Need vacation ideas in the PNW

**BeardMech** · 07-07-2018, 07:44 PM

Finally I can say I miss NC since moving here. I lived near RDU so it was 2 hours to warm sandy beaches and 2 hours to the Appalachian Mountains. Id spend a week every year at Emerald Isle in NC as a kid and it was perfect. My parents live in FL now but plane tickets for 5 is out of the budget.

**Game Over** · 07-07-2018, 07:56 PM

Originally Posted by 4matic

Rugged and cold. Oregon is better for beach.

Brookings OR is a anomaly and beautiful. It often gets warmed by Oregons version of the Santa Ana winds.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brookings_effect

**oftpiste** · 07-07-2018, 08:53 PM

Sorry man. Holler if those of us in or past the trenches thereof can be of assistance.

Originally Posted by BeardMech

Sorry Ive been absent from this thread, Ive had some major issues with the with wife, which really makes this thread helpful for the stability of my marriage. If it wasnt for being a stay at home dad right now, Id be asking advice on how to afford being a single parent here.

**oftpiste** · 07-07-2018, 08:55 PM

Nope. Buster sez:

"There's powdah, there's chowdah, and there's loudah".

Originally Posted by flowing alpy

suck it?

**plugboots** · 07-07-2018, 09:11 PM

Originally Posted by BeardMech

Finally I can say I miss NC since moving here. I lived near RDU so it was 2 hours to warm sandy beaches and 2 hours to the Appalachian Mountains. Id spend a week every year at Emerald Isle in NC as a kid and it was perfect. My parents live in FL now but plane tickets for 5 is out of the budget.

You’ve got it all wrong and backwards. Your young kids give no shits about the water temp. Appalachian mountains? Appalachian pimples on your ass more like it. Starting in a couple days this area has the best weather in the US. https://cliffmass.blogspot.com. That is if you like that kind of thing. I’ll take massive snowfall.

Go to the coast. Show the kids some anemones. Hold hands with your wife, have a glass of wine, and after the kids are asleep have sex.

Snap the fuck out of it.

**abraham** · 07-07-2018, 11:45 PM

Or go to Chelan, Sandpoint or something inland on the water. I liked Florence and Newport as a kid

Good luck either way.

**Harry** · 07-08-2018, 05:56 AM

Oregon Coast for sure. Keep costs down by bringing a tent, stay in one of the state parks. Fly a kite with your kids. Fun time.

**mooseknuckles** · 07-08-2018, 08:06 AM

Pacific City, OR- Tide Pools. Dunes. Fish Tacos. Brewery. Surf. Sand. Do not drive 12hours to NorCal. The kids are easy at this stage. Make it easy on you and the wife. Death march road trips with long drives are NOT easy or worth the pain with your current passengers.

**CascadeLuke** · 07-08-2018, 09:01 AM

Originally Posted by plugboots

You’ve got it all wrong and backwards. Your young kids give no shits about the water temp. Appalachian mountains? Appalachian pimples on your ass more like it. Starting in a couple days this area has the best weather in the US. https://cliffmass.blogspot.com. That is if you like that kind of thing. I’ll take massive snowfall.

Go to the coast. Show the kids some anemones. Hold hands with your wife, have a glass of wine, and after the kids are asleep have sex.

Snap the fuck out of it.

Best advise. I almost get the sense he should pop over to Chelan get some sun and beaches - in and out midweek. And start researching his next trip to OR coast via all the great suggestions. Plan and do it the best you can.

**OregonDead** · 07-09-2018, 10:31 AM

+ 1 on taking the shorter route to the beach. I love Pacific City but that's bc it's pretty much the closest beach to my house as the crow flies. I'm not as familiar with beaches up in Washington but that sounds like it might be the ticket. North OR coast is classic. Also Long beach WA is very long as advertised. Cool old forts are good parks on both sides of the Columbia. Are your kids old enough to enjoy Jake the Alligator man? Eventually you will need to visit Jake and all of the other weird curios in long beach.

**IslandSnow** · 07-09-2018, 11:16 AM

Originally Posted by BeardMech

How are northern cali beaches? Seems like 12 hours driving distance is a reasonable driving limit for us.

You're over thinking it. There's absolutely no need to make your wife and 3 very young kids sit in a car for 12 hours each way when there are many great beach options that are less than half that. Ocean Shores is less than 3 hours from you, Long Beach is about 3 1/2, Cannon Beach is about 4. I would think your wife and kids would be quite happy with any of those options.

Based on what you've said about your family and your situation right now I think Chelan is also a good option.

Originally Posted by plugboots

Go to the coast. Show the kids some anemones. Hold hands with your wife, have a glass of wine, and after the kids are asleep have sex.

This is great advice. Keep it simple.

Good luck.

**Norseman** · 07-09-2018, 11:22 AM

Originally Posted by plugboots

You’ve got it all wrong and backwards. Your young kids give no shits about the water temp. Appalachian mountains? Appalachian pimples on your ass more like it. Starting in a couple days this area has the best weather in the US. https://cliffmass.blogspot.com. That is if you like that kind of thing. I’ll take massive snowfall.

Go to the coast. Show the kids some anemones. Hold hands with your wife, have a glass of wine, and after the kids are asleep have sex.

Snap the fuck out of it.

Yes, Jeezuz Fuck.

Beardo, I suggest you look again at a map and be honest with yourself about how much driving you want to do on your vacation. You can get to the southern WA coast in under 3 hours. Don't bother with going all the way to Oregon.

"Just go to the beach" x8 or whatever we're on. Your lil kids won't appreciate the mountains or anything else more.

