Oregon Coast

Welp. Our summer family vacation took place July 29-Aug 2 in the lovely little town of Florence, Oregon.

We were joined by Ryan's parents, two of his sisters, and their kiddies. The lot of us temporarily inhabited two houses adjacent to the beach. They weren't the snazziest accommodations, but they were comfortable and super close to the ocean.

Ryan wanted a picture of the snow-capped mountains we passed on our way to the coast...

And here some of us are on the beach. Wow, that was a quick change of scenery.

 

Shimmery water as far as the eye could see. And then some.

 

 

 

 

 

 

As usual, it was absolutely dazzling.

 

I'm not going to get too detailed about every little move we made the entire trip, so don't be too bummed about that.

 

One of the afternoons we drove to a nice, easy hiking trail. It was perfect for the kids and Ryan's preggo sisters. =)   Actually, was ideal for anyone who doesn't loathe effortless, earthy walks .

 

 

At the end of the shortish trail was this good-looking waterfall. 

 

Oliver, Jane, Malory, Cora, Ethan, Alex and Tomi. (Not pictured: Royce. He was napping in the van with Grandpa.)

 



 

We had fun negotiating these boulders. Easy does it, Cora!

 



 

My little girl isn't little anymore. =/

 

 

 

 

One day we visited the Heceta Head Lighthouse. 

 

 Bethany looking concerned.

 

 



 

What a view! 

 

It turns out our new camera has a decent zoom function. According to my contact-bedecked eyes, this rocky hill was covered with moving black specks. Turns out they were black and white birds. The kids thought they looked like penguins. Some photographer guy next to us told us what they were, but I don't know how to spell that word. It starts with an M.

 

 

 

Next we explored some tide pools.

 

 

I hadn't seen any since my 5th-grade science club trip. 

 

 

The kids had a bunch of fun here. I'd have posted more pictures of each outing, but it took FOREVER to upload the ones I did, so these will have to be enough for ya. 

 

We spent plenty of time on the beach. It was chilly as usual, but the kids didn't care.

 



 

 





 

 

This is the view from our window. It was foggy a lot of the time, but you can sort of see the ocean if you have a good imagination.

 

 

This is another picturesque pit stop we took, which included more nature walking.

 



 

 

This path also led to a beach.



 

 

 

We opted for a couple more easy as pie hikes on our last full day on the coast.

  

We were looking for the so-called Hobbit Trail. We first stopped at the wrong place. We figured out it wasn't right after walking down the path for a few moments. But we saw some cute lizards on the way, so it wasn't a total waste of time.

 

The Hobbit trail was on the opposite side of the road. The sign was tucked back enough that we couldn't see it from the car.

 



 

 

 

 

 It was pretty cool. The pictures don't do it justice. Many of the trees were mossy, twisted and old. As you can surely see.

 

The trail led to a secluded beach. We must have been there on a slow day -- we were the only ones frolicking on the sand. Or maybe it was that we scared everyone else away. I am good at that. :/  Either way, we had fun and it was beautiful out there.

 

I had to wear my glasses for a day because one of my contacts had ripped and was giving me fits, and I hadn't brought a spare pair. I'm just glad I had the foresight (haha) to bring the glasses as backup. I got them over two years ago and I never wear them in public (for personal reasons -- including but not limited to depth perception issues) and I only rarely wear them at home. 

I like them because they have pale blue and black giraffe print on the sides. =) 

 

 

 



 

We had cousin Malory with us. She even hitched a ride to Oregon with us.

 



 

The kids had an impromptu, music-free dance party. =)  

 

 

 

 

 

Awesome trees.

 

 

 Awesome kids beneath awesome trees.

 

 

 



I'd say our trip to the coast was a success. 

Below is a photo of the dense mountain greenery on the drive home.  

 

The only regret was running out of time/luck to find any sort of souvenir stores. Florence didn't seem as touristy as Seaside is (where we went last year). That could be a good thing unless you have a trinket-loving 10-year-old wanting a special treasure to take home with her. Yes, a town void of gift shops is the perfect place to vacation ... unless the mom involved wouldn't have minded stumbling upon a cool candy store or two before heading home. ;) 

 

Anyway, yay for the Oregon coast!