A Trip to the Pacific Northwest

At the end of October, Jeremy and I made our way to Oregon for the first time. I was attending a work conference in Portland, and we tacked on a few extra days to have to ourselves since we’ve both always had an interest in visiting the area. Little did we know, I’d spend the second half of the trip catching a cold and winding up too sick to leave the hotel bed! Our time spent exploring the area was brief but beautiful, and we’ve already vowed that we’ll try again someday.

I’m so glad we made the call to venture out of the city and visit the coast on our first day. Usually I spend months planning trips and making lists of all my bucket list items by category, but with everything going on this year, I landed in Portland without a single plan. My only must-see, as I’d heard about it for years, was Cannon Beach. I can’t express just how grateful I am that we were able to squeeze that in right away, and really, outside of the conference and a few meals, this is the only day I have to share about.

The visit to the coast came along with the most scenic hour-long drive and gave us a taste of the stunning Pacific Northwest landscape within minutes of leaving the city. The changing leaves were at their peak and the foggy, drizzly weather was perfect for bundling up and soaking in the last of autumn.

I was so taken with how tall and dense the trees were along the drive, most of them covered in moss that hung from their branches in long tassels above the road, waving at us as we passed through. Occasional breaks in the trees revealed massive ravines and breathtaking views of the mountains that would come and go so quickly, you could miss them in a blink.

The sky and weather changed with every twist and turn of the road, switching rapidly between drizzly and dry, sunny and gloomy, pouring and calm.

We stopped by Pelican Brewing before making our way to the beach, and the second we stepped out of the car, we were met with the smell of the sea. We warmed up with some incredible food and drinks, grateful that we stepped inside when we did, as a massive downpour made its way through the area the entire time we were having lunch.

We decided to drive up the coast a bit before visiting the main attraction and landmark of Cannon Beach, Haystack Rock, after hearing our waiter suggest to another patron that they visit Crescent Beach in Ecola State Park, just a short drive north of us.

As we made our way through the quaint town of Cannon Beach to get to the state park, I found myself wishing I’d booked a night or two there. It’s the most picturesque stretch of cozy coffeeshops, wood-shingled cabins-turned boutiques and art galleries, and restaurants touting “the best seafood in Oregon.” As the main street wound through town, we’d occasionally get a peak of the Pacific Ocean sat just behind the buildings and homes. It was just a few days before Halloween, and nearly every porch and storefront was decked out in pumpkins, leaf garlands, scarecrows, and Halloween decor. I so wish I’d grabbed a photo, but I was so absorbed in taking it all in—it looked straight out of a movie set.

Upon exiting town, we took the long, winding road running alongside the sea up the mountain to Ecola State Park. The last few minutes of the drive, we crawled through a tunnel of trees set in a thick, moss-covered forest. I wasn’t expecting the terrain in the Pacific Northwest to remind me so much of Scotland, especially this stretch of woods. It felt unexpectedly familiar and enchanted, and I would have been perfectly content wandering around there for a day or two.

But I’m glad we continued on to park the car and hike the trailhead to Crescent Beach, because what met us at the end of the path was equally majestic. Our first clear view of the Pacific, dotted with massive rock formations and giant, crashing waves. The wind was brutal, but we were so taken with the view, we hardly noticed. We had stepped into a real life watercolor painting.

For the first time since August, without actively trying, my mind went quiet for a few moments. The wind and waves drowned out everything else, and I felt fantastically weightless. Calm. If it weren’t for my hands going numb from the cold to bring me back to my body, I could have sat there and stared at the sea for hours, breathing in the salty air, getting lost in the vastness.

Before we left, we walked along a second trail that took us down a bit closer to the water. The sun came out when we were looking out at this view, and while it was welcomed and beautiful, it almost felt out of place in the setting. There’s something about the drizzly grayness that suits this area, and makes it feel even more comforting.

And within five minutes, it was back.

On our way back through Cannon Beach, we stopped at Public Coast Brewing for a drink and to warm up a bit. This was a spontaneous detour, but we were pleasantly surprised and would highly recommend visiting if you’re in the area and have the time. We lingered for much longer than we planned to!

Our final stop before heading back to Portland was Haystack Rock. While I knew it would be a surreal experience, it blew away all my expectations. I probably stopped ten times on the way down the never-ending set of old wooden steps that led us to the beach to glance up at the towering rock, trying to comprehend that this scene was real. As we descended, the most ethereal golden glow took over the sky.

I’ve seen this stretch of beach as a backdrop in movies and photoshoots for so long, but suppose I imagined some expert editing and effects made it appear a bit more spectacular than what it really is. Not the case. It’s breathtaking.

We spent some time walking the beach, viewing it from all angles and watching the waves grow bigger and the tide closer. I learned later that we were witnessing “king tides,” some of the biggest and most powerful there are.

Without much warning, it started pouring rain, so we decided it was time to race to the car and make our way back to Portland.

Honestly, Portland is all a bit of a blur. The next couple days, I was in the conference until evening, and we’d venture out on the town for dinner.

We did get lucky and get called from the waitlist to enter Raven’s Manor, a joint that goes all out for Halloween and is nearly impossible to get into without a reservation. Every inch of the space was decked out in spooky decor, including their themed cocktails. We enjoyed a few drinks and a slice of pumpkin cheesecake while taking it all in. We made sure to explore the entire space before leaving, getting inspiration for our Halloween decorating next year.

I also felt fortunate to make it to VooDoo Doughnuts and Powell’s Bookstore, two Portland must-visits, before going down for the count. We grabbed an assortment of doughnuts that we nibbled on over the next several days and could hardly pick a favorite, they were all so good! And we only got the smallest taste of Powell’s Bookstore, as we made it in just before closing time. It’s massive (it’s the world’s largest independent bookstore) and a book-lover’s dream. We only walked out with a few reads, but could have easily spent our entire trip’s budget in one fell swoop just there.

We walked around the city enough in the first couple days to get a lay of the land and based on that, I can certainly say I’d love to visit again!

Post-conference, for the last few days of our trip, I saw only the walls of our hotel room. Fortunately, Jeremy was able to get out and visit a few breweries and see a bit more of the city and agrees that we need to give it another go.

I wish I had more to share about Portland, but that’s what I’ve got! Feeling very fortunate to have worked in what we did and can say that between this trip and our visit to Seattle years ago, we’re definitely fans of the Pacific Northwest and would love all you recommendations for our next adventure out that way!

Thanks for reading my first travel post in ages, friends! Despite it being a little shorter and different than travel write-ups I’ve done in the past, this felt really good to get out there. Stay tuned; I’ll be churning out several more this winter!

—Aly