Our month of exploring Hollywood North, aka Vancouver, Canada, went by fast. Although it included lots of fun and adventures, another road trip with my dog, Berlin, was just what we needed, especially since this one was bringing us back home to Los Angeles.

Before I dig into the where and what, I want to be totally honest with you…I ate whatever I wanted while I was away from home.

This meant the entire time I was in Canada and during both long distance road trips. I mean, I didn’t go totally crazy (there was no cake for dinner..but obviously plenty for dessert as well as pancakes for breakfast—Canadian maple syrup, Mmmm!).

After all, for the first and possibly only time, I was living in another city in a different country and

I wanted to see, well more like eat, what it had to offer.

We were going to enjoy the sights on our way down and a little government shutdown couldn’t stop us. It would mean we might need to find our own bathrooms though!

✅ Fort Clatsop Visitor Center
92345 Fort Clatsop Rd, Astoria, OR 97103
This is a beautiful and serene area that for the most part has boardwalks and flat dirt paths. We practically had the entire place to ourselves (due to the shutdown?).

✅ Lewis and Clark National Historical Park
92343 Fort Clatsop Rd, Astoria, OR 97103
Connected to Fort Clatsop so we got to walk around for a bit before hitting the road.

✖️ Buddha Kat Tasting Room
37 N Edgewood St, Seaside, OR 97138

✖️ Cannon Beach Hardware Store Restaurant
1235 S Hemlock St, Cannon Beach, OR 97110
We loved driving through this cute town and really wish we would have stopped here.

✅ Neah-Kah-Nie Mountain Trail
Nehalem, OR 97131
We took a different approach and stopped fairly early on to enjoy a hike, aka poop Berlin out so she’d nap in the car. Getting to the top and back in a relaxed fashion took about two hours but was well worth it. Caution: It is very narrow at the lookout point!

THIS TRAIL DEFINITELY HELPED EXHAUST BERLIN FOR THE CAR RIDE!

✖️ The Winery at Manzanita
253 Laneda Ave, Manzanita, OR 97130
I love Pacific Northwest wines, specifically Pinots so I wish we could have been able to stop at some of the wineries.

✖️ Nehalem Bay Winery
34965 OR-53, Nehalem, OR 97131

✖️ Tillamook Creamery
4165 N Hwy 101, Tillamook, OR 97141
We’ve been here on a previous trip and it is NOT dog friendly, but if you want to take turns running in for some cheese and ice cream with your travel buddies I highly recommend it!

✖️ Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area
Coordinates to Access Point: 43.749250,-124.177944
It was dark by the time we were in the area. The access point to get here is BEFORE Reedsport and we didn’t want to backtrack the next day.

🛏️ Best Western Salbasgeon Inn and Suites of Reedsport
1400 US-101, Reedsport, OR 97467
Amusingly we were so worried about where we were as we approached this town. Even half a mile away, all we saw was pitch black. Not one light or signs of civilization. The roads were winding and it wasn’t easy to tell from our map app that we were driving through a heavily wooded state park. We were so relieved when this very small town popped up. The room itself was ok, nice enough to rest our weary heads after walking Berlin and eating dinner.

🍴 Harbor Light Restaurant
930 US-101, Reedsport, OR 97467
Ok, this is a very small town with very few restaurant options. However, despite looking like an unassuming diner, the food was utterly fantastic and the wine perfection. Naturally we couldn’t then pass on dessert, which was also remarkable. This restaurant could stand up in a big city!

As luck would have it, a dear friend of mine lives slightly north of Eureka and she was returning from a trip to Europe on this very day. In hopes her flight would arrive on time, we backtracked slightly and enjoyed Hammond Trail while waiting for her to get home from the airport. To our delight, everything worked out! Berlin got a nice morning walk and I got to catch up with my friend. Hazahh!

That being said, if you are interested in Hammond Trail, I suggest enjoying it BEFORE you get to Eureka.

✅ Hammond Trail
Kelly Ave & Murray Road, McKinleyville, CA 95519
Well maintained trail with views of Mad River

✖️ Centerville Beach County Park
Centerville Rd, Ferndale, CA 95536

✅ Avenue of the Giants North Entrance
Jordan Rd, Scotia, CA 95565
This is a 30 mile stretch of jaw dropping views. Just off the main highway, we brought a picnic lunch and sat under the canopy of these awe inspiring giants. To be honest, I think they made Berlin kind of nervous. This ‘short’ detour, no pun intended, ended up being 2+ hours (of mostly driving…very, very slowly so we could take it all in), and was worth every minute.

LEAVE PLENTY OF TIME TO EXPLORE THIS MAJESTIC AREA ON YOUR ROAD TRIP WITH YOUR DOG

✖️ Noyo Beach Off Leash Dog Area
Fort Bragg, CA 95437

✖️ Low Gap Dog Park
1167 Low Gap Rd, Ukiah, CA 95482

✖️ Cow Mountain
California 95482

🛏️ Travelodge by Wyndham Presidio San Francisco
2755 Lombard St, San Francisco, CA 94123
You can’t beat the location of this hotel, especially if you luck out and get one of their parking spots. We were able to walk to Crissy Field, Palace of Fine Arts, and through the Presidio. A little bit of drizzle wasn’t going to stop us!

🍴 Pizzeria Avellino
2769 Lombard St, San Francisco, CA 94123
After a long day in the car and a walk to Crissy Field, a large piece of pizza pie and some leftover Humboldt pie was just what the doctor ordered.