We marked the 19,000 km point of our trip by crossing the Columbia river and remembering Lewis and Clark. The shelter they made upon their discovery of the Pacific is apparently still there.  However, poor directions and lack of time forces us to move on.

Just before Cannon Beach, we took a side trip down Ecola park road. Back in the rainforest again, we enjoyed the drive up to Indian Beach.  It was also a lovely beach but we found neither tidal pools nor seaglass.

Cannon Beach gets its name from ship cannons that washed up on shore hundreds of years ago. Haystack rock is also an interesting attraction.  The beaches are hard packed and great for walking.  And that is all we did. No treasures were found.

The same goes for Arch Cape, Hug Point, Manzanita, and Rockaway Beach.  Although in the latter, we found an interesting gift shop with seaglass and wonderful saltwater taffy.  Off to Tillamook for the night and a good rest for more beachcombing Wednesday. We could not take the loop drive around the peninsula because of a mudslide, so we readjusted our itinerary.

We kept hearing about the rugged Oregon coast.  Going North to South, the first 100 miles are not very rugged.  It does, however, have nice sandy beaches that are great for walking.  Then we got to the Devil’s punchbowl and saw our first rugged.  From then on, there were a few other rugged spots, including devil’s churn where the water rushes in about 300 feet up a narrow rock ravine, crashing and spurting along the way.

There is also Sea Lion Cave which unfortunately seemed to be closed for the winter.  We also missed the tallest waterfall, but we did not miss arch rock, the smallest harbour and shortest river in the world (D river).

We drove through the protected dunes area which reminded us of PEI. We also went up and down some sinuous mountain roads with many sharp curves.  It seems here also it is the law that slow moving vehicle use turnouts to let others pass. I also noticed the maximum fine for texting and driving is only $500.

Thursday, we did the last 100 miles or so.  Around milepost 300, you are again witnessing the rugged Oregon Coast, with beautiful ocean views, windy roads, and wind gusts. Be sure to stop in the harbour in Gold Beach to see the sunken ship and read about the bridge built in the 1930’s that is still standing today.  It used a revolutionary arch design that is now commonly used.

We made it to the California border where we are looking for a detailed map to be sure we don’t miss anything important