I love the Oregon coast
What a great week night trip.
My husband is a bartender and I'm a home crafter. So weekDAYS are our weekends. It makes for pretty awesome camp sites, no lines at the coffee drive through at 1:00pm and patio seating in the shade waiting on the bay!
We left Portland at about two pm and arrived at the Tillamook Fred Meyer just over an hour later. Grabbed some cold beers then headed north on 101 to Bar View Jetty Campground.
No reservations, got a spot that only had some trees separating us from the windy beach. (Note: if you don't like sand then this is not the place for you!) I surf so I'm pretty used to the sand. I LOVE how much softer it is to sleep on then most other earthen substances ie dirt clods, rocks, bunches of roots, even certain grasses are not as forgiving as sand. (I still bring a mat but we've all forgotten once in a while.) The campground is nice; gravel roadways, well-marked places, trees, fire pits with a grill, water spigots here and there. Oh, and bathrooms with showers. I was not raised going to camp sites with bathrooms, or running water, or pleasant hosts driving around offering helpful hints and jokes.
We unpacked and walked to the beach with the dog. He loved the beach. He was running fast circles and galloping around with that big Boston Terrier smile.
Back at camp, my good friend that lives on the coast came to visit. We told stories, burned a nice warm camp fire and DRANK.
I think cooking and drinking while camping are two of my favorite activities. When you go camping don't take a portable grill! Force yourself to use the campfire. Oh the things you make are all spiced with wood ash here and there but it's GOOD! We do things like wrap an onion in tin foil. A WHOLE ONION! Oh it opens like a delicious juicy flower out of the tin foil and you can eat it any way you want, like on a sausage, or sandwich, or with a fork! Same thing with garlic! My friend Lori taught me to split a banana open on one side with a knife then stuff chocolate inside, peel and all, wrap it in tin foil and put it on the fire. It's SO GOOD (the peel becomes your bowl)! I think I could go on forever about the campfire cooking :)
In the morning we usually make an amazing campfire breakfast, wash our dishes, pack everything up, make sure we left only footprints and took only memories then headed up the coastline home.
Today we were hungover. I mean, WHOLLY-CRAP-shaking-glad-we-remembered-Advil hungover. We woke up later then usual as well. So we just packed, cleaned and left looking for coffee and food prepared by someone else.
We headed north up 101 and watched for a coffee sign or drive through shop. Just on the north end of Rockaway beach we found it. A coffee drive through stand. YAY! My husbands blood shot eyes widened and with a huge smile he said "I'll have a 32 ounce iced mocha!" I repeated his order but I was in complete disbelief! 32 ounces? Who the heck makes 32 ounce mochas? This place! I ordered a 20 ounce iced soy Latte. Not knowing "how" someone makes their coffee always makes me hesitant upon ordering. (I think that is the common Portlanders anxiety disorder) So while waiting I could not help but think to myself, "I wonder if it is going to be weak, or have grounds in the bottom sucking up through the straw" Between thoughts I hear my husbands voice, "She's got biscuits and gravy on the menus hmmm pulled pork sandwiches?" I blink in disbelief and am pulled out of my bad coffee thoughts. "Did you just say pulled pork?" (side note pulled pork is my kryptonite) He says "Yes right there under lunch". Hmm, I'm intrigued. So, she's totally nice, gives the dog a treat, hands us our coffees and sends us on our way with a smile. I'm still in awe of my husband holding his 32 ounce mocha! I take a sip of my latte. "Ooooh strong, good." Exhale. "Nice I could have asked for a sweetener but it is not needed." Hubbs, "Wholly crap this is good!" He went on for the next 20 minutes of the drive about how this was the best mocha he's ever had in his life. It was like someone smashed up a nestle crunch bar inside it. Yeah, my lactose intolerance makes me jealous!
We traveled North a bit more to Wheeler, where my friend lives. YAY, she's home and now I'm fungry and The Tsunami Bar and Grill has moved into the beautiful restaurant/bar space right across the street from her! Last time we were in town we ate at their old location in a smaller place a couple blocks down on the east side of the street. Now it's right there on the bay with a deck that has you right over the water and 1/2 way shaded by a big tree. Fabulous. Their menu will kinda put you off at first, there's a dish for every taste: salad rolls, pho, salmon pasta, fish and chips, burgers and tots... Clam Chowder!!!!!! Oh, heavenly Clam Chowder! Their spring rolls have a fresh mint leaf wrapped in them so they're quite refreshing to eat. Delicious Bloody Marys, too. Just the right amount of spice, horse radish, and A1. Mmmmm. We hung out, watched the kayakers, crabbers and sail boats to the chatter of birds (and local little old lady gossip)
I could live there! Frankly, did not want to come home.
I wonder how much soap and hats will sell for there?
