Oregon Coast is beautiful!

September 17th - Pacific City, Oregon.  Arrived here late in the day; long drive down I-5 from La Conner to Salem, and then the drive over to the Oregon Coast.  Nice drive along Oregon state hiways 22 and 18 over to Hiway 101, and then north to Pacific City.   Pacific City has been known for over a hundred years as a quaint fishing village and vacation destination located in a very unique and special geographical and geological area. Check out the two photos below – this is a great place to visit!  The Pacific City Thousands Trails campground was just a few miles outside of town. We found a nice campsite right next to the trail to the beach.  While Lynette’s Dad had told us that the trail to the beach was just a “short walk,” we found it to be about a ½ mile of hiking through the Amazon jungle.  Okay, maybe an exaggeration, but it was a looooooong walk on a bum knee through bear-infested, raccoon invested undergrowth.  Okay, I admit, once we arrived at the beach, the views and scenery were magnificent.  Maybe the walk was worth it after all.  But, Glenn, really: a short walk?  Nope, not really.

Pacific City as seen from the north

Pacific City's Haystack Rock, looking north

After our “walk” we decided to head into town for a bite to eat.  And we found one of the best beach restaurants around, the Pelican Pub & Brewery. Proclaimed as “a world leader in the pairing of food and beer,” this place not only has excellent food (I had a fantastic dish of Alaskan halibut fish & chips), but features an outstanding view of Pacific City’s famous Haystack Rock.  The restaurant has a huge veranda (there was a waiting list to eat outside) that is perfect for watching the fabulous sunsets. The one we witnessed that evening made me so mad that I’d left the camera in the motorhome.  There was a bank of clouds somewhere far out in the Pacific, so as the bright orange-red sun dipped into the ocean, there seemed to linger TWO suns: one with a light grey covering, and one with a bright red color.  As the sun finally sank in the west, there appeared a small “cone” or “cap” of bright yellow right on top of the circle of red.  Quite a sight to see.  Brought a lovely close to our first night in Pacific City. Below are a couple photos of the Pelican – see what I mean about the “right spot” on the beach?



The next day we drove north up Hiway 101, heading for Cannon Beach and just a few miles further, Seaside.  Lynette & I spent our honeymoon in Cannon Beach over the Christmas and New Year’s holiday in 1967/68.  It’s grown up a bit, but still a very nice little place to spend some time.  We ate dinner at a log cabin restaurant on the town’s main street, and again dined on some of the Northwest’s finest seafood. 

Cannon Beach looking north

Cannon Beach's Haystack Rock



Earlier in the day up in Seaside we completed an “errand” for Lynette’s Mom, Glenna, and exchanged a sweatshirt she had received as a birthday gift.  Even without a receipt, the sales person at the little shop on Seaside was happy to make the exchange.  Another side note: While on our honeymoon, we had driven from Cannon Beach to Seaside New Year’s Even to have dinner.  Boy, has that town grown up!  Nothing like we remembered at all.  Much bigger and much more commercial.  It does have a very large beach, however, and we could see why the town attracts lots of visitors, especially in the summer time.  I think we both preferred Cannon Beach, however, and so returned there for dinner.

At right is a phoro of Denny at the end of the pier in Seaside, standing in front of a statue marking the end of Lewis and Clark's famous journey to the Pacific Ocean.  As a "side note," before the expedition began their return journey east, they boiled 14,000 gallons of salt water to make enough salt for the return trip.  A little know fact...go figure.  :>)