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The best laid plans of mice and men

Leo, Panda and I went to the beach this weekend. The coast is usually a safe bet for us because it's generally beautiful and Panda loves it.

Even our shoes seem happy at the beach

Leo had explored the Oregon coast a bit before and when he had, it had been beautiful but exceedingly cold. He suggested lots of layers. So we threw on some warm clothing and headed out for a quick half-day trip to the ocean.

Read all about it after the bump.

Driving to the beach was a relatively quick and simply lovely route through a scenic area of Oregon. The temperature stayed mild and it was early still. As soon as Panda realized where we were, she perked up. This is her playground.

Oh boy oh boy, let me out!

The walk to the shore line is a long one across soft sand. Panda really couldn't wait to get to the beach before she was ready to start playing fetch.

Panda eats her own dust.

But it was worth all the slogging because Panda had herself a darn good game of fetch.

You would think she'd get bored of this after a while, but she never does.

For those of us not actively involved in the fetching, it was all about the sight seeing.

I'm really taken by the texture of the sand.

How much fun would it be to ride horses on this beach?

While I snapped photos, Leo and Panda continued to play.

Oops, maybe Leo threw a little too hard.

And with such great tide pool all around, we were even able to see the stars!

Haven't we met before?

The day was so beautiful and the fetch was so fun that we ended up staying longer than expected. In fact, while I had put on sunblock before leaving the house, I had done so thinking I would have kept my turtleneck on. I know have a rather amusing red ring around my collar. I'll spare you the pictures. You can take my word for it.

From there, Leo told me of a wonderful little town with cafes that offered wine tasting. We were going to take a quick trip over for lunch before heading home and getting ready to go into the city for the evening.

So we drove.
And then we drove some more.
And then more still.

There might have been some playful poking fun and some promises that the destination was "just up ahead."

The natives are getting restless. Are we there yet?

Finally, 3 hours later, we reach our destination, only to find there is not a single outdoor cafe to which Panda could have gone and it was simply too hot to keep her in the car. We found some food to go, and made the long journey home.

Our route for the day.

I guess in the scheme of things 270 miles is a quick day trip compared to the 1200 mile drive we just did up to Oregon from LA.

So I've seen Crater Lake and the cost here in Oregon and it's more than I could have hoped. Despite getting off track a bit, the route to a dog friendly beach in Oregon is no further for us than it was in LA, or if it is further, the roads are far less congested.

Up next, I tell you about my ebay win.

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Comments (16)

CJ:

Ooooh. You passed through Tillamook. I love that town!

kat:

well you had yourself a scenic and unexpected road trip. these things can be fun in a new place; getting lost and maybe discovering something great.

Moni:

How funny! I was just over there this past week and know exactly the drive to the coast from portland you are writing about. So beautiful! I wish I was still there :)

AmyP:

Ahh - almost like when my dad was learning to drive and took us kids with him. His "long cuts" became notorious!

Beautiful scenery, I love how the forest juts right up to the ocean. Even though you went, um, a little out of your way, you can consider a good way to get to know your new home.

We were in Newport at Nye Beach yesterday where it was not sunny and warm, at least not when we got there at 3 [Newport is just south of Depoe Bay.] And, a very friendly golden retriever jumped on my photographer [we were having our engagement photos taken on the beach where TheBoy proposed to me] and almost knocked her down. Also, every time I've been there lots of dogs have been loose. Did you stop in Tillamook for great cheese? Mmm...Cheese. We don't get that far north on the coast often, we prefer the Newport/Lincoln City area but I think that's in large part due to a. the aquarium and b. TheBoy used to volunteer to count whales in Lincoln City when he was in high school and college. I have no idea where the outdoor cafe things were that Leo was talking about...There is a place in Depoe Bay that sells wine and has wine tasting, but if you want winte tasting, head down I-5 towards Salem. Willamette Valley Vineyards is a pretty neat place. Also, as to Multnomah Falls, you might want to check with the forest service as to how dog friendly they are. The lodge there is neat, designed by A.E. Doyle. If you're hitting the gorge I recommend visiting Vista House which has recently been altered for accesibility but is a phenomal historic structure overlooking the gorge from way high up!

I LOVE seeing Panda-on-the-beach pictures!! It looks like you all had a wonderful day . . . even if the outdoor cafe thing didn't work out . . . (grin)

Yay! I wish we could have done EVERYTHING while I was there. The beach looks great! I am very jealous. We'll have to head out to Ventura sometime soon.
xox, J

The pictures are great, it's so nice to see Panda again. :-)
Along the route you took, you just missed a PowWow (really amazing) by 2 weeks.
Welcome to Oregon!

MJ:

Hooray for Panda pictures! It's so beautiful there.

As for horseback riding on the beach, you MUST. But wear padded bike shorts; the more padding, the better! I just went this past weekend and it was awesome.

I think most beaches in Oregon are dog-friendly, at least if they're on a leash. Leashless beaches, I'm not so sure about. I know that most of the beaches in Newport are dog-friendly, or if they aren't then nobody really cares because I see dogs playing fetch all the time.

200+ miles is not an unusual trip, either. At least not to me - I live on the coast, but drive to the valley to go shopping.

I'm so glad you're getting to see some wonderful things.

But PLEASE don't go horseback riding on that beach until I've had a chance to chat with you and shown you my battle-scars. ;-) That is, unless you're already an equestrian, in which case, teach those wranglers a thing or two. (grumble, grumble... But I'm not bitter...)

Make Multnomah Falls your next trip. It's not far... about an hour. It can get chilly but worth it!

Is that an element? if so what do you have in there to keep it clean from wet doggies?

The scenery is absolutely beautiful - and the beach looks deserted - how lovely!

Looks like you had a wonderful time! I see by your map that you were near Oswald West State Park--it has become our favorite beach. It's sort of enclosed by some rock outcroppings--big enough to run around (and play fetch) and not feel crowded, but small enough to almost feel private. :)

Beautiful!! Panda looks like she enjoyed it.

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This page contains a single entry from the blog posted on September 3, 2006 9:42 AM.

The previous post in this blog was The best laid plans of mice and men.

The next post in this blog is Dammit Janice, and OH BOY OH BOY OH BOY!.

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