Celebrate the New Year: OR to MT

12/7/2018

Getting There

For this trip I ended up booking us on all one way flights. It was much less expensive to do it that way and I was able to get better flight times. We flew from Tampa (TPA) to Portland (PDX) to Bozeman (BZN) and then back to Tampa (TPA). We rented a car right from the airport since there wasn’t much of a price difference and started our trek towards Astoria, which is about two hours from Portland. I was told by the rental company that there are no tolls in Portland and after this trip I can say I never encountered one. We also rented a car in Bozeman so we could drive into the park. I would recommend getting an SUV or something equivalent since the weather in the park varies a lot.

Astoria, Oregon

Where To Stay

Airbnb: Shipping Container

We stayed in this super cute shipping container home. I have been contemplating building one of these or possibly a tiny house and this little gem seemed like the perfect place to see if I would actually like it. I was a little skeptical when I found this on Airbnb since it was listed as having a sleeper sofa but I am so glad I booked this. The bed was SO comfortable; even better than the one I have at home! Michelle was an amazing host and met us when we arrived to give us a quick tour. The container itself used to be a coffee shop but was retrofitted to be a single family home. The place was super cute and so functional. We enjoyed every minute we spent here! It was stocked with all the necessitates including coffee and a k-cup machine. We will absolutely return back to this wonderful place!

Places To Eat

Astoria Coffee House!
Bouy Brewery!
Fultanos Pizza!

Things To Do

Columbia River Maritime Museum: Learn about the "Graveyard of the Pacific" as well as weather, local fishing and coast guard history. Since the Columbia River bar is always changing and the weather is so unpredictable over 2000 ships have sunk in the area since 1792. To this day crossing the bar is extremely dangerous and often requires an experienced "bar pilot" to navigate shipping barges through the area. You can also explore The Columbia, a ship that was used as a floating lighthouse. This has since been replaced by a floating structure that no longer needs a crew to man it. Tom and I really enjoyed this museum and learned a lot! If you are active military this museum will give you free admission (which is beyond awesome) so be sure to show your ID.

Maritime Museum

Astoria Column: Head up to the top of the column if you happen to get a break from the clouds and rain. This park is one of the most visited in all of Oregon and it is no wonder why. You can climb the 164 steps to the top of the column that is situated up on the hill to get a breathtaking 360 view of the area. It costs $5.00 for a pass to park at the top of the hill, which is good for the entire year. It can be very windy at the top of the column so be sure to bring a jacket to keep warm.

The Column

Downtown Shopping: Spend a little time walking around and exploring some of the antique and vintage shops downtown. Be on the lookout for some furry friends since deer tend to be everywhere... even downtown near where we went shopping. There are some pretty unique little places in town like Vintage Hardware. Be sure to stop by this store and play the world's largest game of Operation.

The Wreck of the Peter Iredale: Stop by Fort Stevens State Park to take a stroll along the beach and check out the remains of a 1906 shipwreck. Be careful walking close to the wreck as waves can be unpredictable and you may end up a little more wet than you anticipated.

Lewis and Clark National Historic Park: This park is just a quick drive from the Peter Iredale wreck. Unfortunately when we were here there was a government shut down so we were unable to go inside the visitor center. We still found a neat trail by the park entrance and were able to go for a short hike n the woods. It was really neat to follow some of the same trails that Lewis and Clark did. As a quick note the area was a little muddy so make sure you bring your hiking shoes. Let your adventurous side shine at this fun little park.

Portland, Oregon

Where To Stay

We stayed in a cute and very eco-friendly detached bungalow in the city. We loved the electric fire place and cozy bedroom. The area was close to food and had easy access to the highway so you can explore the surrounding parks, scenic drives and waterfalls.

Airbnb: City Bungalow

Places To Eat

Portland has so many places to eat. Wherever you end up staying there will be some unique places to try. Below are a couple recommendations but I would honestly just walk around until you find something funky to try. That being said Voodoo donuts is a “must do” in Portland. Everyone will ask you if you have been here when you tell them you have visited the area. So I would stop by and try a couple donuts. I liked it because they had vegan options and Tom liked it because they put bacon strips on a maple eclair donut.

The Magnolia Wine and Beer Bar
Killer Burgerz
Voodoo Donuts
Rocking Frog Cafe
Mio Sushi
See See Motor Company Coffee
Sweet Basil Thai Cuisine

Things To Do

Unfortunately, I came down with a really bad flu like illness about five hours into landing in Portland so I spent most of my time sleeping in the Airbnb. However, here is a list of what we had planned on doing in the area based on local recommendations as well as a few things we did manage to get to. There is a lot to do around Portland and many people recommend not having any plans so you can sort of just go with what’s happening at the moment.

