of town without issue.

Portland’s temperate climate provides a great growing environment for many different flora but we were not prepared for the untouched beauty of the old growth forests as we entered the coastal mountain range and Tillamook Forest. We were both taken aback by the dense overhead canopy and its ability to make you enter a world of perpetual dusk even in the middle of the day. It was brilliant which was only made better by the on and off cloudbursts.

The night was quickly approaching but we simply couldn’t head straight to the campsite without seeing some of those famous Oregon sea stacks. Ecola Point, located in Ecola State Park, was nearest to the 26/101 turnoff. We meandered through northern Cannon Beach and took the beautifully paved, yet narrow, road out to the point. Chelsea had been dreaming about Oregon coast views and sea stacks since as long as I can remember. and the look on her face when she finally got to see them in person was truly priceless.

We lingered at Ecola Point until the sun was near to the horizon then we motored south toe Nehalem Bay State Park. This park offered access to the beach, power, delightfully-warm showers and, as you will see in Day 3’s post, surprising wildlife!

Our utensils were packed away in the yet-to-be-delivered supply box awaiting us back in Portland. Luckily we had this giant spoon from our Ikea trip.


This was our first night in the van and sleep came very easily. We were cozy inside as the winds off the Pacific howled outside. Rain was heavy and intermittent throughout the night and the waves could be heard through Vinny’s walls.

Keep reading, we did A LOT on day 3…

-J&C

 

The Sacred Sticker Pile

Posted on by dirtbagyuppie

Admit it, somewhere in your house you have one. A stack of stickers that you have been carefully curating over the years. Every race/ festival/ local shop/ and brewery that has had the pleasure of your attendance is represented.

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In the outdoor activity realm stickers are like little vinyl flags that are flown to alert others to our own personal tribe. We put them on our car windows, bikes, home climbing walls, rooftop boxes, and beer fridges. They signal a safe space where other like-minded people gather to do the things that make them feel alive. I always get nervous when I see a vehicle without stickers. Whenever I pull up to a trailhead and I see a clean rig with no stickers I automatically think there is a serial killer waiting for me in the woods.

In short, stickers show the world that you are more than a job title and a bank account. They help others to answer the question, “what do you do?” Because of this we are very picky with which stickers we display. This is where the pile comes in. “I mean, I really like __________, but what if___________.” You hem and you haw about what others will think about your apparent undying love for Company X or Local Race 2017. But at some point you have to make a decision. It’s certainly hard. Some stickers are only made for certain events or product lines and YOU MAY NEVER COME ACROSS ONE THAT SPEAKS TO YOU AND WHO YOU ARE THAT PERFECTLY AGAIN! I totally get that feeling. I used to have a clean car and a massive pile of stickers.

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I suffered from SAD (Sticker Anxiety Disorder). You know how I got past that? I came to the logical realization there will always be more stickers. My current collection is proof of this concept. Whenever one fades or is lost at highway speed another will come along that may even better represent who you are. You probably already have a perfect replacement lined up on the bench. There it is, behind that regionally specific sticker that only people in the know will get.

-J