Oregon Coast to Home

Instead of taking the most direct way home from Washington, we headed down the coast into Oregon to Ecola State Park. 

This view looks out onto Cannon Beach, listed by National Geographic as one of the 100 most beautiful places in the world.  I rather agree.

A father-son photo in paradise.

Well, almost paradise.  Predictably, we made the kids hike.  Predictably, they whined a bit.  Here are Brooklyn and Talia helping Annika hop along.

Our hike through the forest revealed some pretty cool things, like 800-1000 year old trees.

Plus, we found a giant slug.

The moss was pretty other-worldly as well.


The only thing that didn't impress was the view from the top.  Oh fog.

Fortunately the ocean came back into view as the trail led down to the beach.

The water was icy cold, but that didn't stop our crew from getting their feet wet.

Science by the seashore.

We drove through Cannon Beach on our way out and loved it so much that we tried to get a last-minute hotel.  Jason and I were sold on the idea of an early-morning run on the shore.  We didn't have any luck, but it's a great excuse to come back.

Since slumbering in Cannon Beach wasn't an option, we continued on down the road to Tillamook--a great choice.  The newly renovated Tillamook Cheese Factory was outstanding!


Until my father mentioned it, I'd forgotten that my Andrus grandparents, Tom and Garda, served their entire mission in Tillamook.

Oh, the samples!

Yes, after a decadent meal of pizza and ice cream, we walked away from the gift shop with multiple kinds of cheese as well.  Totally worth the splurge.  Our sincerest thanks to the dairy farmers of Tillamook. 

We overnighted in Portland, drove across a few bridges in the morning, then finally headed home.  Our next stop?  Multnomah Falls.

The falls were a recommendation from our waitress at the hotel restaurant.  I'm sure glad we asked about cool things to see in the area!

Of course, with two million visitors a year, I guess the cat's out of the bag about this remarkable wonder.

 Talia enjoyed the hands-on exhibits at the visitor's center.

While I didn't take any pictures, we did make one last stop in Idaho on our way home.  Great-grandma Hansen had just had a pace maker installed, so we visited briefly in the hospital.  We are so glad she is doing well and that the surgery went well.  All in all, it was a great ending to a very happy West coast trip.