After months of planning, weeks of preparation, and lots of nervous energy, the big day was finally here. Oregon, here we come, ready or not!
Our Southwest flight from Phoenix was largely uneventful. There was some minor maintenance drama that put us an hour behind schedule but we still got to Portland a little after noon. While we were waiting to leave, I suddenly realized that every flight I’ve taken this year has been for fun rather than for work, which is amazing. That hasn’t happened in nearly 30 years. Wow.
We rented a car at the airport then headed downtown to grab some lunch and hit up the local REI. After wolfing down a cheeseburger and a beer at the On Deck sports bar, we grabbed fuel for our camp stoves then started west to Astoria. That two hour drive is one of the prettiest you’ll do anywhere and provided a nice warm-up to the scenery we’d be seeing over the next three weeks. We drove through Seaside on the way, which was a little odd considering we’ll be hiking back to it tomorrow. Nice little preview, I suppose.
Once we got to Astoria, I was looking forward to going to the Rogue Ales Public House but that proved to be a bit of a disappointment. The beers were good but the service was iffy and the place a bit run-down and disorganized. Thankfully, the Astoria beer scene redeemed itself later when we went to the Fort George Brewery and Public House.
Fort George was outstanding. Great beers, beautiful space, nice people and a fun atmosphere. We ate dinner but would have stayed a lot longer if we didn’t have to get up the next day and hike 20 miles. We’ll definitely go back there if we’re ever in Astoria again.
This far north the sun goes down quite late so I got some very nice sunset photos at 9 PM at night. With the ocean to our right over the next 400 miles, I’m guessing we’ll get a few more shots like these.
Until tomorrow when the real fun begins!
