"Postcards from Portland" - Cannon Beach & Coastal Concoctions

"Postcards from Portland" - Cannon Beach & Coastal Concoctions

I know it's been sometime since my last blog on Portland (or in general), but I didn't quite anticipate my intense travel schedule last Fall, or, the rest I would need following. But, it's a new year. I'm feeling refreshed after the holidays, and I am looking forward to writing more this year. So here's to Day 3 of the "Postcards from Portland" series, and a big Happy New Year for all those who continue to stop by The June bug Theory Blog! 

Day 3 of our adventures in Portland led us out of the city again, this time, to the Pacific Coast towards Cannon Beach, where we took in some local organic coffee, saw a rather large protruding rock in the sea, tested our tootsies in the frigid waters of the Northwest, and drove to a seaside town straight out of the Goonies, where we picked up some more local brews and tried some oyster shots. 

But, before we could pack that all in, we had to get some goodness stuck to our ribs, and what better way than with a second helping of Pine State Biscuits. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, those biscuits are that good, so much so that we sought out the location on SE Belmont Street in Portland. And the second time around with the Money Ball Double Down, Biscuit with homemade Pimento Cheese and coffee, was just as good as the first time. 

My mouth is watering now just thinking about these and seeing the pictures again... 

The Money Ball Double Down (translation - two eggs on top of a biscuit smothered in gravy)

Homemade Pimento Cheese (yummy)

Bellies full and caffeine kickin', we headed for the coast. And did I mention our ride (aka rental car)? None other than a Subaru Outback, which felt kind of like we were living the Subaru ads, as we drove through the West Coast forests just twisting and turning on the roadways with the low lying clouds just above our heads. 

Alas, we emerged from the fog like state, arriving at Cannon Beach, which was about an hour and half outside of Portland. First stop, a local coffee shop, called Sleepy Monk Coffee Roasters where the coffee is roasted locally. Then a short walk over to the beach and there it is...Haystack Rock.

Haystack rock

If you're a child of the 80's, I would expect the photo above and those below, might strik a sense of nostalgia and familiarity as the backdrop to the infamous GOONIES movie, which was filmed in Astoria, Cannon Beach (Haystack Rock) and Ecola State Park.

We took a nice stroll on the beach, took way more photos than you probably would care to see, and remember earlier that I said we tested our tootsies in the frigid waters...well, I think this says it all...

The water was only in the 50 degree range, but to this southern girl, it felt icy cold.

After drying off, we headed up to Ecola State Park for some scenic views of the area and a peek at the Tillamook Rock Light (a deactivated lighthouse on a rock less than an acre, which now acts as a columbarium...for cremated remains).

Ecola State Park View

Tillamook Rock Light


Ecola State Park View



Ecola State Park View

By now, it was getting well into the afternoon, and we needed some fuel...so we drove up the coast towards Astoria to Fort George Brewery + Public House. 

For more details about this historic brew house, the original settlement site of Astoria, click here.

Upon our entrance into Fort George, this beautiful menu of coastal concoctions was on the wall to greet us....

If my memory serves me correctly, we chose the Sunrise Oatmeal Pale Ale, and the Vortex IPA, and purchased the 22 oz. Roses on Roses in a bottle to take back to Portland.

In addition to our brews, we opted for some unbelievably fresh oysters from Willapa Bay, shot-style with lemon and spicy cocktail sauce. This might have ignited our love for Oysters...if only they could be so fresh all the time. 

Willapa Bay Oyster Shots

Fort George Brews

After all the fresh fare (Albacore Tuna Fish & Chips, Sausage) and brews, and some discussions with our bartender, we contemplated driving to Eugene, OR, which apparently is home to some other really great breweries....but, reality set-in, and we decided that this would have to wait for another trip to the Pacific North West. 

So, we headed back to Portland. All in all day 3, and a well-spent birthday for Vladi, was complete with a visit to Cannon Beach and bellies full of Coastal Concoctions.

Stay tuned...I promise, day 4 will be posted much sooner.

Thanks for Reading and Happy New Year,

Mo

PS - I will leave you with this one more tidbit...for those of you wishing to re-live the 80's for a few minutes.