In March of 2015 we were able to go to Washington with Jeff for work, and from there we headed for the Oregon Coast for a Spring Break vacation. On our way we stopped to see Herman the Sturgeon, he's 10 feet long, weights 425 pounds, and is over 60 years old!
We walked around the Bonneville Hatchery for a bit and visited the gift shop before continuing on.
We had planned on camping along the coast, but the weather was rainy and cold, so we stayed in several beachside motels, each day driving further down the coast and stopping along the way.
This is Cannon Beach, the first time the boys saw the ocean and played in the waves. Even though it was chilly, they were so excited and fearless as they ran in the water. It was windy, and I had to yell over the sound of that and the waves to keep telling the boys they were too far and to come back.
We were able to see the Peter Iredale, a ship that washed ashore in 1906.
When we stopped in Seaside, the weather was warmer and we spent some time playing in the water. We set up our towels and toys pretty far from the edge of the water, but not much later the tide came in and started washing all of our things away. We had to scramble to gather everything and everyone and move farther away.
We visited the Tilamook Cheese Factory and sampled all of the yummy cheese,
and of course the Ice Cream, too!
We also visited the Oregon Coast Aquarium in Newport:
We drove down the coast and stopped at several lighthouses and we were even to watch some whales out in the distance. We also went to some Tide Pools and we were able to climb down and explore, we thought these were just as neat, if not better than, the aquarium.
There were a lot of Sea Lions not far off, also.
More adventures along the coast:
We had a great time, and I loved watching them see the ocean for the first time.
We also saw the Devil's Punchbowl and we were able to drive down the beach, which was my favorite part. We found several Sand Dollars, sea shells, crusty dead crabs, and other treasures.
I also had the best chicken burrito ever at a little dive in Newport. It's the stuff dreams are made of.
I love the ocean and hope we can go back again soon.
