Summer Beach Day

Hey Everyone!

It was so good to be back at the beach today. I have missed it so much, you all have no idea. 

There is one particular area of the North Coast, which has felt like home for the past few years. 

Today I had gone to Rockaway Beach for part of the day. It was a beautiful day. It was pretty windy but beautiful. There is a state park near there that I absolutely love. 

Before coming back to the city, I stopped in Seaside, to grab some food. I had found a parking spot a little bit of a walk from the main drag that goes down to the beach. I am super glad I had parked where I did beings that there was so much traffic and not a park to be found along the main strip. Seaside is pretty much my least favorite town along the Oregon Coast. It is so touristy and has lost the character that many of the other smaller towns on the Oregon Coast have. Seaside has definitely turned into the top coastal tourist destination and has been trying to imitate the Southern California and East Coast beach towns that have all the attractions and shops. It also has a huge to do over spring break. For those of you who have watched Gilmore Girls in season 4, when Rory, Paris and some of the other Yaleies go to Florida for spring break, Seaside is where you are going to get as close to that kind of spring break as you will get here in Oregon. 

I definitely prefer a beach that is relatively empty and fairly clean. I definitely prefer being able to get out and walk along the beach, and be able to stay somewhere (whether I am camping or staying at a house) where I can have a campfire in the evening, and relax and drink some tea and maybe make some s’mores. 

I have loved the ocean for as long as I can remember. Whether it is a beautiful sunny day like today or whether it is pouring down rain and the seas are super rough, or even the rare occasion when it snows on the beach. I love it all. 

Hikes I have been on

Hey Everyone!

I decided to compile a list of the Hikes I know I have been on, there may be more that I am not remembering at the moment, but these are the ones I can remember.

I am hoping to be adding to this list over the next few years. If you have any recommendations, leave me a comment down below, and you never know, it could show up in a future blog post about hikes I have been on.

British Columbia:
Barkerville to Richfield
John’s Island – Francois Lake
Skihist Provincial Park

California:
Trees of Mystery – there are a few easy trails on this site that I have done

Hawaii:
Waimea Falls Park – Waimea Valley, Oahu. It is an easy hike in the valley, up to a waterfall at the end.

Washington:
Tumwater Falls Park
North head lighthouse & Cape Disappointment Lighthouse – along the SW Washington Coast
Mt Saint Helens Forest Learning
Johnston Ridge Observatory – there are some hiking trails around there that I have done.
From what my brother can remember, our grandparents probably took us on a hike along the puget sound.

Oregon:
Multnomah Falls
Bridal Veil Falls
Fort Stevens State Park
Fort Clatsop State Park
Oxbow Regional Park
Mt Talbert
Mt Tabor
Cooper Mountain Nature Park
Forest Park
Washington Park
Silver Falls State Park (just a portion of it, not the whole thing)
Oregon Caves
South Beach State Park, where the campground is roughly 1/4 to 1/2 Mile from the actual beach line

Beach Road Trip

Hey Everyone!

Today my best friend and I went to the beach. 

We went down to go visit the Oregon Coast Aquarium, and we did a bit more while we were there at the beach. 

We started off with stopping to get salt water taffy, and then some lunch before heading down to Newport to go to the Aquarium, a lighthouse and down on the beach. 

This summer will likely be the summer I got the most tan I have ever been, just because I didn’t have sun block on. As of right now I would gladly go back to being pale, at least I am not so pale I almost glow. 

Beach Trip

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I am finally getting around to getting this post written. It was like 10:15 pm by the time we got back. 

Yesterday my parents and I had gone to the beach. My dad had mentioned to my mom that I knew a good spot that wasn’t super crowded. So we went to my favorite place, and I drove out to the beach. 

We had hung out at the beach for a while before we went and got food. We then went back to the beach and hung out until the sunset. Around the time the sun set we spotted some whales. I don’t know what type they were but we saw them.   

    
    
    
    
  

My mom was hesitant because it was rainy most of the way there, but it cleared up right as we got there.  