Well thanks for reading!
Smile
My husband is a bartender and I'm a home crafter. So weekDAYS are our weekends. It makes for pretty awesome camp sites, no lines at the coffee drive through at 1:00pm and patio seating in the shade waiting on the bay!
We left Portland at about two pm and arrived at the Tillamook Fred Meyer just over an hour later. Grabbed some cold beers then headed north on 101 to Bar View Jetty Campground.
No reservations, got a spot that only had some trees separating us from the windy beach. (Note: if you don't like sand then this is not the place for you!) I surf so I'm pretty used to the sand. I LOVE how much softer it is to sleep on then most other earthen substances ie dirt clods, rocks, bunches of roots, even certain grasses are not as forgiving as sand. (I still bring a mat but we've all forgotten once in a while.) The campground is nice; gravel roadways, well-marked places, trees, fire pits with a grill, water spigots here and there. Oh, and bathrooms with showers. I was not raised going to camp sites with bathrooms, or running water, or pleasant hosts driving around offering helpful hints and jokes.
We unpacked and walked to the beach with the dog. He loved the beach. He was running fast circles and galloping around with that big Boston Terrier smile.
Back at camp, my good friend that lives on the coast came to visit. We told stories, burned a nice warm camp fire and DRANK.
I think cooking and drinking while camping are two of my favorite activities. When you go camping don't take a portable grill! Force yourself to use the campfire. Oh the things you make are all spiced with wood ash here and there but it's GOOD! We do things like wrap an onion in tin foil. A WHOLE ONION! Oh it opens like a delicious juicy flower out of the tin foil and you can eat it any way you want, like on a sausage, or sandwich, or with a fork! Same thing with garlic! My friend Lori taught me to split a banana open on one side with a knife then stuff chocolate inside, peel and all, wrap it in tin foil and put it on the fire. It's SO GOOD (the peel becomes your bowl)! I think I could go on forever about the campfire cooking :)
In the morning we usually make an amazing campfire breakfast, wash our dishes, pack everything up, make sure we left only footprints and took only memories then headed up the coastline home.
Today we were hungover. I mean, WHOLLY-CRAP-shaking-glad-we-remembered-Advil hungover. We woke up later then usual as well. So we just packed, cleaned and left looking for coffee and food prepared by someone else.
We headed north up 101 and watched for a coffee sign or drive through shop. Just on the north end of Rockaway beach we found it. A coffee drive through stand. YAY! My husbands blood shot eyes widened and with a huge smile he said "I'll have a 32 ounce iced mocha!" I repeated his order but I was in complete disbelief! 32 ounces? Who the heck makes 32 ounce mochas? This place! I ordered a 20 ounce iced soy Latte. Not knowing "how" someone makes their coffee always makes me hesitant upon ordering. (I think that is the common Portlanders anxiety disorder) So while waiting I could not help but think to myself, "I wonder if it is going to be weak, or have grounds in the bottom sucking up through the straw" Between thoughts I hear my husbands voice, "She's got biscuits and gravy on the menus hmmm pulled pork sandwiches?" I blink in disbelief and am pulled out of my bad coffee thoughts. "Did you just say pulled pork?" (side note pulled pork is my kryptonite) He says "Yes right there under lunch". Hmm, I'm intrigued. So, she's totally nice, gives the dog a treat, hands us our coffees and sends us on our way with a smile. I'm still in awe of my husband holding his 32 ounce mocha! I take a sip of my latte. "Ooooh strong, good." Exhale. "Nice I could have asked for a sweetener but it is not needed." Hubbs, "Wholly crap this is good!" He went on for the next 20 minutes of the drive about how this was the best mocha he's ever had in his life. It was like someone smashed up a nestle crunch bar inside it. Yeah, my lactose intolerance makes me jealous!
We traveled North a bit more to Wheeler, where my friend lives. YAY, she's home and now I'm fungry and The Tsunami Bar and Grill has moved into the beautiful restaurant/bar space right across the street from her! Last time we were in town we ate at their old location in a smaller place a couple blocks down on the east side of the street. Now it's right there on the bay with a deck that has you right over the water and 1/2 way shaded by a big tree. Fabulous. Their menu will kinda put you off at first, there's a dish for every taste: salad rolls, pho, salmon pasta, fish and chips, burgers and tots... Clam Chowder!!!!!! Oh, heavenly Clam Chowder! Their spring rolls have a fresh mint leaf wrapped in them so they're quite refreshing to eat. Delicious Bloody Marys, too. Just the right amount of spice, horse radish, and A1. Mmmmm. We hung out, watched the kayakers, crabbers and sail boats to the chatter of birds (and local little old lady gossip)
I could live there! Frankly, did not want to come home.
I wonder how much soap and hats will sell for there?
Well thanks for reading!
Smile
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