Oregon Road Trip - Recap and Video

Oh how I love a good road trip.  Loading up your car with snacks and the dog, and all the outdoor gear you need to play.  There is something about following a map and listening to an audiobook as you watch the landscape change behind you.  You guys know I love a good road trip as it is typically an inexpensive way to travel.  As someone once told me, it's almost a shame to fly, missing over all those gems and backcountry road in between Here and There.  If you have spent any time driving across this beautiful country, you can understand that statement and just how true it is.   

I am an advocate for adventure travel, especially if it involves four wheels and an open road.  You can take your car sitting in the driveway and pitch a tent or find a hotel along the way.  Or for extreme ease, you can wrap your vehicle and hotel into one perfect package with a locally rented  RV or Camper Van, taking the "where to stay" and "pet-friendly" logistics out of the equation. 

This Oregon Road Trip was a good one and I was amazed just how quickly the landscape changes here in the "Beaver State".  I didn't see any beavers but I can say Oregon was full of waterfalls and hipsters and famous movie sets.  

It was a beautiful trip, making our way across Idaho, up north through the "Plains area" to see follow the Columbia River, serving as the border between Washington and Oregon.  We then followed the River, past some amazing landscapes that was quintessential Northwest, waterfalls, everything green and rainy.  We drove by "Hipster Village" aka Portland, and crossed into Washington before finally landing in Astoria, Movieland.  We then made our way down the coast, which was historic and iconic, beautiful and diverse.  We stopped our trip down the coast at the Oregon Dunes area, where you felt like you were in the Sahara.  We then cut across to Eugene where we followed a beautiful river, covered bridges, and a landscape that reminded you of Vermont. We then followed the McKenzie to Bend past some beautiful peaks.  After Bend, the drive got a little more boring as we crossed the state into Idaho.  A few stops in Idaho and we were back in Salt Lake City.  

If you missed the previous posts all about the trip, you can find them all here.  

A perfect Oregon Road Trip itinerary if you ask me. 

Day 1:  Columbia River
Day 1:  Columbia River Highway Waterfalls
Day 1:  Vista House at Crown Point
Day 1:  Astoria, Oregon
Day 2:  Ecola State Park
Day 2:  Cannon Beach and Haystack Rock
Day 2:  Three Capes Scenic Drive
Day 3:  Newport Oregon
Day 3:  Oregon Dunes
Day 3:  Ninkasi and Ikes 
Day 3:  McKenzie Pass - Santiam Pass Scenic Byway
Day 4:  Southern Idaho Stops

And you can also find my fun recap video below 
(my favorite part about these trips, reliving them through these little clips!)