sea lion caves oregon – west coast road trip

10 of my favorite stops: A friend and I did the whole thing in just under a week. We both could've used another week at least, but we saw a lot in those days. #1 Everett, Washington I had a wedding to go to in Everett. One morning after a disappointing hotel breakfast we were out searching the small town for Starbucks and kept coming across random, rad pianos on the sidewalks. Turns out, in August, the town of Everett sets out a bunch of pianos around downtown, and you can play them. We tried. I looked up music on my phone (I can kinda read music) and ended up trying to play Knockin' on Heaven's Door and Heart and Soul. I feel sorry for the poor people that had to listen to us, but it was fun! #2 Drive-in movie theater, Washington I added this to the list while planning our road trip. The movie (Ice Age: Collision Course) was... uhhh... interesting... But the whole drive-in theater experience was awesome. #3 Abandoned Nuclear Power Plant, Washington It's on my bucket list to someday visit Chernobyl. So this was pretty cool for me. Might seem weird to some. The powerplant was never finished, so you just have these massive towers sitting in the middle of a tiny community. It's odd. But cool to see. #4 Cape Disappointment, Washington How could we pass this up? The pun opportunities alone were worth it. But it's also a really pretty hike. #5 Peter Iredale Shipwreck, Oregon Also on the list, this is literally an old ship that wrecked on an Oregon beach that was just left there. Now you can see the ship's skeletal remains whenever you're in the area. #6 & 7 Devil's Punchbowl and Thor's Well, Oregon Two very cool natural formations on the coast, and both fairly dangerous. NOT a place for swimming. We noticed that although Devil's Punchbowl is fenced off, Thor's Well isn't. Which is funny because, between the two, Thor's Well really seems like the one that's a pit of no return if you fall in. But it's also surrounded by muscles which will probably make most people think twice about getting too close anyway. #8 Sea Lion Caves, Oregon For about $15 you can take an elevator down into a cave where a group of sea lions hang out. They go in and out of the cave so you're aren't guaranteed to see any, but during the winter they spend more time in the cave. I've seen both sea lions and whales off the coast here. #9 Redwood Forest, California The famous Avenue of Giants is worth a drive, even if you don't stop to get out. But if you decide to walk a little ways into the forest, it's eery how fast the outside noise fades away. The trees are amazing to see up close. They are GIANT. #10 Black Sand Beach This little stop is sorta out of the way, requiring an windy, hour-long trip up over the mountains. It's a beautiful beach. The "sand" is actually black rocks that have been polished smooth by the tide. Speaking of the tide. Black Sand Beach also has a dangerous reputation for drownings. The riptide here is fairly infamous and there are several signs warning visitors to stay out of the water and to never turn your back to the waves due to random "sneaker" waves. Basically really big, random waves that could knock you down and carry you out to sea. Several people have died here after being sucked out by the strong riptide. Use awesome apps like Roadtrippers to plan out the things you want to see on the way. See the full list the most useful apps for a road trip here. You can click to enlarge any of the photos below! <div class="tiled-gallery type-rectangular tiled-gallery-unresized" data-original-width="500" data-carousel-extra='null' itemscope itemtype="http://schema.org/ImageGallery" > <div class="gallery-row" style="width: 500px; height: 382px;" data-original-width="500" data-original-height="382" > <div class="gallery-group images-2" style="width: 244px; height: 382px;" data-original-width="244" data-original-height="382" > <div class="tiled-gallery-item tiled-gallery-item-small" itemprop="associatedMedia" itemscope itemtype="http://schema.org/ImageObject"> <a href="https://www.curiouswriter.com/ultimate-millenial-west-coast-road-trip-guide/wp-1471394624317-jpg/" border="0" itemprop="url"> <meta itemprop="width" content="240"> <meta itemprop="height" content="239"> <img class="" data-attachment-id="1918" data-orig-file="https://www.curiouswriter.