Handbook: Oregon
We love the Beaver State so much, we chose it as the birthplace of our second son.
US 101 hugs the coast, a craggy, fog-laden shore full of small towns and state parks, from rugged, hip Astoria, Oregon on the Columbia River to the Redwoods in the south. The Cascades cut their way through the middle of the state, draped in lush foliage and snow-capped peaks from Mount Hood to Crater Lake National Park. Eastern Oregon is high desert, where bustling Bend serves as the gateway to an arid diversity seen nowhere else in the state.
Oregon is amazing.
Featured Articles
Wand’rly Loves Astoria, Oregon
Wand’rly returns to Astoria, Oregon to dig further into just why this grungy little fishing town is so rife with the kind of real living that is nearly impossible to find in the United States today.
The Oregon Coast
Take a drive through the along US Highway 101 along the Oregon Coast from Manzanita to Astoria, OR.
Old-Growth National Forest Campgrounds of the Pacific Northwest
Stories from campgrounds in Oregon and Washington, focusing on those in old-growth settings.
More Related Articles
Bad to Güd: Life Lessons From a Fifty-Two Day Road Trip
A retired couple experiences life away from their 4000 square foot home on a pilgrimage to discover life in general via their Roadtrek Class B RV.
Southern California Highway 15, Heading East Toward Nevada
Joel Serot travels the nation with no plans except, literally, to “stop at the brown signs.”
The Ins & Outs of Life as a Workamper
Experienced workampers share what the life is like, from how much you’ll get paid and types of jobs you’ll do to whether you need a specific type of RV or specific experience.
Roadschooling with the National Monuments: Fossils & Dinosaurs
This camping tour from South Dakota to Oregon is a season full of exploring fossil remains like everything saber-toothed cats to those favored Jurassic “terrible lizards” and even more obscure creatures on the way. The views along the way aren’t bad, either.
All the National Monuments with Camping
State-by-state guide to national monuments, some of the best kept secrets in the United States, and specifically those with camping within their boundaries.
The Best BLM Camping in the American West
The wild open wilderness of every American’s backyard. Notes on cell coverage, specific sites in each state, photos and general vibe included.
The Best Drives in the United States
Thirteen of our favorite drives, and places to camp and explore, in the United States. Includes drives in VT, TX, UT, WA, CA, OR, CO, NE and more!
A Day in the Life of Astoria, Oregon
We walk you up and down the streets of Astoria, Oregon, from breakfast to dinner and a movie, an old fashioned trolley and a woodland hike.
Newport, Oregon
Warm summer days are quickly met by frigid nights as an adventurer braves the coastal nature of Newport, Oregon.
Hitchhike the Oregon Coast
The realities of hitchhiking this beautiful, well traveled route. Spoiler: it’s safe!
Places to Eat along Oregon’s North Coast
Our favorite spots for consuming food, whether it be coffee along the road, fancy dinners or oceanside burritos.
Coffee Shacks
Little, not always yellow, but often different, coffee shacks are like fast food for caffeine, but they’re almost always locally owned and full of the good stuff.
You’ll Want Wanda’s for Breakfast
Cuter than a baby making a snowman, tastier than a muffin top, this retro diner is our absolute favorite of any restaurant in the area.
Left Coast Siesta for a Lunch that Leaves You Stuffed Through Dinner
Giant burritos, smothered in goodness, great local beers and hot sauce. So very much hot sauce.
Dinner for Two at Terra Cotta
Elegance, excellent food, and a chance to become a millionaire await you at Terra Cotta.
The Little Apple
About as cute as a little locally owned shop can get, the Manzanita Grocery and Deli is family owned and has everything from fresh fish to beach toys.
Ron’s Lighthouse, Where Everybody Knows Your Name
Great bartenders, a cool porch with a view of the cars going by on US 101, karaoke, jam nights and theme parties!
Affordable, Convenient, the Bunkhouse
Cute, “grandma’s house” style rooms a five minute drive from both Nehalem and Manzanita, the Bunkhouse is definitely the most affordable room you can rent on the North Coast.
Free Camping in God’s Valley
A gorgeous setting and as secluded as you can hope to be, seeing as how you’re almost guaranteed to be the only campers around. Very primitive, very big trees.
Live like a 1950s Cannery Tycoon at the Cannery Pier Hotel in Astoria, Oregon
Every last detail, from a fancy car to chauffeur you around town to binoculars to spy on Washington from your room with a river view, Cannery Pier Hotel doesn’t disappoint.
