I'm fortunate in my life to have a wonderful partner, Kevin. He and I love to go places. We have an uncanny ability to find joy and adventure in our travels whether it be a Sunday afternoon drive along the backroads near our Oregon home or a full-fledged vacation to a new locale.

Recently, we spent a few days traveling in and around a place neither of us had previously been: Long Beach, Washington. It was three days of sunshine, great food, beautiful scenery and a little bit of photography.

Map of our tripHere's a little map snippet of the area where the pictures you'll see were made. That little peninsula that includes Long Beach is beautiful and fraying, all at the same time.
We set out from our house and drove first to Astoria, Oregon. It was such a beautiful afternoon that we decided to make a stop at Astoria Column to take in the views. Yeah, this is actually what it looks like. Oregon is basically Middle Earth.

Astoria-Megler BridgeThe Astoria-Megler Bridge, as seen from the overlook at Astoria Column. (iPhone shot)

When I was in the eight grade, our class visited this spot.  As I recall we climbed to the top. We skipped that part this time because it was 90 degrees out, which means it was probably 120 degrees inside that thing. Also, it wasn't fitting in with our desire to be lazy-ish.  So we stood back and admired it. And wondered allowed why John Jacob Astor got to have a giant cigar named after him.

Astoria Column(iPhone shot)

Basically, this entire drive is a location scout's dream.  Which makes sense, since Hollywood makes movies in Astoria.

Young's River viewAnother Middle-Earth-like view, this one of Young's River (at least I think that's what this is-iPhone shot)

By the time we had dinner and rolled into Long Beach, the sky was preparing a pretty spectacular show. 

Sunset at Long Beach, WashingtonSunset at Long Beach, shot on iPhone

Nothing could really top that fantastic sky, so we drove back to our room and called it a night.  Day Two was too jam packed to stuff it into this post. But get ready, because we saw ALL THE THINGS. Also, I actually managed to take some photos on my Canon, not just iPhone.