Recipe for a perfect day: 1. Dip your toes in the Pacific Ocean; 2. Eat fried cheese curds. And of course I did both of those things on my day trip to the northern Oregon coast today.
Since the second half of my vacation (in which I was planning to spend five days in Cannon Beach) was unexpectedly derailed, I decided I needed to make up for it by at least visiting the coast for a day. I started just north of Cannon Beach at Ecola State Park, about 80 miles from Portland. There are two sections to Ecola State Park: Ecola Point and Indian Beach. I drove to Ecola Point first, which gives a view to the south looking down at Cannon Beach and the offshore sea stacks.
After taking some pictures and enjoying the view, I drove the 1.5 miles over to Indian Beach. Oregon beaches aren’t really swimming beaches, although a few brave souls were wading. There are plenty of surfers and sunbathers (especially on a picture perfect summer day like today), but the water is too cold for much else. I immediately took off my flip flops and put my toes in the water. I wouldn’t want to stay in for long, but I enjoyed walking the length of the beach and getting my feet wet.
My intention was to drive south along the coast and make stops at several of the state parks just south of Cannon Beach. Unfortunately, everybody else had the same idea and parking was a problem. I settled for a stop at Oswald West State Park, where a trail leads from the parking area down to the beach. There is a lot of driftwood all along the Oregon coast, and the beach at Oswald West had plenty of it!
Continuing south, Highway 101 hugs the coast in many places, providing long views of the beaches. I decided to take a detour once I got to Tillamook, and drove out to Cape Meares Lighthouse, the shortest lighthouse on the Oregon coast. The wind was whipping along the path to the lighthouse and I needed my sweatshirt to keep warm! On the drive back to Tillamook, I stopped to take a couple of pictures of Netarts Bay, where the water color looks like it belongs in the Caribbean.
My final stop of the day was at Tillamook Creamery. Three words: fried cheese curds. With an extra sharp cheddar ranch dipping sauce. I mean, who needs dinner? Personally, I like plain cheese curds slightly warmed up in the microwave so they have a nice squeak, but these were pretty darn good. I had a chicken sandwich to go along with them and a scoop of Tillamook Mudslide ice cream for dessert. Plenty of fuel for the drive back to Portland!
Traveling with Laura 