Mt. Hood

In April 2008, I wrote an essay and drew a picture for the explOREGON contest. I never imagined that those simple things would lead to my winning a trip to Oregon. Like anyone else, I thought I didn’t have a chance. So when I listened to the message that I had won, I could hardly believe it. I, a normal girl from Kansas, had won an amazing trip (note: so be brave and spend the hour or two it may take to enter a contest—you never know what might happen!).

Monday, August 11
Our flights from Kansas took about five hours. As we flew into Oregon, I saw Mount Hood. It was big, beautiful and amazing.

At Seaside

At the airport we met Ms. Linea Carlson, a Travel Oregon representative, who made sure we were all ready for our adventures. On our way out of Portland we stopped at Burgerville and ordered some Walla-Walla onion rings and Oregon raspberry shakes. Those were the best onion rings I’ve ever had!
We got to Seaside and met Pelican Post editor and photographer Mr. Gary Hayes. He walked with us out to the beach, where he took pictures of us. While we were walking to the beach, he told us a little bit about the history of Seaside. I thought it was interesting how Seaside had long been a popular vacation site.

The beach was beautiful tonight. The sun was setting and bathed everything in a golden light. The reflections on the water and wet sand made for some really interesting photos!

We had a super fish dinner at Norma’s Diner and finished our day off with some delicious ice cream at Zinger’s!

Mr. Gorsuch

Tuesday, August 12
After breakfast at Pig N’ Pancake, we left for Cannon Beach, where we met a local artist named Mr. Richard Gorsuch. We talked for a little bit, and he showed me some paintings that he had done. Afterwards, we went down to the beach and I painted Haystack rock. I’m taking art at school, but I’ve never painted with oils, so this was a unique opportunity for me.

After I had finished the painting, we ate a picnic lunch on the beach. Over lunch, we had a nice talk with Mr. Gorsuch. I learned that he painted Haystack Rock every day for a whole year! I wish there was something interesting near my house that I could paint or draw every day for at least a month.

After saying goodbye, we drove to Lincoln City. Along the way we stopped at the Tillamook Cheese Factory and ate some great ice cream. It was hard to choose a flavor—there were so many!

In Lincoln City, we went to Fathoms Restaurant for dinner. Since it was my brother’s birthday, he got a candle in his crème brulee and everyone sang “Happy Birthday” to him.

Blowing glass floats

Wednesday, August 13
This morning, we stopped at a kite shop and bought a box kite. It was cool to see all the colorful whirligigs out front. It’s not something you see in Kansas very often!

We went to the Jennifer Sears Glass Studio where my brother and I blew glass floats. Glass floats are popular in the area because Japanese fishermen used these round glass balls in their fishing nets. Sometimes they would come loose and float all the way to Oregon.

In the afternoon, we walked down to the beach and flew kites until it was time for dinner at Wildflower Grill. After dinner, we went down to the beach, collected driftwood, and built a fire. We roasted marshmallows for s’mores while watching the colorful sunset.

Thursday, August 14
Today we woke up at 5:00 so we could hunt for agates on the beach. There was a negative tide, so the surf was out really far. We found lots of little agates, and I even found a big one!

Marine Discovery Tours

We drove to Newport after breakfast. When we arrived, we went to Marine Discovery Tours for a ride on a boat out into the ocean. We didn’t see any whales, but I saw a seal! On our way up the river, the guide pulled up some crab pots that he had set. He caught several crabs in one, and explained how you could tell the males from the females.

After that, we went on up the river, and I saw an old derelict ship anchored in the water. The guide said that it was an old King crabbing boat that had gone all the way up to the Bering Sea. A man had bought this ship for $10 and was using it as a house!

We went to a restaurant called Local Ocean for lunch. While we were waiting for a table, a lady was taking whole fresh tuna into the kitchen! That’s really fresh eating!

In the afternoon, we went to the Oregon Coast Aquarium. It was cool to see all the marine animals and birds. The octopus and jellyfish were fascinating. I especially liked the tunnel through a tank with different fish in it. It was almost like you were walking through the ocean!

Glass float

Friday, August 15
This morning we went to the Hatfield Marine Science Center and met Mr. Bill Hanshumaker. He gave us a tour of what goes on behind the scenes at HMSC, and we helped him get a frozen sea turtle out of the big freezer for a necropsy. I was amazed at how big the turtle was. Once it defrosted, he was going to dissect it and try to find out why it died.

Then he fed the resident octopus. Mr. Hanshumaker wanted the octopus to go through a little tube to get to the food, but the octopus didn’t cooperate. It was still fun to see him give the octopus the crab for lunch!

As for my lunch, I had a tuna wrap and my brother had fish and chips. He had fish and chips at almost every place we went for lunch and dinner. He’s quite the expert now!

Before leaving for Portland, we toured the Yaquina Bay lighthouse. We watched a lady in period costume give a presentation on the food lighthouse keepers would have eaten. I also saw an old waffle iron. The lighthouse was remarkable – none of us saw Murial, the ghost, though!

