DAY 14: A TINY HOME ON THE OREGON COAST

This slow and easy morning has been brought to you by, Eugene.

It’s nice not having to be on the road at any particular time; nice to sleep in, to get up and pack suitcases with too many outfits to fit into a weekend. We got ready for our girls weekend at the coast, with suitcases spread out on the bed, packing in full swing. A simple cereal breakfast was enjoyed along with coffee and I talked with Liz’s parents and showed them my blog, and how to follow along.

We took our time, not leaving the house until after 11am, and that was fine with me. We had everything loaded into Liz’s black RAV4, and the first stop was the Post Office so that I could mail my ballot that hadn’t arrived at my house in Pittsburgh until after I was already on the road. Thanks to my sister, Claire, I got to vote from Eugene, and hope my vote will arrive in time to be counted.

We did our customary pre-coast lunch stop at Burrito Boy, a small fast food Mexican chain in Eugene, that has become a custom over the years for us. This place has the best burritos that I’ve ever had along with homemade hot sauces. I dream about this place when I’m in Pittsburgh, and all other burritos will be compared to Burrito Boy’s. Their carne asada burrito with green sauce will always win, and if these guys came to Pittsburgh, I’d be in trouble.

The drive to the coast is so quick from Eugene. Only about an hour out to the town of Florence, we passed through pine forests, through a tunnel, and past places like the “Gingerbread House” along the way. Today, we made a quick turn around at a farm stand that had an espresso bar. We got two chai lattes, and a small growler of blueberry lavender kombucha that is made in Eugene.

There was terrible reception on the way out to the coast, but Liz’s playlist of up tempo music kept up through out the trip. We stopped at BiMart, a members only discount store for a few last minute things -- dog food, beer, and mini doughnuts. Then we continued up Highway 101 along the coastal cliffs to Waldport, where our AirBnb vintage camper van waited for us to arrive. A stop at Washburn Beach bought us some time before our 3pm check in, and it was Portland’s first time on an ocean beach, and when I let him off leash on the nearly empty beach he ran towards the water and took one lick from the Pacific Ocean. That was enough. Minutes later he was nosing at his pop up bowl, asking me for water.

We took pictures on the beach, with dramatic pine covered hazy hills in one direction and a bright hazy sunshine in the other. We played with taking pictures in silhouette and I had fun running and playing with Portland on the sand. We walked back through the tunnel of tall green shrubs, past groves with hidden picnic tables, dusting the sand from our feet and loading into the car for the last leg of the short trip.

We pulled in to the Tiny Tranquility tiny house community just outside of Waldport and found our vintage 1965 Silver Streak RV named “Anemone” among the cutest little neighborhood of tiny homes. We explored the cute and cozy camper with a full kitchen with turquoise countertops, oven and stove, a newer turquoise couch, microwave and fridge. Two beds in the middle of the RV with a TV, lots of storage, and a full bathroom in the back with a pink sink and small pink bathtub/shower.

We unloaded the car and stocked the fridge, wanting to explore the neighborhood, but knowing we were already getting short on daylight. Right across the street from us, one tiny home was for sale and it had a rock climbing wall on one full outside wall.

We drove into Waldport and did a loop around the small coastal town, stopping into a few antique/vintage stores just to look around. We didn’t find anything we had to have, but there were definitely some different varieties of things than what you’d find in Pittsburgh. More western and coastal styles, and furniture and knick knacks with more of an Asian design.

We continued down the coast to Yachats (pronounced Yaw-hots), but most of the shops were just closing at 5pm. We stopped into one gift shop and a local market, and then walked across the street to Yachats Brewing and Farm Store. It was very cute with wood and industrial concrete design, lots of bright murals accenting the space, and potted plants with large garage doors for an open flow.

We sat in the window and I was talked into ordering a flight since they had many unique beer styles like barrel aged wild ales, a dark coastal ale, and more traditional IPAs. My favorites were the Big Papa Buckle barrel aged American wild ale, and the Foedor Aged Coastal Dark Ale, which I got a full pint of.

The food was unique and more on the healthy and pescatarian/vegetarian side with a lot of local products. We split the smoked salmon dip, and for dinner I got the kale apple salad and added local smoked salmon. It was amazing with a lot of beets, cheese, hazelnuts and chia seeds, with a “probiotic” dressing. Liz got the smoked salmon chowder, but wasn’t a fan.

We stopped back in the market for a carton of wine and hazelnut chocolate on the way back to the tiny house for our girls night. We walked over to Redwood Commons, the community loft, meeting a resident duck of some type that seemed comfortable to live on the wooden railing at the top of the steps, and scared me when I first ran into him. He posed for pictures and even let me pet him. The community area has a large, ocean facing deck with Adirondack chairs and inside space with a full kitchen, tables, couches, and an electric fireplace. This space seems to be the place for the best WIFI signal, so I found myself walking back to stand on the deck a few times.

For girls night in our camper, we painted our nails (black for Halloween weekend), listened to music, and did paper charcoal face masks. We laughed so much! It was a great way to kick off our girls’ weekend at the coast, and there’s a lot more exploring to do tomorrow. I dozed off to sleep early tonight, in my cozy twin sized RV bed with Portland...without finishing my blog post.