Oceanside Oregon - Friends and Fun by the Pacific!


One of our favorite things about this trip is the opportunity to spend time with friends and family around the country.   Our friends Johnel and Christine Sova purchased a second home in Oceanside Oregon twelve years ago and this was our first time visiting them since they've moved there.     

We arrived in Oceanside on Tuesday evening.  Johnel and Chris have a beautiful house with an amazing view of the Pacific Ocean, and a short walk down to the beach.  We were excited for the adventures ahead!


Wednesday morning was overcast and raining, uncharacteristic for Oceanside at this time of the year.   We took a hike on the beach, it was amazing to see so many sea creatures! We saw starfish of all colors - orange, purple, and red, sea urchins and mussels in the tide pools and rocks when the tide was out.   Even the rocks were spectacular - jasper and other interesting stones were everywhere.   







Because the tides are so dramatic, a tunnel was built between the two bays to allow people to avoid being stranded in a bay by the tide.






After our hike we headed to the Cape Mears Lighthouse, a lighthouse from 1889 that has an impressive Fresnal lens made in Paris.   This scenic spot has a amazing views of the Pacific coast and a varied forest ecosystem, including some really unusual trees. 

   

Cindy in her happy tree lover state...


Tillamook Creamery entrance - see the cow?
After the lighthouse we headed to the Tillamook Creamery in Tillamook, Oregon.   Tillamook is a farmer-owned dairy cooperative that has been incredibly successful - the grounds are expansive, it's hard to exaggerate how expansive the Tillamook Creamery grounds are.   They have free cheese samples, an observation deck over the entire cheese making process, and the largest and most efficient ice cream parlor I've ever seen.   I chose a flight of three flavors: butter pecan, coffee almond fudge, and marionberry pie (in honor of my mom, Marion!).   Cindy also had the coffee almond fudge, the ice cream was amazing. We were so impressed with the Tillamook Creamery, it is a source of pride for the community and we'll be buying Tillamook cheese whenever we can.


My flight of ice cream!

We stopped back at Johnel an Chris's house and headed out for a quick hike on the beach in Pacific City and then dinner at the Pelican Brewery.  The food was great (Cindy and I split a portobello burger and salad) and the views were amazing.   



After dinner we headed back to Johnel and Chris's house and watched "This Is 40" in their media room - Johnel has quite the setup for movies and music.    Then we hit the hot tub before turning in for the night.  What an amazing and fun filled day!   








On Thursday we headed to Ecola State Park to hike the Indian Beach Trail.  This is a ~4 mile hike with about 1,000 feet of elevation gain, through beautiful forest with a variety of trees (especially Douglass Firs) and large expanses of ferns.   The trail ends at Indian Beach, which was stunning.   This was our first hike in Oregon, and it did not disappoint, some pictures below:




We had a late lunch in Canon Beach at the Public Coast Brewery, and then we took a walk on Canon Beach, which was beautiful.   








Later that evening, Johnel and Chris made nachos and taught us how to play a game we've never played before, Mexican Train Dominoes.   The game was a blast and finished off the night.



It's hard to believe our time in Oceanside has come to an end - we have had so much fun.  Thanks, Johnel and Chris, for being such gracious hosts, planning a great set of activities and making us feel so welcome. We can't wait to get back to Oceanside.  We're off to see the Redwoods, until next time we pray you are all happy and healthy and having your own adventures...

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