Despite another early wakeup, we did not manage to get going until 9:00 AM.  Once we were close to having the motorcycle packed up, we took a short stroll to the end of the Astoria River Walk.  We did not see anymore “wharf” rats, but I got to see my first banana slug.  I think it must have been Koira’s first experience with any type of slug.  Koira could not care less about it but I was not a fan.  Jeremy showed me how touching the attenae made them retract, but I still was not a fan.  Too much like an earthworm.  Not a fan of them either.

After the short walk, Koira was already tired for the day.  And her day was only beginning.  She tucked her head into the bag and settled down to sleep, but we were only going down the street to see The Goonies house.  Does anyone else remember that movie?  It was right up there as one of my all-time favourite movies as a child.  And the house they used for the movie is in Astoria!  They also filmed a lot of the coastal scenes in the area as well.   The Goonies house is a private home, but they let people walk up to it and take pictures.  So, we did.  Pretty exciting.  I want to see the movie again now.

Our other touristy stop in Astoria before leaving, was the Astoria Column on Coxcomb Hill.   The monument was constructed in 1925 to officially recognize Astoria’s explorers and early inhabitants for establishing the first settlement on the Pacific coast of the United States.  Astoria is actually celebrating its bicentennial year this year as it was established in 1811.  The column is covered in paintings and plaster carvings depicting the milestones in Astoria’s history.  Not only is it a work of art, you can also climb it!  There is a 164 step spiral staircase in the inside of the column and a viewing deck at the top of the column.  Jeremy and I took turns going up to the viewing deck.  Good exercise to get our muscles and lungs working at the start of the day.  The rewarding view from the top deck made it worth it too.

By the time we had both had our chance to climb the Astoria Column, the fog had lifted and the sun was starting to shine and warm us up.  Time to hit the road and explore more of Highway 101.

Our next stop of the day was the Tillamook Cheese Factory in, you guessed it, Tillamook, Oregon.  When I heard there was free cheese here, it immediately became a waypoint for the trip.  I think the free cheese attracts everyone, though, not just cheese lovers.  It was very busy for off-season and the parking lot was very sunny and no shade for us or the dog.  I went in to see if there was any kind of takeout lunch for us.  No luck.  I did a whirlwind trip around the little grocery section and found a 2 foot long pepperoni, some Tillamook cheese curds, and some Oregon salmon jerky.  I also found some Crater Lake soda from Oregon to try.  It was the best I could do but Jeremy said it was “pepilicious.”  Koira and I enjoyed the cheese curd too, but it was still not as good as St. Albert cheese curds.  Just not squeeky enough.  Unfortunately, half way through our lunch snack, Jeremy’s Crater Lake root beer attracted a wasp, so he only got to drink half of it.  A second wasp tried to get my Crater Lake lemon and lime bitter but I managed to rescue it.  Did I tell you how much trouble with wasps we have on our trips?  We think it is the smell of dead bugs on our gear and our bikes that attract them.  Plus, I wear yellow and black gear.  That probably does not help.

It was time for gas before leaving Tillamook.  We have to get used to Oregon’s full serve policy again at gas stations.  It makes our stops quicker as we do not have to get off the bike, but Koira gives the attendants an earful when they come near the bike.   It is always amusing to see people try to figure out where the barking is coming from on Jeremy’s bike. We have to love those gas prices in Washington and Oregon, though!  Today, Jeremy paid $1.00 a litre for premium gasoline.  In British Columbia, before we crossed the border, we paid $1.49 a litre.

After Tillamook, despite the rest, we were both squirming on the bike from sore everything.  This trip,  Jeremy is having a lot of problems with his back and his knees.  For me, it is my hips.   Koira is just having problems with “bed head” from sleeping in the same position for so long.  We only made it to a Shell gas station in Cloverdale before we needed to stop again.  It did not help that we tried to do the Three Capes Scenic Loop to Cape Lookout State Park on a very rough, patchy road.  At Cloverdale, we both needed a little caffeine fix and to think about whether or not we could really make Coos Bay for the evening.  Coos Bay was another 200 KM or so from where we were and, at 50 KM stretches, it would be dark by the time we got to Coos Bay.  We decided to slow down and just head for Lincoln City for the night.  Lincoln City advertises itself as dog-friendly and was also named by Dog Fancy Magazine as “one of the ten top dog-friendly cities in the nation” (and that is a direct quote from the Lincoln City Central Oregon Coast Free Visitor Guide).  In the visitor guide for Lincoln City, we found a lodging listing called Sea Horse Oceanfront Lodging that allowed pets.  We have good luck with hotels with sea horse themes, so we plugged the address of this hotel into our GPS and headed out.

I do not know if it was the caffeine or the knowledge that we were only 45 KM from our hotel for the night, that last stretch of Highway 101 was the best and the most enjoyable.  We were only a little bit squirmy by the end.  Koira was out like a light in her Pet Palace by the time we pulled into the hotel parking lot.  She only gave a little “let me out bark” and waited for me to haul her out.  And what a nice inviting welcome for us and our dog!  Jeremy secured one of the little sea horse emblazoned semi-detached cabins for us for the night.  It is rustic Ottawa Valley cabin mixed with oceanfront theme.  We felt right at home.  They even provided Koira with a carob-coated dog biscuit and her own blanket for the evening.  If you have a dog and want to visit the Oregon coast, I can’t imagine any better accommodations.

After we settled in a little, we just had to see the ocean.  Although we do not have an ocean view from our cabin, we are only a stone’s throw away from the public access steps down to the beach and the Pacific.

Today, was definitely the day for stairs, as the staircase down to the beach had at least a hundred, small stone steps.  It was worth the walk down, despite the snake on the steps.  Jeremy stayed behind and took pictures of the snake while Koira and I hung out at the bottom of the stairs, a very safe distance away.  Thankfully, he left the snake where it was to find its own way down to the beach.  I think I liked the banana slug better than the snake, even if it was just a garter snake.

Well, the beach was just as beautiful as we remembered from the last time we were in Lincoln City and the water was just as icy cold.  We had a whole stretch of the beach to ourselves to wander.  After figuring out that the piles of seaweed were not out to get her, Koira loved it.  After getting surprised by her first wave, she figured out pretty quickly to run away from the waves.  Her favourite thing appeared to be chasing the seafoam.  She tried digging up rocks and shells.  We need to show her how to find live shellfish and not bring us empty shells.  She also stalked a seagull but he kept at a safe distance at all times.  She is not good at stalking.  Our cat Hungry would have had better luck.

We were all tired and windswept by the time we made it back up to the top of the beach stairs again, but we needed to find food for the evening.  We found a restaurant called the Beach Dog Cafe that allowed dogs in the visitor guide for Lincoln City and headed out on the bike with our wet, newly inaugurated beach dog.  And, they must have heard about us, as it looks like they closed, permanently at the end of the summer season.  No more Beach Dog Cafe.  It is going to be a Highway 101 burger joint in a couple of months.  Jeremy had spotted an open barbeque/family restaurant called Vivian’s Resturant and Bill’s Barbeque on our way to the Beach Dog Cafe so we decided to try there.  It was an excellent choice.  They let us sit outside on their picnic tables and we had barbeque everything and pan-seared scallops.  Even their caesar salad was good with its homemade dressing.  Yum!

As an interesting side note to the snake on the beach stairs, when Jeremy was getting the bike ready to go out for supper, he saw a group of local kids come running from the beach . . . one of the little boys holding the snake.  I guess the snake did not make it to the safety of the beach after all.  I almost felt sorry for the little guy . . . almost.