The Pacific NorthWest On Film. A Journey From Seattle To The Oregon Coast Via Eugene

I never dreamed that in 2023 I would be taking two weeks off work to travel around the Pacific North West in the USA. But, that’s exactly what happened in September 2023. We took a fortnight off work, booked our flights and planned a full adventure from Seattle to Portland via Eugene.

It all started when one of my oldest friends said he was going to move to study in Oregon. I knew then there was going to be a future holiday to the USA. And one year after he started his course, we were on a 10 hour flight to see him in his new home in Eugene, the home of Nike’s HQ and the Oregon Ducks.

We couldn’t travel that far though and not visit two other places on our bucket list: Seattle and Portland.

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Our first stop was Seattle for 5 nights. I had a feeling I was going to like this city and I was right. Pike Place Market with all its delicious food, the skyline from the water’s edge at Gasworks Park, the view at sunset from Kerry Park and the coffee shops made for a great visit to Seattle. I also loved that it was so close to place like Mount Rainier National Park. Yes, that’s the elusive peak of Mount Rainier in one of the photos below.

After 5 days in Seattle, it was time to travel down to Eugene. We went via Amtrak and after an early start and a few hours delay, we arrive by early afternoon for 4 days with one of my oldest friends. Together we’ve been on some adventures but this was so special getting to see where he’s set up life for the next two years.

Eugene is a great little town. Very sporty. Of course, it’s going to be with Nikes HQ in its back yard and hosting events like the Diamond League World Athletics. But there are also so many great places to eat and the fact it’s just so close to the countryside and the coast makes it a great place.

We went out one day to Summit Lake. Off we went with a kayak and a paddle board borrowed from a friend, with the intention of having a real outdoorsy day. And we did but the temperature difference between Eugene and Summit Lake was about 20 degrees, in other words it was cool. But we did walk a bit of the Pacific Crest Trail which was really great. We had a picnic lunch, fed some birds and as my friend would say “added more memories into the bank of life.”

Another adventure we went on was a 4.5 hour drive down the Oregon Coast. Not only was it an incredible 4.5 hour drive down the coast, it was a 4.5 hour drive to see some Redwood Trees on the Oregon Redwood Trail. It was so worth it. The trees are just so unimaginably big and the photos just don’t do the size of them justice but what an incredible experience.

The drive back was another 5 hours and it took us back along the coast. We could have dipped down into California and driven inland back to Eugene. This would have been the quicker route but there was a couple of spots we missed on the way down that I wanted to see.

Unfortunately, the sea mist had rolled in and we literally couldn’t see anything. The mist was that thick that the views were just grey. That was until we stopped in a small town before sunset. We saw a glimmer of red in the sky and managed to race to the coast to watch the sun set over the Pacific. How amazing. Core memory created. How special to be there and enjoy that moment. There was even a little seal bobbing about in the water.

Our last full day in Eugene, and I think my most favourite day of the whole trip was the day we went to watch the Oregon Ducks. We’d been told about the hype, we’d bought the t-shirts, we’d shouted “Go Ducks” with locals around Eugene but nothing could prepare me for what game day would actually be like.

The town was bustling. The walk to the stadium felt like a rite of passage. The tailgate was an experience I don’t think I’ll ever be able to repeat. The stadium is huge, the size of a premier league stadium in the UK, for a college football game. The game ball got brought in by Navy Seal skydivers and the ducks mascot came in to the stadium on a bike. It was like being in a movie. The fact they won was just the cherry on top of an amazing day.

After Eugene, we made the drive to Portland for our final 5 nights in the USA. After a goodbye dinner and drinks with Nick, we planned out our last few days. I don’t have many photos from this part of the trip, we mainly just ate food and drank at the breweries around Portland.

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We did however go on a waterfall tour of the Colombia River Gorge. We saw some absolutely beautiful places, all which are really near the road so there’s no long hikes to do. The most beautiful of all was Multnomah Falls, just look at it. Apparently it’s one of the most photographed waterfalls in the world and I can see why.

And that was it, that was our journey from Seattle to the Oregon Coast via Eugene on film. I loved capturing parts of our travels of the Pacific North West on film and I hope we see more of this part of the world in the future.

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