Seaside, Oregon

July 27 - August 3, 2008



Here we are in Seaside, Oregon. We are again staying on the coast and again the weather is in the low 60's. We've had more sun this week, but the Pacific breezes really keep the temperature down. I have lost my tan completely!!



Seaside is Oregon's first beach resort. There are the usual sweatshirt, t-shirt and souvenir shops as well as dozens of seafood restaurants along the main drag, Broadway, which ends in their historic promenade and automobile turnaround at the beach.


We played golf at Gearhart Links and for the first time do not have a picture of the sign -- there was none! We decided to get a little exercise (something I had not been doing a lot of lately) and walk the course. What a mistake! We were playing with two guys who were in carts and I always felt I was running to my ball because, of course, I was the last to hit off the tee and the first to hit on the fairway! I called it a day after 9, but Ken continued on with "the guys"! It was fun being out on the course again though. It had been a long time.



We spent a day at Cannon Beach and Ecola State Park, about 8 miles south of Seaside. I feel in love with the little seaside village. Everywhere you looked there were beautiful flowers. We did a little shopping and then had some local fish and chips at Morris' Fireside Restaurant.

We stopped to see Haystack Rock, Cannon Beach's landmark which rises 235 feet above the shoreline at the ocean's edge. If you enlarge the picture below, you will see a woman in the surf and it gives you an idea on how big this rock, which is millions of years old, really is.

We then visited Ecola State Park where they boast there is some of the most spectacular panoramic views of the Pacific coast. (I won't argue with them but will save final judgment until I have seen more of the coast.) The Park is a dense rainforest with trees so high I lost satellite reception for the GPS while heading to the beach! We stopped at the "viewpoint" and did see some spectacular sights:

Although you can't see it, these rocks below in Sea Lion Preserve were covered with birds. Looking through the binoculars, they were covered in "white". We didn't see any sea lions though so we wonder why the name?
















Just offshore is Tillamook Rock Lighthouse which sits atop an outcropping of rock surrounded by ocean on all sides.







The lighthouse was completed in 1881 and was nicknamed "Terrible Tilly," as it marked the treacherous waters surrounding the rock that has claimed more than 2000 shipwrecks. It was decommissioned in 1957, was sold for $50,000 and is now a columbarium for those wishing to have their ashes interred in the lighthouse.

You can see, the winds of the Pacific can be quite strong!!



We left the viewpoint and went to Indian Beach which is also in Ecola. We were told it is a popular place for surfers and kayakers. We did see some surfers, but I don't think I would ever want to kayak in that water. It's just a "flip-over" waiting to happen!





















We also spent a couple of days relaxing and Ken got a chance to wash the rig. We leave here heading for Mossyrock, Washington where we will meet up with Joe, Kathy and Katie, and Susan and Bob for a two-week whirlwind with five stops! Good thing we rested up a bit!