Along the Oregon Coast
After our day in Portland we spent the night in Seaside. The next morning we woke up nice and early.. and as horrible as it is to wake up early on a vacation sometimes it's worth it.. especially on that particular day. We had a quick complimentary hotel breakfast and drove the 15 mins to Ecola State Park. The day was cold and foggy, not exactly ideal for a day spent along the Oregon coast.. but as H says though never abides by "you get what you get and you don't get upset"
and when we had are fill we got back into our car and drove to the other side of the park towards the Crescent Beach Trail. It was a 2.5 mile loop and steep and slippery in a few places, not what we had expected but the boys hung in there.. *so proud*
When we neared the entrance of the park it was so deserted we almost thought it was closed. It wasn't. phew. In fact because we were there early.. around 8:30 am it was almost like a private beach.
When we got to the entrance we went right and found ourselves parking at Indian Beach. There were no more than 20 people on the beach.. mainly surfers. Pictures can not do justice to how breath taking the beach was.
and when we had are fill we got back into our car and drove to the other side of the park towards the Crescent Beach Trail. It was a 2.5 mile loop and steep and slippery in a few places, not what we had expected but the boys hung in there.. *so proud*
and we were rewarded with a pristine almost empty beach :)
And if you ventured a bit into the icy cold water you could see between the two rocks emerge through the fog Haystack Rock on Canon Beach as seen in The Goonies. We didn't make it to Cannon Beach though that was the beach on the 'original' itinerary. We still had many stops to make along the way. On our hike back to the car we saw dozens and dozens of cars waiting outside the park entrance waiting to get in. It paid off to wake up a little early.
We ventured south along the Oregon coast stopping in Manzanita to eat some of Jim's Manzanita Mudd Dogs.. it was an outdoor sitting area where Jim himself made your hot dog and all proceeds go to the Mudd Nick Foundation. OH MY GOD.. it was so so good.
Afterwards we stopped at Manzanita Coffee Co to grab some ice cream before we hit the road again.
Our next stop was Cape Meares which we found to be closed. The boys napped through it all.
We stopped at a road side cherry stand.. did not know such a thing even existed. So yum.
We sopped at the Devil's Punch Bowl. It was a low tide so we didn't see anything too exciting.. it was also so very windy and foggy. But while we stretched our legs we spotted a whale far far far off in the distance. So far off we weren't even sure we saw it.. till we saw another.. and another.. they were so far away they were just a speck in the distance and yet it was so exciting.
We made another stop at Yaquina Head Lighthouse.. We had to pay to get into the area and there we were parked right in front of the lighthouse and couldn't even see it.. so foggy. The girl at the entrance booth acted shocked when we told her how foggy it was and she should be telling people they wouldn't see anything rather than just taking their money.
We were done for the day.. we were all tired. We stopped in Newport for some thai food.. M&P Authentic Thai Cuisine. It was fine.
Then we headed to Florence were we were going to spend the night.
Even with a few disappointments it was an incredible day.. Ecola State Park was stunning.. we could have spent the whole day there exploring. And the coast was so beautiful, eerie on our foggy day.
Based on the photos, I would definitely say it was an incredible day - that scenery is gorgeous! The hot dog looks pretty darned good, too. Back when I still ate meat, I'd pick a hot dog over a hamburger any day in the week.
ReplyDeleteSo it really paid off getting up early! The photos are so beautiful and the food looks yummy! Seem as if you guys had lots of fun! Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeletehttps://www.aproposh.com
That’s some mighty fine geography.
ReplyDeleteOh my gosh! That beach! Just breath-taking, Hena! Thank you for sharing these awesome photos, and your travel adventures with us:)
ReplyDeleteWhat a lovely place to visit! That hike would be something I would love to do.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.kathrineeldridge.com
great blog post!!
ReplyDeletejadieegosh
Looked like you had a lovely time there!
ReplyDelete-Didier
www.didieryhc.com
Fabulous photos! Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteWe have traveled Hwy 101 several times and I'm ready to go again. I love Oregon's coastal area.
Sorry to hear that you were unable to see the lighthouse, but I prefer the natural tide pools nearby when the tide is low. Did you stop to see the second lighthouse on the southern end of Newport called Yaquina Bay lighthouse? I like that one because you can tour the furnished house.
I hope you get a chance to see Hecta Head Lighthouse.
I love Oregon so much. I hope you had the best time there.
ReplyDeletePatrick's Point is a great campground and you can find agates on the beach. looks like a wonderful trip, I miss the West coast lived there for many years mostly in CA but visited oregon and washington too.
ReplyDeletethe Oregon coast is the best! so fun!
ReplyDeletekelseybang.com
Oh wow. It looks a delightful day. With just the right number of people on the beach.
ReplyDeleteSome day I hope to go whale watching. Some day...
Such a beautiful coast line - love the west coast! xo, Biana-BlovedBoston
ReplyDeleteWonderful views you had and it's great that your boys were happy no matter what. Your hot dog looked good.
ReplyDeleteI know what you mean about getting up early on vacation, yet you want to get in as much fun and sights as possible. And you did...how wonderful!
ReplyDeleteXOXO
Jodie
www.jtouchofstyle.com
Thank you so much for sharing these beautiful photos!!!!
ReplyDeleteWow!
You take the most beautiful pictures, Hena. Your hot dog looks yummy!
ReplyDeleteLooks like y'all had a great one. That hot dog looks so good. Lovely shots! :-)
ReplyDeletehttps://www.missymayification.co.uk
Indian Beach looks spectacular. How lucky you were that there weren't many people there.
ReplyDeletelooks like you had nice weather and lots of fun! I love the photo of you looking out at the vistas!
ReplyDeleteThat's a shame you couldn't see the lighthouse, because of the fog! :( I love lighthouses. Gosh, that beach is GORG. It really does pay to get to places early sometimes!
ReplyDeleteCarrie
curlycraftymom.com
how cool! I've never seen the Oregon coast! It's definitely something I need to do. I wish I had cherry stands around where I live! Lol
ReplyDelete-PerlaGiselle | iamperlita.com
P.S. I will be hosting a giftcard give away on my Instagram page this week! Let’s follow each other!
Nice places and beaches.
ReplyDeleteIt seems you have a lot of fun.
Xoxo
marisasclosetblog.com
Great post, dear! Looks awesome!
ReplyDeleteHugs ♥
LIANA LAURIE
It looks so amazing there, I really want to go to Cannon Beach
ReplyDeletexo
www.laurajaneatelier.com
Love the photos of hiking through the woods! A lot of research shows that time spent in nature is beneficial for a multitude of reasons.
ReplyDeleteWhile I'm also not a huge fan of waking up early on vacation, it's definitely worth it to miss the crowds! And it looks like it was an amazing experience to wander around without tons of people around.
ReplyDeleteAlso, we would be SO happy if we ran into a cherry stand! Yum!
Looks like you all were having a blast!
Susie | http://milehighdreamers.com
This looks like an amazing trip.
ReplyDeleteI love the view and experience.
Much Love,
Jane | The Bandwagon Chic
I just got back from Oregon—it was my first time venturing outside Portland and I loved it! So beautiful!
ReplyDeleteSo it really paid off getting up early!, very beautifulshort homecoming dresses
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