Oregon Coast

I was thinking during our recent trip to the coast how we call it going to the "coast" where most of the other ocean bordering states call it going to the "beach".  This is clearly due to the weather that you find at the Oregon coast, and the temperature of the water.  The beach and water are more for show, and the final destination is more often inland, or at best in your car looking at the ocean.  Unless you are a kid with no sense of temperature.

Anyway, on Monday we went to Tillamook to meet up with Andy's parents who are driving around Andy's Uncle from Connecticut (Uncle Dan) who is visiting Oregon for the first time.  They are giving him a whirlwind tour, and I think they are all loving it.  We planned to meet there for breakfast, and we arrived a little early (surprise, surprise!) so the kids had a chance to watch the guy making waffle cones.

If you've never eaten at Tillamook before, you are missing out.  Amazing food, huge servings and cheap.  That has Stoughton written all over it.

After the huge breakfast and vowing we'd never eat again, we made our way to the cheese sampling room, which they've expanded.  Awesomeness.  And then of course the Ice Cream. Uncle Dan is going to think all we do is eat.

After really stuffing ourselves, we got back in the car and drove to the "coast".  We went to visit a lighthouse that was nearby and supposedly historic or otherwise interesting in some way.  I was just a passenger, so I'm not privy to the details.

This lighthouse is the shortest in Oregon or maybe even in the US.  Again, the details got missed.  Anyway, it was recently vandalized so we couldn't go up in it.  Maybe there's a reason all the other ones are taller???

Then it was off to Pacific City to the beach!  The kids were begging for it all day.  We told them that it wouldn't be what they thought it would and that the water would be too cold to go into.  We should have known better.  It was 60 degrees at best, and windy, but Abby acted like it was as tropical as ever.  Both kids ran into the water and said that it was "warm".  I didn't try it out to prove them wrong. 

I think I have this shot of Andy from every time we've ever been on a beach.

Ashley and Uncle Dan spent most of the time at the car feeding the seagulls.  These birds - or whatever you call them - were very aggressive.  They did eat right out of their hands though.  Yikes.

Abby was mostly running aimlessly like this.  Perhaps that's how she stayed warm.

It's not cold, it's not cold.

Charlie and I stayed in the car.  MUCH too cold for the baby so I sacrificed and stayed with him.

We ate at the Pelican for dinner and then headed back.  Everyone (except Andy) slept the whole way home.  Success.