There’s something surreal about the Oregon Coast. Its white noise wraps you up where the trees meet the sea and it’s calming. Hiking amongst those trees along towering cliffs hearing crashing waves below made me feel small but content. The mud was thick, the beach was beautiful, and the food was awesome. The trek was from Nelscott Beach in Lincoln City to Cape Lookout State Park to Manzanita to Indian Beach at Ecola State Park. I discovered that Manzanita’s Coffee Shop has the best chocolate espresso milkshakes in the entire world, tall grasses on mountainside beaches feel timeless, and that rocky tree-lined oceanside Oregon cliffs speak to my heart.

Oregon is like a whisper.