Pacific Wonderland - Highway 101

Highway 101, along the Oregon coast, is one of the most scenic, beautiful drives I have ever taken! If you haven't already done it, be sure to put it at the top of your bucket list!

After leaving Washington, we encountered the beauty of the Oregon coast when we checked in at Fort Stevens State Park for the night. Just over the Washington border and in need of a stop, this park seemed to be the one for us. In fact, the state parks are typically the ones we have been choosing due to their relatively cheap prices (anywhere between $30-$35 per night) and good services! Fort Stevens also had a great Ranger who advised us on all the parks

and places to stop at along the coast. Such advice is golden and we have learned to listen to what the locals have been telling us. After a nights rest, we got up the next morning and decided to walk one of the many paved biking/hiking trails. The trail was lovely as it meandered through the forest. As we neared the end of the trail we started to notice the landscape changing to one with white powdery sand and before we knew it we were walking onto a beautiful beach!

The wreck of the Peter Iredale

Little did we know that our entire drive down this beautiful coast would be scenery like that, dotted by quaint seaside towns, little motels and restaurants. We even had the opportunity to visit the Tillamook Cheese Factory, taste fresh cheese and see how cheese was made. 

There were always opportunities to stop and gaze at the beauty of the land but many times we stopped and just walked the beaches. One area of the 101 was known as The Dunes......

Miles and miles of untouched beaches with not a soul in sight!

Sunset Bay State Park was also another park that was equally impressive and certainly lived up to its name!  This was our view on the night we arrived

 As the coastline began to change, we realized our journey through Oregon was almost complete!