ROAD TRIP: OREGON COAST- TODDLER EDITION

Carrie: Let's go on an adventure! How do you feel about the Oregon Coast?

Me: Absolutely, we've never been to the Oregon Coast!

Carrie: Let's do it with your 3 year old and my 2.5 year old.

Me: Of course! Surely traveling 11 hours from Montana to Oregon Coast with two potty training toddlers as a mom-son road trip will be a breeze.

Carrie: Done. We leave in a week.

What do you do when you decide a week out that you're going to road trip to the Oregon Coast for Labor Day Weekend and need to account for travel days? Well, you get strategic with what nights you camp where for three days/two nights. We opted to grab a campsite in the charming community of Canon Beach Thursday night. Wright's for Camping came recommended for camping with children and seemed to fit our criteria the best: smaller campground, roomy private campsites, bathrooms (ideal for potty training), hot showers and walkable/bikeable distance to town and the famous Haystack Rock. Highway 101 does run along this campground, so opt for campsites 15, 16 or 21 if available. Campsite 15 had the campground play area across the way making setting up camp and keeping toddlers entertained a bit easier. We're not sure if the rainy night dampened any road sounds we could have possibly heard or the fact we'd driven 11+ hours with two wild toddlers in tow, but frankly we didn't hear anything as we snoozed.

TIP: Grab dinner and a beer or two at Pelican Brewing Company. It's family friendly with decent cuisine and refreshing microbrew beers on tap. I love me a solid Red Ale and was a huge fan of their Sea'N Red! If I could have kicked myself I would have for not grabbing a six pack to take home to Montana.

Our toddler wake-up call had us dressed and ready for breakfast by 7:00 AM, which in this case worked in our favor as the Sleepy Monk came highly recommended with lots of advice to arrive early as pastries sell out fast and they open at 8:00 AM. We loaded up the car with the morning's beach essentials and hightailed it the few blocks to the Monk. There was already a line around the block by 7:20 AM, so if you go arrive early!

Canon Beach and Haystack Rock didn't disappoint! You always wonder if something you've seen promoted in your favorite magazines will live up to the hype. Watching two landlocked Montana-born boys delight in the joys of sand between their toes in what they figured was the "world's largest sandbox" was a sight to see.

TIPS

• Be strategic where you set-up your beach spot as public bathrooms are few and far between. We parked in Midtown in the Grower Parking Lot. There are public bathrooms between this parking lot and the beach access closest to Haystack Rock.

• Pack a picnic and purchase some firewood for an evening beach fire. Follow rules and regulations to ensure you're doing it responsibly.

• Ask a local where their favorite spot is on the beach. If you pass the "test" they just might tell you!

• Toddlers don't always pose agreeably for pictures, so don't fret too much about it....at least that's what we kept telling ourselves. Just keep your shutter speed between 1/200 and 1/500 of a second depending on how you want to capture them in action, because face it children don't sit still for anything except ice cream.

• Small toys will sink in the sand to never be seen again, so make sure you leave the matchbox cars at home.

After a morning spent exploring Canon Beach's beaches we showered, packed up camp and stopped at Oswald West State Park's Short Sand Beach to stretch our legs en route to Nehalem Bay State Park. We opted to park at the smaller parking lot to access Short Sand Beach from the Short Sand Beach Trail- North Trailhead. This beach access trail is slightly longer and although decently maintained is not as frequented as the shorter main South Trailhead. Both trails usher you through the lush dense old growth forests with Short Sand Creek meandering nearby. Short Sand Beach is a secluded cove equating to a beach lovers dream with families picnicking and the brave donning black-clad wetsuits dancing across the waves just beyond.

TIPS

• The longer trail from the North Trailhead is not stroller friendly.

• The shorter trail (approx. 1 mile out and back) from the South Trailhead offers a generous parking lot, bathrooms and is stroller friendly.

• Additional public bathrooms and rinsing stations are available beachside.

• Spring and early summer are best for viewing waterfalls cascading from the cliffs to the sand and ocean below.

Famished from two beach excursions in one day we set-up camp at Nehalem Bay State Park for Friday night and went on the hunt for some fresh seafood with a view. That's where Salmonberry Saloon made the short list. This eatery is actually located in nearby Wheeler, Oregon and worth the 12 minute drive. We opted for dining on the back deck which offered boys room to wiggle and watch fishermen motor in with their catch of the day.

TIP: Bribing with ice cream is okay when you're on vacation. Buttercup Ice Cream & Chowders is in Nehalem on Highway 101 and will be on your route back to Nehalem Bay State Park.

We felt lucky to have grabbed THE LAST campsite in Nehalem Bay State Park for that Friday night. The State Park has 265 electrical camp sites and an array of additional camping offerings, so not usually our scene but it served its purpose. Bonus points for having hot showers and plenty of bathroom facilities, because well potty training. There are no campsites on the beach itself to help protect the dunes, but the beach is within walkable/bikable distance from most campsites. Our favorite activities were exploring the ocean side beach and the numerous driftwood creations, riding bicycles/striders along the approximately 1.8 mile paved Nehalem Bay Trail Loop and cruising into nearby adorable Manzanita, Oregon. We grabbed a delicious full breakfast with all the garnishing at Yolk and a chai and espresso to go at Manzanita News & Espresso across the street, in Manzanita.

TIPS

• Have the energy? Do an out and back on the bike trail between Nehalem Bay State Park and Manzanita. Not recommended for toddlers and striders.

• Set aside at least a morning to browse the shops in Manzanita and visit the beach there.

BEHIND THE PHOTO

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The summer of 2018 was an exceptionally smoky summer in the Pacific Northwest due to wildfires throughout the region. Here in the Crown of the Continent we're lucky to have the Continental Divide smack in the middle and can usually hop to one side or the other of our region to escape any wildfire smoke that might blow in. If it does blow in it might linger for maybe a week. That particular summer was abnormally socked in with smoke, so we made the decision to find the one spot in the Pacific Northwest that had clear skies which just so happened to be on the Oregon Coast.

TIP: When we travel during typical wildfire season we always check the NOAA Wildfire Smoke Forecasting System and confirm with webcams in the area we're planning to visit for actual conditions. It's amazing how many people just assume since the media sensationalizes and generalizes a State or Province is on fire that they choose to forgo their vacation there. I'd say 90% of the time the smoke is only affecting a very small localized area and there are many smoke-free adventures to be had just minutes from that spot.