A Day at the Beach

This past Saturday, Jack and I took a drive out to Canon Beach on the Oregon Coast.  Located on Highway 101 about 90 minutes from downtown Portland, Canon Beach is a picturesque little beach town with the types of restaurants and shops you would expect to find in a resort community.  Think fudge, driftwood knickknacks and overpriced clothes - fun to browse through on a rainy day but no competition for the beach on a beautiful August afternoon.  Leashed dogs are allowed on the public beach so we brought Coco along for the outing.  She is a great little traveler and enjoys riding in her little carseat or on a comfortable lap.

One of the things that surprised us about the town of Canon Beach was how uncrowded it was on a sunny, Saturday afternoon.  Think about any excursion you've taken to the beach either on Lake Michigan or in Florida or California.  The hunt for a parking place followed by the lengthy trek from the car to the beach with all of the gear necessary for a day of fun in the sun.  Jack and I had no trouble finding a parking spot close to the beach in front of this cute saltbox home.

We enjoyed strolling around town, looking at the colorful beach cottages and gardens, and the

nautical themed decorations but we were anxious to head down to

the shoreline to get a closer look at Haystack Rock and the Needles, which are the smaller rocks on either side of Haystack Rock.  Do you remember the

movie, The Goonies?  In the movie, the Goonies lived up the coast a bit in the town of Astoria and used Haystack Rock to find the starting point of One-Eyed Willie's treasure map.  On location filming for that movie was done in the area.  Watch it and you'll get a good idea of what the area is like.  Jack brought his binoculars that day and had a great time checking out the birds that make their home on the Rock.

Jack and I were amazed at how foggy the beach was on such a sunny day.  Maybe it's caused by the spray from the cool water hitting the warm air?  We were glad that our friends told us to bring jackets because it was windy and cool despite a temperature in the low 80's.  

One of the things that we like best about Portland is how close it is to OTHER things we like to do.  You can be at the ocean in 90 minutes, exploring a series of waterfalls in 30 minutes or sipping a locally grown Pinot Noir in a vineyard tasting room in under an hour.  Pretty sweet!