Sun of a Beach: Seaside, Cannon Beach, and Gearhart - Oregon Coast

By Bob Campbell

The Oregon Coast in near mythical presentation over four days of nearly a total absence of wind, predominantly sunny conditions, and a pretty darn sparse tourist population for this tourist destination in the Pacific Northwest. It certainly helped on that last one that it was a winter trip. Because nobody in their right mind goes to this section of Pacific Ocean beach in winter and expects more than hopeful, extremely brief hints of fleeting thinned clouds, mist, or storm fronts. Which meant way over a hundred photographs of this experience are in this book as proof that even a blind pig has his day, and every dog finds a truffle (or steps in other mold and mildew out here on the coast) occasionally.
Explore these three, nearby towns - Seaside, Cannon Beach, and Gearhart - to discover the unique flavor each brings to the coastal experience. Lots of time on the beach, along the various waterways, and the occasional wander through the streets in search of hidden treasure.
Some of our specific destinations in this book include:
Cannon Beach Nature Trail, beach access and explorations, and Cannon Beach North at Les Shirley Park along Ecola Creek to the south of Tillamook Head and Tillamook Rock Lighthouse - all while avoiding Ecola State (fee) Park.
Seaside, the Necanicum River in town and later to the north end as it mixes with the Pacific through the Necanicum Estuary flats, up and down the infamous Promenade (multiple times), a couple eateries, and one enjoyable hotel stay. Due to winter, Seaside also got a couple of frozen mornings on the beach; and due to the wonderfully incredible weather, some fine sunsets. The easy, frequent ocean access also yielded a personal encounter with a sea monster (and we're not talking about the Seaside Aquarium fresh sea water intake apparatus, either.)
Gearhart Del Rey Beach, Gearhart proper (what little we could find that wasn't behind a gate, up a private drive, or down a golf cart path), and Gearhart improper - with lots of beach access for those in vehicles that are busting a gut to drive on the beach and experience the finer arts of getting unstuck before the tide comes in. (We did not explore this last stuck "entertainment" option in this book and would prefer to remain free of the experience, thank you very much.)
Plus a parting tilt of the hat to Starvation Creek rest area and trail head along the Columbia River Gorge on Interstate 84.
There should be something for almost everyone to enjoy, laugh at, or ignore in this book - even a possible encounter with Unidentified Aerial Phenomena (UAP/UFO), which oddly enough, wasn't the confusing and unexpected brilliant glowing orb in the sky that stuck around most of the visit.
So if you're looking for a fun, memorable collection of images that can help "put you there" while you never have to leave the warmth and safety of your home (or cowering in the corner of your cubicle watching the clock and waiting to be freed from work convict status); or you just want to be freed from feeling the need to snap pictures of your actual coastal experience so you can concentrate on the fun (and avoiding some of the less desirable locations or hazards we put in the time to save you the wasted effort) - this book should have you covered.
Get crackin' and start clickin' to grab a copy to see for yourself that this is a great, Sun of a Beachin' Seaside-Cannon Beach-Gearhart destination.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Bob Campbell
• Release date: Dec 9, 2023
• ISBN: 9798215148549

Bob Campbell

The short of it: over-educated, unemployed, and annoying with a camera. Quite possibly a dangerous combination.The long of it:I've been snapping pictures for over a quarter-of-a-century on equipment ranging from a Pentax k1000 to Canon SX700hs - but nothing fancier. In fact, after they retired my Kodachrome 64 film, I hung up the 'real cameras' and settled for "digital pocket snappers." It seems ninety percent of the challenge to taking pictures is to remember your camera (would seem obvious, wouldn't it? But look around at the folks with large, fancy cameras - no wonder they claim the phone-based lens will be the death of real photography). So I do my part and pack it almost everywhere.I was a latecomer to photography, though, so I had time to grow up in many different parts of the country with my formative stage in the South, but junior high and onward in the Pacific Northwest. The last set of initials after my name tacked on by the Washington State University College of Veterinary Medicine - making the 'highest degree attained' line of the survey read Doctor of Veterinary Medicine.I still live in the state of Washington with my lovely wife of over two decades who continues to be an invaluable accomplice. For any hazard I manage to avoid, our son does his best to ensure we'll see an early grave.Having spent a little time teaching, I've grown to miss a captive audience to inflict my photography upon, so thank you Smashwords for providing me a forum for dispersing my imagery pain to be loosed upon the world.

Book preview

Introduction

I'll take 'The Oregon Coast' for $200, Alex's replacement!

And the answer is, 'Nine Years.'

