just a three-hour drive from Seattle,

or a one-and-a-half hour drive from Portland.

This is a coast where time is measured not in seconds, but by the tides.

Where years are measured in the fading patina of fishing floats,

and centuries by the fall of rocky  sea stacks and the rise of redwoods.

A visit to the Oregon Coast is more than just a trip to the seaside;

it's a series of unforgettable moments

strung together by one of the USA's  great scenic drives, Highway 101.

And thanks to visionary  legislation enacted in 1967,

Oregon's coastline, all 362 miles of  it, offers free public access to all.

Welcome, to The People's Coast.

Oregon's Coast starts in the  state's far north, at Astoria,

where the waters of the mighty  Columbia roll into the Pacific.

It was here in 1805, a year and  a half after leaving St. Louis,

that Lewis and Clark staggered out  from the wilderness and shouted,

“Ocean in View, O Joy!”

Trek back in time at the Lewis and  Clark National Historical Park.

Here, a re-creation of Fort Clatsop  lets you experience the cramped quarters

where the expedition hunkered down through  a brutal winter before returning east.

Oregon's oldest city has  come a long way since 1805,

but Astoria has never turned  its back on its rough-hewn

and sometimes rowdy past.

Visit the Heritage Museum and learn  about the region's First Peoples,

and the fur traders, fishermen, and  lumbermen who followed Lewis and Clark.

Drop anchor at the Columbia River Maritime Museum,

which honors the seafarers and  fishermen who braved the Columbia Bar,

which earned this stretch of coastline  the name, The Graveyard of the Pacific.

Step into the now-silent  interiors of the Hanthorn Cannery,

the last of the 22 canneries  which once made Astoria

the Salmon Canning Capital of the World.

But this city is no museum  piece trading on past glories,

Astoria is still a working port.

So head down to The Riverwalk,

where the jetty pylons of old  are reclaimed by time and tide,

and freighters slip off to ports unknown.

This is where you'll find the  true, timeless spirit of Astoria.

From Astoria, the road trip begins.

Just a 20-mile drive south is the town of Seaside,

which marks the eastern end  of the Lewis and Clark Trail.

When the railway arrived in  the late 1800s the town boomed,

becoming Oregon's very first coastal resort.

While the beer, menu items and streetscape  may have changed with the times,

Seaside's natural gifts have  been a reassuring constant

throughout history's ebb and flow.

Ten miles south of Seaside is Ecola State Park.

Follow trails through old-growth forest,

and along clifftops where  offshore stacks, ribbons of beach,

and the heart-calming rhythm of wind 'n'  sea beckon you further down the coast.

A little further south is the  coastal town of Cannon Beach,

home to iconic Haystack Rock.

Call into the history centre  to see the city's namesake:

a cannon which washed ashore in the 1800s.

Catch a performance at the local theatre.

Or just wander the weather-worn  perfection of this place

where salt lingers in every  shingle and every grain of wood.

Before Oregon's coastal  highway was built in the 1930s,

stagecoaches raced along  the sands from Cannon Beach

all the way down to Cape Arch, hugging  the headlands to beat the incoming tides.

To appreciate the bravery of  Oregon's early road builders,

follow the highway through Oswald West State Park,

where forests tumble toward the  Pacific and scenic pullovers

offer heart-stopping views  down the coast for miles.

Once back at sea level, sink your  toes in the sand in beachside towns

like Manzanita and Rockaway Beach.

Or grab a paddle or throw in a line  at the historic riverside timber towns

of Nehalem and Wheeler.

A few miles on,

the coast arcs inland around Tillamook  Bay to the Port of Garibaldi.

Take a ride on the scenic railway,  or just hang out by the docks.

This is the kind of place where  the best thing to do, is relax.

From Garibaldi, mosey around the bay to Tillamook,

the bustling gateway to The  Three Capes Scenic Loop.

If you're short on time,

this 40-mile loop makes for  an easy day trip from Portland

and is the perfect sampler of all  that's special about the Oregon Coast.

For those with more time,  the road unwinds ever south,

through Pacific City…around Cascade  Head…and onto the sands of Roads End,

the start of Oregon's Central Coast.

Call into the North Lincoln  County Historical Museum,

which celebrates the pioneers of old,

and the early vacationers of the Central Coast.