Troll Bridge
Downtown Shopping
Bagby Hot Springs
Mt. Hood
Hiking
Multnomah Waterfall
Columbia River Scenic Highway

Yellowstone National Park, Montana

Where To Stay

I HIGHLY recommend Heidis awesome cabin retreat! The views are unbelievable and it was awesome eating breakfast watching elk, pronghorn and deer roam around in the front of the house. The cabin is made out of reclaimed barn and has amazing antiques and thoughtful touches including cooking supplies.

Airbnb: Cabin Retreat

Places To Eat

There are very limited restaurants in this area but below are a few recommendations. We ended up cooking at home most of the time. You can grab some bison burgers in town and throw them on the grill. Yummy!!

Wild Flower Bakery
Follow Yer Nose BBQ
Old Saloon
Yellowstone Pizza
KBar

Things To Do

Drive Yellowstone National Park: This is by far one of my favorite parks, which is why I constantly go back and write about it. I recommend driving as far as you can into the Lamar Valley and then working your way back. You never know what you are going to see so make sure those cameras are ready. There are a lot of scenic pullouts to stop at. Please use these since it can be unsafe to stop in the middle of the road.

Hot Potting: This was by far one of the "gems" of this trip. It is a quick hike down from the parking area to the area where you can soak in a natural hot spring. It is really important that you DO NOT get into the boiling river. You should only swim in the areas where the boiling river is mixing with the Gardner river. This is what helps to keep the temperature from scalding the swimmer. That being said there have been unpredictable temperature swings due to hydrological changes near the river which can cause scalding injuries. Be sure to check that the water temperature feels ok before jumping in. Be sure to check for animals along the trail down to the swimming area. We had a couple close encounters with elk and bison.

Hiking: One of the amazing things about Yellowstone is how easy it is to find hiking trails along the main road. You can drive around until you find something that looks appealing, park the car and head off on a winter wonderland adventure.

Bozeman, Montana

Where To Stay

Our downtown apartment was just perfect for what we needed. It was two streets over from main street so we could easily walk to restaurants and shopping. It was super cozy and we were lucky enough to get it really discounted due to the season and some construction that was going on down the street. The area was also super close to the Gallatin National Forest, which made getting to hiking spots super easy.

Airbnb: Main Street Apartment

Places To Eat

Mackenzie River Pizza
Jam on Main
Backcountry Burger Bar
Nova Café
Starkeys

Things To Do

Museum of the Rockies: Tom and I love dinosaurs and outer space so we had to stop by the Museum of the Rockies. We checked out one of the featured films in the planetarium (which is included with admission) before starting our adventure through the museum. This place had so many amazing dinosaur finds and information. They did a fantastic job blending molds with real artifacts to create full sized dinosaurs.

Hiking to Palisades Falls: This hike was totally worth the terrifying drive to get there. This is were you will definitely want an SUV, preferably with 4WD. We did make it in our little car but there were some touch and go moments. The hike itself is tucked away in the National Forest. The frozen waterfall sits around 7200 feet of elevation and is completely mesmerizing.

Main Street Shopping: The downtown area of Bozeman is so cute and has some pretty awesome shops. I was really happy to find Revolvr, an all mens store. While Tom was looking around at some funky socks we were offered some craft beer to enjoy in the store. Just saying beer plus socks equals shopping perfection!

Missouri Headwaters State Park: Our last day in Bozeman we had an afternoon flight so I tried to find a quick hike that was close to the airport. Missouri did not disappoint. We had the entire park to ourselves and found the views to be worth the quick little hike.

Packing List

Reusable water bottle
Tiny troll
Winter boots
Booties
Ankle socks x 2
Sock liners x 2
Winter socks x 2
Fleece
Nano puff jacket
Vest
Gloves
Beanie
Buff and/or Scarf
Sunglasses
Chapstick
Ski pants
Baselayer, Upper
Baselayer, Lower
Jeans
Leggings
Shirts
T-shirt and shorts (sleeping)
Camera, charger and SD cards
Phone and charger
Laundry pods x 2-3
Toiletries
Straightener and/or Blowdryer
Medication and First Aid Kit

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"When you come to a
fork in the road, take it."
-Yogi Berra