Pacific Northwest Road Trip 2015

This summer I was blessed to be able to go on yet another grand adventure out west with my great travel buddy, Robbie. The past three summers have been absolutely incredible as I have had the opportunities to travel and photograph some of the most amazing scenes of the American west - a photographer's dream. I have always been inspired by photography of America's great natural wonders and our magnificent National Parks! But only until I've been able to experience and stand in awe among them, have I really been able to be astonished and moved by witnessing these scenes. My God is an awesome God. How can someone stand in awe of so much beauty and not be captivated and drawn toward its Creator? It's my joy to be able to take you on another one of my adventures -- through the lens of my camera and the stories from The Pacific Northwest!

Like my last trip blogs, I will be breaking the posts down in sections. This summer we logged more miles than our previous trips as we drove 2,150 miles! You might think, "wow that's a lot of driving and not a lot of seeing!" Nope. Don't worry, I was up at sunrise and taking photos at every sunset! We had a very detailed itinerary. Plus, the driving is the fun part to me, getting to drive across beautiful places I've never seen while praising Him with songs. It's rewarding once we reach our destination! And we made sure to fit in as much places to see as possible. To give you an idea of our trip, I've created a rough map of our basic route on Google Maps.

Our flight to Portland, Oregon took us over some familiar sites from above as we flew over the Grand Canyon, Las Vegas, Death Valley, Lake Mono, and Yosemite...all places I can say I've seen from the ground too.

Desert Mountains from Above

Mono Lake from AboveI visited this lake two summers ago!

Yosemite from AboveThis is the upper parts of Yosemite National Park around Tioga Pass

Golden Hills from Above Oakland from Above

PNW DAY 1 | Astoria, Oregon

Our trip started as we landed in Portland, Oregon on Friday around 1:00 PM PST. We had the rest of that afternoon and our Day 2 to explore as much of the Northern Oregon Coast as we could! So we hit the road due west like hamsters in our rental "Hamster Car", the small box-like Kia Soul.

Now being an 80's kid, I grew up a huge fan of the movie Goonies. I've probably seen the movie over 50 times and can quote many scenes. I can remember all of the adventure scenes on the coast the Goonies got into as they were looking for One-Eyed Willy's treasure. Sure enough, our first destination was the Home of the Goonies -- the foggy Victorian fishing town of Astoria, Oregon. My goal was to see 1) Mickey and the Goonies House, 2) the Flavel House where his dad worked, 3) and the Jail House that the Fratelli's broke out of. Then during Day 2 we would see the classic Goonies Pacific Coast scenes.

We were able to see each of these things on my list, fortunately. However, days before we got there the new owner of the Goonies House recently put up "No Trespassing" signs which has outraged the community and Goonie tourist. We were fortunate to still be able to see the house, as days after we saw it the owner then put up tarps around the house! Its sad to say the Goonedocks have officially been sold to the Country Club. (here's the story) 

​But Astoria was an interesting little maritime town. I would have loved to been able to visit more of it. So here we go! HEY YOU GUYS!

Home of the GooniesAstoria, Oregon

The Goonies HouseThis is as close as we could get to it now. And this is before the owner put up tarps to block visitors views.

The Goonies - Flavel HouseWhere Mickey's Dad worked in the movie Goonies. The Jail HouseThis is the Jail that the Fratelli's broke out of at the beginning of the Goonies. Notice their black Jeep out front! Fratelli's JeepYep, Chunk. Even has the bullet holes in it!

Astoria Column ViewThis is the view of Astoria from Astoria Column Park, which is a park that recognizes the Journey of Lewis & Clark and their first glimpse of the Pacific Ocean via the Columbia River.

PNW DAY 1 | Sunset at Cape Disappointment, Washington

After a long day of flying across the country and then checking out the Goonies sites, we took in the amazing sunset right across the Columbia River in Washington at Cape Disappointment. This was an absolutely gorgeous drive and State Park with a beautiful forest of large coastal evergreens and ferns. Then of course the breathtaking rugged coast and lighthouse made for an amazing first sunset of our trip.

North Head LighthouseCape Disappointment, Washington Coast North Head Lighthouse SunsetCape Disappointment, Washington Coast North Head Lighthouse SunsetCape Disappointment, Washington Coast North Head Lighthouse SunsetCape Disappointment, Washington Coast Cape DisappointmentThe waves at sunset of the Washington Coast Cape DisappointmentPacific Coast Waves Cape DisappointmentPacific Coast Waves

PNW DAY 2 | Oregon Coast: Haystack Rock & Ecola State Park

After sleeping in a small beach town of Seaside, Oregon, we work up and drove south along the Oregon Coast on HWY 101. We were about to be in for a morning treat as our first destination was the classic Oregon Coast view of Haystack Rock on Cannon Beach. This is a scene that you see in magazines, postcards, and even on Microsoft Windows desktop backgrounds! That morning was also the first time in the trip I felt the chill of God's presence as I stood in amazement of this awesome scene.

It was such a peaceful morning as we walked the long stretch of Pacific beach sand leading up to the behemoth of a rock sitting out in the waves of the ocean. With the quiet rushing sounds of the morning waves, you could also hear thousands of birds as they circle the top of the huge rock. The 235 feet monolith rock serves as a bird sanctuary to many species of birds including the cute little birds called puffins. The blue morning sky and the pastel sunlight on the clouds made for a beautiful scene as I was able to capture the moment.

