And finally, it was time for me to reach the Pacific. On my way out of Portland I caught faint views of Mount Hood in the distance, and before long I was at the coast in Lincoln City. It definitely felt like a milestone in my journey, and a short time later I had a gorgeous and reflective sunset dinner at Pelican Brewing Company in Pacific City. My destination that evening was the town of Tillamook– chosen maybe exclusively as a result of my days of hawking Tillamook Cheddar as a server at Citizen Burger Bar— which proved to be a great spot to post up for two nights and indulge in some of the nature for which the Pacific Northwest is so renowned.

Tillamook itself was a cute little town and my Airbnb (no host present at this one!) was walking distance from the quaint downtown area. My nature outings took me first to Munson Creek Falls and then to the Cape Meares Lighthouse where I managed to stumble upon a famous Big Spruce.

On my way out on the 28th I stopped both by the Blue Heron French Cheese Company and the Tillamook Creamery (I don’t always have ice cream at 11 a.m. but…), and on the recommendation of a lady at one of those places, the Apolloni Vineyards a little further up the road to Seattle. It was a beautiful, sun-kissed day on which to sip some wine amongst the yellow vines and oaks.