DrNed
The mountains are calling and I must go
- Joined
- Mar 31, 2013
- Messages
- 1,026
This is not a backcountry experience, but the
location is so amazing and views so spectacular
I have deemed it worthy of BCP.
I hope you agree.
I got married in spring of 1992.
I was 22 and my wife, barely 19.
We were dumb and in love.
Life had never given us the circumstances
to take a real vacation, just her and I.
After 25 years she said, she'd earned it.
The understatement of all time.
We began planning early in the year and knew
with child number three graduating HS in
May, child number one getting married in June,
me doing a float trip, plus all the other
summer commitments we would have to look to the fall.
After several recommendations and much discussion,
we decided on the Oregon Coast for the last
week of October.
So on Wednesday the 25th we flew from
SLC to Portalnd, Oregon.
Because I'm such a fan of food shows, I decided
a visit to Oregon wouldn't be complete without stopping by
VooDoo Donuts in Portland.
In the end, one lump of frosted, deep-fried dough is kinda the same
as another. Still, glad we did it.
Now it's off to Florence, Oregon.
The drive from Portland to Florence was several hours, but very easy as we
moved toward the coast through a breathtaking forest.
After checking in we drove over to the beach.
The plan was to rent 4 wheelers the next day and do some cruising on the beach
and sand dunes. We ended up knocking around the tourist shops and strolling
through the downtown section of Florence.
Then it was off to Heceta Head Bed and Breakfast.
This house is part of the living quarters to those
who managed the Heceta Head lighthouse back in the day.
The bed and breakfast was nice. The views, on the other hand, were amazing.
Apparently, I like bridges. I took photos of several.
While I don't have any images of it, after dark we hiked up to see the lighthouse, which is fully
functional.
It was awesome to see these eight beams of light breaking the darkness.
Heceta Head lighthouse in the morning.
More Heceta Head images.
Next, it's off to Yaquina Bay Lighthouse
Bridge across Yaquina Bay.
Next is Yaquina Head lighthouse.
From this viewpoint, we actually saw a pod of whales. Well, actually what we saw
was their spouts. Probably a dozen or so.
This is a popular area to see tide pools, but the tide was in. Maybe next time.
Now it's off to Oceanside, OR and the Three Arches Inn.
Despite this telephone pole being right in our sight line, the view from our room
was awe-inspiring.
The sunsets off the coast are mind-blowing.
After it got dark we walked over to the local diner for some grub. I was determined
to try all the local food I could. Here's my first sampling of crab cakes.
I have only eaten crab once before and really didn't like it. These were
out of this world . . . and that was just my appetizer.
I'm a blessed man to have spent so many years with this fine woman.
Oceanside beach the next morning.
Just a few hours later and the fog has rolled in.
After leaving Oceanside we went inland and visited the Tillamock factory.
Then back to the coast for Cape Mears Lighthouse.
After the lighthouse, we took a little hike to Octopus Tree.
This tree is so massively large this picture doesn't do it justice.
Now we're off to Rockaway Beach, OR.
The fog was so thick once we got here and we just
walked through town looking at shops.
Nothing very remarkable except for this rock garden that
is right on the main highway through town.
The sign states that if there's a rock you like feel free to
take it, just leave your cash in the box.
Sunday morning and we're off to Cannon Beach. This is one of the more iconic Oregon beaches so
it's likely you've seen some of these sights before.
One of the many things that makes Oregon unique is its acceptance of dogs in usually human only
locations. This photo was taken just outside a little sweets shop.
With that in mind, I found this sign quite humorous.
That sign is right outside a combination bar/hardware store named, no lie, Screws and Brews.
With a name like that, we couldn't not go in.
Here I tried some oyster shooters.
One oyster in a shot glass with just a touch of spicy cocktail sauce with
the tiniest lemon wedge.
I was kinda nervous about these. So much so that I asked the waiter the
proper way to consume them.
Bottoms up.
I was expecting kinda tough and chewy. Not even close.
Another food home run. Outstanding!
Monday morning we got an early start and headed over to Kelly's Brighton Bay Marina
for some crabbing.
Here I am with one of the keepers. Little did he know that I'd be eating him within the hour.
So here's how crabbing from the dock works. You take one of these collapsible baskets that have
stink bait attached to the inside bottom. The stink bait is just dead fish in a net. We were instructed
to step on the bait occasionally to keep it aromatic.
You tie your rope to the dock and throw the basket out and let it sit for 10-15 minutes and
then quickly pull it back in.
I was on the dock for about an hour and a half so I probably made 6-8 casts and caught something
every time. The law in Oregon is that you can only keep the males, which are identified by a marking on their underside, and those that are over 5 3/4" at their wide point. So of the 20-25 that I pulled in there was only 3 were keepers.
This dog has had way too much crab over his lifetime. He's so old and fat he can barely move.
After catching the crabs they're boiled for 16 minutes. Once they come out you clean them,
which is essentially breaking the animal down. In the process, one will harvest the heart
and eat it. Way good!
To break open the legs, which were not as hard as I would have expected, pull out the meat, dip it in the fluid that accumulates in the shell and eat. Fresh seafood is awesome!
It was so cold now we had to stop our crab feast, just to get warm.
Then we made a stop in Manzanita Beach and then to Astoria. For movie buffs, Astoria is where Kindergarten Cop and Goonies were filmed.
We, however, stopped to see the tower and the views of the Columbia River from the tower.
From Astoria it was a drive to Portland, stay the night and catch a flight back to SLC Tuesday morning.
