Road trip: Going coastal between California and Canada
Call me OrWa. Beginning today, I’m driving the whole Oregon-Washington coast, from the edge of California to the edge of Canada, with a little fudging to cope with Puget Sound.
Today’s progress: LAX to Arcata, Calif. (by air). Arcata to Brookings, Ore., to Gold Beach, Ore.
Driving miles: about 150.
Lodging: about $160.
It’s great to be in Oregon. Of course, it would be greater if my luggage also were in Oregon and if I hadn’t spent several hours near the airport waiting in vain for it to arrive . . . but the people at Horizon Airlines say they’re working on that.
Anyway, that time-killing in the beach and pier zone of Trinidad worked out pretty well. And it was followed by several more hours of northern progress on land and then some desperate scavenging for dinner at 10 p.m. on a Monday in Gold Beach. (Jeff at the deli counter of McKay’s all-night grocery fixed me up with the chicken, beans and slaw.) As a result, I can now offer an illustrated public service announcement:
Six things to do in Trinidad while waiting for your airline to fulfill its obligations:
Make a driftwood fort.
Assault a faux lighthouse.
Tread a cool pier.
Try the chowder at the Seascape restaurant.
Fly a kite.
Climb the walls.
(No, none of those people in the pictures is me. But I did eat the chowder. Good value at $5.95.)
On a day this gorgeous, who can stay cranky? No matter how long it takes Horizon to get me my clothes, my rented Kia and I are free of airports for a while. This is not a full-on luxury travel boondoggle — you heard me say Kia, right? - but it’s pretty good. Eight days, seven nights, 1,020 anticipated miles, although who can be sure what will happen in that mad batch of squiggles that mark Washington’s Puget Sound on the map?
Unless something else goes wrong, I’ll be spending every night in a lodging on the beach or the rocks or a cliff top, with no roads between me and the sea. Full frontal coastal — within recessionary reason. I’m trying to keep average room costs under $150 a night. (Think of this as the northern sequel to my 10-day January drive up the California coast.)
My introduction to the Oregon coast got rushed, but that meant that I reached the tide pools, sea stacks and sandy expanses at Harris Beach State Park (pictured at top) just as the sun was dipping into the sea. Not bad.
And night No. 1 will be here at the Pacific Reef Resort. I can hear the ocean out there somewhere beyond my balcony, but seeing it will have to wait till tomorrow.
- Christopher Reynolds, Los Angeles Times staff writer
Photos: Assorted locations in Trinidad, Calif. Credit: Christopher Reynolds
9 Comments on “Road trip: Going coastal between California and Canada”
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July 15th, 2009 at 7:09 am
Wow! Sounds like a kick-butt road trip! I love the Oregon Coast - it’s truly spectacular. Not as familiar with the coast of Washington. I think your budget per night sounds pretty reasonable. Love the photos “things to do” - esp. the driftwood fort.
July 15th, 2009 at 7:13 pm
Wow! Fond memories indeed. As a young turk in college I spent the summer of ‘64 at Singing Springs Ranch, 30 upriver miles from Gold Beach. The Jet Boats or mail boats from Gold Beach are a great way to spend a day.
Enjoy a cool place in Oregon
Doc
July 15th, 2009 at 10:31 pm
thanks, Tara. Another good day today — i wound up in newport at the Sylvia Beach Hotel. Wacky. Blogpost to follow soon.
By the way, I’m having a hard time calculating how to invest my limited time passing through Cannon Beach/Seaside/Astoria tomorrow. Suggestions?
July 15th, 2009 at 11:43 pm
Great blog so far…hoping you would have mentioned Yachats, OR…A beautiful seaside area.
July 16th, 2009 at 12:12 am
If you stop off in Tillamook, you can do a tour of the Tillamook cheese factory. But even better, stop in nearby Bay City for freshly shucked oysters or a very, very fresh oyster burger. The discarded oyster shells are so huge, they look like mounds of snow.
Pacific Oyster
150 Oyster Bay Dr.
Bay City, OR 97107
503-377-2323
Tillamook Cheese Factory
4175 Highway 101 North
P.O. Box 313
Tillamook, OR 97141
503-815-1300
July 16th, 2009 at 8:56 am
Inspired by your California trip, I took a week and drove from Crescent City to Astoria in May (I live in Portland). I hadn’t seen many parts of the coast since grade school, many years ago. Awesome trip, enjoy!
July 18th, 2009 at 10:02 am
Great coverage of the coast. Thanks for sharing your photos.
August 30th, 2009 at 11:17 am
Oh, but you missed the greatest place to stay, the one you will not want to leave. Check out the Loft by the Lighthouse in Charleston (Coos Bay). We had such a wonderful experience staying there last summer.
September 6th, 2009 at 1:04 pm
Sounds like a fun trip, I like the pictures. Looks like some really great west coast scenery.