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/wp-1471394624317.jpg" data-orig-size="1200,1200" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0"}" data-image-title="Pianos in Everett Washington – west coast road trip Curiouswriter" data-image-description="" data-medium-file="https://i0.wp.com/www.curiouswriter.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/wp-1471394624317.jpg?fit=640%2C640&ssl=1" data-large-file="https://i0.wp.com/www.curiouswriter.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/wp-1471394624317.jpg?fit=1024%2C1024&ssl=1" src="https://i0.wp.com/www.curiouswriter.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/wp-1471394624317.jpg?w=240&h=239&ssl=1" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/www.curiouswriter.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/wp-1471394624317.jpg?w=1200&ssl=1 1200w, https://i0.wp.com/www.curiouswriter.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/wp-1471394624317.jpg?resize=150%2C150&ssl=1 150w, https://i0.wp.com/www.curiouswriter.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/wp-1471394624317.jpg?resize=640%2C640&ssl=1 640w, https://i0.wp.com/www.curiouswriter.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/wp-1471394624317.jpg?resize=768%2C768&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/www.curiouswriter.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/wp-1471394624317.jpg?resize=1024%2C1024&ssl=1 1024w" width="240" height="239" loading="lazy" data-original-width="240" data-original-height="239" itemprop="http://schema.org/image" title="Pianos in Everett Washington - west coast road trip Curiouswriter" alt="Pianos in Everett Washington - west coast road trip Curiouswriter" style="width: 240px; 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height: 108px;" /> </a> </div> <div class="tiled-gallery-item tiled-gallery-item-small" itemprop="associatedMedia" itemscope itemtype="http://schema.org/ImageObject"> <a href="https://www.curiouswriter.com/thors-well-splash_curiouswriter-2/" border="0" itemprop="url"> <meta itemprop="width" content="162"> <meta itemprop="height" content="108"> <img class="" data-attachment-id="1877" data-orig-file="https://www.curiouswriter.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/thors-well-splash_curiouswriter-1.jpg" data-orig-size="1200,800" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0"}" data-image-title="thors-well-splash_curiouswriter" data-image-description="" data-medium-file="https://i0.wp.com/www.curiouswriter.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/thors-well-splash_curiouswriter-1.jpg?fit=640%2C427&ssl=1" data-large-file="https://i0.wp.com/www.curiouswriter.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/thors-well-splash_curiouswriter-1.jpg?fit=1024%2C683&ssl=1" src="https://i0.wp.com/www.curiouswriter.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/thors-well-splash_curiouswriter-1.jpg?w=162&h=108&ssl=1" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/www.curiouswriter.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/thors-well-splash_curiouswriter-1.jpg?w=1200&ssl=1 1200w, https://i0.wp.com/www.curiouswriter.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/thors-well-splash_curiouswriter-1.jpg?resize=640%2C427&ssl=1 640w, https://i0.wp.com/www.curiouswriter.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/thors-well-splash_curiouswriter-1.jpg?resize=768%2C512&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/www.curiouswriter.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/thors-well-splash_curiouswriter-1.jpg?resize=1024%2C683&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/www.curiouswriter.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/thors-well-splash_curiouswriter-1.jpg?resize=825%2C550&ssl=1 825w" width="162" height="108" loading="lazy" data-original-width="162" data-original-height="108" itemprop="http://schema.org/image" title="thors-well-splash_curiouswriter" alt="thor's well oregon - west coast road trip" style="width: 162px; height: 108px;" /> </a> </div> </div> <!-- close group --> </div> <!-- close row --> <div class="gallery-row" style="width: 500px; height: 154px;" data-original-width="500" data-original-height="154" > <div class="gallery-group images-1" style="width: 229px; height: 154px;" data-original-width="229" data-original-height="154" > <div class="tiled-gallery-item tiled-gallery-item-small" itemprop="associatedMedia" itemscope itemtype="http://schema.org/ImageObject"> <a href="https://www.curiouswriter.com/mussels_thors_well_curiouswriter/" border="0" itemprop="url"> <meta itemprop="width" content="225"> <meta itemprop="height" content="150"> <img class="" data-attachment-id="1864" data-orig-file="https://www.curiouswriter.