Oregon
Sixteen days up the Oregon coast and through the Cascades — wildfire smoke and all — from Crater Lake’s impossible blue to the Goonies beach at Haystack Rock. In Laura’s words.
First day in Oregon. Picked up our home and headed on our way. Before we left, Olivia was able to pick fresh blueberries from their backyard and play with their dog. Found our first geocache. Saw Multnomah Falls. Had dinner at a brewery with an intense game of uno and then found our resting spot. It’s cooler than I was expecting.
Explored a little today. Oregon has some terrible fires right now which is unfortunately changing our plans. Trying to make the best of it and not complain because it’s so sad. The smoke is so bad you can’t see anything. We can’t have a fire so I made stovetop s’mores and Evan said they were pretty good. When Evan compliments your food it’s a good thing.
Had a break in the smoke for a little and then it got bad again. We were able to get a couple hikes in. Oregon is beautiful.
Happy 11th Birthday to our favorite girl. She is forever making us laugh every single day and she makes life so much brighter. Woke up early and took her to a natural hot spring that we had to ourselves. Her requests for the day are: A shower 🚿 Taco Bell 🤢 Starbucks ☕️ Soft serve ice cream 🍦 Pizza 🍕
Stephen Baughn often asks me to pick left or right or do we turn around or keep going. I think he does that so I can’t be mad at him. I picked left last night and we were rewarded with the most magical sky. We explored Crater Lake today and it was absolutely beautiful. The blue of the water looks fake. Evan and I went swimming in the water. We have really enjoyed the cool water here. Stephen and Olivia not so much. Found a side of the road spot for the night with a nice little water fall and place to sit in the cold water/shower.
Snuck over and saw the Redwoods and then headed to the coast.
Natural bridges, sand dunes, and a little beach time. Learned about advection fog today.
Yesterday drove more of the coast. Saw some seals and enjoyed some sea life. We recently made the kids watch The Goonies so it was fitting we made it to Haystack Rock and had Rocky Road ice cream and Baby Ruth’s. Today’s lesson was on agates. Today’s other lesson was don’t forget about the pot on the stove before you start going.
Last day. I was over making coffee and had a lavender rosemary latte from a little coffee shop. Went to painted rock beach (I would love to start something like this at home). Saw an old ship wreck and went by Mikey’s house from The Goonies. Had our last picnic dinner by water. I do not want to come home. I do not want to sleep in my own bed. I want to keep exploring.
17 years ago I asked my boss if I could use my lunch break to go marry Stephen. She said absolutely. We met at the courthouse and had lunch at a diner after and we both went back to work. We didn’t tell anyone. Best decision ever. I love doing life with you Stephen Baughn and I love talking about what our future might look like.
First week back at school calls for 🌮 Tuesday. Evan lives for taco night.
🌤️ Weather we had: Highs around 82°F, lows around 54°F — hot and smoky from the wildfires, with only 0.4” of rain.
🥾 Trails we hiked
- Tamolitch Blue Pool (McKenzie River Trail) — the vivid blue pool fed by underground springs; “water was cool at the end. No waterfall today.”
🍽️ Eats & places
From our Google Maps “Oregon 2024” list — the coast and the Cascades.
- Multnomah Falls — the 620-ft two-tier falls in the Columbia Gorge; our first-day stop.
- Bigelow Hot Springs — the riverside natural hot spring we “had to ourselves” on Olivia’s birthday.
- Cannon Beach & Haystack Rock — the 235-ft sea stack from The Goonies; Rocky Road ice cream and Baby Ruths in honor of the movie.
- Wreck of the Peter Iredale — the rusted 1906 shipwreck ribs on the sand at Fort Stevens.
- Tillamook Lighthouse & Oregon Dunes — coastal lighthouse views and the big sand dunes (“natural bridges, sand dunes, and a little beach time”).
- The Wheel Apizza Pub — pizza stop (“Pizza 🍕” — one of the birthday-girl requests).
- Sweet Life Petite (Eugene-area bakery) — the lavender-rosemary latte / sweet-shop vibe from the last morning.
- Autzen Stadium (Eugene) — quick Ducks football stop.
🏞️ National parks & monuments
NPS sites in and around this trip:
- Crater Lake National Park — the deepest, bluest lake in the U.S.
- Redwood National & State Parks (CA) — the giant coast redwoods we snuck over to see.
- Lewis & Clark National Historical Park — at the mouth of the Columbia.
📷 More from our camera roll