Oregon Coast Scenic Railroad

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I have been stuck in the city for the past 3 weeks and began developing a case of cabin fever about the time my cold started so I have spent the past week and a half sick and stuck inside when all I wanted was to be out roaming free. Today was the first day off that I have had since I have felt better. 

   I have been wanting to go on the Oregon Coast Scenic Railroad excursion train between Rockaway Beach and Garibaldi for the past several months, especially since they have been doing a lot of work on upgrading the tracks and stuff. I had been on it about a year ago, and it was rather bumpy, since they have been working on it, it was a lot smoother of a ride.

It was awesome to be at the beach, once outside of Tillamook it smelled awesome. Tillamook just smells like cow manure. The air in Rockaway Beach smelled like the ocean (duh) and camp fires (hopefully they were contained to fire pits as the fire danger is extremely high for here). It smelled amazing. 

Riding the train was amazing, they were using the Heisler #2 engine, while the McCloud #25 is down for maintenance. Both the Heisler and the McCloud are actual steam engines, which I love. Steam Engines are my favorite, the look amazing, sound amazing, and of great historical significance. 

I had hit road construction on the way out to the coast, as well as knowing what traffic is like in the metro area during rush hour which is made worse in that area because the air show started today, so I wanted to avoid that area on the way back. With that in mind I had sent my “sister” a text to see if she would be up for having me drop by on my way back inland to say hi and see her and the kids, which I did. 

   
    
 

Northern Oregon Coast Forts

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Today I really needed to get out of the city and go on an adventure on my own. 

I drove out to Astoria, and went to Fort Stevens and the reconstructed Fort Clatsop. I have loved exploring fort Stevens for years. Fort Clatsop is cool, but once you have seen it once, you have seen it. It isn’t even the original, it is the second reconstruction of it. The history of it, is just a blur of a few months while the Corps of Discovery wintered out here. 

I am partial to Fort Stevens and Fort Columbia over Fort Clatsop. With the first two forts, Fort Stevens being on the Oregon side and Fort Columbia being on the Washington side of the Columbia River. Their history is much longer, there is more to explore, they were used and in operation during 2 or more wars, and the impact that they each had on thousands of lives during their years of operation is incredible. Each person stationed there left behind parents, siblings, possibly a spouse and children. 

With Fort Stevens and Fort Columbia being the actual forts that were used, you can actually see, touch, and to a certain extent, smell, hear, and feel what the soldiers who were stationed there experienced. To be able to look out and see the town of Astoria, and smell the salty sea air, or even better smell the wood smoke from a fire combined with the salty sea air, in my book that smell is one of my two favorite smells (the other is when fall is coming and you can smell it in. The air). 

There was so much to explore and so much left unexplored for another trip. 

There was one bunker that was locked, that I really wanted to figure out how to get into and go Exploring. But I didn’t since it was locked. I am one of those girls who isn’t afraid of climbing up things or getting dirty or hot and sweaty while on an adventure, and doing what I love. 

  
 

Beach: 2 trips, 1 week

Hey Everyone!

Like I mentioned yesterday, my weekend has not been going according to plan and I am ok with that. Yesterday a friend of mine invited me to go to the beach and go for an excursion on the train he was running. He and I are just friends, and we’re just hanging out. Getting to ride up in the cab of the train engine was an amazing experience. 

It was a lot of fun, and afterward I stopped at one of the nearby state parks to go down on the beach for a little bit. It was a last minute invite to go out there today and I went with my gut and did it. 

The excursion went along the Nehalem River, and it was absolutely gorgeous.   

  

  

Just another day in the life of a beach bum

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Today, a friend and I went to the beach, making this my 5th trip to the coast in about 3 months. 

  Today’s trip included Tillamook, Rockaway and Cannon Beach. In Tillamook we stopped for lunch before going to the cheese factory, where I bought some cheese for my parents and bought some pumpkin butter for myself, since that is what I went there to get anyway. 

