One of my favorite towns along the Oregon coast is Newport. The establishment of a post office in 1868 is where this little town has its genesis. Not only is it a charming stop along the Pacific Coast Highway, the Dungeness Crab Capital of the world also boasts the beautiful Yaquina Head lighthouse, the Oregon Coast Aquarium, and Nye beach.

We got an early start because we had a lot of miles to travel to Eureka. After making a stop at Highway 101 Harley-Davidson in Coos Bay, we opted to take a side trip over Grants Pass, which I’m glad we did. It was some incredible canyon riding that added nicely to the scenic trip down the coast.. I’ve come to really enjoy riding through pastoral landscapes, and Oregon didn’t disappoint at all. What’s more, the mountain passes are beautiful and there’s nothing like leaning into the turns on a windy canyon road to get your blood pumping. The ride down the canyon into Crescent City, California was particularly fun.

Leaving Crescent City, our destination was Eureka and the California Redwoods. I’ve never seen trees so huge and was impressed with how dark it was whenever we entered a section of highway riding through them. We had to stop for a few quick photos to remind us of how insignificant we really are. (that little spec at the base of the Big Tree is all 6’1″ of yours truly).

We hit Eureka and our campground just before dark with ominous clouds rolling in, but didn’t get a drop of rain that night. I can’t remember the last time I slept so comfortably on the ground—but climbing into my sleeping bag has never felt so good.