Oregon Coast...

Cape Sebastian State Park
This was our second time exploring the Oregon Coast but first with kids.   We added the Redwoods National and State Park at the end of the trip.  Here's our Itinerary: 

Day 1:  Portland

Day 2:  Tillamook-Newport 

Day 3:  Depoe Bay-Reedsport

Day 4:  Winchester Bay, North Bend and Gold Beach

Day 5:  Redwoods-Klamath

Day 6:  Winston-Portland

Day 1:  Early flight to Portland

I guess the sign is right... "Good Things Come In Pink Boxes".  It's not uncommon for me to see these pink boxes on my flights leaving Portland.   I've had VooDoo Doughnuts on the top of my food bucket list for a while.  I've seen this doughnut shop on TV and learned while doing research that not visiting Voo Doo Doughnuts in Portland is like not seeing the Eiffel Tower in Paris. 😄  I couldn't believe how long the line was for donuts.  What could possibly make people wait in line for doughnuts?  
Well I've been Voo Doo fied... Besides being yummy these doughnuts have super fun creative designs.  I saw little doughnuts, big doughnuts and all kinds of interesting things I wouldn't have thought of putting on doughnuts. Voo doo Doughnuts is one of those places you have to go at least once to see what all the hype is about!

One of my friends who recently moved to Portland met us for some doughnuts.

Multnomah Falls is a half hour drive from Portland.  It's easily accessible and right off the freeway.  It's Oregon's tallest waterfall and was a perfect hike for my girls.  After seeing the falls we made our way to Beaverton for the evening.  As we were driving to our hotel we past the Nike Headquarters. 

Day 2:  Tillamook-Newport

We stopped at the Tillamook Cheese Factory in Tillamook.  We took the self guided tour, sampled the cheese and treated ourselves to Tillamook Ice-cream.  Yummy!  My girls were in Dairy Heaven!

Oregon Coast Aquarium... their faces say it all!

The beautiful and interesting Yaquina Bay Bridge!  Loved the Art Deco influence so unexpected!

Day 3:  Depoe Bay-Reedsport

Rocky Creek State Scenic Viewpoint

Depoe Bay is known as the whale watching capital of the Oregon Coast.  This was such a rush to see the whales so close.  One of the highlights from our vacation. 

Seal Rock

Lane

Florence

We stopped at the Sea Lion Caves in Florence but it was the wrong time of year to see them.  We did this on our last visit and loved it!  

Day 4:  Winchester Bay, North Bend & Gold Beach

We loved the quaint Umpqua River Lighthouse in Winchester Bay.  It was the first Lighthouse on the Oregon Coast and one of the few that you can still climb to the top.  We were able to look inside the working light... so spectacular!  We enjoyed the tour and the museum.

After visiting the lighthouse we went across the street and hiked around Lake Marie.  The lake is a hidden gem... perfect hike for our girls!

Since we are "duners" we couldn't come this far and pass the Oregon Dunes.  We went through Spinreel Dune Buggy and ATV Rental in North Bend to go on a guided tour.  The sand dunes were beautiful especially with the ocean in the distance.  They are much smaller than the Imperial Sand Dunes that we frequent but the girls didn't care they enjoyed the ride.  We love that a church is called the "Lady Of The Dunes"... It would be a hit @ the Imperial Sand Dunes!

Gold Beach- On our last trip here my husband and I took Jerry's Rogue Jets, 64-mile Historic Mail Boat Route on the Rogue River.  We loved it!

Day 5: Redwoods-Klamath

Being able to drive (or walk) through a tree is pretty Cool!  This was just about as cool as Voo Doo Doughnuts... but a lot less calories!  😏

I loved our visit to the Redwoods.  We drove The Avenue of the Giants... 31 amazing miles!   We did as much hiking as we could with a 2 year old.  I'm planning on going back when our girls are older so we can spend more time on the trails.

These tree's are massive!

Klamath Overlook... Beautiful views where the Klamath River meets the Pacific.  

Paul Bunyan & Babe the Blue Ox in front of Tree's of Mystery

We saw a lot of interesting tree's at Tree's of Mystery.  One was the Cathedral Tree↖... a cluster of nine redwoods growing out of a single root.  We also took a gondola ride that gave us an interesting perspective of the Redwoods and great views of the ocean.

Day 6:  Winston-Portland

This was our second visit to the Wildlife Safari drive through park.  I had originally seen it on a TV show where the animal walked on top of the car 😁... so I had to see it.  I loved how a few of the animals like this Emu ↙ walked right up to our car, luckily not on top😆.  Cicily... ready for the road trip to be over!↘

After our visit to the Wildlife Safari we drove back to Portland and caught a flight home that evening.  Another great trip exploring the beautiful Northwest!