Time to hit the Beach! - Cannon Beach, OR

Jocelyn: "Hey Julie...wanna hit the beach?"
Julie: "Sure! Let me grab my parka!"

This is what happens when you invite a SoCal gal for some beach time in the Pacific Northwest. Actually, I expected the same which is why my bag was packed to the brim because you never know what you'll get out on the coast so I packed for everything. However, I DID NOT pack a parka :-)

It was time for the ocean. Sure, you have the Puget Sound around Seattle but it's nothing compared to the ocean..the sound, the smells, the wildlife, and the saltwater taffy! So, we headed down from Seattle to the Oregon coast and one of my favorite places.....Cannon Beach, Oregon. I haven't been there in over 14 years so it was time to pay a visit. So much has changed on the road down to Oregon. Like everything else anywhere, so much has built up and there are so many people and so many cars. But, when you get out on the beach itself, everything is as I had remembered.

Cannon Beach has maintained its small town charm after all these years. Thank god...no Walmart nearby! I applaud the local community and government for keeping out those massive, evil, mom&pop devouring, uncompassionate treatment of its employees, chain stores! Phew...ok, enough of my rants...back to the easy-going beach life. It's a dog-friendly town with many of the establishments accepting pets on the patio or in the stores. And, the sand! So fine, soft and so warm! We lucked out and the sun came out for all the days we were there. Everyone in town was complaining about the colder than usual summer and I kept thinking "what are these people talking about?" In general, I think people in the northwest just like to verbally complain about the weather hoping to keep everyone else from moving to this incredibly beautiful region. And, secondly, I spent 13 years in San Francisco and everyone knows that famous Mark Twain quote "The coldest winter I spent was a summer in San Francisco." So, this past summer in the Northwest has been amazing for me! "What, I can wear shorts and a tank top after 3:00 in the afternoon?"

In any case, Cannon Beach, Oregon is a must visit. From Portland, it's only 80 miles. From Seattle, it's 180 miles. Every summer (June, I think?), they hold a huge Sand Castle Competition that produces some of the most amazing sand sculptures I've ever seen. I found this site that has pictures of the 2008 competition. The competition started in 1965 one year after a tsunami had hit the area. The year after the tsunami, the beach recorded the lowest tide levels in the century and some locals decided to capitalize on the media attention and held a sandcastle competition. Since then, up to 45,000 people (yikes) have attended the competition. It's held at the foot of the most recognized monolith of the Oregon coast - Haystack rock.

Highway 101 is also a popular cycling touring route with hundreds testing their legs and lungs along the Pacific Coast every year. I saw quite a few tackling the route from Astoria, OR to Cannon Beach and it had me pining for my bike. At lunch the other day at Mo's (southern part of Cannon Beach), some cyclists sat down next to us and they were riding their bikes from Portland San Francisco. Well, Anan was...the other two were going to catch the train back down to EssEff from Florence, OR. Their group exemplified what I miss about living in SF...Anan is originally from El Salvador, another rider from Australia, and the one woman from Spain. I miss that....going to a restaurant, bar, or an event in the Bay Area and meeting people from so many different parts of the world. I LOVE the northwest and I won't be moving back to the Bay Area, BUT...I miss that diversity and exposure to so many different cultures (and the food!!) without ever having to leave "The City." Sorry, I apologize for the tangents. Must stay focused!

Anyway, Anan was going to be cycling the next 2 weeks down the coast and he was using this book which I need to buy - Bicycling the Pacific Coast by the Mountaineers Club. I flipped through it and it looked pretty good with not only the mileage included but also the elevation gain and campsites. Phew....I had a feeling that the Oregon/California border was going to be tough...and it is. But, that is definitely one ride I'll have to do. Fun times at the shore and Daisy is currently snoring so loud so I know she had a great time. Here's a link to the photos I took that day.