​Also, one of the great natural attractions of the Northwest Pacific Coast is the opportunity to go tide pooling. This is when the low tide creates a new shoreline of rock caves and pools of sea urchins, colorful starfish, and more! Check out my photos from this amazing morning at Haystack Rock on Cannon Beach!

Haystack RockHaystack Rock at Cannon Beach, Oregon Haystack RockHaystack Rock at Cannon Beach, Oregon Haystack RockHaystack Rock at Cannon Beach, Oregon Haystack RockHaystack Rock at Cannon Beach, Oregon Haystack RockHaystack Rock at Cannon Beach, Oregon Haystack RockHaystack Rock at Cannon Beach, Oregon Haystack RockHaystack Rock at Cannon Beach, Oregon Haystack Rock ReflectionHaystack Rock at Cannon Beach, Oregon Haystack RockHaystack Rock at Cannon Beach, Oregon Haystack RockHaystack Rock at Cannon Beach, Oregon Haystack RockHaystack Rock at Cannon Beach, Oregon Haystack RockHaystack Rock at Cannon Beach, Oregon Cannon Beach Morning Cannon Beach Morning Cannon Beach Morning Cannon Beach Morning Haystack RockHaystack Rock at Cannon Beach, Oregon Haystack Rock Cannon Beach Tide Pooling Haystack RockHaystack Rock at Cannon Beach, Oregon Haystack RockHaystack Rock at Cannon Beach, Oregon Cannon Beach Robbie in awe of Haystack RockHaystack Rock at Cannon Beach, Oregon Me in front of Haystack RockHaystack Rock at Cannon Beach, Oregon In awe of Haystack RockHaystack Rock at Cannon Beach, Oregon In front of Haystack Rock Robbie tide pooling on Cannon Beach Tide Pooling on Cannon Beach Haystack Rock Reflection Haystack Rock Cannon Beach Cannon Beach Cannon Beach Standing in the Pacific Ocean Tide Pooling along Haystack Rock Tide Pooling along Haystack Rock Tide Pooling along Haystack Rock Star FishTide Pooling along Haystack Rock Star FishTide Pooling along Haystack Rock Star FishTide Pooling along Haystack Rock Star FishTide Pooling along Haystack Rock

PNW DAY 2 | Oregon Coast: Ecola State Park

After an amazing morning sunrise at Cannon Beach, we went several miles over to the nearby Ecola State Park. This park offers excellent views of the rocky Oregon Coast with the classic views of Haystack Rock in the distance. This is also the scene of the Goonies Lighthouse Lounge where their adventure all started. If you're a Goonies movie fan, you'll recognize my first photo below.

The rocky coastline is surrounded by a lush spruce forest and huge green ferns. It offered beautiful hiking trails along the coastline and a chance to go out on Indian Beach. Also, in the northern section of the park you get a spectacular view of the Tillamook Rock Lighthouse which sits by itself on a lone rock out in the Pacific Ocean.

Hey You Guys!This is the scene from the Goonies when Mickey and the Goonies are searching for One-Eyed Willy's lost treasure along the Oregon Coast. Ecola State ParkOregon Coast Ecola State ParkOregon Coast Ecola State ParkOregon Coast Ecola State ParkOregon Coast Ecola State ParkOregon Coast Ecola State ParkOregon Coast Ecola State ParkCheck out all of the surfers! Tillamook Rock LighthouseEcola State Park, Oregon Coast Tillamook Rock LighthouseEcola State Park, Oregon Coast Ecola State ParkOregon Coast Ecola State ParkOregon Coast Giant SlugThese things were every where out there! Ecola State Park Forest 1 Ecola State Park Forest 2 Ecola State Park Forest 3 Ecola State Park Forest 4 Ecola State Park Forest 5 Ecola State Park Forest 6 Ecola State Park Forest 7 Ecola State ParkTillamook Rock Lighthouse is out in the distance Indian BeachEcola State Park Indian BeachEcola State Park, Oregon Coast Indian BeachEcola State Park, Oregon Coast Indian BeachEcola State Park, Oregon Coast Indian BeachEcola State Park, Oregon Coast Indian BeachEcola State Park, Oregon Coast Indian BeachEcola State Park, Oregon Coast Oregon Coast Hwy 101 Oregon Coast Hwy 101 Oregon Coast Hwy 101 Oregon Coast Hwy 101 Oregon Coast Hwy 101 Indian Beach Huge trees in Ecola State Park What a view of the Oregon Coast What a view of the Oregon Coast

PNW DAY 2 | Sunset at Crown Point and Lodging in Camas Hotel, Washington

After a short day an a half spent on the spectacular Oregon Coast, we had to make our way back toward Portland as we were staying across the Columbia River in Camas, Washington for the night. During our week we got to stay in some unique places and the beautiful and historic Camas Hotel was one of them. Before the day was over though, we made our way to the entrance of the Columbia River Gorge (our Day 3 adventure destination) to take in the sunset at Crown Point. This is an amazing observation point along the Oregon side mountains that carve out the Columbia River Gorge. The view offers excellent scenes of the Columbia River, which Lewis & Clark pioneered and views toward the Portland area.

Crown Point SunsetColumbia River Gorge Crown Point SunsetColumbia River Crown Point SunsetColumbia River Crown Point SunsetColumbia River Camas HotelThis was our stay that night in Camas, Washington

I hope that you enjoy the last scenes of our Day 2 sunset. Stay tuned as Day 3 will be packed full of exploring the lush waterfalls of the famous Columbia River Gorge! Thanks for reading about my Pacific Northwest Adventure! CLICK HERE to view my Oregon Coast photo gallery and order prints