It has been a long
time since I've been on a vacation where I didn't feel ready to head home once
it was over. I think that is a sign that
we had a very good time.
Saturday morning,
bright and early, we headed out for the Oregon Coast. Newport, Oregon to be precise. There is nothing quite like the feeling that
comes over you when you get your first glimpse of that beautiful ocean. There are no words that can do it
justice. Simply breathtaking.
Our first day was
spent at the ocean. After breakfast we walked down to South Beach State Park. The walk itself, just a mile, was nice as we
had plenty of pretty flowers and birds to enjoy along the way. The park is lovely, but the beach is magnificent.
We pulled off our
shoes and stood in the water, collected shells and pretty stones that washed up
and walked along the surf. We had
sunshine and a light breeze, it was spectacular.
We walked back to
the hotel, stopping first to check out a cute little antique and collectibles
shop. Then it was time for a late lunch
of fish & chips at the really cute cafe located behind our hotel. The food was really good and the service too,
really sweet waitresses.
The next day we went
to the aquarium. It was located only a block
from our hotel. We walked over and spent
several hours there, taking our time, going through all of exhibits. We enjoyed it so much we went back through
most of the aquarium twice.
The girls and I got
to touch some sea urchins and star fish.
We watched them feed
the otters, that was a lot of fun.
Tuesday we were off
to Yaquina Bay, just across the bridge from where we were staying. We spent a good portion of the day
there. We walked the entire length of it
on both sides of the street.
We went to Ripley's
Believe It Or Not, which completely freaked the girls out, the Undersea Gardens
and Ripley's Waxworks. We also went into
a candy shop for saltwater taffy. After
that we headed into town for lunch and then to Nye Beach to finish off our day.
We walked a ton, saw
more than we could've imagined and had so much fun. We ended every day with a swim in the hotel's
saltwater pool and a sock in the heated saltwater jacuzzi.
Wednesday we
reluctantly packed up our things, climbed in the car and headed for home. We headed down toward Florence, which
provided us with scenic views of the ocean and a few neat places to stop
off. We even got in a short hike at the
Devils Churn.
By noon it was time
to get serious about heading for home. We
were blessed with safe travel coming and going as well as perfect weather. Not to mention how much we enjoyed each
other's company and all of the fun things we got to see and do. Definitely ranks as one of our best family
vacations to date.
Son1 lives in Portland and we have made a couple of day trips to Newport beach but never stayed there overnight. It is a lovely beach town! I know you had fun!
ReplyDeleteWe are only about 3 hours from the beach here and go a couple of times each year, but the beach experience in Oregon and the Gulf Coast are totally different .
It was so lovely and we couldn't have asked for better weather. I could've stayed there forever! :)
DeleteWhat a lovely vacation. I so want to go back to the ocean. One of my favorite vacation places was Brookings, Oregon. We went there when we lived in Klamath Falls, Oregon.
ReplyDeleteIt is pretty amazing isn't it? :)
DeleteWe always go to Ne tarts every year.
ReplyDeleteIt is so gorgeous there and tons of stuff to do too.
DeleteWonderful!! It's always good to get away! Glad you girls had a good time!
ReplyDeleteOh boy did we ever! I'm ready to go back!! :0)
DeleteLove the Oregon coast! Heading to Cannon Beach area for a vacation with the kids in about a week. Can't wait.
ReplyDeleteHave a blast! I'm sure you will. :)
Delete