Vista along Oswald West State Park.
We are following our friends’ recommendations while on the North Coast, so our first destination today was Ecola State Park for the dramatic views of Crescent Beach and a long-range view of Haystack Rock.
We enjoyed the lofty vistas in the Oswald West State Park and the cute Cape Meares Lighthouse. The Lighthouse is near Tillamook (of cheese fame) and off a road called the Three Capes Loop. In reality, it’s a series of roads and, at least for now, is not a loop; so it was back out the way we came. 
The town of Cannon Beach is clearly the most upscale in the area and very nice. The streets are lined with cute shops and restaurants. The colorful flowers are all so vibrant against the gray wood buildings and seem much larger than normal – it’s like they are all on steroids. Why can’t I get my hydrangeas to grow in these amazing purple and fuchsia colors?
Indian Beach.
It’s no surprise, we’ve had some great seafood in the area. Wonderful salmon, clam chowder, and cheese bread to name a few. Tonight, after dinner, we bundled up, which in my case meant five layers of clothes, and headed to the beach. Our hotel builds a great community bonfire nightly and brings out all the fixings for S’mores. It was cold, but the conversation was interesting, kids were cute, wood fire smelled great, the sound of the waves was relaxing, and I even got my husband to take his first (and only) bite of a S’more.
Did you spot the “Fake news” comment on the Shark sign?
View from Ecola State Park.
We have close friends who have a get-a-way place in Cannon Beach, and they have shared many wonderful stories about the Oregon Coast. I’ve wanted to visit the area for a long time and I am just very sorry our friends could not be with us.
We headed about an hour and a half from Portland to the Oregon coast. It is strikingly beautiful. Raw, windswept, vast, and COLD. I still have trouble with the concept of being on a beach with a blanket and windbreaks in July (we saw no swimsuits)! We drove north on Highway 101 along the coast to the historic town of Astoria (1792) and enjoyed seeing the Victorian homes as well as the locations used in the movie Kindergarten Cop. This is Lewis and Clark territory, and the imposing Astoria Column was built in 1925 to commemorate their expedition as well as other westward expansion. You don’t need to climb the 164 steps, the views from the top of the 30-acre site are impressive.
Heading back to Cannon Beach we also saw the cute resort town of Seaside. I loved the starfish lights decorating the town’s light poles.
Walking on the beach here is pure pleasure. The beaches are huge and not crowded (by our Florida standards), and at low tide, you can walk right up to the famous Haystack Rock, the visual most often associated with the Oregon Coast. Haystack is 235’ high and part of the Oregon Islands National Wildlife Refuge and looks much larger in person and dominates the landscape for miles. Impressive.
What a great way to travel from Vancouver BC to Portland Oregon. The only downside is it does leave at 6:30 AM, but it gets you into Portland at about 3 PM, rested, fed and entertained. It’s an absolutely beautiful route through Washington, the water views are so pretty it’s not even hard to stay awake.
Business Class seats are worth the extra fee, and taking two single seats (one behind the other) on the right side of the train car is really the best for maximizing your viewing pleasure. It’s comfortable and on par with any first-class European train. This train did not have a dining car, but the Bistro service and quality was not bad once the train got underway. Prior to departure, there was quite a line.
It was hard to get an answer about what time we needed to be at the station (since we would also be going through customs). At one point, we were told by an Amtrak representative the station did not even open til 6 AM; that is not true, staff is there from about 5 AM. Business Class and Global Entry have a separate line for check-in with no wait. Customs officers board the train at the border, but it a quick walk-through and a quick glance at passenger passports.
All Aboard!
Portland’s Station.
Nothing is prettier than a sunny day with mountains and a blue sea and Vancouver can deliver. After a couple of overcast days, we were blessed with absolutely perfect weather. Here are a few scenes from around town.
There’s snow on the distant mountains.
It’s wonderful that you can walk along the water!
Sunset Beach.
A local landmark, two Brazilian brothers painted these cement factory silos.
A street performer on Granville Island.
You can find every kind of fruit, baked good, seafood, cheese, meat, chocolate and more in the Granville Market. We loved the double smoked salmon and the maple coated salmon, and I even found the maple infused cheddar I loved during a previous visit to BC!
Food vendors in the Granville Public Market.
Typical ferry to Granville Island.
A view from Shaughnessy Golf and Country Club.
The Vancouver Rowing Club in Stanley Park.
One of Vancouver’s whimsical public art installations, on Denman St.
Granville Island
