Cannon Beach

July 30, 2021

(Haystack Rock)

When we lived in Oregon all those years ago, the one thing I really wanted to do that never happened was make a trip up the coast to see where The Goonies was filmed. Obviously, stopping at Cannon Beach was a non-negotiable item on our road trip list of things to do. Hahaha. Part of me was a little worried -- there's always a risk whenever something is highly anticipated and idealized that it may not live up to the hype in real life -- but Cannon Beach not only met my {high} expectations, it exceeded them as well!

(His little face right here just makes me smile.)

(Building a cairn was one of the first things Alex did when we hit the beach.)

Once we left Seattle on Day 2 of our West Coast Swing, we headed straight for the Oregon coast and arrived in Cannon Beach late in the afternoon. Adhering to our road trip protocol, we got right down to the business of finding food as soon as we checked into the hotel. The front desk's warm chocolate chip cookies were a welcome appetizer before dropping off our stuff and then venturing down the road to Mo's Seafood and Chowder for an early dinner.

(The view from the balcony.)

(We got some tokens from the hotel front desk for a free cup of clam chowder. Scott and I were the only two who braved the dish. My final verdict is that clams have a really strange texture that I don't enjoy. But the chowder all around those chewy bits was very good.)

It's at this point in the narrative that I'd like to pause and declare how much I loved the weather on the coast. Let me set the scene for our first evening there: The skies were cool and grey and there was a refreshingly brisk wind whipping about the beach. The water was bracingly cold and, even though there were other people milling about, it felt as if we had the whole expanse of the beach to ourselves and it was all ours for the frolicking.

(Isaac was enamored with twisting his feet in place to make his feet burrow into the sand.)

(These kids were having SO much fun.)

(Still trying to bury those feet.)

While Ethan and Grace stayed in the car (they were too cold), the rest of the kids took to the sand and waves while we waited for our table to be ready. Once we were all seated, it was the most magical and cozy dinner ever. Something about the chill in the air outside combined with the misty grey skies created a mood-perfect ambience while we ate. It also didn't hurt that the restaurant was right on the beach and our table was right by a window, leaving us with a lovely view of the famous Haystack Rock in the distance.

(Isaac did not actually help build this cairn and Alex was not pleased that he tried to jump in and claim credit. Hahaha.)

(By the end of the road trip, I'm pretty sure Ethan was wishing he would have listened to me about getting a haircut before we left -- his hair was constantly in his eyes. Hahaha.)

(How cute are these plates???)

We only had one full day in Cannon Beach, but it was still an absolute dream. The beach itself, the town center with shops, and all the trees and greenery had an overall vibe that was very reminiscent of Bar Harbor, Maine {another favorite Road Trip destination} and was almost too charming to be real. While we certainly weren't there for very long, it was more than enough time to build a sand castle, play in the waves, run around the beach, fly a kite, walk downtown, check out Haystack Rock, and enjoy the BEST cup of hot chocolate that I've ever had in my life. By the time we had to hit the road again, many happy memories had been made!

(Not even joking -- thank you Mo's!)

(We participated in a virtual Sandcastle Contest while we were at the beach.)

(Don't let this scene fool you -- I was the one who did all the building.)

(Our Rapunzel's tower was a little bit more Leaning Tower of Pisa than we had planned. Hahaha.)

(Finished castle. The shells are supposed to be Rapunzel's hair spilling out of the tower.)

(Felfie time!)

(One of my favorite bumper stickers of the trip.)

(By day's end, this was all that was left of the leaning tower of Rapunzel.)

{One of my FAVORITE memories of the whole road trip was our last morning at the beach when Scott and I took advantage of the super low tide to go and check out Haystack Rock up close.}

To wrap things up for this leg of the journey, I'll close with my undying love for the Pacific Northwest. Hahaha. But seriously, I loved Cannon Beach. I loved how incredibly wide the beach itself was, and how -- even though there were plenty of people about -- it never felt crowded. And honestly, there's just something about the juxtaposition of being at a beach but also needing a jacket that really tickles my fancy. If I had my druthers {and the money}, I'd totally buy myself a beach house on the Oregon coast. Hahaha.