Great trip. Great scenery. Great company.
location is so amazing and views so spectacular
I have deemed it worthy of BCP.
I hope you agree.
I got married in spring of 1992.
I was 22 and my wife, barely 19.
We were dumb and in love.
Life had never given us the circumstances
to take a real vacation, just her and I.
After 25 years she said, she'd earned it.
The understatement of all time.
We began planning early in the year and knew
with child number three graduating HS in
May, child number one getting married in June,
me doing a float trip, plus all the other
summer commitments we would have to look to the fall.
After several recommendations and much discussion,
we decided on the Oregon Coast for the last
week of October.
So on Wednesday the 25th we flew from
SLC to Portalnd, Oregon.
Because I'm such a fan of food shows, I decided
a visit to Oregon wouldn't be complete without stopping by
VooDoo Donuts in Portland.
In the end, one lump of frosted, deep-fried dough is kinda the same
as another. Still, glad we did it.
Now it's off to Florence, Oregon.
The drive from Portland to Florence was several hours, but very easy as we
moved toward the coast through a breathtaking forest.
After checking in we drove over to the beach.
The plan was to rent 4 wheelers the next day and do some cruising on the beach
and sand dunes. We ended up knocking around the tourist shops and strolling
through the downtown section of Florence.
Then it was off to Heceta Head Bed and Breakfast.
This house is part of the living quarters to those
who managed the Heceta Head lighthouse back in the day.
The bed and breakfast was nice. The views, on the other hand, were amazing.
Apparently, I like bridges. I took photos of several.
While I don't have any images of it, after dark we hiked up to see the lighthouse, which is fully
functional.
It was awesome to see these eight beams of light breaking the darkness.
Heceta Head lighthouse in the morning.
More Heceta Head images.
Next, it's off to Yaquina Bay Lighthouse
Bridge across Yaquina Bay.
Next is Yaquina Head lighthouse.
From this viewpoint, we actually saw a pod of whales. Well, actually what we saw
was their spouts. Probably a dozen or so.
This is a popular area to see tide pools, but the tide was in. Maybe next time.
Now it's off to Oceanside, OR and the Three Arches Inn.
Despite this telephone pole being right in our sight line, the view from our room
was awe-inspiring.
The sunsets off the coast are mind-blowing.
After it got dark we walked over to the local diner for some grub. I was determined
to try all the local food I could. Here's my first sampling of crab cakes.
I have only eaten crab once before and really didn't like it. These were
out of this world . . . and that was just my appetizer.
I'm a blessed man to have spent so many years with this fine woman.
Oceanside beach the next morning.
Just a few hours later and the fog has rolled in.
After leaving Oceanside we went inland and visited the Tillamock factory.
Then back to the coast for Cape Mears Lighthouse.
After the lighthouse, we took a little hike to Octopus Tree.
This tree is so massively large this picture doesn't do it justice.
Now we're off to Rockaway Beach, OR.
The fog was so thick once we got here and we just
walked through town looking at shops.
Nothing very remarkable except for this rock garden that
is right on the main highway through town.
The sign states that if there's a rock you like feel free to
take it, just leave your cash in the box.
Sunday morning and we're off to Cannon Beach. This is one of the more iconic Oregon beaches so
it's likely you've seen some of these sights before.
One of the many things that makes Oregon unique is its acceptance of dogs in usually human only
locations. This photo was taken just outside a little sweets shop.
With that in mind, I found this sign quite humorous.
That sign is right outside a combination bar/hardware store named, no lie, Screws and Brews.
With a name like that, we couldn't not go in.
Here I tried some oyster shooters.
One oyster in a shot glass with just a touch of spicy cocktail sauce with
the tiniest lemon wedge.
I was kinda nervous about these. So much so that I asked the waiter the
proper way to consume them.
Bottoms up.
I was expecting kinda tough and chewy. Not even close.
Another food home run. Outstanding!
Monday morning we got an early start and headed over to Kelly's Brighton Bay Marina
for some crabbing.
Here I am with one of the keepers. Little did he know that I'd be eating him within the hour.
So here's how crabbing from the dock works. You take one of these collapsible baskets that have
stink bait attached to the inside bottom. The stink bait is just dead fish in a net. We were instructed
to step on the bait occasionally to keep it aromatic.
You tie your rope to the dock and throw the basket out and let it sit for 10-15 minutes and
then quickly pull it back in.
I was on the dock for about an hour and a half so I probably made 6-8 casts and caught something
every time. The law in Oregon is that you can only keep the males, which are identified by a marking on their underside, and those that are over 5 3/4" at their wide point. So of the 20-25 that I pulled in there was only 3 were keepers.
This dog has had way too much crab over his lifetime. He's so old and fat he can barely move.
After catching the crabs they're boiled for 16 minutes. Once they come out you clean them,
which is essentially breaking the animal down. In the process, one will harvest the heart
and eat it. Way good!
To break open the legs, which were not as hard as I would have expected, pull out the meat, dip it in the fluid that accumulates in the shell and eat. Fresh seafood is awesome!
It was so cold now we had to stop our crab feast, just to get warm.
Then we made a stop in Manzanita Beach and then to Astoria. For movie buffs, Astoria is where Kindergarten Cop and Goonies were filmed.
We, however, stopped to see the tower and the views of the Columbia River from the tower.
From Astoria it was a drive to Portland, stay the night and catch a flight back to SLC Tuesday morning.
Great trip. Great scenery. Great company.
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