After Portland we headed west to the coast for a couple of nights camping at Nehalem Bay State Park. The coastline was ragged and dramatic, then dotted with adorable small towns touting fresh crabs, ice creams and antiques.

The coastal architecture was really great as well, with most houses covered in grey wood shingles.

Pretty

We took a walk along Cape Meares, near the town of Tillamook.

A claw that didn’t make it

Pyramid Rock in the distance

Then we drove around to the Cape Meares State Park.

This is where we saw the world’s most adorable lighthouse, built in 1890:

So stumpy!

We continued our walk up to the Octopus Tree, possibly the lamest tourist attraction ever. I didn’t even take a photo. It’s basically a tree that is meant to look like an upside down octopus, which in my opinion is every tree in the whole damn world. 

But how about that scenery!

We left and went to imaginatively named Oceanside to grab a coffee. The cafe was called Brewin’ in the Wind, a name I intend to steal should I ever open a coffee establishment by the sea.

The entire area was bursting with wildflowers

Tillamook is known for its cheese factory and being dairy enthusiasts we braved the crowds to sample the ice cream. Which was a good move, because I think it was the best ice cream I’ve had in my entire life.

Something chocolately and something caramely

Intense creaminess called for fast consumption as fat drops splattered onto the pristine white table in front of us.

The shoreline in Wheeler

An adorable shop in Wheeler

After a busy day we headed back to camp for steak and salad followed by a spectacular sunset (I put a request in for one).

At about 8:30pm (still can’t get over how late the sun sets here!) we found a prime spot on the beach and nestled in.

It was cold

I proceeded to take a couple thousand photos, from which I’ve curated four for your viewing pleasure:

Love a good sunset

The next day we drove to a bigger town called Astoria, our last stop before crossing over into Washington.

I can highly recommend the burger buns from this place:

The coffee wasn’t bad either

We grabbed a couple to have for lunch later on. The entire place smelt of delicious baked goods, it was most tempting.

A nice way to farewell Oregon.