Make a loop on the OlyPen. Go straight to Ocean City State Park, then work up the coast. South Beach or Kalaloch, then the Hoh rainforest, then the beaches at La Push. Crescent beach near PA, dinner at Sabai Thai. Dungeness Spit, Fort Warden @ PT. Ferry to Whidbey, ferry to Mukilteo, a lap on the waterskis @ Flowing Lake, then home.

**yeahman** · 07-09-2018, 11:35 AM

Maybe this has been mentioned but...Whidbey Island has numerous state parks with awesome beaches and campgrounds. Plus great hiking trails for kids, old growth forests even. I was always kind of surprised when I lived there how few people in the Seattle area seemed to take advantage of that awesome island, instead going out to the San Juans or whatever. We kayaked all the way around Whidbey in 10-15 mile sections from park to park--that's about 100 miles of water because the island is 45 miles long. It's a great place. I miss it in the summer.

**The AD** · 07-09-2018, 12:35 PM

Originally Posted by muted

In the Caribbean you go to the beach, in the PNW you go to the coast.

This bears repeating and BeardMech--and especially BeardMech's wife--need to know this going in. If your plan is to go somewhere and sit on the beach for a few hours a day the Oregon and Washington coasts may be disappointing. The PNW beaches are for exploring: checking out tide pools, beach hikes, etc. not really for laying in the sun (assuming there is sun).

**::: :::** · 07-09-2018, 01:56 PM

**Game Over** · 07-09-2018, 02:24 PM

Originally Posted by acinpdx

I still see Henry's around., but WTF happened to Blitz? 12 packs used to be $4.20

**Game Over** · 07-09-2018, 02:27 PM

..

In 1979, Blitz-Weinhard was sold to the Pabst Brewing Company. Pabst then sold the brewery to Stroh Brewing Company in 1996. The last and final sale of the company in 1999 had major effects on the brewery building. Stroh's sold the Henry Weinhard's brand to Miller Brewing Company, and moved all Henry's brewing operations to the Olympia Brewery in Tumwater, Washington. After nearly 135 years of continual operations, the Weinhard Brewery brewed its last beer on August 27, 1999. It was put up for sale the following month.[7][8]

**digitaldeath** · 07-09-2018, 04:45 PM

ha!

ya

call out all the posers before and after for a good time

**Skistack** · 07-09-2018, 05:54 PM

Father of twins here. And the wife is as non-outdoorsy as they come. So a couple of pro-tips:

As has been said 1000 times already, go to the fucking beach. Easy to plan for and easy to keep kiddos entertained. And its not fucking Disney World so you’ll come out of it with your sanity and life savings intact. We didn’t take our first non-beach trip until they were maybe ten.

Minimize the distance between the car/rental and your beach base camp because YOU are going make approximately 90 trips shlepping their crap back and forth between the two. First trip we were in a high rise condo, so down the hall, wait for the elevator, out through the common area, past the pool, across 50 yards of boardwalk then 50 yards of sand. 90 fucking times.

Make up shit. At that age kids believe whatever you tell them. We found a “pirate map” that led us to find their “buried treasure”. Did you see that dolphin jump? No? Keep watching, I bet he’ll jump again soon.

Young kids get tired at the beach, pack it in before there’s a total meltdown. Don’t try to squeeze out every minute of fun.

Early morning is daddy time. Let mom and kids sleep in and have a leisurely breakfast. Go run/bike/hike/fish. whatever floats your boat. Give mommy some free time in the afternoon.

Sent from my iPhone using TGR Forums

**OregonDead** · 07-09-2018, 06:18 PM

Private reserve is currently $7.99 for an 18er at Rite Aide. It is definitely not the same PR we used to shoulder tap for back in the day. I doubt it's the same recipe as the old Blitz but it's just as bad.

Originally Posted by steepconcrete

I still see Henry's around., but WTF happened to Blitz? 12 packs used to be $4.20

**Game Over** · 07-09-2018, 06:37 PM

Damn. I kinda wanna pick some up for sake of nostalgia.

We used to joke that blitz was the shit they washed off the floors after making Henry's.

**oftpiste** · 07-09-2018, 06:57 PM

God shit right here. I can relate. Or could a while back, but remember it like yesterday. All true.

Originally Posted by Skistack

Father of twins here. And the wife is as non-outdoorsy as they come. So a couple of pro-tips:

As has been said 1000 times already, go to the fucking beach. Easy to plan for and easy to keep kiddos entertained. And its not fucking Disney World so you’ll come out of it with your sanity and life savings intact. We didn’t take our first non-beach trip until they were maybe ten.

Minimize the distance between the car/rental and your beach base camp because YOU are going make approximately 90 trips shlepping their crap back and forth between the two. First trip we were in a high rise condo, so down the hall, wait for the elevator, out through the common area, past the pool, across 50 yards of boardwalk then 50 yards of sand. 90 fucking times.

Make up shit. At that age kids believe whatever you tell them. We found a “pirate map” that led us to find their “buried treasure”. Did you see that dolphin jump? No? Keep watching, I bet he’ll jump again soon.

Young kids get tired at the beach, pack it in before there’s a total meltdown. Don’t try to squeeze out every minute of fun.

Early morning is daddy time. Let mom and kids sleep in and have a leisurely breakfast. Go run/bike/hike/fish. whatever floats your boat. Give mommy some free time in the afternoon.

Sent from my iPhone using TGR Forums

**4matic** · 07-09-2018, 09:15 PM

Just got back from the Oregon coast agate hunting Great fun

**wyeaster** · 07-09-2018, 09:20 PM

we're heading for fort stevens for 4 days of state park car camping tomorrow and then back to some of my old stomping grounds at the oregon country fair in veneta. pollen is currently murdering me.