Cannon Beach, Oregon

From time to time Dan and I will ponder life after full time RV'ing. We wonder where we will settle down. How far is too far from family? What kind of weather is acceptable? We have been to places we swear we will never return to, and places that are so lovely it's tempting to get off the road right then and there. The Oregon Coast is one place we have considered, although having not spent any real length of time here, at most just a couple of weeks while passing through, we decided to spend 8 weeks during Summer 2013 to better explore the area. Our first stop on this leg of our journey was on the northern coast of Oregon in Cannon Beach, where we arrived on June 8th. In 2008 I spent a long weekend here with my Mom and my sisters, so I was somewhat familiar with the town, but this time around we were here for 3 weeks, and able to explore the area in more depth.

 

I immediately fell in love with this place! Only four miles in length, and with a permanent population of 1,695, Cannon Beach is a popular and picturesque resort area, playing host to an estimated 750,000+ visitors annually. Conveniently located 80 miles west of Portland and 25 miles south of Astoria, the area is surrounded by the rugged natural beauty of forests, ocean beaches, and rivers. The coastline is stunning and dramatic, as it is everywhere along the 101 in Oregon; the beaches are perfect for long walks during the day, catching tidepools at low tide, and watching sunsets at night (if you are lucky enough to catch a cloudless night sky!). City ordinances have kept the big box stores and chain restaurants out of the immediate area, so the retail shops are locally owned, unique, and offer a diverse selection of clothing, artwork, food, souvenirs, beach paraphernalia, books, and more. We both fell in love with the Bald Eagle Coffee House, which in addition to coffee, tea, and pastries, served two homemade soups each day (one of which was always vegetarian or vegan), along with homemade bread, prepared fresh by the owners.

During our stay, our friends Jerry and Leslie came to visit for a few days, and shortly after that, my sister and her husband came for a short stay. Although the weather was coolish, and it rained from time to time, we were still able to get out on most days and explore this town and the surrounding areas. Below are some pictures of Cannon Beach, the famous Haystack Rock, the waterfalls and caves at Hug Point, Cape Meares Lighthouse, and some sand castles from the annual Sand Castle competition held her each year.