Ocean Inn at Manzanita
Well, the location literally doesn’t get any better than this in Manzanita. The beach is your front yard, and the main strip of downtown is directly behind you. Beautiful rooms, amazing owners, as good as it gets on the Nehalem Bay.
Nehalem Bay State Park
RV or camp in a yurt in this beautiful Oregon State Park complete with an airstrip!
Hike Neah-Kah-Nie, Home of the Gods
An epic hike with a majestic payoff.
CARTM Recycling
Trash is art.
Ancient Astoria, Oregon
Museums, national parks, big city living in a small town.
Indian Beach
Our favorite beach in the entire United States.
Beach Fires & Hops
It is legal to have a fire on the beach anywhere in Oregon.
America’s Best IPA Lives in a Mason Jar at Fort George Brewery
A chat with Fort George Brewery’s Jack Harris where we discuss IPAs, Astoria’s history and recycling your beer.
Related Blog Posts
Spring Arrives in Astoria, Oregon
A man is sitting on a stoop several blocks up the hill that is 11th Street in Astoria, Oregon. His long shadow pours down the hillside, a completely blue sky above to match his simple t-shirt and jeans. As a news report tells of some polar vortex transforming most of the nation into some science […]
Oh Christmas Tree
An attention has been drawn in this house, one directed toward the plight of the tree. I’m not sure how many people really step back and take a look up at these creatures, but they’re absolutely magnificent. We’ve come to take them for granted, but aside from the whole creating oxygen thing they do, they […]
Yule
It’s the first day of winter, the longest nights of the year. It’s the pagan holiday whereby folks in a time before heaters and office jobs threw a party from sundown to sundown because, well why not? They were in for several cold months of rationing food and drinking to stay warm. It was such […]
Slow as the Road Goes
I’m slowly learning that traveling isn’t as much about seeing new things as it is realizing what you’ve got. BareNaked Families and old friends and ideas of slowing down all the while realizing you can pick back up again whenever the moment strikes. Trading work for lodging and living. Spending time dreaming about travel is […]
Loving Astoria, Oregon
Why have we decided to stay in Oregon for nearly three months now? And why has most of that time been in this little coastal town of Astoria? And is it true we may be staying yet another month? But perhaps most importantly, are we really “full-time travelers” if we’re not moving around daily? To […]
Slower Life Astoria Goes
It doesn’t take long for everyone to find home in this one month rental we’ve landed here in Astoria, Oregon and in tandem with the mouth of the Mighty Columbia. The baby finds his fingers in whatever new cupboard crawl space they can find. The toddler experiments with his first time being able to open […]
Greetings from Brookings, Oregon
Not to be confused with the city in South Dakota, wall high crashing waves ever desperate to reach the streets of this small town prove exactly the opposite of that similarly named high desert truck stop way back in the plains.
24 Hours in Oregon
Yesterday we hooked up and headed out of scrubby, Ponderosa pine laden high desert Bend, Oregon. We headed through the Cascade Mountains, big snow capped peaks and brilliant yellow leaves, to pick up Tristan in the great city of Portland, 11,000′ Mt. Hood looming. This morning we pointed her south and watched the mountains from […]
About Oregon
Thoughts on one of our favorite states.
Greetings from Sunny Bend, Oregon!
Friendships, hikes and zig zag life with the Deschutes River as good beers, great times and exploration of Oregon’s fabled city in the desert blooms.
Greetings from Cannon Beach on the Oregon Coast!
IPAs over crackling fires, needles stand tall with their oceanic haystacks, and this small coastal town breathes life with the changing tides.
Revisiting the Oregon Coast via Roadtrippers.com
Our second issue took us up and down Oregon’s North Coast, the stretch of the Beaver State that runs between Nehalem Bay and the birthplace of our second son, Astoria, Oregon. That makes up only a small portion of the 360-some miles of venerable US Route 101 and the state’s continuous stretch of public and […]
Roofhoppers
When presented with a ladder and a 7 story roof, just go with it.
Short and Sweet in Portland, OR
A week in Portland, OR. Beer festivals, river rafting, sushi and so much more.
SE 67th Street
The trials and tribulations of dealing with renting rooms from crazy old Polish ladies, and some advice for travelers to Portland, Oregon.
Hop Train
The hum of the buses engine, the manmade chill of the air conditioner, the blasting sun blinding through my sunglasses, and the serenity of a nearly empty bus that will take me from Truckee, California to Portland over the next two days is my official last experience in the Lake Tahoe Blue for the summer. […]