"The Postcard Assignment" - Memories from the Oregon Coast - Where the Forest Meets the Ocean

The Oregon Coast has never felt like a destination to me. It’s always been something familiar, something I have grown alongside. No matter how long I’ve been away, it always feels like it’s waiting for me just beyond the valley, somewhere past the winding highway and thick coastal forest. I know the coast is near when the temperature drops and the air begins to smell faintly salty. 

My connection to the coast began long before I can fully remember it. Family photos show me at two years old exploring tide pools beneath a bright blue sky, my cheeks red from the cold wind while waves crashed nearby. I wore one of those child leashes designed to keep toddlers from wandering away. Even then, the coast felt enormous and alive. 

For years, my family made annual trips west, usually staying at Salishan Coastal Lodge just outside Lincoln City before it was remodeled and stripped of the quiet charm I remember from childhood. “Quintessential Pacific Northwest ambiance and charm. You can do as much or as little as you want during your stay.” says Deb Stone from Northwest Primetime. She wrote a fantastic review of Salishan and describes the whimsy of the surrounding shops.

At some point, though, we stopped going. Maybe life became too busy, or maybe coastal vacations became too expensive to justify. For a while, the ocean became something distant. 

Eventually, I got my license, and the coast became mine again.

These days, the coast belongs less to my family and more to my best friend and me. Every time she comes home from college, we somehow end up back on Highway 101 with no real plan except finding a nice beach to sit on. Some of my favorite memories exist in the small moments between destinations: getting lost on side roads, pulling over to admire viewpoints, laughing in parking lots while trying to figure out where to eat, or the time I locked my keys in the car and a nice man named Chris from Port Siuslaw Maintenance helped pry my door open to get them.

Most of our trips begin in Newport along the Bayfront. I’ll drive circles around the Bayfront struggling to park while sea lions bark loudly from the docks while tourists wander between candy stores and seafood restaurants. Everything smells like saltwater and fried food, though sometimes the scent is overtaken by the nearby fishery, sharp, and impossible to ignore. 

We always stop inside Femme Fatale first, a small apothecary overflowing with tarot cards, taxidermy, and strange curiosities. There is a guest book in the middle of the shop that I make sure to sign every visit, no matter who I’m with. Just down the street is Bohemian Candle, which feels less like a store and more like stepping into a Fleetwood Mac song. Crystals cover the main counter while incense drifts through the air thick enough to cling to your clothes long after leaving.  

Eventually we stop by the docks, where we point out the funniest sea lions, the sleepiest ones, and which ones we think we would be. Beyond them, Yaquina Bay Bridge stretches across the water in the distance, towering above the harbor like a permanent reminder that the coast has always been here, unchanged in all the years I’ve spent returning to it. 

Before leaving Newport, we always stop at Sweet Corner for crepes. It has become a tradition. We order Nutella crepes overflowing with fresh fruit and sit outside by the windows to eat them, watching people pass by along the Bayfront. Over the years, we’ve watched the little shop slowly change too: fresh paint, new decorations, additions to the menu. Somehow, though, it still feels exactly the same. 

Some trips take us further south towards Yachats, one of the smallest but quaintest towns on the coast. We stop at the visitor center for free pamphlets and a bathroom. We once visited Midtown Guitar Company, a dusty two-story music shop along the main road. Downstairs smells faintly herbal, lined with rows of guitars and crates of posters. Upstairs in quieter and dimmer, filled with stacks of vinyl records, CDs, and old clothing racks. We lost track of time while rummaging through all the items, until one of the employees told us they were closing. 

Just outside town, Cape Perpetua rises above the coastline. From the lookout point, the Pacific feels rougher and quieter, so quiet you can hear yourself breathe. Waves crash violently against black rock cliffs below while the wind whips through the trees. Standing there always reminds me how beautiful the Oregon Coast really is beyond the tourist towns and gift shops. 

Holly from Adventures with Holly and Bryan describes the scenery as “wild and wonderful.”  In her travel guide, Holly recalls hiking Cape Perpetua at sunset describing it as “one of the best” she’s seen. She writes about the winding forest trails, sweeping views of the coastline, and the way the sun beams through the trees. 

Other memories blur together across different beaches and different years. During a camping trip with friends, we stopped at Seal Rock on an unusually warm day. We chased seagulls across the sand, searched for seashells, and eventually ran barefoot into the water. By the time we hiked back to the parking lot, our feet were covered in sand and the towels in my backseat reeked faintly of saltwater. 

We rarely head north anymore, but sometimes we stop in Lincoln City to thrift at Goodwill or wander through the nearly abandoned outlet mall, a stark contrast to how crowded and busy it felt when I was a child. Back then it seemed packed with stores and tourists carrying shopping bags, but now many of the storefronts sit empty and quiet. Other times we pull over in Depoe Bay simply to sit on the rocks and watch waves explode against the cliffs while hoping to spot whales somewhere out in the distance. 

Last summer we drove all the way to Pacific City expecting something far more exciting than what we found. The town itself felt small and anticlimactic, but the beach was beautiful enough to make up for it.  “This beach town isn’t just about attracting tourists for shopping; it is about enjoying nature and chilling!” says Aimee from, Aimee in the PNW. 

Surfers drifted through the water while sunbathers stretched across the sand. I eventually rolled my jeans above my knees and wandered into the freezing water, despite the cold I was unable to resist it on such a clear day. Later, exhausted and starving, we stopped at a tiny pizzeria called Doryland Pizza before beginning the drive home. 

That’s the thing about the Oregon Coast; it’s never needed to be extraordinary to keep pulling me back. 

It exists in small traditions and familiar roads. In the sea lions barking across the docks. In fog rolling over Highway 101. In the cold wind, dusty shops, whale watching pullouts, and the sand I’ve never been able to vacuum from the floor of my car. The coast has changed alongside me over the years, but every time I drive west and the temperature begins to fall, I still feel the same excitement I did as a child standing in the tide pools. 

No matter how much my life changed inland, the Pacific is always waiting.

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At a Glance: 

The Oregon Coast

What: From what starts as a long and layered history shaped by indigenous communities, exploration, marketing, and tourism. Today the Oregon Coast is known for its rugged cliffs, historic lighthouses, tide pools, beach towns, and strong preservation efforts. 

Highlights Or Places Not to Miss: Newport Aquarium, Newport Historic Bayfront, Cape Perpetua Scenic Area, Pacific City, Seal Rock, Strawberry Hill, and many more. 

Best way to get there: By driving: Highway 18 to Lincoln City, Highway 20 to Newport, and Highway 126 to Florence. Once you reach Highway 101, the drive becomes part of the destination, views of the ocean, forests, cliffs, with many great opportunities to stop and take photos. 

Where to eat and stay: See wereintherockies.com and visittheoregoncoast.com

For more information and events: See visittheoregoncoast.com and oregoncoastmagazine.com