Flowing into Portland last Tuesday, began a work-related road trip of minor proportions through the Southwest chunk of Washington and a sliver of Oregon. Though minor, it was a great exploration of what Washington has to offer as well as a part of Oregon I've never had the wonder of experiencing. In fact the picture above is of myself loving the sun in Seaside, Oregon. Seaside is a tiny tourist town, which lies a half hour from Astoria on the coast. They have a surfing community and a really cool and large sandy beach. It was so nice to get my feet in the ocean again...it was been since the last time I was in Oregon and hit the ocean up in Coos Bay.
So here's my town lineup:
Landed in Portland, Oregon...I could live on the outskirts of P-Town...the dirtiness of the city turns me off though. Overall its a great place though.
From there I went to The Dalles, Oregon. An interesting town with a strong older population being infiltrated by a youthful one. I ate at the Spud Cellar which was really good!
Then to Yakima, Washington, which I had a different idea of what kind of town this was. It seems like Central Washington has a bit of a redneck feel in some spots. Big ups to Pacific River & Alpine Sports, a great place to hit up if you need outdoor gear when you're in Yakima.
From Yakima, the road took me to Wenatchee, Washington...it was hot up there! Stopped into a cool shop called Revolution Snow and Skate, which had a nice skatepark set up in the back.
Then it was on to Leavenworth, Washington. This town is at the mouth of the Cascade Mountains and was set up like a Bavarian Village to attract tourism, and I guess it worked because it was bustling.
From there I drove through Goldbar, Washington on my way to Bellevue. Goldbar is hardly noticed unless you need gas or something, but the mountainous terrain in the background is nice.
Bellevue, Washington is a large city connected to Seattle. The drivers there can be very rude, just like Seattle. Overall, I'd stay away from this place, unless I go back for more business. I'm not a fan of big cities anymore. Even though I reside in Salt Lake still :)
From Bellevue, came Olympia, Washington. Olympia is a really cool city...it keeps a small-city feel. Check The Alpine Experience for gear out there...a sweet shop!
Then I got the treat of driving to Astoria, Oregon. What a beautiful drive!! I highly suggest driving on Highway 101, whenever and wherever you can. I <3 the ocean so much. And driving into Astoria across the long bridge is awesome. Astoria has a really nice feel...this is a town I could move to, though I hear that I came during the best month. From September to June is supposed to be overcast...don't know if I could handle that.
The Goonies was filmed in and around this town...love that movie big time!
Then, as I mentioned before I hit up Seaside, Oregon.
And then I made my final length of road back towards Portland. I had a wonderful meal at the Tin Shed with some friends. I highly recommend that place for some delicious grub!!
I flew home a few days after arriving in Portland and my adventure was completed.
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