Summer Vacation 2017

In the summer of 2017 my parents and I embarked on another vacation to the Oregon Coast, but this particular trip was going to be different because we didn't have to worry about a dog being home. Which meant that we could take as long as we wanted to get to the coast, and to leave. And that felt strange. In all other past trips, if we didn't take our dog with us, then we left her with a sitter, or had someone come to our house. We decided to stay at a halfway point between our home and the coast, have our fun, and do the same thing coming back home that we did when we left.

Day 1: 8-16-17>> Lunching at North Bend, Wa (where this little chapel resides) before arriving at our Chehalis hotel

Day 2: 8-17-16>> Left Chehalis. Stopped right before the Astoria Bridge for lunch, before taking a few moments in Cannon Beach to take in our favorite view of the Haystack Rock. Did a bit more driving and ended up at our final destination, Rockaway Beach. Unpacked and took a walk (last photo).

Rockaway Beach 

Day 3: 8-18-17>> Bought tickets for a round-trip train ride that goes from Rockaway Beach to Garibaldi and back. Later that day we drove down to Manzanita and walked around. We hit all the shops first and then walked the beach where we saw kite surfers.

Garibaldi

Train ride back

Manzanita

Day 4: 8-19-17>> Did mostly driving. First stop was Bayocean Peninsula Park; that place has quite the history. You can go here for more information. After walking around in the dunes, we drove down to Cape Kiwanda in Pacific City, Or. which is the furthest we've ever gone on a family vacation.

Bayocean

Pacific City

Day 5: 8-20-17>> Drove into Astoria for their farmers market. They have one every Sunday from May to October every year. I even bought a piece of artwork, but nearly a year later I'm kicking myself for not asking for a business card. After the market we went for lunch at the Bridgewater Bistro where there are views of the Astoria Bridge and the Columbia River. After lunch, and an emergency stop at the Fred Meyer for the bathroom, we headed back to Cannon Beach to finally visit their museum and walk the beaches where we put some of Nellie's ashes.

Art & Bistro

Cannon Beach

Day 6: 8-21-17>> Watched the solar Eclipse! We were around 98% totality and it was pretty awesome to see. My mom ordered sunglasses before we left, so that we wouldn't be without protection when we got there! Our activities that day included driving around to 3 local beaches. Manhatten, Hug Point, and Arcadia. When we were driving back, we stopped above Manzanita to get a view of the coastline. 

Manhatten

Hug Point

Arcadia

Manzanita Coastline

Day 7: 8-22-17>> Spent the day exploring various areas of Ecola State Park and going to all the shops in Cannon Beach. It was our final night before making our way home so we got a fire going to roast marshmallows and get warm! Bonus points to whoever can spot the single person in the photo before the fire pit!

Day 8: 8-23-17>> Left pretty early in the morning and stopped in Cannon Beach for some breakfast snacks. We drove to a really nice campground, Mossyrock Campground, for lunch before arriving Packwood to stay the night before going home.

Day 9: 8-24-17>> Finally made it home! Left Packwood and White's Pass in the early morning, where it was cold, windy, and a bit rainy. As we headed home we hit a detour and the heat. When we arrived to our physical house it was well over 80 degrees!