My trip is over and I’m busy with school, but every so often, I am reminded of my adventures. I will be using the things I learned from Mr. Gorsuch when I do my painting in art this year. I’ll probably even use a picture that I took in Oregon as an art reference. In biology, I’m reminded of Mr. Hanshumaker. And everyday, I see the glass float sitting on my desk, whispering to me of a far away ocean, the one that I captured and tamed in a simple glass bottle.

For more information on visiting Oregon with the entire family, please visit our Kids page.

Taken at a Local Grill

After a sunny drive through Portland across to 101 and onto Cannon Beach, my boyfriend and I were greeted by eager shoppers roaming Hemlock Street downtown of the tiny coastal town. As soon as we arrived we parked and walked across the street to find ourselves burying our feet in the sand and watching a collage of kites drift across the sky.

We dabbled in local beach shops, picking out our favorite kites and then indulged in some delicious pizza from Pizza a Fetta, a little pizza shop with a walk-up window. We checked in at the Inn at Cannon Beach, just a few miles up the road. Our camera was out before we unloaded the car, the cabin-like lodge was exactly what we’d hoped for and more.

Haystack Rock

You have to check it out—they have a fabulous website and you will not be disappointed—it really looks like the pictures! Lucky for us, the weather was absolutely perfect. We were warmly welcomed as we checked in, absolutely wonderful customer service and we hadn’t even seen our room yet! We checked in to our fabulous abode, and from here our little venture along the beach was a just a hop, skip and jump away. We walked along to find ourselves roaming out near Haystack Rock—our camera out at all times, of course.

For dinner we ate at the Driftwood Inn, he had the steak, I had the salmon. Fast service, great food—couldn’t ask for much more. Dessert was a mini shopping spree at Bruce’s Candy Kitchen across the street—personalizing bags of taffy and secretly eyeballing the caramel apples.

The Driftwood Inn

The following day we indulged in the complimentary breakfast in the Art Gallery of the Inn, taking our coffee and tea to go along with us for a morning stroll in the sand. Lunch was the deluxe club at the Local Grill and Scoop—we split it to save room for ice cream. We enjoyed the outside dining along Hemlock Street, again great food and fast service. We made a goal of going in every shop and art gallery and our mission was accomplished before grabbing giant ice cream cones at the Picnic Basket and jumping back in the car for a sunny drive home.

Starfish at the beach

Cannon Beach is very family and pet friendly—so, whether you’re looking for a romantic weekend or a week-long family adventure you should check out this intimate beach town.

For more information on visiting Cannon Beach, please visit our Oregon Coast section.

Photo courtesy of Far West ATV Rentals

This week, we received some very exciting news from the Oregon Coast. A mysteriously large wooden ship was found near Coos Bay, which is thought to be from the late 19th or early 20th century. Click here to read The World’s full article (Coos Bay’s local newspaper).

If you are interested in history, shipwrecks or buried treasure, be sure to visit Coos Bay to witness this fascinating sight. Coos Historical and Maritime Museum will be placing historic ship photos on display, as well as various maps. Hours are Tuesday-Saturday, 10am-4pm. Please call 541.756.6320 for more information.

Spinreel Dunebuggy Rentals, Inc. is also creating a waiting list for possible tours to the shipwreck site, as well as the site of the New Carissa. If you’re looking for something to do this weekend, get out there and view some living history!

Editor’s Note: Please be extremely cautious and respectful if you’re planning on visiting the wreck; the seas are high, and approaching the ship is extremely dangerous. Be sure to read up on beach safety before heading out.

Make the most out of your travels by visiting GoSeeOregon.com for the latest tips on where to go and what to do in Oregon. But don’t take our word for it, see what Oregon’s visitors have to say:

Recent User Tips include Beverly Beach State Park, Yaquina Head Outstanding Natural Area, Yaquina Head Lighthouse, The Stephanie Inn, Sylvia Beach Hotel, The Ocean Lodge, Seaside Aquarium, Mo’s, Comfort Inn Coos Bay, Hatfield Marine Science Center, Newmans’s at 988 and West Coast Game Park Safari.

-User epmmskewis stated that Beverly Beach State Park is “one of the most beautiful beaches in Oregon.”

-izzyb123 summed up their stay at the Ocean Lodge by exclaiming, “The service was incredible and the entire staff looked clean and sharp.”

-User cescoutdoors enjoyed the Hatfield Marine Science Center, and stated that “anyone with interest in science, marine or not, could spend an hour or two here.”

-If you’re interested in traveling to the coast with the whole family, West Coast Game Park Safari may be the perfect addition to your trip: “My 3-year old granddaughter was able to feed a baby Bengal tiger.” ~submitted by user DCATE.

GoSeeOregon also now provides travel recommendations based on your interests for all major cities in Oregon! Just set up an account and enter your interests and travel preferences. Give it a try – getting started takes less than a minute! And while you’re busy writing tips about your favorite Oregon Coast spots, don’t forget to enter GoSeeOregon’s Tips and Treasures Contest. You may even win a warm and cozy Columbia Sportswear jacket.

Get out there and enjoy Oregon’s beaches!

