Day 1-Portland, Oregon
Day 1 of your trip starts off in Portland which will have the cheapest flights in the area. Getting in early would be best so you can explore the city and some of the surrounding area. Depending on what you want to experience in Portland, I'll give you a couple different things to do around the city. The Columbia River Gorge is a great area to explore, and you could spend all day doing that. If you do, follow the old Columbia River Highway to Multnomah Falls, the falls are over 600 feet high, and a short hike from the highway about 30-45 minutes outside of Portland.
If you don't want to leave town, but still want some outdoor activity, Washington Park would be a great place to explore. A good place to start would be the International Rose Test Garden. Park here, and explore the rose garden, hike up the hill to the Japanese Garden. You will have to pay admission to get in, but its only 9.50$. The Garden is consistently ranked as one of the best outside of Japan, and is well worth a visit. Washington Park also has over 15 miles of hiking trails for you to explore. The zoo and children's museum can also be found here. Near the park is Pittock Mansion, the view of Mount Hood and Portland from here is not to be missed.
Portland is known for its beer and its food too, so if you don't want to experience the outdoors while in town, there are plenty of good cheap options to fill you appetite. For breakfast, nothing beats heading to The Tin Shed, this restaurant specializes in breakfast, and is a great representation of the Portland food scene. You can even bring your dog with you! For lunch, check out a local deli like Elephants Delicatessen , It offers a wide variety of foods, like, pizza, burgers, sandwiches, and many desserts. If you really want to experience something you could only find in Portland, check out Cartlandia, home of over 30 different food carts. There is something here for everyone. For some nighttime fun, Portland has at least 58 breweries offering many different craft beers. Widmer, Rogue, Hop Works, and Base Camp are just a few breweries you could check out. Portland is also home to Ground Kontrol, a very cool retro arcade that serves alcohol and snacks. It houses classic popular arcade games that you will remember from your youth. The good news is most of these games only cost a quarter to play. After getting your nostalgia taken care of head back to your hotel. I highly recommend staying in the Beaverton-Hillsboro area of town. Its close to the city, yet far enough outside of town that you can avoid traffic. Hotel rates here are also usually pretty good. You'll also be close to Nike World Headquarters, which is worth a view.
Day 2- Astoria to Florence
I'll just be going through the start of day 2 of the trip and the rest will be continued tomorrow because it is a pretty large post. Get up early and head to the Tin Shed for breakfast. Afterwards head northwest from Portland along highway 30 towards Astoria. You'll be following the beautiful Columbia River for some of the drive. Once in Astoria, you will reach the highway you've been looking for: Highway 101. Head north on 101 to the Astoria- Megler Bridge. This 4.1 mile bridge is a sight to behold and is worth the trip. Once in Washington you can turn around and start heading south down the Oregon Coast. From Astoria to Florence there are many points and places to see, and they deserve some details, so I'm going to save that part of the trip for tomorrow. I hope you're ready to come and see the Pacific Coast!
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