Barking Embarkers

It’s story time! For those who are new here, I have kept a record of Chloe’s and my adventures during our travels! I write and publish these about a year after they happen, for various reasons, but mostly per my grandma’s advice. And I don’t know about you, but you ALWAYS listen to your Grandma’s advice- they know. Here we Go! Brace yourselves, it’s time for an enticing, incredible, thrilling and heart wrenching: A Tail of Chloe Rue (I know its tale, I just can’t help it).

Today’s tale takes place in early December of 2019, when my best friend in the entire world came to visit me in Portland! I had devised an incredible four day dog friendly adventure to cover as much of beautiful Oregon and Washington as we could! Chloe was still recovering from her surgery and wore a cute little tank top for most of the adventure to protect her wound! I used some judgement calls this time around, to balance between time resting and time adventuring. There were a few dog friendly things planned (like the ski lift up Mt. Rainier) that I decided to be human-only just so Chloe could rest. Despite this, Chloe, Kayla and I had an incredible time!

Seattle

The mad-dash to pick up Kayla from the airport in Seattle began after a hectic work day. Naturally, I managed to lose the keys to my truck somewhere between my return to the camper, and the time I had to leave for Seattle. I always keep a spare tucked under my truck in a protective case. I made my way to Seattle using the spare about 30 minutes behind schedule. Fun fact: To this day I never have found my truck keys! My spare is one of those “my keys” for kids, and I have forevermore been stuck at 80 miles per hour or slower. *sigh*

Mount Rainier Trolley

After meeting up with Kayla and grabbing some dinner, we stayed with her family who lives outside of the city! Chloe had a blast, playing with their dogs and their kids! The next day we ventured to the Public Market, in Seattle. We arrived before they opened and gathered up the infamous Starbucks. The Public Market fish is the funnest thing to watch, and we had a blast gathering unfamiliar produce to eat on the road!

Did you know I’m really bad at planning things but I have OH so much fun trying?? I had planned to see both Mt. Rainier and Mt. Saint Helen’s on this trip and knew the gondola ride up Mt. Rainer was iconic! I did not realize it was an extra hour out of the way though, and resulted in us having to miss out on the lava tunes at Mt Saint Helen’s! The snow was beautiful and the Gondola Ride with some lunch on top of Mt. Rainier was definitely a win!

The Oregon Coast

We arrived back to the camper late after enjoying the scenic beauty of Mt Rainier and Portland in the evening, and turned on The Goonies to prep for our next day adventure. The next day was one of my favorite parts of Oregon: the Oregon Coast! We woke up at Sunrise and made our way through the beautiful Tillamook National Forest where there are waterfalls and rivers galore! We arrived to the Tillamook Cheese Factory when it opened. Chloe hates mornings and was still asleep; so we let her rest in the truck while Kayla and I enjoyed a completely empty, line-free cheese factory! Tillamook is such a trademark of Oregon and the way they support local farmers is so awesome. As I grew up on a small farm, the Tillamook method is definitely one that I support. Not to mention that icecream is unlike any other icecream in existence.

Kayla, Chloe and I continued our way up highway 101, checking out out the birds, lighthouses and paved walkways along Cape Meres, finding the secret passage to Lost Boy Beach in Oceanside, enjoying lunchtime at Cannon Beach, checking out the end of the Lewis and Clark trail in Seaside and finally making it to my favorite Bridge in Astoria!

The Goonies!!!! Who knew. I mean seriously!! The Goonies is such an iconic adventure film! And can you believe I had only seen part of it, one time SUUUPER late at night at a friend’s house?? So Kayla, being my best friend, put the Goonies right in front of me and then took me to the place where it was filmed: Astoria Oregon. The Goonies Museum was such an awesome adventure, where we made a ridiculous movie, escaped from a jail cell and saw many of the Goonies memorabilia. Unfortunately it’s not dog friendly on the inside, but the grounds are!

Columbia River Gorge

The Columbia River Gorge is truly the most infamously beautiful area in Oregon. I’m sure you’ve seen photos of it- if you’ve ever watched Twilight or even wandered around the Minneapolis Airport, these incredible photos do their best to capture the mind boggling views the Gorge has to offer. Despite driving through five times in the last 8 years; I see new views every time! Though my favorite hike (Oneonta Gorge) was closed after a wildfire, I have found plenty of new scenes to savor.

The best way to avoid crowds is to catch a sunrise at Vista Point. That is exactly what Kayla, Chloe and I did too, and it was the best plan! We savored the famous waterfalls including Latorell Falls and Multnomah falls. Then we found ourselves doing a hike out to Wahclella falls, where Kayla enjoyed walking with Chloe, allowing me to have some time behind the camera.

We continued our way across The Bridge of the Gods toward Washington, to a tiny little town that had the very food truck we were searching for: burritos. The best burrito I’ve ever consumed was below the London Eye with this same best friend Kayla, and now it’s become somewhat of a tradition to enjoy a burrito on an adventure with a view.

The Washington side of the Columbia River Gorge is rather underrated. With incredible views of Mount Hood, and stunning rocks just made for climbing, we continued our adventure back toward Portland.

Portland Oregon at its Finest

Kayla and I ended our adventure at my favorite Oregon based restaurant chain: McMinnamins. Seriously, there is nothing quite like the ketchup from McMinnamins! Portland is also host to the wonderful Voodo Donuts, Powells Books, and the Hipster vs Homeless game. My favorite thing about the town though is how open minded every person is.

It was with a stunning view of Mt Hood, Mt Saint Helen’s and Mt Rainier that we ended our 4 day Oregon adventure. I brought Kayla to the airport with our hearts full of wonder at the beauty that is the pacific north west (and my speedometer staying stubbornly under 80 mph). From the hustle of Seattle, the volcanic mountains covered in snow, the iconic Oregon beaches to the beautiful Columbia River Gorge, we parted ways with my Midwestern friend, while Chloe and I continued to explore Portland Oregon for the next few months, before the pandemic changed all of our lives.

Stay tuned for more adventure stories following the travels of Chloe and I in two weeks and more tips and doggone tricks next week! What would you show to your best friend if you had 4 days to explore your favorite place in the world? Where would you bring your adventure dog in Oregon? Thanks so much for reading! In the meantime, happy trails and happy tails to you all.

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