Any suggestions for what to do in northwestern Oregon in August?

Drive a few miles south to see a total eclipse of the sun on August 21.
http://xjubier.free.fr/en/site_pages/solar_eclipses/TSE_2017_GoogleMapFull.html

There’s an Irish pub in Cannon Beach that has live music some nights and decent burgers. It’s called Bill’s Tavern and Brewhouse. There also was a great farm market just outside of town with a few terrific food trucks when we were there. I believe there’s a small live theater in town as well.

No need to go to the Tillamook Cheese Factory. It was a bust and very crowded.

Nehalem Bay and Ecola State Parks had nice day hikes.

That’s not a lot of time but I’d spend only a bit of time in Portland and rush to the coast and spend most of the time going to beaches and hiking. The coast is full of great beaches and woods.

If you can make it over to the Columbia River Gorge, it’s amazing and one of my favorite places. My family is mostly situated around Portland and I make the trip every time I can.

If you can get there early in the day and get up to somewhere with a view (I get the trail names mixed up, but Devil’s Rest I believe will work) then watch the clouds roll into the valley, it’s worthwhile.

There’s also Multnomah Falls which has a trail to the top, and a very cool building with a restaurant in it at the bottom. There are probably a dozen falls within a couple miles of here and it’s a beautiful drive.

Vista House is worthwhile as well, but it’s more like 10 minutes unless you want to just hang out and observe. I like sitting there, but wouldn’t even stop if it wasn’t nice out. I’ve been there in the rain and it’s just a small building filled with tourists (not badmouthing, just crowded) at that point. I’d rather climb something, you may too.

Anyway, there’s tons of guides on the internet and it’s only an hour or so outside Portland. I’d highly recommend it.

Thanks for your suggestions!
@Rarebear Your link is a great resource! I find it hard to move the map around, however. How can I do that without triggering the zoom-in?
The hikes sound great. Are there historical places you would recommend?
(And, yes, I know that there are places like TripAdvisor where I can look for suggestions, but I was specifically wondering what my fellow jellies would recommend.)

@2davidc8 You want the zoom in to find out exactly where to go. There are other resources
http://www.eclipse2017.org/

@Rarebear Yes, but when zoom in, the area that I’m looking tends to go off the screen and then I can’t get back. I can’t move the map like I can in Google maps.

@2davidc8 Don’t zoom in with your keyboard. Zoom in and out with the +/- buttons on the left side.

@Rarebear I did that, but the area of interest still moves off to the right.

Then move and drag the map to where you want with your mouse by left clicking, holding down the button, and dragging.

The Grotto in Portland is beautiful.
@funkdaddy is right about driving the Columbia River and waterfall hopping.
The beach is spectacular to behold. Not a swimming beach but it’s powerful and awe inspiring. Even in August take a windbreaker.

@Rarebear That doesn’t work for me. The first thing that happens is that it zooms in some more, even if I hold the mouse button down. It must be my browser (IE). I’ll try a different browser.

The Grotto reminds me about the Japanese Gardens as well. Really beautiful and basically right in Portland.

Some photos from the gorge one time we caught the clouds rolling in. The photos don’t really capture it totally, winds are about 35mph, so it all moves pretty quickly.

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@funkdaddy , We live in the mountains of Southern Oregon and we can see clouds spilling in from California like that from my living room window. It’s breathtaking! Thanks for the pics. Oregon has to be one of the most beautiful states!

@2davidc8 Not sure what to tell you. There are other sites to explore and find out where the eclipse is going exactly. If you let me know where you are thinking I can tell you where to go from there.

@Rarebear We’re thinking of staying at Cannon Beach for a few days. We may have to readjust our timing in order to take in the solar eclipse. And we’ve heard that the coast may not be good for this, due to the possibility of fog. Would driving inland from Cannon Beach be a good idea? I’m OK driving 2 hours or so to get to a favorable viewing area, but I’m concerned that any such place would be crowded and the traffic getting there at that time might be a nightmare. If you or any other jelly knows this area well and can provide suggestions, that would be great!

In Portland, take in a microbrew pub. It is very common now, but it started on the West Coast. Also, one of my favorite stops in Portland is Powell’s books, a great bookstore.

If your time allows it, a trip to the mouth of the Columbia River and Astoria is well worth it.

As are a visit to Mt Hood and the very fertile Willamette Valley, where you can pick up delicious produce in August.

Canon Beach will be crowded in August (not like a shore town on the East Coast, but crowded). You might just wander down the coast to find emptier beaches.

^^ I was there in July. The town was busy but the beach wasn’t crowded at all.