The North Oregon Coast

from Ben's mom

October 23, we woke up to drizzle and the realization that Ben was out of his special food. The two nearest stores are in Bellevue (1 hr 20 minutes north) or Portland (2 hrs south). I decided that a drive to Astoria and a return through Portland would be really fun. So off we went.

I haven't been to the North Oregon Coast in years. So I felt rather nostalgic visiting this place that


was my home for 5+ years in my teens. The weather changed as we came closer to the coastline and we enjoyed a beautiful day.

We heard the seals barking off the Astoria pier but by the time we arrived where we had heard them, they were quiet and not visible. So we spotted a few off in the distance and enjoyed the view of the Port. Then off to the Astoria Column (we used to live within walking distance) that has been refurbished since I saw it last. Astoria is a working class town that thrives on canneries and the port and was economically depressed in the 80's when I lived there. There were a lot of signs of improvement including a trolley that takes tourists along the port for $1. I was impressed.



Ben thought the Column was awesome and he and I had nearly made it to the top when the combination of my exhaustion and his lunging out of my arms (in a tall winding staircase with plenty of room for a fast descent off the side) made me call out to his dad who promptly took him to the bottom. "I really don't want him up there," he said. I was reminded of interactions between my
own parents...my mom the adventurer and my dad the cautious one.

Then we had a quick lunch at the Dairy Maid in Warrenton, a favorite of mine because they sell Vege-burgers, along with what are apparently really good regular ones (according to Nathan, Sarah, and Mike).

A drive further south and we arrived in Seaside where the beachfront was all new to me. A brand-new resort stands where the parking lot used to be, but we found easy parking a block from the beach and Ben went off to chase dogs, watch kites, and try to get past his mother to run in the water. (He was successful.) A quick stop at the Outlet toy store to reward Ben's car-seat tolerance and he has his first electronic game.

We arrived at Ecola State Park in Cannon Beach at sunset. There were a herd of elk grazing above the ocean and a swarm of photographers trying to capture the moment. It was breathtakingly beautiful. Ben made a beeline toward the BIG "dogs" and his mother stopped him. He was diverted by a woolly caterpillar (his uncle Mark used to collect jars of them) which he had to touch and was about to smash with his foot when
him mom saved the poor creature. The rest of us enjoyed a beautiful sunset over the Pacific.