The kids found a little "stream" with some extra wet sand for help with sand castles.
Damon went straight for wind-play:
We always love flying kites at the beach. Damon's kite is a stunt kite, which I invevitably crash. I nearly took out an entire family this time! Damon does much better. The kids were too busy in the sand to get out their kites...plus it was SOOOO windy and cold that we only lasted about 30 minutes before everyone was ready to head back to the car.
We got in the van just in time. It started raining as we buckled up and poured the whole way to our hotel. Here's Maggie in our suite. We had an awesome ocean view (see it through the window behind her?), a gas fireplace, a kitchen, a living room, and a bedroom. The girls got the hide-a-bed, Gunnar got cushions on the floor, and we got our own room!
The view from our hotel really was spectacular. The hotel sat right on a rocky bluff and we had a corner room. Out of one window we could see seagulls approaching and then they would whoosh right in front of us at the other set of windows. We saw magnificent clouds at sunset and everyone loved observing the different levels of the tide at different times of day. There were large rocks on the beach below us that made good landmarks for really seeing how far up the water was (or wasn't).
We had loads more fun the second day of our trip, but unfortunately forgot the camera in the hotel room! We visited tidepools at Yaquina Head Natural Area where we saw sea anemones, starfish, and sea urchins. The last time we were there we also found crabs and a seal pup on the beach.
After lunch we went to the Oregon Coast Aquarium in Newport. The Aquarium is a bit pricey, but worth a visit every once in awhile. The girls' favorites were the "somersaulting" sea otter and a silly shore bird that was puffing up its feathers. I liked the little moon jellyfish. I think Gunnar enjoyed watching the sea lions and seals swim by and seeing them get fed. We all enjoyed the sharks. You walk through a glass tunnel where the sharks and rays are swimming all around you. It's really neat.
The next day, on the drive home, we stopped at the Tillamook Cheese Factory where we watched them packaging cheese, sampled several varieties, bought cheese curd, and had ice cream cones.
It was a fun little trip, despite less-than-desirable weather. We made the most of it and enjoyed being all together.
4 comments:
Where did you end up staying? Looks great!
I was thinking about you when I was hearing news reports of high winds and horrible rain.
Some day, my kids will know what it's like to wear a swim suit on a beach! :)
I want to go next time! Looks like tons of fun.
We stayed at the Ester Lee, which is right by the Inn at Spanish Head. The Ester Lee was by far the least expensive place I looked at. The fixtures were kind of old, but everything was well-maintained and very clean, so we were very happy. It was spacious and the view was great. We would stay there again.
fun times! your kids are darling. hope you are well.
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