Another family vacation in the books. I seriously love that we do a family vacation instead of Christmas presents for each other. We started this in 2011, with the idea being that we would make memories and take a vacation instead of spending a bunch of money on gifts. Now don't get me wrong, we all still have a gift or two to open up on Christmas morning, we draw names and gift them something worth twenty-ish dollars. It's fun, we have something to open, and then we talk about our plans for what we'd like to do on vacation.
Our latest Christmas vacation was to Rockaway Beach, Oregon. We went mid-February and had a really great time and had a bunch of gorgeous sunsets! Probably the best thing about it was that we were all together as a family and it was Hazel's first time at the ocean <3 You all know how much I love my niece and seeing her at the ocean was just about enough to make my heart explode.
She loved it, of course. She ran on the beach, played in the sand, chased the bubbles (seafoam), watched the birds, explored the rocks and caves, and talked about the "water" constantly. From her early morning snuggles in bed watching cartoons to eating breakfast and looking for seagulls. She played hard, and just kept us on our toes and entertained. We went to Seaside for the day and fed the seals and went to the aquarium. We rode the carousel in the mall, took pictures, and made special memories. I vacation I will always cherish.
Alan & I left a few days early and took an extra long vacation. We left Friday the 9th after Alan got off work. We flew into Portland, Oregon, rented a car, and drove about 10 miles into Washington. I had reservations in Vancouver, and when we arrived at the hotel, I was told that they overbooked and they had canceled our room! Ahhhh panic! Well not really, I just Googled nearby hotels and made another reservation at a Best Western just a few miles away. It was an exciting start to our vacation lol.
Saturday morning we headed towards to coast. Instead of going back to Portland we drove northwest and ended up in Astoria, Oregon.
Astoria is such a pretty town, surrounded by bridges, water, gorgeous homes, restaurants, shopping, historic buildings, rolling streets (like San Fransisco), and the famous Astoria Column.
Your visit to Astoria is not complete until you drive 600 feet up to the top of the hill and then climb another 164 spiral steps to the top of the column. The view is so pretty! You can see Washington, the Columbia River, and the longest truss bridge in North America, the Astoria-Meglar Bridge.
We headed south towards Sunset Beach near Gearhart, Oregon. It's a beach that you can drive on, or park and spend the day. We had a few hours to waste before we could check into our room so we checked out that beach. We drove down a little ways, parked, and laid in the back of the SUV, ate some snacks, and watched the ocean.
We drove into Seaside and checked into our room at the Inn at the Prom.
I have always wanted to stay at this quaint little hotel. It's located right on Seaside's famous Promenade, an 8,000-foot concrete boardwalk that borders Seaside and the Pacific Ocean. The room was clean, had a comfortable bed and a full kitchen. There was a large Jacuzzi tub, fireplace, and best yet, it was an oceanfront room.
The view was just gorgeous and we enjoyed watching the sunset from our balcony. The sunset Saturday night did not disappoint <3
Sunday morning we went to our favorite local spot for some breakfast, Pig-n-Pancake! The best place for breakfast. Their sand dollar pancakes & hot cocoa just can't be beaten! We walked around and did a little shopping on Broadway Street. Broadway Street is the main street that runs through town and up to the coast at the Lewis & Clark statue turnaround.
After lunch, we headed south towards Cannon Beach. Our first stop was Ecola State Park. One of my favorite viewpoints on the Oregon Coast. It overlooks Cannon Beach and Haystack Rock. I just love that beach so much, it's where Alan & I got married <3
You can also see Tillamook Rock Lighthouse from Ecola State Park. This lighthouse sits out in the ocean, surrounded by the water.
Once in town, we stopped by my favorite candy shop, Bruces Candy Kitchen, stocked up on salt water taffy, caramel apples, and a bunch of other goodies.
We walked down to the beach and checked out the tide pools around haystack rock. There wasn't too much to see that day so I focused on photographing seagulls :)
It was super sunny and windy that day so we found a spot near the sandbank that blocked the wind and we enjoyed the warmth and the view.
We grabbed dinner, found a nice grassy spot, and watched the sunset before we headed back to Seaside.
