We made it to Astoria! We found all the awesome "Goonie" locations. I felt like such a tourist! haha I was so giddy it made me feel silly. We saw the Goonie jail, museum, SUV and house. Although you can't get close to the house and there are signs asking to stay away, so we took a photo from further away. That movie is where my desire to see the Oregon coast came from. I just had a hard time believing it was real and not just made for the movie.
So, since today was our first day on the coast, YES!!!! It is real, not just in the movies. What a beautiful place! After roaming around for the Goonie movie places, we went to the Astoria Column. We walked up164 stairs to the top, we had the most magnificent view at 125 feet above the ground. WOW! It was an overcast day, but that didn't matter. It was still super pretty. We could see for so far.
Our next stop was the Peter Iredale ship wreck from 1906 in Fort Stevens State Park. It was pretty cool to see. We walked around and had fun just being on the beach for the first time along the Oregon coast. It was chilly and overcast but it was just right. We found the top half of a crap that I grabbed and will take home for Mateo. It's cool and creepy all at the same time. We got our sand sample and lots of photos of course. Enrique found some parts of a sandollar and I was super bummed and jealous because I wanted to find the first one.....then he turned it over and the top half was missing! haha I shouldn't have laughed but I was more laughing at how patheticly competetive we are! hahaha
Ecola Point Park and Indian beach were next. WOW! We went up to the over look first and got some beautiful photos. Then we went and parked near the beach. We actually didn't go on to the beach but up the giant mountain to hike thinking we could see the Tillamook Rock Lighthouse better....well, no we didn't. We hiked the Clatsop Loop Trail.....Oh. My. Goodness! If you want to die, then go ahead and hike it. It was 1.35 miles meandering up this giant mountain. At first it was cool and beautiful. We'd stop to take photos here and there. One over look there was a painter painting the beautiful landscape and ocean crashing on the beach and rocks. A different over look gave us a great sight to the Tillamook Rock Lighthouse. Other hikers were coming down and we had asked if the view was better at the top and they said no, it's better from where we were....by this point of the hike, I could have been done. haha I am clearly not in the best shape of my life, but hiking for so long and at such a steep incline, I was hammered. We were only about half way there. I was a total wuss! I was not so nice to be around and I was complaining so much. I laugh now, but I couldn't laugh at myself then.
A bit of back story, 2 days before we left, I finally went to a foot doctor for my horrible plantar fascitis. He taped my right foot and it felt so much better. So, keep in mind, my feet have been hurting bad since August of last year and I finally just went to the doctor, knowing how much hiking we'd be doing. I did get great hiking shoes for this trip, so that has helped big time too!
Ok, back to my being a super big baby. We made it to the top and the previous hikers were correct, you could see the lighthouse way better from that one overlook that way up here at the top. But we did it and made it to the top. Looking back, I wish I would have enjoyed it and sucked it up and didn't complain. I didn't and failed that test miserably!
We did not take the same trail back as we did going up. I wouldn't have made it back alive I don't think. We took the service road back and it was 1 mile straight down this giant mountain. So we shaved off .5 miles. Which my feet and body would not have been able to endure. I hurt every where by the time we got to the car again. I was also drenged in sweat, gross and smelly! I was not prepared in any way for that intese hike. I would have dressed better, prepared my mind more, eat and have water. Good heavens, at least this will be funny in the future...I'm sure it will....hopefully!
Our last destination of the day was our complete splurge of our trip.....staying at the Tolvana Inn ON Cannon Beach over looking Haystack Rock! This is THE highlight of the trip. We got to the Tolvana Inn just in time for an late lunch/early dinner. When we were checking in, they asked what was the special occasion, so we told them it was our anniversary. They brought us a bottle of wine to celebrate...don't know if it was a good kind or not but we will give it to Steph and Zack tomorrow when we see them.
We got to our room and it was perfect!!! We had a beautiful view of Haystack Rock from our balcony and a gorgeous view of the whole beach also. The views were stunning. We sat down for a while to soak it all in. Then we realized we were absolutely starving since we hadn't eaten anything except for a bag of tailmix.
We ended up eating at Mo's Resturant. It was AMAZING! It was right next to our Inn so it was along the beach also. It was full of huge picture windows so you could see the ocean and Haystack Rock as you were enjoying their delicious food. Of course, we ordered sea food....yes, even me! I got fish tacos and Quique got Bouillabaisse, which is basically everything from the sea. He also ordered clam chowder. He made me try some as it was the best he's ever had. I actaully liked it and I'm not a huge sea food fan. My fish tacos were delicious though! Quique had me try his clam choweder too, it was pretty yummy. The garlic parmesan cheese bread that came with Quique's dinner was hands down the best bread ever!!! mmmm I asked to keep the bucket that Quique used to put all of the shells from his dinner in...it was a cute little bucket. I also kept 4 shells from his dinner for the kids to have. That way I could tell the kids that Papi literally ate those for dinner! haha
After dinner, we went and walked along the beach. We walked away from Haystack Rock because we are going there to explore tomorrow at low tide to see the tide pools and the sea life that is left behind...so excited. Anyway, we walked along the beach, it was sunny but chilly and beautiful. As we walk along any beach, I am always looking for sandollars. I don't know why I have such a fascination with them. As we were walking, I FOUND ONE!!! It was tiny and perfect and I found it!! I was so giddy like a little kid on Christmas morning! Man, my poor Poppet has to put up with me! He's been such a good sport with all my crazy photo taking and random stopping for photos! I love this man SO much!!
We walked for a while and went back to the Inn for the sunset. We had no clean clothes, so we went and did our laundry at the Inn. As we were waiting for them to finish, we sat on the balcony and just enjoyed the sound of the ocean and wind on our faces. We got to talk to the kids on the phone as well. One of my most favorite photos thus far of the trip is when were were talking to the kids and I took a photo of the kids on the phone with Haystack Rock in the background.
Yes, we are on our 15th anniversary trip. I love My Poppet now more than ever before. I couldn't comprehend 15 years ago that my love could have grown so much in all aspects for this amazing man. He is my everything! We have created a beautiful family and we are in such a beautiful place without our family physically together but for a brief moment they were here in this magical place for a few moments and we got a photo with them! My heart is bursting with gratitude and so much love for this man and our family! I am truly blessed and conitune to be blessed by this amazing man!