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/mussels_thors_Well_curiouswriter.jpg" data-orig-size="1200,800" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0"}" data-image-title="mussels_thors_Well_curiouswriter" data-image-description="" data-medium-file="https://i0.wp.com/www.curiouswriter.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/mussels_thors_Well_curiouswriter.jpg?fit=640%2C427&ssl=1" data-large-file="https://i0.wp.com/www.curiouswriter.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/mussels_thors_Well_curiouswriter.jpg?fit=1024%2C683&ssl=1" src="https://i0.wp.com/www.curiouswriter.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/mussels_thors_Well_curiouswriter.jpg?w=225&h=150&ssl=1" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/www.curiouswriter.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/mussels_thors_Well_curiouswriter.jpg?w=1200&ssl=1 1200w, https://i0.wp.com/www.curiouswriter.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/mussels_thors_Well_curiouswriter.jpg?resize=640%2C427&ssl=1 640w, https://i0.wp.com/www.curiouswriter.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/mussels_thors_Well_curiouswriter.jpg?resize=768%2C512&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/www.curiouswriter.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/mussels_thors_Well_curiouswriter.jpg?resize=1024%2C683&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/www.curiouswriter.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/mussels_thors_Well_curiouswriter.jpg?resize=825%2C550&ssl=1 825w" width="225" height="150" loading="lazy" data-original-width="225" data-original-height="150" itemprop="http://schema.org/image" title="mussels_thors_Well_curiouswriter" alt="mussels_thors_Well_curiouswriter" style="width: 225px; height: 150px;" /> </a> </div> </div> <!-- close group --> <div class="gallery-group images-1" style="width: 271px; height: 154px;" data-original-width="271" data-original-height="154" > <div class="tiled-gallery-item tiled-gallery-item-large" itemprop="associatedMedia" itemscope itemtype="http://schema.org/ImageObject"> <a href="https://www.curiouswriter.com/ultimate-millenial-west-coast-road-trip-guide/wp-1471394397729-jpg/" border="0" itemprop="url"> <meta itemprop="width" content="267"> <meta itemprop="height" content="150"> <img class="" data-attachment-id="1917" data-orig-file="https://www.curiouswriter.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/wp-1471394397729.jpg" data-orig-size="1200,675" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"1.9","credit":"","camera":"SM-G920V","caption":"","created_timestamp":"1470744980","copyright":"","focal_length":"4.3","iso":"200","shutter_speed":"0.083333333333333","title":"","orientation":"1"}" data-image-title="sea lion caves oregon – west coast road trip" data-image-description="" data-medium-file="https://i0.wp.com/www.curiouswriter.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/wp-1471394397729.jpg?fit=640%2C360&ssl=1" data-large-file="https://i0.wp.com/www.curiouswriter.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/wp-1471394397729.jpg?fit=1024%2C576&ssl=1" src="https://i0.wp.com/www.curiouswriter.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/wp-1471394397729.jpg?w=267&h=150&ssl=1" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/www.curiouswriter.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/wp-1471394397729.jpg?w=1200&ssl=1 1200w, https://i0.wp.com/www.curiouswriter.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/wp-1471394397729.jpg?resize=640%2C360&ssl=1 640w, https://i0.wp.com/www.curiouswriter.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/wp-1471394397729.jpg?resize=768%2C432&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/www.curiouswriter.