Portland Day Three: Cannon Beach and The Melvins

Day three was our day at the beach...and it was fabulous!!!!That was probably my favorite part of the trip.

We took a scenic route called Sunset Highway on the way to the coast. We drove through a few tunnels as we crossed through the Cascade Mountains, but the majority of the ride was all mountains. We saw a few small waterfalls on the drive there, and lots of beautiful flowers and trees. Everything is in full bloom right now.We took the dogs, Django and Mia, with us. They had never been to the beach before, so it was an exciting day for all of us!!
This picture may look a little familiar to some of you. This is called Haystack Rock, and it was seen in the movie "The Goonies." Do you rememeber the rocks that fit in the doubloon? Yep....that's it!!!!

We actually didn't know for sure that this was the same place they filmed part of Goonie's until we looked it up on the computer when we got back to Jeff and Karen's house. We were all pretty sure when we saw it though. I thought it was really cool when I found out it was from that movie because it's always been one of my favorites.The water was warm up to about your calves. Then it got pretty cold. We did see a few people venturing out, but not us!!! In the shallow water though, it felt like bath water. Ryan and I sat in the water and laid in the sun for awhile. The sand was like powder...it almost felt like it was melting underneath you.

It was a little windy at times, so I dressed in layers, and I was glad I did. There were a few times I would get chilly from the breeze coming off of the water, but at other times, we were all down to tank tops because we were so hot.

Needless to say, the dogs and Ryan had a blast playing on the beach together!! First Ryan would chase one of them, and then they would turn around and chase him....it was a never-ending battle!!!

And there they go again.............................We took some blankets and snacks so we could relax on the beach for awhile. Even the dogs were worn out by this time. So, we all just laid out in the sun for awhile. It was really warm when you were laying on the sand. Even the wind from the water didn't cool you down too much. So as far as laying out goes, this was the perfect spot!!!

We even saw people building these large mounds from wet sand to lay next to so they could block the wind. Some people even had holes dug deep enough to put a chair in....it was crazy!!!
This is my little Boognish. He's from the band WEEN. I had to make him for Clint since he is such a huge WEEN fan. I couldn't help but think of Clint while we were out there because the only other time I've ever been to the Pacific Ocean was when I went to California with Clint a few years ago......so of course I was thinking of him, and I wanted to let him know somehow. So we printed this picture out and sent it to him as a post card.Here's a good picture of the gang. This is Karen, Jeff, Mia, and Django. Don't they make a beautiful family!!!!This picture is facing North on the coast. It shows a few rock formations in the distance. I guess the Oregon coast is full of those areas with cliffs and rocks and stuff. There was also a lighthouse way off in the distance that Ryan got some decent pictures of with his 35mm.
Standing in the water looking back at the shore was astounding. It is truly unbelieveable to have the ocean right behind you and mountains right in front of you. It has got to be the most beautiful part of the country I have ever seen.

The tide was coming in really fast that day. We didn't quite realize how fast it was moving until our shoes kept getting wet. Ryan and Jeff would run back up to the beach and take our stuff a few feet further to keep it dry, and before we knew it, we'd look up, and WHAM.....there goes another wave with my shoe!!!!!! But we got 'em all back.After spending several hours out by the water, we headed into the town of Cannon Beach for some dinner. Ryan and I were hoping to get some fresh seafood since we were right on the coast. We found the perfect little restaurant for that. They also served great desserts including home made ice cream....Yummy!!!!

The Local Grill and Scoop did us just right!!!! I got some shrimp and scallops, and Ryan got the Captain's platter which had a little of everything on it. I ate a little of the calamari and some of the fish. I think it was Halibut. I had never had that type of fish before, but I liked it a lot. It had a mild seafood taste to it, but nothing too overwhelming. I skipped out on the lobster and crab legs....which didn't hurt Ryan's feelings a bit....just left more for him!!! There was a little shopping area called Sandpiper Square where we bought some gifts for a few people....and for the dogs. We bought the weiners one of those bun costumes that makes them look like a hotdog with mustard on their back.....too cute!!!!!

We had to leave Cannon Beach sooner than we wanted because we had plans to see a concert that night downtown Portland. It was about a 45 minute drive back to Jeff and Karen's house from the beach, so we went back, got ready, and started the party all over again!!!!!

We went to see a band called The Melvins. They are described as a sludge metal band. However you want to catagorize it, I thought it was great. So apparently I like sludge metal......that makes me sound really tough, doesn't it :-)We all found a perfect spot on the balcony where we were all able to see....and the bar was right behind us. Jeff and Karen introduced us to some of their friends who also came to the show. We had a lot of fun with everyone.This is one of my favorite pictures of all of us. We were having a blast!!!!And last but not least, a photo of me and K-Rock, as we call her, right before the end of the show.

Another night down.....only one to go.....so sad.