After some delicious banana muffins and spoiling from my aunt, we headed to the coast. We started in Newport Beach at the Hatfield Marine Science Center. We could have spent HOURS at this place, and best of all, it is just a free-will donation! We had a blast making tidal waves and tsunamis, seeing the Red Pacific Octopus, feeling the anemones and starfish in the touch tanks and learning how to fish. We were sad that we had to leave in order to make in up the coast in time, this place was incredible.
LOVE the look on her face when she realized how sticky the anemone was, and watched it shrink up every time she touched it!
This topographical sand table was the coolest! Each time you moved the sand you could see how water would flow and how land was created. We had to tear the girls away from this table, but the thunderstorm that we drove though had passed over, so we wanted to take advantage of the sun and headed to the beach to experience the Pacific!
t was chilly and windy, but we took off our shoes, rolled up our pants and had a great morning jumping waves and playing in the sand. We also checked out Yaquina Bay Lighthouse (the only wooden lighthouse on the coast). After a little sand clean up and drying out (some of those waves were huge) we drove along the Harbor to check out the view and get some lunch at Mo’s Restaurant.
Famed for having the world’s best clam chowder, we had to give it a try. Lunch there was fabulous! With incredible service and even more incredible food, we all had our fill. The clam chowder was so hot and creamy I could have sat there enjoying it all afternoon. Turns out, Emma is a HUGE clam chowder fan (she finished my bowl so lucky for me I also had some cod as well). Mark was a lover of the clam chowder as well, but his shrimp skewers took the win. Fresh seafood is definitely something we miss out on by living in the Midwest.
We headed to Otter Rock for some whale watching and to check out Devil’s Punchbowl an awesome looking sea cave. Every view of the Oregon Coast is beautiful and has a different feature making each stop more exciting than the last.
The girls used the binoculars to search for sea lions and we walked around taking in the beautiful views of the coast. We headed a little further north to Depoe Bay to see the tide pools and do a little whale watching. Though the coast was beautiful and the sun made a gorgeous view of the Pacific, whales were not in our favor today. Lots of boats to watch, another pretty waterfall and a great cove and beach to run on. We continued our way north to Boiler Bay viewpoint and again struck out on our search for whale watching, but saw lots of fun tide pools and coves. Our last stop just past Fogerty Creek and into Lincoln City. The coast was so beautiful, but after a full day on the coast, we had to head back inland.
On our way south from Salem, we stopped off at the Enchanted Forest where my cousin works and he toured around this adorable little amusement park. The girls enjoyed riding the rides, getting freaked out in the Haunted House and having a little ice cream treat before we left. Corey was such a great tour guide taking us around the park and showing us the highlights. We then headed back to the house for an INCREDIBLE salmon dinner (seriously best salmon I’ve ever eaten) and a quiet night of catching up. The kids went for a drive around town to see the highlights and my aunt and I stayed behind to enjoy a quiet chat. It was such a great evening to relax and be out of the car.
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