Pig N Pancake

 

Pig N Pancake is a restaurant that specializes in breakfast and brunch menu items.  There are many locations throughout the cities along the Oregon coast.  It usually opens at 7AM in the morning and closes a 3PM in the afternoon.  The restaurant often has a gift shop at the entrance selling Oregon coast related souvenirs.

On the second day where we were at Cannon Beach, we decided to go for brunch and went to Pig N Pancake location at Cannon Beach.  The parking lot was small but not many cars were there and there were plenty of street parking spaces available.  As we entered the restaurant, there were only 2 servers handling all the guests and we had to wait for a bit to get our takeout order placed.

We ordered a Sausage Omelet, a Western Omelet, and a Strawberry Crepe.  The food was ready rather quickly and they gave us a huge cup filled full with fresh whip creme for the crepe.  The sausage Omelet was our favourite.  We loved the large amount of sausage mixed in the omelet and was very tasty.  The Western Omelet was more like a veggie option.  It was filled with tomato, onion, and pepper.  It was good, but not as tasty as the Sausage Omelet.  We also got the sourdough pancake as the side with the omelet.  The pancake was amazing but we didn't think we could tell the difference compared to regular pancake.  The Strawberry Crepe was great.  There were 3 pieces of crepe in the dish.  The sweetness of the crepe was not too heavy and the fresh whip creme really helped to balance out the taste.

Overall we enjoyed the brunch at Pig N Pancake!  There were many other omelet options that we definitely want to try next time!

Short Sand Beach

 

Short Sand Beach is about 1.5 hours of drive time from Portland.  It is a popular beach for surfers as the beach is at an enclosed cove and thus the wind is not as strong.  The beach is only 15 minutes south of another popular beach, Cannon Beach.  Short Sand Beach require people to do a short hike from the parking lot but the hiking trail is quite easy and very family friendly.

We got to Short Sand Beach around 10AM in the morning and the parking lot was nearly full.  Since it is a very popular beach, we recommend to arrive early to get a parking space.  Since Short Sand Beach is part of Oswald West State Park, there is a $10 day use fee required.

The trail was quite easy.  It was very wide and very flat.  From the parking lot to the beach, the trail was mostly going downwards towards the beach.  Near the end of the trail, there were few obstacles where we had to cross large tree logs but these were not showstopper issues.

When we got to the beach, it was at a cove and really beautiful.  It was during the low tide and we could go along the cliff side to look at all the tide pools.  There were also many surfers along the beach side getting ready to surf the ocean.  There were also people getting the wood log ready to set up some bonfire on the beach.

Overall, the Short Sand Beach was a beautiful beach that is really accessible and very family friendly.  We did not get to spend as much time here as we wanted, but we would definitely come back again and spend the whole day here.

Rowena Plateau

 

Rowena Plateau is a popular wildflower viewing location in Oregon.  It is about 1.5 hours East of Portland along the Columbia Gorge.  It is right across from Tom McCall Point trail.  Rowena Plateau trail is rather flag and suitable for anyone to hike.  People can also choose how far they want to go as the wildflower can be seen at the start of the trail.  It is one of the most popular hiking trail for wildflower enthusiasts.

Originally, we were going to hike Mosier Plateau but decided to go to Rowena Plateau instead.  When we got there, it was already 10AM in the morning and the parking lot was full.  Many cars chose to park along side the road.  We were lucky to find a proper parking spot when a couple finished early and left.

As we entered Rowena Plateau area, we could see the yellow and purple wildflowers along side the trail.  It was a beautiful scene and we could also see Columbia River on the far side as well.  The trail led all the way down the plateau towards Columbia River.  It was extremely easy to hike along the trail.

While we were there, we also saw several couples taking engagement photos and use the wildflowers as the background.  Since the weather was not hot with overcast in the sky, it was the perfect weather to take photos.

Later on we also went back to Rowena Crest just to look down towards the highway.  It was always amazing to see all the cars running along side Columbia River.

Rowena Plateau is always a great place for wildflower viewing.  Definitely worth a visit!