This could easily be the longest blog ever, because I'm bursting with stories, memories, and pictures about our trip to the coast. We spent a week with my parents in Seaside, Or. Seaside was where our condo was, but we drove up the northern and central coast all week checking out the sites. If it was to be done on the Oregon Coast...we did it!
We got lucky the first two days with sunshine and relatively warm temps. We spent one day on the beach building castles, picnicing, playing frisbee & kickball, and playing in the waves. The water is freezing so we could only go up to our mid-thighs, but it was still very fun. The next warm day was perfect for driving up to Astoria and touring the sites there. The area is so rich in history! We stopped at Forst Clatsop and learned all about the camp where Lewis and Clark wintered before heading back. It was a very interactive tour, and Jamon really got into it as you'll see from the pictures. We saw a rifle demo using black powder.... very cool for Camdon! We didn't get to climb the Astoria column, because it was closed for renovation, but we crossed the 4.5 mile bridge over into Washington and climbed to a lighthouse instead.
On my birthday we drove down to Newport. It would've been great because Newport is such a fun fishing town, but I was so SICK that day. I spent most of our time there touring the restrooms of Newport! However, we did manage to squeeze in the Riply's Believe It or Not Museum, the wax museum, and the Undersea Gardens. This is a boat that you go on and when you're on the lower level of the boat, a diver picks up the creatures and brings them right to the window for a really good look.
On the way back from Newport we stopped at Cape Kiwanda. This would've been my favorite beach of all, had I not been so sick. There are huge rocks for the waves to crash against and a BIG sanddune for the kids to climb up. The Cape Kiwanda Lighthouse is there as well.We also spent a day on Cannon Beach, but we weren't so lucky with the weather that day. It was freezing out there! We saw people in winter coats and realized we should just call it a day. It was too windy to fly the kites we brought! So instead, we drove a little farther to Tillamook for a tour of the Cheese Factory. It was fun sampling cheese and of course...the ice cream!
Our last day on the beach was still pretty cold, so we hung out in the condo playing games and swimming in the pool and hot tub. The wind died down enough that night for a campfire on the beach and a little smore makin'.
Anyway, it was such a great week and I've posted some of my favorite shots, but if you want to see more, click on the link to Justin's Flickr account and you can see all the action!
