Leave town and head west on US-30, hugging the Columbia River. In Clatskanie, detour north on Nehalem Street to see the Raymond Carver mural on the side of the onetime hospital where the writer was born, and pop into Pam's Party Time Flea Market to admire the taxidermy giraffe. Near Westport, stop at friendly biker bar Tom and Jerry's and say hi to Duchess and Harley, the resident bulldogs. When you reach Astoria, drive up to take in the view from the Astoria Column, then head into town and allow yourself to be overwhelmed by all the options for ice cream, fish and chips, local beer, and general entertainment (bowling, movie theater, arcade, barking sea lions, an artists' collective selling Astoria-themed zines and souvenirs, the mug vending machine at tiki bar Dead Man's Isle). For the night, be fancy at the Hotel Elliott or budget-minded at the Norblad or the Atomic, or camp at nearby Fort Stevens State Park.

Cruise by filming locations for The Goonies, Kindergarten Cop, and Short Circuit in Astoria before hearing south to the beach town of Seaside, with a wide promenade along the sand and a main drag lined with candy stores and souvenir shops—with a brewery at either end, one in an old jail and the other in a resurrected movie theater. The town also boasts bumper cars, a Pronto Pup window, a golf course, an aerial adventure park, and an outlet mall. A few miles south, more Goonies sites await amid the sea stacks of Cannon Beach, where the streets have more art galleries than knickknack shops. (Surfers can rent gear in Cannon Beach to take to Short Sands at Oswald West State Park, though such an adventure might take up a good chunk of the day.) Continue south to Manzanita and snag a fancy vacation rental or a room at a humble local inn, or camp at Nehalem Bay State Park. Treat yourself to dinner at the Salmonberry in nearby Wheeler if it's open (hours are limited).

If you set off early, grab breakfast in Rockaway at Grumpy's or Beach Bakeshop, play a round of mini-golf on the tiny honor-system course, and take a walk on the beach for a view of Twin Rocks. If it's closer to lunchtime when you pass through, you're having a Pronto Pup, the corn dog that was born here in 1939. Even if you're not hungry, don't leave town without dropping two quarters into the mechanical corn dog out front and taking a ride. Stop for an ice cream cone at the Tillamook Cheese Factory (or save it for a future day trip if the line's too long) before detouring along the Three Capes route to Pacific City, where you can admire another Haystack Rock (you saw your first in Cannon Beach). Restock snacks in bustling Lincoln City, and aim to get to Depoe Bay at high tide to see the famous spouting horns, passageways through the rock of the shoreline that shoot ocean water into the air like little geysers. Grab a drink and some chowder and take in the nautical art at Gracie's Sea Hag, then head to Newport for dinner at the sustainability-minded Local Ocean. Tower over the beach at the Hallmark Resort or camp at South Beach State Park.

Decide if you want to invest the time and money into a visit to the Oregon Coast Aquarium or a cheaper, quicker, but still fun and hands-on option, the Hatfield Marine Science Visitor Center, also in Newport. Grab a bite in Yachats, hike down to Devil's Churn to watch powerful waves bombard a narrow inlet, and then drive up to the Cape Perpetua Overlook for an even grander view. (Part of the Siuslaw National Forest, these are some of the only spots on the coast where you can use a NW Forest Pass to park. Most other fee areas are part of the state parks system and require an annual state parks pass or a day use fee.) At Sea Lion Caves, buy a ticket to take the elevator down into the grotto, a natural underground amphitheater that's 12 stories tall. Like the Oregon Coast Aquarium, it's a bit of a splurge but is something every Oregonian should experience at least once. In Florence, have a sit-down dinner in Old Town before spending the night at the Lighthouse Inn in town or in a yurt at nearby Jessie B. Honeyman Memorial State Park. (Or for a special occasion, double back to the Heceta Head Lighthouse Bed & Breakfast.)

Drive out to Shore Acres if you didn't go the night before. (Like a ride on the corn dog and a descent into Sea Lion Caves, this is an essential coast experience.) Have lunch in Bandon or Port Orford. If you're up for it, take the 5.5-mile loop hike at Humbug Mountain State Park for one of the highest viewpoints on the coast. Or take a shorter walk around the Prehistoric Gardens, one of those classic "a man and his crazy dream" roadside attractions. (The man in this case wanted to build scientifically accurate dinosaur replicas.) Admission is more than a first-run movie ticket, but the place is so kooky that it's worth visiting once in your life.

For an even bigger splurge, book a mirror cabin or lodge room at Tu' Tu Tun, just inland from Gold Beach, or stay at a modest motel in Gold Beach proper.

The actual drive might be only 30 minutes, but you'll be pulling over in the Samual H. Boardman State Scenic Corridor to snap pictures of Natural Bridges or hike down to Scenic Beach. In Brookings, if you're ready to take a break from the road, you can get an ocean-view room at one of the big hotels, tuck yourself into a neighborhood at a little B&B, or book a yurt or campsite at Harris Beach State Park. Or you can decide it’s time to head home. The quickest options are to continue south into California and then take US 199 up to connect with I-5 at Grants Pass or to backtrack up 101 the way you came and cut over to I-5 at Reedsport or Florence. To break the 199 way, book a treehouse near Cave Junction or become a wine or Shakespeare tourist around Ashland, Medford, and the Applegate Valley. If you go back north on 101, try the tiny Cocoon Cottage south of Reedsport. Or keep going south on 101. Now that you've driven the entire length of the Oregon Coast, you might as well do California's, too.