Day 6: Forks, WA and Astoria, Cannon Beach & Lincoln City, Oregon

Every morning we leave our hotel, Klay starts off the trip with a beautiful serenade of "On the road again..." which reminds me much of Donkey in "Shrek"--if that tells you anything. And yes, I still love him!


We had an exciting day ahead, going to Forks, Washington (even though Klay might not admit it, he seemed excited
for it too). My dreams of seeing Edward chase after me in the Olympic National Forest were on the verge of coming true...except that was only my imagination, and the closest I'd get to Edward would be a cardboard version of that glittering beauty! Klay wanted to see Alice--he loves Ashley Greene; so I guess we were both ready to go after our dream vamps.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0fPcNXx1f0k&hl=en_US&feature=player_embedded&version=3]

We drove (well, he drove) in rainy weather (perfect, it's Forks, right?) and I anxiously awaited getting to Forks and seeing those signs I've seen so many times in the movies. It was fun and Klay was a trooper--telling me to take all the time I wanted--and he was excited to see "Tru Blood" stuff in the stores (we both love that show) and really enjoyed himself too. It was a fun morning.



Because it was Easter today, some of the Twilight stores were closed. But we went to Dazzled by Twilight in Forks and the owner really put some effort into the place. Fake trees were in the store everywhere with red ribbon flowing through them. The store has grass turf floors, the Cullens' school lockers, wedding invites, diplomas, maps, gazebo--this store had everything! It was pretty awesome and intense.



After our Twilight adventure and after Klay helped Bella out with that dent in her truck, we headed south down hwy 101, jamming to none other than the Twilight soundtrack. We saw our first beach on the trip (Ruby Beach). It was gorgeous.



We continued on into Oregon (and I started driving right before the border) through Astoria where another favorite movie of mine, "The Goonies," took place and was filmed. I wished we would have stopped in there because I wanted to find a shirt that said "Goonies Never Say Die" with Astoria, OR on it (I know I'm a nerd). But we drove and hit Cannon Beach when I realized and shouted "Those are the rocks on the beach from 'The Goonies' movie!" So I, of course, pulled off and we stopped to take pictures and enjoy the beach for a bit.

We took the dogs out on the beach with us (they were beach virgins), and they loved it! We cracked up at them enjoying the sun (the only sunny spot today), the wind and the smell of the salty Pacific Ocean. The dogs ended up taking us on a quick jog because they were pulling us down the beach! We didn't want to leave the place. But our destination was planned for Lincoln City and we're here and made it safe and sound! And we have a room with an ocean view!

Klay and I stopped to get gas in Tillamook (whose mascot is the cheesemakers; that's where the Tillamook cheese comes from) and thankfully we knew about a quirky law of theirs due to  a Travel Oregon magazine. Here are a couple of funfacts:

• Oregon has no sales tax (like Anchorage)


• All Oregon gas stations are required to pump their gas for you


• Oregon's population is 3.7 million with half living in Portland Metro area


• Oregon is the tenth-largest state, covering 97,073 miles


• The highest elevation point is Mt. Hood at 11,245 feet, and the lowest is at sea level


• Oregon contains more than 5,900 registered campsites along with 230 state parks and 13 national forests


• There are more than 6,000 lakes and 112,000 miles of rivers and streams


• There are 16 known hot springs in Oregon


• There are nearly 800 vineyards in Oregon, planted on about 17,400 acres

Yes, a guy came out at the gas station and pumped our gas for us. He said Oregon and New Jersey were the only two states that did that (not sure how accurate that is).

So far Oregon is a gorgeous place. It's so green right now and we're loving it. Can't wait for tomorrow, lots more exciting things on the way!

Remember to check back for updates "From the road..."

Astoria on Dwellable