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/wp-1471394397729.jpg?resize=1024%2C576&ssl=1 1024w" width="267" height="150" loading="lazy" data-original-width="267" data-original-height="150" itemprop="http://schema.org/image" title="sea lion caves oregon - west coast road trip" alt="10 of my favorite stops: A friend and I did the whole thing in just under a week. We both could've used another week at least, but we saw a lot in those days. #1 Everett, Washington I had a wedding to go to in Everett. One morning after a disappointing hotel breakfast we were out searching the small town for Starbucks and kept coming across random, rad pianos on the sidewalks. Turns out, in August, the town of Everett sets out a bunch of pianos around downtown, and you can play them. We tried. I looked up music on my phone (I can kinda read music) and ended up trying to play Knockin' on Heaven's Door and Heart and Soul. I feel sorry for the poor people that had to listen to us, but it was fun! #2 Drive-in movie theater, Washington I added this to the list while planning our road trip. The movie (Ice Age: Collision Course) was... uhhh... interesting... But the whole drive-in theater experience was awesome. #3 Abandoned Nuclear Power Plant, Washington It's on my bucket list to someday visit Chernobyl. So this was pretty cool for me. Might seem weird to some. The powerplant was never finished, so you just have these massive towers sitting in the middle of a tiny community. It's odd. But cool to see. #4 Cape Disappointment, Washington How could we pass this up? The pun opportunities alone were worth it. But it's also a really pretty hike. #5 Peter Iredale Shipwreck, Oregon Also on the list, this is literally an old ship that wrecked on an Oregon beach that was just left there. Now you can see the ship's skeletal remains whenever you're in the area. #6 & 7 Devil's Punchbowl and Thor's Well, Oregon Two very cool natural formations on the coast, and both fairly dangerous. NOT a place for swimming. We noticed that although Devil's Punchbowl is fenced off, Thor's Well isn't. Which is funny because, between the two, Thor's Well really seems like the one that's a pit of no return if you fall in. But it's also surrounded by muscles which will probably make most people think twice about getting too close anyway. #8 Sea Lion Caves, Oregon For about $15 you can take an elevator down into a cave where a group of sea lions hang out. They go in and out of the cave so you're aren't guaranteed to see any, but during the winter they spend more time in the cave. I've seen both sea lions and whales off the coast here. #9 Redwood Forest, California The famous Avenue of Giants is worth a drive, even if you don't stop to get out. But if you decide to walk a little ways into the forest, it's eery how fast the outside noise fades away. The trees are amazing to see up close. They are GIANT. #10 Black Sand Beach This little stop is sorta out of the way, requiring an windy, hour-long trip up over the mountains. It's a beautiful beach. The "sand" is actually black rocks that have been polished smooth by the tide. Speaking of the tide. Black Sand Beach also has a dangerous reputation for drownings. The riptide here is fairly infamous and there are several signs warning visitors to stay out of the water and to never turn your back to the waves due to random "sneaker" waves. Basically really big, random waves that could knock you down and carry you out to sea. Several people have died here after being sucked out by the strong riptide. Use awesome apps like Roadtrippers to plan out the things you want to see on the way. See the full list the most useful apps for a road trip here. You can click to enlarge any of the photos below! [gallery columns="4" ids="1918,1921,1848,1869,1871,1865,1861,1858,1877,1864,1917,1854,1852,1851,1850,1903"]   See more photos from the trip here. Or Check out my Instagram to see more photos" style="width: 267px; height: 150px;" /> </a> </div> </div> <!-- close group --> </div> <!-- close row --> <div class="gallery-row" style="width: 500px; height: 429px;" data-original-width="500" data-original-height="429" > <div class="gallery-group images-1" style="width: 287px; height: 429px;" data-original-width="287" data-original-height="429" > <div class="tiled-gallery-item tiled-gallery-item-large" itemprop="associatedMedia" itemscope itemtype="http://schema.org/ImageObject"> <a href="https://www.curiouswriter.com/californnia_redwoods_curiouswriter/" border="0" itemprop="url"> <meta itemprop="width" content="283"> <meta itemprop="height" content="425"> <img class="" data-attachment-id="1854" data-orig-file="https://www.curiouswriter.