Anyway, when we realized that we were going to be expecting AGAIN this summer (I will NEVER be pregnant through the summer again...BLAH! It's lame not being able to run around the beach and climb trees with the kids), I insisted that we were NOT going on any vacations. It has been nice. And relaxing. We have picked berries, hung out with friends, and watered our garden abundantly so it is not dying (unlike other years). And I am not stressed. Good.
But we did take a quick little staycation to the Oregon coast. And I DO mean quick. In two short days we packed in so much stuff that we had never seen before. The very best thing ever for finding recreation spots is Governor Kulongoski's list of favorite hikes. Over the past three years we have been checking off all the hikes on this list. On this trip we decided to hit the Gov's favorite spots between Newport and Florence...all in a two-day mad dash.
We started in Lincoln City, where we stayed the night in Brent's awesome co-worker's vacation house (thanks again Lacee!). As per her suggestion, we got pizza at Humble Pie...and we had a pizza picnic at Neskowin on the beach. This is supposed to be a lovely place to hike Proposal Rock and swim in the day, but we were there at sunset. It was a great place for the boys to play in the sand.
Neskowin:
Proposal Rock
...and sunset.
Next day...rise and shine, bright and early. First stop:
Seal Rock:
tree climbing in the parking lot
fun places to climb, tide pools and a nice beach
A nice run through the water, relaxing in the warm sand...and time for clothing change #1 of the day.
And next:
Cape Perpetua!
Cool! Cool! Cool! This was one of our favorite places on the coast. It is a series of paved trails up and down steep cliffs where you can view Devil's Churn, Restless Waters, and the Spouting Horn from a safe distance. There is also a GREAT lookout you can drive up to and hike a short mile to an amazing view 20 miles out to sea. Fantastic place to spot whales!
trail above devil's churn
devil's churn
restless waters
Toby face resting chin on my belly
The view down the coast (south) from the lookout
stone house built by the CCC during the Great Depression
The Spouting Horn: a hole in the rock where the surf and the high tide causes a geyser
The view of the lookout point from the spouting horn.
Next...
Heceta Head Lighthouse and beach:
Also, VERY nice spot. Great lighthouse and nice secluded beach located in a sheltered cove. Probably our second favorite beach on the coast, after Oswald West.
lighthouse and beach view
wild roses
my little tree monkey!
I was relaxing on the beach after all the hiking we did at Cape Perpetua...watching the boys play...
when I saw the cutest little tot of a girl with wispy blond hair toddling across the beach. It made me think so much of Elsa and how old she would be right now. Up until this point on our trip I was happy and fine. And I still was. I just had a moment.
and then my monkey came for a visit...along with funny poses for an impromptu photo shoot.
And ahhh! I'm so blessed to have him (and all my children).
and then I caught Brent rolling an old stump out to sea...which you are NOT supposed to do! HELLO! DANGER...ROLLING LOGS! (signs are posted everywhere)
He tried to ride it anyway...too bad I missed that picture
abandon ship!!
BRILLIANT!
Let the building commence!
The finished project
self portrait series...maternal form
Joshua's final message to Heceta Head (Joshua was here!)
One last glimpse of Heceta Head
(wouldn't it be a dream to live in that house to the right of the lighthouse? So beautiful!)
And finally (and I really mean finally!! This post has taken me ALL day!)
Honeyman State Park:
Fun location with LOTs of sand dunes, set next to lake, forest and campground. The boys proclaimed this was their favorite site of the day...because they love playing in the sand. Brent and I didn't love it as much as some of the other beauty of the day. And really, if we wanted to play on sand dunes, we MUCH prefer Cape Kiwanda...where there is a HUGE dune right next to the ocean.
Anyway...
Picnic dinner on the dunes...and I guess it's my turn for pictures...and am I REALLY that LARGE?
ok...don't answer that question. I'm loosing track of what week I am.
It'll suffice to say that I am almost done.
sunset at Honeyman (the ocean is WAY over those hills. That's why = not our favorite)
nice lake though...next time we'll swim
rolling down the sand hills (a favorite past time)
check out that rolling action!
oh! To jump like that again! Someday... SOON!
one last jaunt down the sand hills on the way to the car and...home.
5 comments:
Fabulous photos Katie!
wow! that sounds like a wonderful time! and your pictures are just awesome! thanks for sharing:)
i wanna live where you live! 23 days!!!! yea!!!!! Hang in there.
W00t! Brent, glad to see you still jumping dunes w/ so much grace. And congratulations Kate and all! Our thoughts and prayers, and love.
beautiful beach too.
You hit all my favorite Oregon Coast spots :) I miss being so close to the coast. Thanks for sharing all of your beautiful pictures!