Washington and Oregon Coast Ride

The Oregon Coast is stunning, offering pine trees and rocky coastline, windy roads and little traffic. It is also is raining and freezing cold!


We left Seattle and rode to Westport, Washington, a fishing town that specializes in crab on the southern Washington coast. They have an interesting Maritime museum, with real, giant, whale skeletons displayed outside in large glass cases. The museum is a former Coast Guard Outpost.




The best thing we found there was an area called Twin Harbors State Park, where they allow cars and motorcycles on a 12-mile area of deserted beach. On our way out of Westport, we headed off to try it, and it was fantastic. We had all of our bags on the bike, so it was very heavy, and when we hit the soft sand we almost went over. When we finally reached the hard sand and started riding, we could smell the salty breeze and see the seagulls flying overhead. The GPS was completely wigging out, the screen showing nothing but blue and the poor thing just kept ‘recalculating’. It was a great time and highly recommended.



We left Westport and headed south, crossing into Oregon, heading down the 101 to Cannon Beach. Cannon Beach is a funky little town with interesting shops, great restaurants and an artsy-vibe. It is famous for Haystack Rock, which rises 235 feet above the shoreline. During low tide, you can actually walk over to the Rock and see rare birds, plants and even do a little hiking. We found a little gem of a hotel called The Sea Sprite on the Estuary, which we highly recommend. Amazing views, brand-new, one-bedroom apartment at a very reasonable price.


From Cannon Beach we continued south to Yachats, a very small coastal town, where we found another great hotel, The Yachats Inn. This place was very rustic, but our little room had a patio which was practically on the rough, windy beach, with fantastic views. The hotel also allowed us to park our motorcycle under cover right outside of our room. We met some very friendly, interesting people there, some professors from Oregon State who were very well-traveled in South America.



Yesterday we left Yachats and continued on the 101 south in the pouring rain and fog. There is an area between Florence and Coos Bay, Oregon called The Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area. This area stretches 50 miles and features the largest coastal dunes in the USA. The dunes can go up to 500 feet. There are numerous places that rent dune buggies and 4-wheelers. Even though it was pouring, we didn’t want to pass up this opportunity, so we rented some ATVs and off we went. It was a fun, exciting, crazy experience…we would highly recommend this as a stop.

Other exciting news: During our stop at Touratech in Seattle, Troye from Touratech loved the fridge that Chris built for the back of the bike to cool my medicine…so much so that he decided to feature us in Touratech’s June newsletter.

What we recommend:
Westport, Washington: The Islander Inn- On the water, one of the only motels in this little town. Avoid: The One-Eyed Crab Restaurant, overpriced, bad food.

Cannon Beach, Oregon: The Sea Sprite on the Estuary (they also have a sister property, The Sea Sprite at the Beach, which has a great view of Haystack Rock). Highly recommended, lovely rooms, great service, great views.
The Local Grill Restaurant, Cannon Beach: on the main road, good food, reasonably priced.

Yachats, Oregon: The Yachats Inn: rustic but clean, great value, direct ocean views, pool, communal kitchen and library

Coos Bay, Oregon: The Red Lion Inn: standard chain motel, good stuff.
Highly recommended in Coos Bay, Oregon—don’t miss—The Empire Café, 541-888-5221. Handmade artisan breads, fantastic, creative food and great wine list. Best of all---super reasonably priced.
Near Coos Bay: Dune Riders ATV Rentals (ask for Darryl). Best prices and you can go on your own as opposed to in a group/tour.