Monday morning I woke up to a pretty bouquet of flowers <3
Then we went to Dundee's, another local hot spot, for doughnuts and coffee before we checked out of our hotel and headed down the road. We actually had several hours before we could check into our beach house for the remainder of the trip. We ended up driving back up to Sunset Beach for awhile and just relax. We literally had the whole beach to ourselves, besides the hundreds of little sand pipers that flocked the beach.
We drove down the beach and ended up at Peter Iredale. In 1906 there was a shipwreck that occurred in the Fort Stevens area right off the coastline. Today there are still remnants of the shipwreck that are right on the beach and you can walk right up to it. A rusty bow and masts jut out of the sand. I remember seeing this when I was little, but that was Alan's first time.
We hit the road and headed south towards Rockaway Beach. We hit a few viewpoints on our way and even checked out a pretty beach we hadn't ever been to, Arcadia Beach. We spent some time there exploring the rocks and enjoying the sunshine.
Our last stop before we got to Rockaway was Hug Point. The tide was way out so we were able to see the waterfall and the caves. It is such a neat place to visit. It's called hug point because when the covered wagons were traveling along that beach they would have to "hug" the rocks to get by. You can still see some of the groves and wear marks from where the wagons rubbed on the rocks.
We finally made it to Rockaway, got checked in, and then my parents got there too. We got unpacked, ate dinner, watched the sunset, and enjoyed a quiet evening together.
Tuesday was another beautiful day. We started with a nice long walk on the beach. We found a few seashells and took some pictures (my mom and I's favorite thing to do.)
The rest of the day we spent playing games, buy groceries and waiting for Hazel and the rest of the family to get there. The sunset that night was insanely beautiful!
I caught some sweet moments of my parents, and she returned the favor.
And just as the sun went down, Dale, Dee, Angela, and Hazel showed up and met us on the beach. I, of course, documented Hazel's first time walking on the sand, and we all loved watching her take it all in.
Wednesday, Valentines Day, was a beautiful day! We went out for a walk and Hazel loved chasing the bubbles!
Alan's brother Keith got in that afternoon and our family vacation party was complete. We walked on the beach, played games, watched the Olympics, and ate a bunch yummy food.
Thursday we all went down to Hug Point again. Keith, Angela, and Hazel hadn't ever been there before. Hazel loved exploring! We also drove into Cannon Beach to try and find a kite shop and get a little more candy, there's never enough candy lol.
Friday it poured so we all took Hazel to Seaside so she could have her first Carousal ride and feed the seals at the Aquarium. We went to a fun toy store and let Hazel run around and play, some indoor activities to help keep us entertained and dry. We also went to the factory outlet mall. We ended the night eating cotton candy and playing games.
Saturday was another rainy day. Hazel loved to come into our bedroom after breakfast, lay on the bed and watch cartoons while I got ready for the day.
That afternoon we went to Tillamook, got some free cheese samples and had some ice cream. Then we came back and watched the ocean from the livingroom.
There was a little break in the clouds so we got ready and ran out to play on the beach for awhile and build a sandcastle.
The house that is right behind them is the beach house where we stayed.
We also celebrated Dale's birthday that evening. We had a delicious turkey dinner, complete with stuffing. We had a pretty sunset, and then some yummy chocolate cake for dessert!
Sunday a huge storm rolled in and it started hailing and snowing. Alan & I had to drive back to Portland to catch our flight, so we left a little bit early to give ourselves plenty of time to travel safely.
We made it with some time to spare so we drove around Portland a little while and then ended up at IKEA. I had never been to one before! And if I am going to be perfectly honest, I was totally overwhelmed! I don't understand how to shop there lol!! Maybe I just need a little practice and time to figure it out. Yes, I think that's probably exactly what I need to do, right? haha ;)
Our flight was a little delayed because of the weather, but we made it home safely, got home, showered, and had the best nights sleep ever. I just love coming home to my bed after a long vacation!
We had such a nice time and made some wonderful memories! I can't wait to see where the road leads us next time. Thank you so much for following along, you guys are the best! Have a sweet and wonderful day.
