Day 1 – Vancouver to Oregon
We didn’t rush in the morning and left Vancouver at 10 am and headed to the border (Nexus rocks!) and off down the i5. We decided to pull off the highway into Everett to grab a coffee and some local baking – avoid the interstate Starbucks. Everett – perhaps the Nanaimo of Washington State?
We hit the i5 again and made it through Seattle and Tacoma. Lots of traffic at times. We crossed the mighty Columbia River into Oregon and the highway cleared up. We stopped south of Portland for supplies at Trader Joe’s and REI before heading to the wonderful Stickman Brewing. Great beer (sour and a guava gose) – interesting place that has axe throwing! Plus great pizza.
We drove west into wine country passing through some nice small towns and beautiful countryside. We made a plan to come back to sample the pinot noir.
We the climbed up into the forested hills to our campground – Alder Glen. Luckily the reservation system is great and our nice spot near the river was waiting.
Day 2 – South along the Oregon Coast
We headed to the coast at Tilamook (home of the famous creamery – already busy at 10 am) and briefly drove north around Tilamook Bay. We than u-turned south and headed around the Cape Mears Scenic Loop. We stopped at Cape Mears Lighthouse – smallest lighthouse but with the largest Stika Spruce in Oregon.
We stopped at Cape Lookout State Park and did the Cape Lookout Trail to the headland – an easy 8 km round trip. We were a bit disappointed at the end because the viewing area was really small and no space for our planned picnic. Great views south down the coast.
Afterward we headed south to the 101 to our campsite at Jessie M Honeyman State Park near the Oregon Dunes National Recreation area. We stopped for a nice Tilamook Creamery ice cream in Pacific City on the way. It’s very windy on the coast – the forests along the road are like Krumholtz in the Alpine – shaped by the elements.
Day 3 – run of the beach
We did our first run on the amazing beach – starting at the Siltcoos Beach access we ran to the mouth of the Siltcoos river and then turned north and did a few kms in the area where OHVs are allowed (quiet in the early morning though). Amazing running – only saw a few people, miles of glorious sand, crashing waves, and dunes.
After cleaning up we went into Florence in the afternoon. The old town by the river is great with nice cafes, ice cream, and the cool Homegrown brewery. We had a ice cream and a few beers before getting supplies for bbq dinner.
Day 4 – run on the beach again
We went to the north of the campground to the South Jetty access – a much longer stretch of beach with no OHV and no river to cross. Andy made it to the far northern point where the Suislaw River is protected from the shifting sand dunes by a rock berm. An amazing 14 km out-and-back run seeing only 3 people. Much cooler in the morning with the fog rolled in – great running weather.
In the afternoon we went south down to check out Winchester Bay and Two Shy Brewing in Roseburg. A little depressed in these towns with mostly boarded up shops in Roseburg old town and the brewery tap room not open.
We went for a short walk on the dune access trails from the campsite. We could see the OHVs ripping around in their access area. The lake and giant dune is where all the campers go with their kids. Even some sand boarding down the massive dune.
Day 5 – run on the beach again! Plus heading into Eugene!
We did a short 30 mins on the beach and then broke camp to head up to Eugene. A nice drive up the Suislaw river from Florence. We stopped at Silvan Ridge winery to taste some famous Willamette valley Pinot noir. Then we headed to Eugene for lunch and to Armitage Park campground – about 12 km from downtown Eugene.
Day 6 – World Champs day
We started the morning with a run along the river pathway from the northern end. Great urban infrastructure that reminds us of Calgary’s Bow and Elbow paths.
We cycled into Eugene early afternoon to figure out the access, bike valet, and merch options. Brooks were set up giving our free donuts and Des Linden cold brew coffee. ASICS had taken over the local ice cream shop giving out ice cream ?
We entered as the afternoon session opened. Amazing stadium. Great to have all the free water stations set up and no plastic bottled water for sale.
Event highlights on our first day we’re the 200 m men and women finals – Lyles and Jackson. Happy to see Dina Asher Smith take a bronze.
We finished with drinks and food at Agate Alley cafe where Karen and Peter were hanging out with the New Balance team.
Day 7 – World Champs
We started the morning with a run along the river pathway!
We cycled along the river pathway to the Brooks event at the Oakshire Brewery pub. Free snacks and sunglasses, plus a beer token for the pub (great place with a massive covered patio). Like Eugene cycling pros we headed to the bike valet and went inside. Great seats today.
Event highlights were the men and women 400 m finals and the amazing world record obliteration by Sydney McLaughlin in the 400 hurdles. We had great seats at the 300 m point.
Afterwards we went for a pint and burger at Ninkasi Brewing – huge and impressive tap room / restaurant with a great patio.
Day 8 – World Champs
We did a shorter 30 min run on the river before heading into Eugene in the early afternoon. We went to Wandering Goat coffee for an iced latte and Noisette Pastry for a treat.
Events were a day of mixed emotions. It was terrible to see Damien Warner pull up in the 400 m (hamstring) while leading, and also the GB 100 m relay women pull up (Dina Asher Smith – hamstring). Marco Arop ran a brave race in the 800 m and got a bronze – slightly disappointed for him. But the final event was a stunning upset by Canada beating the USA in the 4 x 100 m mens relay final. Yes! We had great seats to see Andre Degrasse bring it home in a national record.
Day 9 – World Champs
No running on the final day – instead we got up at 6 am and rode to Autzen stadium to watch Evan Dunfee race in the 35 km race walk. Great race for a 6th place finish. We went to the veggie morning glory cafe for a great brunch.
We rode back to the campsite and then later into Eugene along the river pathway and went to Hop Valley Brewing for afternoon beer and a snack. Great beer, patio, and a salad!
Event highlights was the 100 m women’s hurdles world record in the heats. The men’s 5000 m final with Ingerbrigtsen winning gold. The duel between Mu and Hodgkinson in the women’s 800 m final was epic – Keely just missing gold. Pierce Lepage had a storming morning in the decathlon (3 consecutive PBs) and was in first place with two events to go. After the javelin and 1500 m he secured an amazing silver. Final highlight was the seats were perfect for the men’s pole vault – where we saw Mondo Duplantis break the world record.
The following day we took a slow drive home stopping a few times for shopping at REI!
Check out a few more photos on Google Photos!
