Coast Trip

Adrian and I got home Tuesday night from our celebratory trip to the Oregon Coast. We had a WONDERFUL time. We left early Friday morning, bright eyed and bushy tailed... and Adrian was asleep within 30 minutes of hitting the road.

The drive was uneventful and looooong, with the requisite stops for edibles and Multnomah Falls. Adrian had never been there so that was fun. We ventured as far as the bridge (not far) and declined any further adventuring mostly due to the soggy weather.
Our trip took a full 12 hours but the campground we stayed at (Beachside) made it all worth it. True to it's name it was indeed right on the beach which made it very convenient and also VERY cold. If it hadn't been windy the entire time we were there it might not have been so cold. But the gusts made for some chilly temps for our ill-planned wardrobe. Note to self: next year plan for more winter clothing. The campground was nestled just south of Waldport and north of Yachats. Waldport proved to be an armpit but I had spent some time in Yachats back in 2002 for my sister's wedding. It was fun to take Adrian to all the places I remembered from that trip.

Friday night we did little more than pitch our camp and walk on the beach. We stumbled upon a tree stump that reminded us of that scene in Karate Kid where Daniel practices his crane kick at the beach... so of course Adrian wanted to perch me up there and have a photo op of me making an idiot of myself. Those pictures will not be posted here due to the overwhelming terror that took me while precariously perched well above the height of Adrian's 6'3". Combine the height (which I hate) and the wind (which I also hate) and I could do little more than crouch up there screaming into the wind. Let me spare you details of the graceful dismount...We also discovered a huge log that had been washed up on the beach as early as the late 70s. We were able to find names and carvings dating back to at least 1978. We, of course, added our own. I figured some day it may be a cool thing to show our kids and remember our first anniversary.

Saturday we ventured in to Yachats to seek out some tide pools and we hit the mother-load. We found a great spot with all kinds of beautiful starfish and sea anemones. And this cave that becomes a blow hole at high tide. You can't tell from the picture but it's completely covered in sea life... barnacles and mollusks. Fascinating to see up close.
Then we hit the mother-load of northwest art galleries. I was floored by some of the art we found at the Earthworks and neighboring galleries. We wound up at glamorous Izzy's in Newport. The food was marginal but worth the view alone. That afternoon we returned to our campground and took our kites out for a spin in the windy weather.We rounded out the day with some goofiness around the campfire and a raging cool sunset on the beach to finish out our 1st year of marriage.Sunday was our anniversary. We rolled out to another beautiful (and brisk) morning. I gave Adrian his gift before we ventured back to Yachats to take in their Farmer's Market. Whoa tiny. I'm not sure what I had in mind but the entire thing took us about 10 minutes to peruse. I was able to finally get up close to some bushes that I'd seen ALL OVER Oregon that are spectacularly in bloom right now. Turns out they're azaleas. SO impressive.

We ate a small yet expensive breakfast at the Landmark, a place that lives up to it's slogan "An ocean view from every table." We had our pick of breakfast spots but I remembered this place for it's ocean view when my parents and I ate there in 2002. Note to self: pay more attention to prices when parents foot the bill! At $3 a pancake we didn't eat much and opted for a cheaper lunch later on in Newport.
We drove up to Newport to hit the historic bay front. This was another activity I had enjoyed with my family over the years and I was excited to share the experience with Adrian. The weather was perfect for the activity and we stopped at all of my favorite hot spots including the candy shop where my mom and I used to get salt-water taffy. We bought a handful or two and some amazing caramel corn before we decided we'd better get out of there before we broke the bank.
And no trip to the bay front is complete without a stop to see the barking seals and sea lions. We had lunch at the Newport Cafe to squeeze the required halibut fish and chips meal into the trip. Awesome.
That afternoon we retired to our camp beach and had a few hours of reading/napping in the sun. We made our traditional camping dinner that night of foil-pack chicken, potatoes, carrots, onions and some special seasoning cooked directly over the fire. It's the easiest dinner ever and sooo good. While I prepared the grub Adrian got busy memorializing our first anniversary...*the "sorry Nacho" part was a little shout out to our poor guy who had to be left at home.

Monday we woke up to stormy, cloudy and oh yah, windy. We didn't have a whole lot planned for our final day but the Newport Aquarium was at the top of the list. Yet another family favorite of years past. As always it was amazing.
A quick stop at the Yaquina Bay Lighthouse.

Our last walk on the beach before our last cold sunset. We were sad to say goodbye to the ocean but very ready to get home.

One thing that struck me was the fact that this was my first trip to the coast with Adrian and my first trip to the coast without my family. I wasn't prepared for how much I would miss them over there. Family, we're going to have to plan another trip up there next year...