Tommy Takes On: The Oregon Coast Day Two
Hey everyone! We were so busy from morning until night during our trip that we had to wait a couple of days to catch up on our blogs! I am very excited to tell you more about how we spent our time on the beautiful Oregon Coast though.
Day two:
Evergreen and I set our alarm bright and early so that we could meet the morning sun with the waves and sand. We loaded up the car in Garibaldi and started heading north, without a particular first destination in mind, planning on pulling over when the sun started to rise. After only driving 10-15 minutes we pulled off into Rockaway Beach. We spent nearly an hour simply walking up and down the coastline as the sun began to rise. We shared the entire coastline with just one or two other people and enjoyed some true peace and quiet. The mountains in the background even seemed to turn a light shade of purple.
Spending time at less popular beaches like these are so worth it - you find a whole new sense of peace and solitude when you have entire coastlines to yourself. You certainly are not compromising any beauty at the same time too.
After spending time in Rockaway, we hopped back in the car and continued to head north! Our final destination for the day was Cannon Beach - but we had plans to stop at nearly every beach and park in between. Next up, we drove through Nehalem and stopped at Bread and Ocean Bakery in Manzanita for a little treat... and it was unbelievably good - an orange cinnamon roll that melts in your mouth.
After happily chowing down on this masterpiece we once again hit he coastline! Each city and each beach has it's own unique beauty and Manzanita certainly did too. Long stretches of sand mixed with sections of seagrass and rock all added up to something gorgeous. There were even two bald eagles maybe 20 yards away from me at one point, I was too in awe to snap a photo but it was an incredible experience.
After some time spent in Manzanita, you guessed it, we headed north! We were not in the car very long before our next stop: Oswald West State Park. We hiked through a short forest trail surrounded by lush trees, ferns, a small suspension bridge, and a rolling stream that took us down to Short Sands Beach. This was one of my favorite stops during the entire trip as we were once again sharing an entire stunning coastline with only two other people. Evergreen ran her heart out as we explored from the top to the bottom of the beach.
After a hike back through the forest to our car, we headed north yet again, and landed at Hug Point State Park. Evergreen met a new best friend named Dio and they had a blast running around. Essentially the entire Oregon Coast is VERY dog friendly - from the beaches to the shops and restaurants, Evy was in paradise the entire time (so was I). And once again - the coastline was entirely ours.
After some fun in Hug Point we continued north! We cruised past Cannon Beach and headed straight to Ecola State Park, which has breathtaking views looking back towards Cannon Beach. Certain sections were closed due to erosion but I was still very blown away by the viewpoints. I could have stood there for hours.
After Ecola... We were exhausted and headed back into Cannon Beach to check into our hotel and get a little bit of rest before sunset. We stayed at Land's End, which was honestly amazing. They are the only dog friendly hotel in downtown Cannon Beach and truly take great care of you. Evergreen napped hard while I did some yoga to re-charge from all of the constant driving. Forcing yourself to workout or do yoga is a lifesaver during long days and long trips like these by the way!
After re-charging, I grabbed some coffee from across the street and went to Safeway to grab some groceries. Instead of going out to dinner, Evergreen and I enjoyed fresh bread, cheese, turkey, and ham while watching the sun go down by the well known Haystack Rock. We enjoyed sitting back and watching all sorts of people and their dogs stroll by.
To cap things off, I had the opportunity to meet with Marcus Hinz, who is the executive director of @thepeoplescoast for an evening drink. We talked about our stories, our love for the coast, and future goals and plans. It was great to learn more about him and what he is hoping to accomplish here on our beautiful coast. I am glad that I have the opportunity to be a small part of it!
And just that like, an amazing day was in the books. It is hard to believe that we squeezed that much into a single day - but when you do not waste a single second... You can experience a whole lot of amazing stuff out here.
Stay tuned for additional blogs soon!
Tommy