Oregon's Pacific Coast

A week along the water to replenish my spirit.

In July 2023, Adam and I drove the van out to Newport, Oregon. The in-laws exchanged their Breckenridge timeshare for one in Newport, so we spent a week on the coast eating fresh seafood, walking along the beach, relaxing, and smelling the fresh, salty air.

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When we drove into Newport, we caught a peek of the ocean for the first time. I had Adam pull over at a pull-off along the 101 at Rodea Point. I see this road, off to the side, that goes through trees and is only one-way. Once I see something like that, I can’t not take a side adventure. At this point, we’d been up since 5 am to get an early visit to Multnomah Falls, we pit-stopped in Portland for a few hours, and the drive itself was around 4 hours. It was a long day, and we were exhausted. But then there was an aged, gorgeous bridge along this side road. And that’s where I caught a lovely glimpse of the Pacific Ocean.

A front was moving through as we drove in to Newport. There were storm clouds in the sky; it was windy and cold, and the waves were a bit choppy. Bob, Meg, Adam, and I walked down to the beach by the timeshare and watched the water briefly. I was so excited that we had beach access, but *fun fact*: all of Oregon’s beaches are publicly owned.

Ocean mist on “Oregon Coast Beach”

Yaquina Head Lighthouse from Oregon Coast Beach

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The following day, we visited the Oregon Coast Aquarium and then ate a picnic lunch at South Beach State Park. It was sunny, but the wind cooled the air.

A lone boat at South Beach State Park

Because the weather was lovely, and we were going to drive by on the way back to the timeshare, we stopped at Yaquina Head Natural Area (free entry with an America the Beautiful pass!). It was such a beautiful area to explore, and it was fantastic to see the blue ocean as far as the eye could see.

Yaquina Head Lighthouse from the Lighthouse Trail

I asked the others if they wanted to join me at sunset at the timeshare’s beach access. They were all tired and wanted to stay in, so I went out alone. I enjoyed observing others on the beach and photographing the setting sun. The weather was cool and breezy, and the clouds added some punch and extra coolness.

The waves were powerful, and because it was quiet, I very much relished listening to the waves crash against the shore.

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Yaquina Head Lighthouse, even further in the distance

Adam and I drove a bit up the 101 to Devils Punchbowl. I didn't get great images of the hollow rock formation because the lighting wasn't ideal. Because it wasn't low tide, I couldn't photograph within the rock formation.

The setting sun and ocean haze in the distance created beautiful colors in the sky and interesting shadows on the pine trees.

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Three Arch Rocks National Wildlife Refuge, in the distance

Newport was a bit too far from Cannon Beach to drive early in the morning and photograph the sunrise. Since we had the van, we camped at Cape Lookout State Park. The sunset wasn’t impressive for many photos. Instead, I spent time in a camping chair watching Adam wade in the ocean as the sun set.

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As mentioned in a previous post, I’d been eyeing Cannon Beach as a bucket list location for a few years. The morning was mostly clear, with haze in the sky creating gorgeous color. The pre-sunrise sky had a lot of pink and purple,

Ecola Point in the distance - wished we had time to stop there too!

but once the sun hit the top of Haystack Rock, it was a beautiful bluebird, cloudless sky. Because it was low tide, there were neat formations in the sand, perfect for reflections.

Haystack Rock, a protected wildlife habitat

Oregon is so, so far away by van. However, I can safely say that both Adam and I would like to visit again (soon!) and explore more of the state.

Cheers.