  Our second stop in today’s awesome adventure was in Rockaway Beach, where we actually went down on the beach, and walked along the beach for a little ways. We also took pictures and I went in the ocean and got my feet wet. As you can see, Winnie the Pooh and Tigger had to take in the amazing view for themselves. 

  Our last stop of the day was in Cannon Beach, where I went yarn shopping, and then went to dinner at Mo’s before heading back to Portland. We had a hard time saying good the beach, as my friend and I both love the coast. 

A lot of my adventures of late have been pretty much either going to the beach or going hiking in Oregon, because I love the scenery, I am here, and it is all within a couple hours driving from where I live. 

I am working on making a couple bigger adventures happen in the next year, and you will have to stay tuned for those as they get closer. 

Summer Beach Day

Hey Everyone! 

I am writing this post today (as apposed to last night) as I got home after 10:00 pm, and had things to get done before going to bed. 

I spent yesterday at the Beach and had an amazing day. I seriously needed the day at the beach to regroup, and feel like I fit in somewhere. I felt so at home at the beach yesterday. 

I had set my alarm for 6:30, but my body woke me up at 6, which was fine. I guess my body knew that something exciting was happening. I got up, showered, had breakfast, put a small lunch together for myself, and finished throwing some stuff together for the day, and I headed out about 8. I stopped and picked up one of my friend’s (who I was going to go visit) sister’s, who lives on the way to the beach I was going to, which wasn’t a problem. It seemed to have taken forever to get to the beach, but we finally got there. My friend and I hung out at their rented beach house for a bit before heading out to go on a train ride. The Oregon Coast Scenic Railroad operates between Garibaldi and Rockaway (and at times Wheeler), so we had driven down to Garibaldi, and got on the train there. The logic was once we were done, we could just go on down to Tillamook. 

The train ride was awesome. We sat out in the Open Air car, beings that the other two were fairly full and we are not wimpy, we are true Oregonians who don’t mind getting a little wet. It was such a pretty train right, and even cooler to be pulled by an old restored steam engine. There is also a fully enclosed car on the train which is an old train car from the era of steam engines. Both my friend and I love steam engines, and the history of them, and of the Era they are from. 

We hung out in Tillamook for a bit after we went on the train ride, and then headed back north to the beach house so we could then go down on the beach. We slathered on sunscreen and then proceeded to spent 3 hours on the beach. We had gone to this little wayside park, which there were hardly any people at (and it is the dead of summer), which was nice. I also love that the Oregon Coast and the beaches are all public access and we have former Governor Tom McCall to thank for that! I did go and get my feet wet in the ocean and walked along the tidal line for a while, before proceeding to just sit on the beach like a bump on a log for a while. I love being on the beach and just being able to enjoy the beauty of it, and the scenery of it. I could seriously be used to living at the beach as soon as I moved given the opportunity. I also had the chance to do some thinking while I was sitting on the beach. I can’t forget to not mention having a sand fight with my friend, which was way too much fun. 

After having dinner and seeing a whale surface in the ocean several times, my friends sister and I headed for home. I dropped her off at her house, before heading back home myself. 

The day had started off rainy, and finished sunny but still on the cooler side, so it was a perfect day weather wise, and I loved it. 

For more pictures check out (and hit the like button while you are at it please!) my Facebook page. Thanks! 

Forts | Living Life with a Purpose

We started our day off at Fort Stevens, wandering around the main fort area, and then heading over to Battery Russell. Before heading to see the post cemetery at Fort Stevens and Fort Clatsop we breaked for lunch. At Fort Clatsop we looked around the interpretive center and then headed outside to go see the replica fort. We also did a little hiking around the area there at the fort. We were soaking wet, but we totally powered through it, and had a fun day. We stopped in Seaside so my friend could see the statue commemorating the end of the Lewis and Clark expedition beings that she had seen the statue commemorating the beginning of the expedition in St. Louis, Missouri, she wanted to see both and we were so close I couldn’t say no. While in Seaside we went and got our feet wet real quickly before heading to go find food. Before heading home we stopped and got Dutch Bros. Coffee for the trip home.

via Forts | Living Life with a Purpose.