North Bend, Oregon

where we find the most welcoming Airbnb host you could imagine and learn what a Growler is

Having left Portland, we headed south and drove along i-5 for a while before turning west for the Oregon coast. Driving down along the 101 to North Bend we got to enjoy some stunning Pacific coast scenery and pulled off the road plenty of times to take in the views. What we saw was a choppy Pacific Ocean, some mist and the odd rock outcrop. This was the first real bit of beautiful scenery since we left Vancouver and we were delighted to be driving along a more scenic route.

Despite what we learned from our Vancouver-Portland drive (i.e. driving in the dark is not fun!), we again ended up on the road well after sunset, only pulling into our sleepy looking motel in North Bend close to 11 o’clock. Our home for the night the Itty Bitty Inn, again booked through Airbnb. The online description, photos and reviews told us to expect a 50’s style motel with a retro interior to match and an amazing welcome from the owner. We’d sent word ahead to say that we’d be late so we were expecting to just get our key and be pointed to our room, happy to forego the welcome given the late hour we were arriving.

Well, what a welcome we got. Even the overwhelmingly positive reviews hadn’t prepared us. Moments after we stepped into the reception, out popped Rik the owner who in 15 minutes of chatting proved to be the friendliest, most welcoming, helpful and enthusiastic host we’ve ever had with Airbnb. In that time he gave us a full run down on the area, the room, the ethos (!) of the inn, the guests they had in, the handmade soap they sourced locally and then to top it all off he even offered to share his dinner with us. Conscious of the late hour, we declined the food but headed off to our room feeling like it was a home from home – and that was before we’d even seen the room!

The room was perfect – so very clean, comfortable and finished in a very cool chic 50’s style (complete with wind up telephone dial and a 50’s radio!) to match the motel exterior. Despite the older style (and it should be pointed out that this was intentional), nothing in the room felt dated or shabby. We were delighted we’d stumbled upon the place.

Also laid out in the room were coffee and tea but more importantly was the Growler Rik had mentioned when we were checking in. For anyone not familiar with a Growler, it’s a large, sealable jug used across North America for carrying beer. The idea is that you bring it into a pub/off-licence/liquor store and get it filled from the tap with craft beer and then take it away with you. It’s cheap for them and it’s easy for you. Rik had directed us to a shop across the road where we could get it filled up and even buy some local ice-cream made with milk from organic dairy cows.

Itty Bitty Inn Growler

After a few minutes checking out the very cool decor we took the Growler and headed off across the street to follow Rik’s recommendation without being too sure what to expect. When we drove into town earlier, the other side of the street didn’t seem hugely active. It took us a moment or two to be sure that the shop we saw in front of us was in fact the shop Rik had spoken about. Two dune buggies parked on the curb, startedup their engines and were gone before we thought too much about it. At first the outside of the shop didn’t look like the kind of place you picked up craft beer and organic ice-cream from at 12 at night but then you start to notice a few signs that advertise exactly that. Aside from the signs, the fact that there was an empty lot left and right of the shop and nothing else open helped us decide we had the right place.

Stepping inside the door didn’t give us any more clues. With the shop keeper busy speaking with a customer we browsed the aisles of what turned out to be a decent sized mini market. And then, right at the back of the shop, we spotted a fully stocked bar with an impressive row of craft beer taps. The shop owner came down to us and started chatting to us about the beer. He offered is a few tasters and eventually we settled on a very good Angry Orchard cider (one of us wanted cider, the other didn’t mind what we got). Heading for the door with our filled Growler we stopped by the ice-cream counter, tasted the liquorice flavour out of pure curiosity (beer tasting, ice-cream tasting – this shop has so much going for it!) and left with a cone of rum and raisin.

Back at the inn and being the crazy rockers that we are, we got all of two glasses from the Growler before passing out asleep – it had been a long day and the bed was too comfortable. The next morning we wanted to get on the road early so that we could nab a walk-up camping spot in one of the Redwood National Parks. Checking out, we were greeted by a still enthusiastic Rik who tipped us on how to get the best Redwood photograph (from afar with a person standing at them for scale). Mom’s Kitchen just down the way in Coo’s Bay was suggested to us as a breakfast place but we gave it a miss because we were already behind schedule. Driving out past Coo’s Bay we realised there a whole lot we didn’t see and we noted it down as somewhere in need of a revisit. Without a doubt, if we head back we’ll be aiming to stay at the Itty Bitty Inn again.

So on we went again, heading south for the Californian border and a night sleeping amongst the Giant Redwoods.

our next destination: The Redwoods ⇒