Oregon Coast

After crossing the Columbia River we were in Astoria, Oregon. The whole time we were in Oregon we stayed on the coast. All along the coast it seemed like there were huge, white-sand beaches and sea stacks for as far as we could. On our first day we made lots of little stops at beaches and took a self-guided tour of the Tillamook Cheese Factory. Josie was like a kid in a candy store. We got three kinds of cheese to go... and tried the ice cream.

White-sand beaches? Check.

Seastacks? Check.

The next day we went surfing! Surfin’ USA. We started the day with a lesson. Our instructor was pushing 60, a real old-time surfer dude and lots of fun. By the end of the day Scott was looking like a pro, and Josie was doing not too bad either. The water was warmer than at home, and in our thick wetsuits we surfed until we were ready to hurl from exhaustion. At the beach we saw a seal and some pelicans.

Mandatory surfer picture? Double check.

Scott surfing like a pro.

The next day was spent checking out parts of the Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area – a sprawling landscape of giant dunes that go for miles inland in some places. We stayed on the beach, but the area is famous for dune buggies and sandboarding, which is like snowboarding, but on sand.

Plus we saw hundreds of barking and frolicking sea lions. This beach is covered

in them and there are probably just as many in the water.