The Pacific Ocean

During a scorching July afternoon, my friend Christina and I decided to beat the heat by roadtripping to the Oregon Coast. Our destination of the day was Lincoln City, and we had food, sun tanning and shopping on our minds. We packed the cooler full of snacks and popped in a cd we could sing to, and we were off! The weather on our drive was fairly overcast, but once we reached our destination it was as if the clouds had opened up- it was absolutely GORGEOUS outside.

Our first stop was the Tanger Outlet Mall, where we purused a variety of home and clothing stores. After that, we stopped for lunch at a quaint little pizza shop called Humble Pie. We shared a yummy meatball sandwich with gooey mozzarella cheese and marinara sauce, and an Italian sub with pepperoni, salami, veggies and Italian dressing.

After we fueled up, it was time to hit the beach. We hiked for a bit until we came across an ideal sun-tanning location. The weather was beautiful- not to hot and not too cold, but just right. After soaking up the sun, we decided to test out the ocean. It was about 80 degrees outside, and a perfect day to cool off in the water. Beware, however, of digging your toes into the wet sand- we were both bit or stung (I’m not quite sure which) by little gray creatures that looked like miniature shrimp.

All around us, dogs chased Frisbees and children savored their summer vacation from school by building sand castles and jumping through the ocean waves. I even met the most adorable Boxer, which reminded me of the dog I had as a child. Even though it was a gorgeous summer afternoon, this popular beach was hardly crowded at all. If you’re interested in beating the crowds, I would suggest visiting on a weekday (we traveled there on a Friday).

Photo: We found a variety of souvenirs during our shopping excursion in Lincoln City.

Once we’d had our fill of soaking up the summer sun, we walked along highway 101 and checked out the local shops. We found a variety of creative kites, tools for building sandcastles and of course, seashells. As we walked by the local Teddy Bear shop, it brought back memories of the items I collected when I was a child (I used to always beg my parents to buy me a bear as a souvenir). We then grabbed some delicious French silk ice cream and headed over to Candyland (a local candy shop full of goodies) for chocolate fudge and of course, a handful of salt water taffy. Try the chocolate peanut butter- it’s to die for!

A day trip to the Oregon Coast is perfect for all ages- and if you’d like, you can even go back to being a kid for a day. So get out there and start building sandcastles, flying kites and eating some delicious chowder. The weather is getting pretty close to perfect out there!

For more information on shopping, dining, and exploring Lincoln City, visit our Oregon Coast section.

Chris, Jessica, and Jennifer

A team from Travel Oregon participated in the Great Oregon Spring Beach Cleanup. After breakfast at White’s Restaurant in Salem (since 1936!) we headed towards the coast.

The whale watchers were also out in force but the weather was a little rainy and windy – not good spotting weather.

Beverly Beach

At Beverly Beach State Park we found millions of little pieces of colorful plastic, including caps and lids that probably once went onto the plastic containers that had been smashed to smithereens. Some of the stranger items we picked up included kitchen utensil handles, toy car wheels, marine rope and a large piece of nicely trimmed sheetrock.

As we turned in our bags of trash, we started seeing and hearing goats! A large group of them had acted as pack animals. They probably thought their owners were collecting snacks for them. We saw one of them trying to eat another’s harness.

If you’d like to join in on the fun next time, the Great Oregon Fall Beach Cleanup will be Saturday, September 15, 2007.

In Newport, as we ate Abby’s Pizza we asked, “north or south?” Our newest co-worker, who had most recently lived in San Francisco, hadn’t been past Yachats so we decided “southward ho!” And why not try to make it to Bandon before dark? It’s good to have a goal.

Carnivorus Pitcher Plants

Our first stop was in Florence, where we toured my old haunts on the back roads around Sutton Lake where I grew up. We checked out the carnivorous pitcher plants at Darlingtonia Wayside; a short little boardwalk takes you around some of Mother Nature’s more fascinating creations.

We needed more sustenance so we stopped at BJ’s Ice Cream which has dozens of amazing homemade flavors. I highly recommend the Bittersweet Nugget.

Elk at Dean Creek

At Reedsport we made a detour up Highway 38 to wildlife watch at Dean Creek Elk Viewing. The bulls were on one side of the pasture and the females (cows) and the younger males were on the other. Kinda like most people’s backyard BBQ dynamics!

ATV's at the dunes

We made another side trip to Winchester Bay in the Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area, also known as ATV heaven. There are four staging areas, some with camping. We can still hear the ATV-buzzing in our ears. In August you can try your skills at DuneFest.

Davey Jones Locker

In Charleston we stopped for more snacks and postcards, this time at Davey Jones Locker store. Nothing keep road trippers in peak form like circus peanuts and soda pop!

We made it Bandon at dusk and drove along the rocky coast line. The old town had many more shops compared to the last time I was there in 2000.

We headed back over Highway 42 through Coquille, Winston and then went up the interstate at Roseburg. We had a great day of beautifying an already-beautiful state and enjoying wherever the road (and my Mini Cooper) took us.

Editor’s Note: For more information on beach activities, check out our Oregon Coast page.