Hello West Coast! This was our first time to the West Coast, and it won’t be our last. We did not have many days in the area, and the first day was spent recuperating from the flight. So, our last two days were all about getting in everything we could!

Day 1: We spent most of our time driving to the coast and seeing Cannon Beach, which has been on my travel bucket list for many years. It was everything I hoped it would be! It was a little windy, but the sun made it so warm and enjoyable. My recommendation: get there early! We had such a hard time finding a place to park. But once we did, we were beach bound! We walked the entire coast line in search of tide pools. Unfortunately, by the time we reached the cliffs, the tide had come in and forced us to stop early. But! I did happen to get a photograph of the anemones using my GoPro. Afterwards, we thought we would walk through town to go back to the car. Walking through downtown was quaint and wonderful! We got a postcard and some treats for our pup back home. We also then realized that we parked closer to the top of the hill… needless to say, it was quite the hike back to the car. Day 1 had us spent. By the time we got back to the house, we all needed dinner and a rest. Then we took a night stroll in McMinnville for ice cream.

Day 2: Portland! First stop: tea. We hit Townshend’s Tea Company for kombutcha and bubble tea. Turns out, I don’t like bubble tea. But, I did like the matcha and oat milk part of the tea! Next stop: Donuts. Every tourist has to go to Voodoo donuts, I feel like that is just a rule. Did you really experience Portland if you didn’t go to Voodoo donuts? We walked through China town and over a bypass while enjoying our tea, donuts, and some of Portland’s landmarks before heading to the other side of town.

Afterwards, we drove up to Pittock Mansion where the garden was free to enter and enjoy. We didn’t get to see inside due to lack of time and other things to see! After strolling the garden and looking down on Portland, we headed to hike the trail to the Witch’s Castle. It was a quaint trail, narrow and busy for a hiking trail. Then, we spent the rest of our time at Portland’s Japanese Garden, where Mt. Hood made an appearance from behind the clouds! The Japanese Garden was absolutely breathtaking and I would highly recommend it to anyone traveling to Portland.