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/californnia_redwoods_curiouswriter.jpg" data-orig-size="800,1200" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0"}" data-image-title="californnia_redwoods_curiouswriter" data-image-description="" data-medium-file="https://i0.wp.com/www.curiouswriter.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/californnia_redwoods_curiouswriter.jpg?fit=427%2C640&ssl=1" data-large-file="https://i0.wp.com/www.curiouswriter.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/californnia_redwoods_curiouswriter.jpg?fit=683%2C1024&ssl=1" src="https://i0.wp.com/www.curiouswriter.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/californnia_redwoods_curiouswriter.jpg?w=283&h=425&ssl=1" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/www.curiouswriter.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/californnia_redwoods_curiouswriter.jpg?w=800&ssl=1 800w, https://i0.wp.com/www.curiouswriter.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/californnia_redwoods_curiouswriter.jpg?resize=427%2C640&ssl=1 427w, https://i0.wp.com/www.curiouswriter.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/californnia_redwoods_curiouswriter.jpg?resize=768%2C1152&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/www.curiouswriter.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/californnia_redwoods_curiouswriter.jpg?resize=683%2C1024&ssl=1 683w" width="283" height="425" loading="lazy" data-original-width="283" data-original-height="425" itemprop="http://schema.org/image" title="californnia_redwoods_curiouswriter" alt="redwood forest tree - west coast road trip" style="width: 283px; 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height: 139px;" /> </a> </div> </div> <!-- close group --> </div> <!-- close row --> <div class="gallery-row" style="width: 500px; height: 500px;" data-original-width="500" data-original-height="500" > <div class="gallery-group images-1" style="width: 500px; height: 500px;" data-original-width="500" data-original-height="500" > <div class="tiled-gallery-item tiled-gallery-item-large" itemprop="associatedMedia" itemscope itemtype="http://schema.org/ImageObject"> <a href="https://www.curiouswriter.com/ultimate-millenial-west-coast-road-trip-guide/wp-1471391469534-jpg/" border="0" itemprop="url"> <meta itemprop="width" content="496"> <meta itemprop="height" content="496"> <img class="" data-attachment-id="1903" data-orig-file="https://www.curiouswriter.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/wp-1471391469534.jpg" data-orig-size="1200,1200" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0"}" data-image-title="black sand beach cali road trip" data-image-description="" data-medium-file="https://i0.wp.com/www.curiouswriter.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/wp-1471391469534.jpg?fit=640%2C640&ssl=1" data-large-file="https://i0.wp.com/www.curiouswriter.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/wp-1471391469534.jpg?fit=1024%2C1024&ssl=1" src="https://i0.wp.com/www.curiouswriter.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/wp-1471391469534.jpg?w=496&h=496&crop=1&ssl=1" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/www.curiouswriter.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/wp-1471391469534.jpg?w=1200&ssl=1 1200w, https://i0.wp.com/www.curiouswriter.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/wp-1471391469534.jpg?resize=150%2C150&ssl=1 150w, https://i0.wp.com/www.curiouswriter.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/wp-1471391469534.jpg?resize=640%2C640&ssl=1 640w, https://i0.wp.com/www.curiouswriter.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/wp-1471391469534.jpg?resize=768%2C768&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/www.curiouswriter.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/wp-1471391469534.jpg?resize=1024%2C1024&ssl=1 1024w" width="496" height="496" loading="lazy" data-original-width="496" data-original-height="496" itemprop="http://schema.org/image" title="black sand beach cali road trip" alt="black sand beach cali road trip" style="width: 496px; height: 496px;" /> </a> </div> </div> <!-- close group --> </div> <!-- close row --> </div>   See more photos from the trip here. Or Check out my Instagram to see more photos

Tech obsessed professional dog-petter with a camera and a website or two. Sometimes wine's involved, usually Starbucks.

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