Cannon Beach sits about 25 miles south of Astoria along the coast. It’s a very beautiful drive, and takes about 40 minutes. A city in Clatsop County right on the Pacific Ocean, Cannon Beach is famous for its discovery by William Clark of Lewis and Clark. History of the Lewis and Clark expedition is alive and well in Cannon Beach. Clark’s famous viewpoint, called “Clark’s Point of View,” can be seen via a hiking trail from Indian Beach in Ecola State Park.
Originally called “Elk Creek,” the town of Cannon Beach received its current name in 1846 when a US Navy cannon washed ashore. When it was discovered in 1898 the town renamed itself. The cannon now sits in the city’s museum. Cannon Beach is famous for “Haystack Rock,” a stunningly large igneous rock poised perfectly on the beach towering at 235 feet. It’s a protected marine sanctuary and has an impressive cave system within its mini cliffs.
Each year Cannon Beach hosts a sand castle-building contest in June as well as a famous 4th of July Parade featuring a military flyover and a “Lawn Chair Brigade.” Cannon Beach also hosts two yearly art festivals; one is on the first Sunday in May called the “Spring Unveiling,” and the second one is in November called the “Stormy Weather Arts Festival,” which feature artists from all over the Pacific Northwest.
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| Cannon Beach; to the left is Haystack Rock, to the right is Ecola State Park and “Clark’s Point of View” |
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| Don enjoying the view |
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| In front of Haystack Rock |
Andy and I got into town in early afternoon. Our hotel was located slightly past the main area of town, so we decided to get some lunch downtown and explore the beach.
On the way to the beach, Andy got into a bit of an altercation with a local bird. Here we are, standing near the beach looking up some restaurants on Andy’s phone and we suddenly hear a loud “plop!” Andy looked at me, “did someone throw something at me?!” I surveyed the scene and didn’t see anything. Suddenly, I looked at Andy’s back and realized a bird had pooped on him! We both stared upwards and immediately saw the culprit.
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| Andy spent the rest of our trip terrified of this bird. He was convinced the bird was stalking him. |
Andy immediately removed his jacket and wrapped it up in a ball with a look on his face like he was about to vomit. Meanwhile I was laughing hysterically. “It’s not funny, Tiny Wife, that bird just assaulted me.” I helped him wrap up his jacket and we made our way to our lunch selection.
Tucked on the side of a little garden-filled sidewalk inlet is Pizza ‘a Fetta, an Italian restaurant specializing in gourmet pizzas. Established in 1988, Pizza ‘a Fetta enjoys a healthy reputation in Cannon Beach; in 1996 it was featured in the top 50 pizza restaurants in the Pizza Today Magazine. It sells almost exclusively pizza, by both the slice and the pie, as well as salads, soups, wine, and beer.
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| At our table. With his bird poop jacket. |
I love vegetables. LOVE THEM. Andy can count on one hand the number of vegetables he has eaten. Consequently, our pizzas always turn out rather schizophrenic. We ordered half meat and half cheese with veggies. Don snuck a piece while I was in the bathroom.
After lunch we explored downtown and the beach. Downtown was beautiful and quaint. It reminded me of Carmel, California. Little exclusive and fancy shops, local goods and jewelry, and ritzy restaurants dotted the sidewalks. It was a town of, ironically, obvious quiet money.
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| Stopped here first. Here’s the interesting thing about this store: they didn’t sell a single heel. |
The beach was beautiful and clean. Dogs ran around and kids played freely in the ocean. We did notice, however, numerous jellyfish washed up on the beach. They were hard to spot as their bodies were clear and motionless on the lightly colored sand. Fortunately we were able to avoid them and their stings!
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| Jellyfish! Joey Tribianni: “Yeah, that’s right, I stepped up! She’s my friend and she needed help! And if I had to, I’d pee on any one of you.” |
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| These were the scary ones! Easy to miss and step on accidentally! |
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| Thinking about Donna |
After exploring the beach, avoiding the jellyfish, and looking for the bird that assaulted Andy, we drove to our hotel to check in. We decided to stay at The Ocean Lodge. This hotel rivaled the incredibly gorgeous hotel we had just left behind in Astoria. This one had a completely different design but a just as amazing atmosphere, service, and decor. It, too, had a striking bathtub, a little deck with a gorgeous view, and a little fireplace.
Like Carmel, California, Cannon Beach prides itself on being a dog-friendly town. A lot of the hotels had signs that indicated they allowed dogs, and some of them (including The Ocean Lodge) had pet-accommodating rooms. The Ocean Lodge boasted three floors of rooms including ocean front studios, partial ocean view studios and pet-friendly studios and suites. The hotel also offers “Special Occasion Packages,” including a “Beach Bag of Family Fun,” “Ultimate Romantic Experience,” “Beach, Beer, and Bites,” and “Northwest Picnic To-Go.” Each package contained a beach-friendly bag of goodies to enjoy on the beach with your friends, family, or spouse. The “Beach Bag of Family Fun,” for example, contained a s’mores kit, firewood, high-flying kite, and a trail map, among other things (costs $99).
