BAGoldBoy

I'm planning to do the other half of the PCH in May from SFO to SEA. The current plan is to stop in:

Eureka
Reedsport
Manzanita (2 nights)
Aberdeen

before staying in SEA for a few days. I'd be grateful for any suggestions of places to stay, things to see, etc

BLI-Flyer

If you're going to Aberdeen, I'd suggest you drive another 30 minutes to Ocean Shores. Aberdeen is in a bay, and doesn't have an ocean view. Ocean Shores sits right on the beach on the Pacific and will give you the full ocean experience. I've stayed at the Shilo Inn, but there are a number of other hotels right on the beach. On a clear day you can see the Olympic Mountains to the north.

Check out the comments on Ocean Shores hotels on TripAdvisor:
http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotels-g5...on-Hotels.html

BAGoldBoy

Thanks for the advice. Looks like a great hotel - itinerary has been updated!

mbflyflyaway

I love that drive and while it's been a real long time since I did it, I highly recommend visiting the Tillamook Cheese Factory for a tour! It's free (I think) and really neat if you're into that sort of thing. They serve some great ice cream in there too at the end. I highly recommend it!

See http://www.tillamook.com/VisitorsCenter/

Also, we just randomly stopped into the Coos Bay Airport (stumbled upon it and I have an abnormal fascination with all airports - who doesn't here?) and sure enough we found a small-time scenic flight operator giving short flights of the Oregon Dunes for just $15 per person! Now this was about 10 or 11 years ago so that's likely changed, and a quick google search didn't produce much, but it may be worth looking into further. It was a great flight, with fly-bys of the Dunes - really pretty right on the coast, especially from the sky! Enjoy the trip, it's a great one!!!

-Mike

HawaiiTrvlr

As long as you are not doing this over Memorial Weekend, you should be fine on your route. If you are a golfer, stop in Bandon for some world class golf. I am not sure I would stay in Reedsport. I would travel the extra 20-30 mins and stay in Florence. As a former resident of the area, I don't think that Reedsport has a whole lot to offer. It is a inland a bit and doesnt even offer ocean views. On the other hand, Florence has some very nice places to stay. Midweek prices should be less than weekend prices. Enjoy the coastline. Farther up, stop in Canon Beach for a very good meal at the Stephanie's Inn (or something like that). Astoria has a lot of history (about 30 mins up the road from Canon Beach/Seaside.

BLI-Flyer

One more tip, add a buffer to your time estimate. You are very likely to encounter many Winnebagos, camper vans, large trucks, and other slow moving vehicles along 101. There are extended periods where you won't be able to pass. Plan for the drive to take longer than you think.

TeaAddict

Yeah, plan for it to take a *lot* longer -- you'd be amazed. Alternately, plan to get up very early and drive before the traffic gets that bad.

If you have time, take a detour over the mountains to Oregon wine country -- it's only a couple of hours and is wonderful.

Telfes

I've stayed in Manzanita several times -- it is a very small, fairly typical little village right on the coast. There's a fairly long beach, but for scenery, I'd consider going up the road a bit to the Cannon Beach area. My preference is to stay a bit out of town where you get a nice view of the rocks at Cannon Beach -- Tolovana Inn has been fine when I've stayed there -- not opulent, quite middle of the road, but definitely fine. It is a lovely walk to Haystack Rock and the Inn is also right next door to Mo's - a local favorite for the clam chowder.

For more up-scale lodgings on the central Oregon coast there is Salishan Lodge -- I've not stayed there, but it is supposed to be nice. That said, a quick look at Trip Advisor suggests some service issues. YMMV.

The comments on Tillamoock are a good suggestion.

Coos Bay also has a nice little aquarium -- Keiko (the whale from Free Willy) was there for rehab, so they've got some real facilities. I always enjoy the kiddie petting tank where you can touch sea anemonies.

But if you end up in Manzanita, it isn't a bad little town -- not much going on, but not a bad place for a base. There used to be a little coffee shop there that had *the best* gingerbread scones. YUM! But I don't know if it (or the scones) are still there.

Enjoy the trip. The traffic can be slow, but it is a lovely drive. ^

flying_kittens

I'd recommend spending an afternoon exploring Astoria, Oregon. It's a beautiful town on a bay, about 10 minutes east of the ocean.

BAGoldBoy

Thanks for all of the replies - looks like I'll be redoing the itinerary this weekend. We are planning to be there in mid May so we're hoping that the weather will be OK.

