Sorry for the delay in post, sorting through and editing over 300 pictures took a lot longer than I anticipated. I'd say it was worth it though.. I managed to capture some amazing scenery... not that I had to do much, the photos pretty much took themselves. This was our first time seeing the magnificent Pacific ocean. A complete 360 from the flat white sandy coasts of our home-state. I have no words to describe the feeling of sitting on the edge of a cliff hundreds of feet above huge rolling waves crashing down upon jagged rocky shoreline. Perhaps a feeling of awe and fear for something so grand and dangerous and different. I'm getting ahead of myself though.. Our first experience of the trip was driving through the pastoral valleys between Portland and the coast. The greenest of green grass for miles with a horizon of mountains for a backdrop. Barns of many colors and shapes.. though one was most common and shown in the pictures. Our first destination was Depoe Bay, for an attempt at whale watching. It is late in the season and the migration pattern is 3 miles away from shore, but we bought some binoculars and gave it a shot. The whale center had documented many of them the day we were there, but we were unable to catch any in our view. The only wildlife we saw that day was a raven, a small brown sparrow, and some seagulls lol. They suggested coming back in late summer to see them feeding in the bay, only feet away from the shore. You bet we'll be back then! We made many stops along the coastal highway to take photos of the breathtaking view. We went looking for tide pools, but were too late and missed the low tide. We still got to explore a cool rock covered beach at Hug point and see a couple of beach caves. When heading to our night time accommodations we stopped at an excellent roadside oasis in the middle of nowhere that was part plant nursery, part coffee and bake shop, part produce stand, and part gift shop that sold home decor, locally made sauces, and preserves. We got some cute little succulent plants and some delicious vidalia onion and dill mustard. Our hotel was only a short drive from there in Tillamook Valley, the place where pretty much all dairy products are made for the pacific northwest. A beautiful place with a not so beautiful smell. There are so many dairy farms in this concentrated area that you cannot escape the pungent odor of cow poo unless indoors. Lucky for us it was only chillin' in the indoor heated pool and spa then sleep then breakfast then gone again the next morning back to the coast. This time we drove north up to a cute little lighthouse then to Cannon Beach to see the famous and quite ginormous haystack and needle rocks. They were immense... think 40 story building. The beach around them was different than the beach from the day before. This one had more familiar sand underfoot and gentler waves. I may have thought I was on a florida beach if not for the haystack and cold wind that had all the beach goers bundled up in sneakers and long sleeves. I almost laughed out loud when I saw a girl presumably sunbathing, laying sprawled out on her back on the sand wearing pants and a fur-lined parka. After getting some sun we tooled around the town of cannon beach looking in the gift shops and ate some dinner. Before departing we stopped into a candy shop and bought some fresh spun cotton candy to munch on the way home. A sweet ending to a spectacular weekend.
Video clip of the shore from atop a cliff: Click Here for the Video
Of 300 photos, I kept less than 200, all of which can be seen here: CLICK HERE FOR THE PICS
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