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| The gang loved the view! |
Our room had a perfect view of Haystack Rock. We ordered a nice bottle of Oregon Eola Hills wine, and shared it on the deck.
After relaxing a bit, we got ready for dinner. Our restaurant was at the end of the beach, so instead of driving we walked to dinner down the beach. The sun was bright in the sky but beginning to lower; it shined beautifully off the rocks and sparkling sand. On the way we got a more up-close-and-personal view of Haystack Rock.
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| Awwwwww |
Andy made reservations at a restaurant called Wayfarer Restaurant and Lounge on Pacific Drive. Their menu features all northwest fare, including all Pacific Northwest Seafood and local produce and farms such as Albeke Farms, Gales Meadow Farm, and Gossling Farms.
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| Checking out the menu |
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| View from our table |
We shared the Northwest Steamer Clams (locally harvested!), and we each got a salad. There was a Northwest Cheese Platter, but my experience at Timberline Lodge made me shy away from that. I got the tasty French Onion Soup for dinner and Andy got the Grilled Filet Mignon. Food was delicious and the setting was romantic. We had a great view of haystack rock from our table too.
Here we are, munching along on our dinner, when all of a sudden Andy points to the rooftop of the hotel next door. Here’s what he saw:
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| “Tiny Wife, it’s the bird.” “What bird?” “The bird that took a crap on my back.” “I don’t think that’s the same bird.” “Yes, yes it is. I just know it. I can feel it. It’s stalking me.” |
In defense of Andy’s fowl-paranoia, the bird stayed up there throughout our entire dinner. “I told you,” Andy commented, “Yes, Big Husband, yes, he must be here to attack you again.”
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| See how nervous he looks? |
After dinner, we made our way back to the hotel. Andy was convinced that every bird he saw was “that bird that assaulted me.”
“Big Husband, that is a completely different species of bird.”
“No it’s not.”
“Andy, seriously, that bird was gray, this bird is black.”
“Your vision must be obscured.”
“Don’t be so mad at the bird, he didn’t do it on purpose.”
“Yes he did, I could see it in his eyes.”
“He pooped on your BACK, how could you see his eyes?”
“Trust me, I saw them.”
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| “Haterz gonna hate” -Bird |
Despite Andy’s bird friend stalker, the walk back was simply breathtaking.
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| Don and Donna enjoying the beach on their classy beach chairs |
The next day, we drove to Ecola State Park to see if we could catch a view of the Tillamook Rock Light. The Tillamook Rock Light is an abandoned lighthouse about 1.2 miles offshore from Tillamook Head. It was built on less than an acre of basalt rock in 1881 and was officially deactivated in 1957.
The lighthouse never carried a particularly enviable reputation. At the time of its constuction it was the most expensive lighthouse ever built on the West Coast. It carried with it incredibly dangerous and unrelenting weather conditions that caused numerous disastrous sea-commutes for sailors and rather risky conditions for its keeper. In fact, as the lighthouse neared its completion in January 1881, the Lupatia wrecked near the rock and sank. All 16 members of the ship perished. More accidents earned the lighthouse the nickname “Terrible Tilly.”
It is currently privately owned as a columbarium (a storage area for cinerary urns), and sits on the National Register of Historic Places.
Supposedly, you could get a pretty good view of Tillamook Rock Light from one of the many trails in Ecola State Park. Ecola State Park is one of five parks within the Lewis and Clark National and State Historical Parks, which span both Oregon and Washington. Along with Ecola Park, the Lewis and Clark National and State Historical Parks include Fort Stevens State Park and Sunset Beach State Recreation Site in Oregon and Cape Disappointment State Park and Fort Columbia Historical State Park in Washington.
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| Driving into Ecola State Park |
We probably should have done a tad more research on exactly where this lighthouse was and how one could see it. All we knew is that it somehow involved the Clatsop Loop Trail. We also knew that I didn’t have hiking boots and was wearing white pants.
By looking at the above map, one would assume the hike to the lighthouse viewpoint was about a mile. It was not. I can’t tell you how long it is because I turned around after 30 minutes of mud-trudging. Andy got a bit farther. Don whined the entire time.
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| “Lighthouse Trail” No mileage. Translation: “Just keep walking until your wife and donkey have a meltdown.” |
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| Pre-meltdown |
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| “My hooves are covered in mud. I do not like these conditions.” -Don |
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| Mud. Mud everywhere. |
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| Here it is! One would THINK this was a suitable enough view. It was not. We kept walking. |
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| Again, this would have been fine. |
Finally I stopped and gave up. Don and Donna and I turned around and Andy forged ahead. I met him back at the car where he admitted he never found the viewpoint area. It was a mystery. If you find it, let me know.
The adventure was over and we headed to the airport. Thanks, Oregon, you were beautiful and breathtaking! Here’s to celebrating our one year anniversary in such a gorgeous state.