And check out the collection  of foreign fishing floats,

lost at sea and carried by wind  and wave to Lincoln's shores.

Those floats were onto something,

for there are few finer places  to wash up than Lincoln,

where one perfect day fades into the next.

You'll find even more perfection a  further 20 minutes down the coast,

at Depoe Bay, where whale-watch  cruises put out to sea

from the world's smallest navigable harbor.

If you're not the seafaring type,  you'll find plenty of opportunities

to spot whales below the  highway south from Depoe Bay,

which offers some of the Central  Coast's most dramatic scenery.

After six miles of twists and  turns, pull over for a breather

at the tiny hamlet of Otter Rock  and peer into the Devils Punchbowl.

Then, rent a wetsuit and board and hit  the waves in the marine reserve below.

From Otter Rock, the sands stretch  away for miles to Yaquina Head,

home to the tallest of  Oregon's eleven lighthouses.

Lose a dreamy hour or three, exploring  the rockpools beneath the lighthouse.

And when the tide returns, take to higher  ground just down the coast in Newport.

Newport is home to miles of sands, two  lighthouses, a marine research centre,

and a working bayfront complete with  barking sealions and circling gulls.

If ever there was a city with salt  in its veins, surely this is it.

The salty flavors continue, just across  the Yaquina Bay Bridge at South Beach,

where you'll find the best fish  and chips on the entire coast.

Ten-minutes down the highway,

keep a lookout for Seal Rock,  an enchanting haven for artists,

and a rest-stop for seabirds on their  long migrations to far-off shores.

The magic continues in Yachats,

a town wedged between the Siuslaw  National Forest and the sea.

Here, life's challenges are reduced  to what flavor ice cream to choose,

and whether to bait your hook  with clam necks or sandworms.

Three miles down the highway, don't  miss the turnoff to Cape Perpetua.

Here, at the highest viewpoint on  the Oregon Coast accessible by car,

take in views that extend 40 miles out to sea.

After exploring the dizzy  heights of Cape Perpetua,

head a little further down the coast

to Sea Lion Point, which offers  views north to Heceta Head,

all the way south to the  mouth of the Siuslaw River.

But the main attraction here is the  200ft elevator ride down into the

fascinating and whiffy world of Sea Lion Caves,

the largest sea-cave system in America.

Discover another of nature's oddities

just six miles away at the  Darlingtonia State Natural Site,

an 18-acre reserve blanketed with patches  of the rare carnivorous Cobra Lily.

After taking in the dizzying heights,

subterranean lairs and primordial  wonders of the central coast,

kick back in Florence, where the living is easy.

With its Art Deco Bridge,  old-timey vibes, and calm waters,

it's easy to see why people retire here, to  spend their days happily checking crab pots

and playing with the  grandkids on the silver sands.

From Florence, it's just a 20-mile  run down Highway 101 to Reedsport,

the gateway to Oregon's Southern Coast

and The Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area.

After exploring the dunes, shake the  sand out of your shoes at Coos Bay,

the largest natural harbor  between San Francisco and Seattle.

Spend an hour or two at the Coos Historical Museum

and follow the Bay's European  story from its castaway beginnings,

to its heyday as the largest  timber port in the world.

Just a short drive away is the South  Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve.

Spend an afternoon in this  6000-acre park on the Coos Estuary,

a vital nursery for marine and bird life,

and a veritable pantry for the region's  First Peoples for thousands of years.

Coos Bay is also close to another  of the coast's great scenic loops,

which takes in a trio of stunning  state parks, including Cape Arago,

which offers views to seal and  sealion colonies just offshore.

After exploring the intertidal and  coastal treasures around Coos Bay,

follow the winds of adventure  south, to Bandon-by-the-Sea,

one of Oregon's coolest and  craftiest coastal towns.

Throw in a crab pot from Webers Pier,  and while you're waiting for your dinner,

walk up to Coquille Point, to  feast on the endless views.

From here, the Southern Coast stretches  away for another 90 wild miles south,

all the way to the Californian border.

Whether you visit just one part  of the Oregon Coast for a weekend,

or take a month to explore its  entire length, every cove and trail,

every wisp of sea-mist, will  greet you like a long-lost friend.

For these are your sunsets,  and these are your shores.

Welcome home, to the People's Coast.