Journal

oregon: along the coast

oregon coast

“It is said by the Eldar that in water there lives yet the echo of the Music of the Ainur more than in any substance that is in this Earth; and many of the Children of Ilúvatar hearken still unsated to the voices of the Sea, and yet know not for what they listen.” – Tolkien, The Silmarillion

I just got back from the West Coast (where I had this song in my head all week). We spent 8 days traveling up and down the coast on our first family airplane trip (thank you, frequent flyer miles!). It was a beautiful adventure, filled with high highs (my first time visiting Oregon, my littles first experience with the ocean) and low lows (homesickness, long car rides, same room sleeping), as all family vacations are.
Cannon Beach, OR

Cannon Beach, Oregon

Canoon Beach, Oregon

Cannon Beach, Oregon

Cannon Beach, Oregon

Cannon Beach, Oregon

Cannon Beach, OR

Cannon Beach, Oregon

Cannon Beach, OR

oregon 2

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Cannon Beach was a favorite spot. I don’t know what it is about Haystack Rock (besides, of course, Goonies), but it is completely mesmerizing, and I could have stayed on that beach forever, gazing at it. We were lucky enough to get a room at the Surfsand Resort, and I highly recommend staying there. It was a perfect family spot: clean, cozy rooms on the beach, and our patio door opened right out to the ocean. There were 3 o’clock cookie and milk breaks for kids, evening bonfires, and all kinds of other little nice perks that made our time there enjoyable. We also enjoyed dinner at Public Coast Brewing, and went back to our rooms with a growler filled with their brew.

Later in the week we fell in love with Neskowin. We stopped at the beach there while driving early on in our trip, and ended up coming back to it and staying overnight. We found a condo rental on the beach, and spent so much time walking up and down the shore and running in the ocean.
Neskowin, Oregon

Oregon Coast

Oregon Coast

Oregon Coast

Oregon Coast

oregon collage
We also made it down to Dunes City, took a fast ride on a dune buggy over the sand dunes (the kids’ favorite part of the trip, and where my son was certain we were on Tatooine), and stopped all along the coast to just walk and gaze at the ocean. My photos don’t do the coast justice, of course, and if you get a chance to visit, please take it. I’ll be back soon with pictures from Portland!
Oregon Coast
“Look at that sea, girls–all silver and shadow and vision of things not seen. We couldn’t enjoy its loveliness any more if we had millions of dollars and ropes of diamonds.” – LM Montgomery, Anne of Green Gables

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Places we stayed/visited, and loved
Surfsand Resort, Cannon Beach – clean, cozy rooms right on the beach, great for kids (3 o’clock cookie and milk breaks, Friday night popcorn and movies, free DVD rentals), evening bonfires, sand bike rentals

Public Coast Brewing, Cannon Beach – good food, great beer and root beer.

Driftwood Shores, Florence – clean, cozy rooms on the beach which include kitchenette and kitchen equipment.

Cafe on Hawk Creek, Neskowin – really good food, nice patio, dog friendly.

Neskowin Trading Company, Neskowin – fresh, local, and imports. Wine, beer, pizza.

Sand Dunes Frontier, Florence – Dune buggy rides, fast or slow.

Thank you to Travel Oregon for trip and hotel recommendations and sponsorships.

  • Reply
    Eva Kosmas Flores
    Wednesday, August 17, 2016 at 4:22 am

    I *looooooooove* this!!! You captured the beauty and epic feeling of the Oregon coast so perfectly. I’ve never been to Neskowin but am definitely going to head there sometime this summer, it sounds amazing. It’s funny how sometimes when you live in a place you get comfortable with your local day-trip habits and never venture out to see a new place. I pretty much always go to cannon or rockaway beach when I go to the coast, I need to stop being such a stick-in-the-mud and venture out!

  • Reply
    Beach Loop
    Saturday, August 13, 2016 at 11:14 pm

    Great quote and fantastic images – nothing quite like the West Coast.

  • Reply
    Angela
    Tuesday, August 9, 2016 at 4:28 pm

    We left MSP for PDX on the 1st! We had an awesome trip along the coast as well, stopping at Cannon Beach and Public Coast was a highlight for us too. Thank you for sharing!

  • Reply
    Lindsay
    Tuesday, August 2, 2016 at 1:27 pm

    Gorgeous photos!!

  • Reply
    Amy Young Miller
    Tuesday, August 2, 2016 at 7:10 am

    Love this entire post. The photos are lovely. I can see why you’d star at that rock for hours, too.

  • Reply
    Sterling Barlow
    Monday, August 1, 2016 at 2:54 pm

    I waited way too long (decades) before retiring to life on this coast. Don’t wait to relocate. Your children will grow up to become different people here.

  • Reply
    Abby | Lace & Lilacs
    Monday, August 1, 2016 at 12:39 pm

    So, so beautiful. These photos are dreamy. (and I love that Lana Del Rey song) <3 xo

  • Reply
    Melissa@Julia's Bookbag
    Monday, August 1, 2016 at 10:14 am

    LOVE that Anne quote, one of my faves!! Loved seeing your trip photos!

  • Reply
    Madeline
    Monday, August 1, 2016 at 10:07 am

    Your photos are so dreamy, and have a vintage-whimsical-historical feel. I love your style! And now I know I need to get to Oregon sooner rather than later. It’s on my travel list for sure.

  • Reply
    Laura Bigsby
    Monday, August 1, 2016 at 6:50 am

    You are a very talented photographer , stunning photos !

  • Reply
    Clair A
    Sunday, July 31, 2016 at 11:10 pm

    Beautiful!! Also, one of my fav quotes from A of GG… <3

  • Reply
    Shaina
    Sunday, July 31, 2016 at 5:26 pm

    Goonies never say die. (Also, gorgeous photos.) xo

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