Dit-dit-dit - What is, 'How many years before you forget vacationing on the Oregon Coast during the wet winter months isn't a good idea?' [Image information (*Remember that warning at the start of the book? Not all the image information and prose will make sense taken out of context - that's my excuse and I'm stickin' to it): 2023-11-21 07:30AM Just how unusually calm was it out here on the Oregon Coast in winter? Except for needing to handhold the camera, this was shot at 1/250 second (yes, quick, but not Oregon Coastal breeze quick with the thin little dune grass seed awns normally thrashing violently in the wind.) This view is looking south from the dunes along Cannon Beach with Haystack Rock poking out between an opening in the dune grasses with the sunrise rapidly starting to let itself be known off to the left of the frame in the southeast. And while it looks cloudy, check out the hints of the clearing sky already visible even off the beach in the upper left of the frame.]

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A less than eloquent way to start a travel guide, but the perfect introduction to a Not Another Travel Guide foray into the wild world of destinations and virtual pictorial vacation spots, ready to keep you warm, dry, and safe from feeling like you have to wander down some of the less touristy areas; plus you'll get some of the usual, Everyone gets to see this views. [2023-11-24 07:53AM Cheryl (the safety protocol supervisor) being a remarkably good sport about hanging around out here on the north end of the Seaside Promenade in the frozen dunes waiting for the sun to start drifting our way. Turns out, it'll be a long wait, so we'll start heading back toward Hillcrest Inn where we'll spend several minutes thawing and figuring out when we'll hit the roads which are surely icy up in the passes this nippy morning. Seaside, Oregon.]

Over the next few pages, with many questionable words and way over a hundred images, we'll introduce the Oregon Coast as you might not normally see it, concentrating on Seaside, but catching the towns on either side, Gearhart and Cannon Beach, along the way. [2023-11-22 09:54AM Waves... just because they're cool when you can watch them without blowing away in the persistent, prevailing coastal winter winds... which are nearly completely absent today. Del Rey Beach, Gearhart, Oregon] {Be sure to watch the surf closely as you'll often be able to see seals hunting relatively close to shore. We'd see them both in Gearhart and Cannon Beach during this trip during several stops. Note there is no seal in the above picture. Sorry.}

Even if this particular weird trip to the Pacific Coast in winter might be experienced under severely unusual circumstances: no rain, minimal wind, and a strange glowing orb lighting up the sky. [2023-11-22 16:35PM (4:35P PST) The sun drops into the ocean with a sizzling pop as the water tries to put it out, starting to close out another glorious winter day with minimal winds out here in Seaside, Oregon... yes, on the Oregon Coast... and practically no wind... all those words used in the same sentence.]

So pack your crap - I mean suitcase - gather your family (your choice if you bring them with you or send them off in a different direction), put your homing mark in the sand, and let's get crackin'... there's an entire Oregon Coastal adventure awaiting. [2023-11-21 08:16AM Cannon Beach with Haystack Rock in the background. With Oregon having no privately owned ocean beaches, and a vast array of access points from the public roads out to the sand and water, occasionally it can be somewhat challenging to come back to the proper egress (beach access trail) point to where you've parked your car. Like bread crumbs and crows, though, be cautious that you put your I parked up here mark in the sand far enough inland and onto the beach so it doesn't get washed away. Even though our mark in this image was put nearly a dozen yards above the highest 'wet sand' mark, it was still reached by at least one errantly large wave racing up the beach. Also make sure your mark is created with a few tiny details only you should be aware, otherwise practical jokers can wander along the beach duplicating your 'I parked up here' marks every thirty to fifty yards on each and every trail exiting the beach. And, yes, for the 'Ew! You've ruined the beach and sand!' - I do go back and 'erase' my mark on the way out, smoothing the sand and eliminating the signs I was there: pack it in, pack it out, take only pictures, and leave no trace except foot prints.)

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: Table of Contents :

Along the Way

Fill this section with a lot of standard interstate views and roadway fun... except subtract a pile of the vehicles most normal people night see along the way, because in regular Not Another Travel Guide fashion, we've left the Inland Desert (which we've been told we can't call it, even though our annual rainfall barely tops ten inches on any given year) and Sage Steppes of Eastern Washington a touch after two... in the morning. Calculated so we'd pass through the evil and Satanic trials and tribulations of Portland, Oregon traffic early enough to avoid most of the excessive slowdowns and stopped traffic, even though we were headed against the grain most of the way (people pouring into Portland from the bedroom communities to the west, while we'll be headed west... except for all those poor schmucks that live in Washington state and work in the tech-heavy west side of Portland (Beaverton, Hillsboro, and other newer un-memorable chunks of Portland improper), who we'll be competing for interstate and highway space from the I-5 / I-84 junctions and swirls through Portland to head west along Highway 26, the Sunset Highway for a dozen or so miles until clearing (uncivilized) civilization. Which is a long way to say, Not a bad trip, really, considering we only had to get up at two in the morning to do it. Leaving us somewhat alone, along with a handful of other vehicles now headed further west toward the Coastal Mountain passes at mid-morning (six is completely halfway between zero and 11:59, so 6:30AM is mid-morning to us 'morning larks' or whatever derogatory name