Oregon Coast road trip // day 3: Cape Perpetua, Newport & A Yurt

Wild waves at Cape Perpetua

Day 3!  We left our sweet oceanfront hotel in Seaside, grabbed some delicious crepes to eat at Cannon Beach, and then piled back into the car and travelled down the 101 until we hit Newport.  There were plenty of stops along the way, and so many gorgeous viewpoints!  (Although in hindsight, I'd like to try out the Three Capes Scenic drive instead....since it sticks a lot closer to the coast!  Next time!)

One of my favorite stops was at the Tillamook cheese factory, which was a total accident....we just saw it as we were driving, and decided to pull in!  I am a HUGE cheese fan, so it was basically heaven.  And of course I had to buy some delicious smoked cheddar, which ended up being the biggest pain in the butt to try and keep cold all the time....but it was worth it!  And of course...we had to get ice cream.  So good.

Cape Perpetua

I had seen so many photos of Thor's Well lately, and knew that it was one spot that I really wanted to see!  So, we drove down to Cape Perpetua, and checked out Devil's Churn, the Spouting Horn, and Thor's Well.  It was wickedly windy the entire day, and especially bad at Cape Perpetua.  More than once I was almost knocked off my feet!  So crazy.  We found it a bit difficult to identify Thor's Well, but eventually figured it out.  It's best to go during high tide, but it's also quite a dangerous area to be in during that time since the waves are so powerful!  The crashing waves hold such beauty and strength, and it definitely makes you feel pretty insignificant.

South Beach State Park

Yurt at South Beach State Park

That night we visited Yaquina Head Lighthouse, walked around by the water in Newport, and then had Mo's for a classic supper of clam chowder and fish and chips!  

And finally....we headed to our yurt for the night!  Yurts are amazing.  Seriously.  They're super cheap, and ours was located in South Beach State Park, and was a short walk from the beach.  The beach was quite different to all of the other ones we had been to, and had enormous sand dunes everywhere, and then stretched out into flat sand as far as the eye could see.  It was definitely one of my favorite places to stay!

We watched the sunset on the water, and lamented over the fact that we didn't think to bring marshmallows to roast over a fire!  Maybe next time!

-Kelsey

P.S.  In case you missed it....here are Days 1 (Seattle & more) and Day 2 (Astoria, Seaside & Cannon Beach)!