I had estimated the drive at an average speed of 30MPH but I do like to drive fast I am considering a convertible which is what I did for LAX to the Oregon border in March a few years ago but not sure if one way rentals will be that easy/cheap?

cblaisd

A Drive Through Redwood Tree is cheesy and fun
http://www.roadsideamerica.com/attract/CAPHItree.html

Do not miss the Avenue of the Giants
http://www.avenueofthegiants.net/finalmap.html

TeaAddict

Not to be pessimistic, but it could easily rain half the time in mid May, particularly as you get into northern Oregon and Washington. Might want to rethink the convertible.

BAGoldBoy

As it happens none of the major car hire companies offer one way rentals for convertibles so I'll have to settle for a 4X4 or similar.

PIONEER

The Aquarium is actually a ways North, on Yaquina Bay at Newport. And actually, in terms of acreage, perhaps the largest aqauarium in the country. It was rated top 10 by USA today.

I've encountered no service issues at all at Salishan over the course of numerous visits. If you do stay at Salishan, they have a good restaurant, but perhaps the best restaurant on the coast is The Bay House, just a couple miles North.

In Cannon Beach, if you do want opulent, try the Stephanie Inn.

Gardyloo

A couple of additional semi-random suggestions.

Time permitting, take Calif SR1 north from SF, rather than US 101. It's visually stunning, great fun to drive, and offers several nice towns for overnight or meal stops - Bodega Bay, Mendocino... It reconnects with US 101 well before you get to the core of the redwoods, and it bypasses some (IMO) quite boring stretches of the main highway. It's not fast going, however.

Have a fun and funky meal at the Samoa Cookhouse in Samoa (across the bay from "downtown" Eureka.) Former timber mill mess hall, with large portions of (okay) food served "homestyle" by ladies who could be your grannie if your grannie was a waitress in a lumber mill. An impressive collection of photos of many men sitting on large felled trees, big saw blades, etc. is also on display. Tell your friends that you drove over the Pacific to Samoa when you get home.

A short detour north of Crescent City (made famous by being obliterated by a tsumani generated by the Good Friday Earthquake in Alaska in 1964) will take you past the Pelican Bay State Correctional Facility, where some of the toughest cons on Earth eat their alotments of Nutri-Loaf daily. Not served by anybody's grannie.

Bandon is an okay place to stay, although the lodging seems rather overpriced, especially if there are golfer types around. However there are also surprisingly decent beds to be had at the Mill Casino in "downtown" Coos Bay. Your accent will make you very popular at the Chemin de Fer tables. Practice saying "banco" like you know what you're talking about. Oh wait. No CdeF at the Mill? Okay, try the Pai Gow tables instead.

If the rain is bugging you and you want to expedite things, the best cut-over point (coast to Interstate 5) on the whole itinerary is Oregon SR 38 between Reedsport and Drain. The wee canyon along the Umpqua is gorgeous.

I am not a big fan of Tillamook, Cannon Beach, or for that matter much of the north Oregon coast at all. There are some scenic areas, but in general the boring outweighs the beautiful, with a lot of kitsch thrown in. How many carved seagulls does one need in a lifetime? Others may well have different opinions. The blimp hangers at Tillamook are pretty cool, though.

On the other hand I think the Long Beach Peninsula and Willapa Bay area in SW Washington get overlooked too much. There are excellent rocks-and-sea vistas around Ilwaco and Cape Disappointment; the Shoalwater restaurant at the Shelburne Inn in Seaview or the Ark restaurant up the bay at Nahcotta are both really quite wonderful; Oysterville just north of Nahcotta is a cute historic town.

I agree that Ocean Shores is preferable to Aberdeen for an overnight on the Washington coast (but then again IMO Hell would be preferable to Aberdeen) but you could also look at the Lake Quinault Lodge (creaky but atmospheric inn on a gorgeous lake.) Also don't miss some of the forest walks at the Hoh Rainforest national park cent(e)r(e). Also don't miss beach walks at Ruby Beach or Rialto Beach along the National Park coast. Fully the equal of some of the Oregon coastal state parks, maybe better. No, better, full stop.

Alternatively, you could swing inland from Astoria/Ilwaco on Washington SR 4 along the north bank of the Columbia, and see some very attractive scenery with a couple of funky old towns thrown in. Somewhat off the beaten path to say the least. If this is your first time in these parts, you should not miss the Columbia River Gorge, starting a few miles east of Portland. Use McMenamin's Edgefield as a great overnight base, especially if you are prone to consuming beer, wine or spirits on occasion. And staying at the Edgefield is indeed an occasion.