Going coastal

Earlier this month, my fella and I had a mini-break in Newport. Somewhat to our surprise, we had an absolute blast. We've both been to the Oregon coast about a bazillion times, and, while we were looking forward to the trip, we didn't expect much more than a little relaxation — and maybe some vertical wind driving sand granules into our faces like a thousand little daggers. (Not that that's ever happened at the Oregon coast, of course — we just have active imaginations.)

Regardless of our low expectations, the weekend was fun, relaxing and stimulating — like a real vacation! We decided there were a couple of reasons we had such a good time: 1) The trip was a package I'd won at a silent auction, so it included some activities we wouldn't usually try (or be willing to pay for), and 2) Now that we know the responsibility of dog ownership, the freedom of two days without the little charmer tasted sweet indeed.

We stayed at Anchor Pier, a sweet little place on Yaquina Bay — it's a gift shop and dock at street level, with five rooms upstairs. It was nice and private, with a big deck overlooking the dock and well within earshot of the constantly barking sea lions. (Maybe it was because we missed Biscuit, but we found their noises charming.) Our package also included the Discovery Sea Life Cruise, a highlight of the weekend. The weather was decent, the crew were fun, and while we didn't see much in the way of sea life (one harbor porpoise, two ospreys and three caught-and-released crabs — no whales), we got to go tool around on the ocean, as well as the bay and river. Fun!

We spent the rest of the day checking out various spots on the coast:

• Yaquina Head Lighthouse


• Depoe Bay - Home to the world's smallest habrbor! And some delicious salt water taffy and seafoam! But still no whales!


• Road's End


• Cape Kiwanda - Home to the "other" Haystack Rock


• Pelican Brewery - Seemed overrated to me, but I may have been put off by the loud wedding party getting down to a cover band playing stuff like "Footloose."


• Chinook Winds Casino - Totally felt like Vegas until we realized that our $50 (um, each) was gone in 45 minutes, not six hours. And we weren't drunk.

On the second day, we took our gift certificates over to the Oregon Coast Aquarium. Chris had never been, and I'd forgotten how cool it is. From the moment you leave the parking lot, you enter another place — the entrances are shielded behind plants, and the walkways are landscaped to evoke the coastal wilderness. Once inside, the exhibits were awesome, especially the jellyfish! Oh, and the sharks! And the puffins — can't forget them! The new exhibit, called "Oddwater," featured some very cool creatures in artistic displays filled with handblown glass created on the Oregon coast. It also included a truly chilling movie about bioluminescent sea creatures — some of which looked like the fish version of the Silence of the Lambs killer, decked out in some other fish's skin. Just one complaint about this exhibit: it wasn't documented well, so you couldn't always tell what beastie you were looking at.

We spent the rest of the day making our way north, with stops at Cape Meares, where we checked out the cool lighthouse and the infamous (OK, not really) "Octopus Tree," and the Tillamook Cheese Factory. How could a boy who's lived in Oregon his whole life never have been there?! Well, now he knows what cheese curd tastes (and feels) like — as every state resident should. Finally, we wrapped up our weekend with one last stop at Mo's and a super-fun hunt for the only gas station in Cannon Beach (hint: it's in the RV park).

For the record, here's the seafood eaten in two days, just by me:

• Lingcod
• Shrimp (in Mo's Brucewich — heaven!)
• Clams
• Oysters
• Salmon
• Shrimp