Cannon Beach

E and P, the only crazies on the beach...

We left Portland in the rain.  Tried a hike we'd read about half way to the beach... and got some heee-larious video footage of the child, less than happy. doing a dead ringer of a soaked, sad, little rat.  So we skipped ahead to highway 101.  I even loved the design of the signs for this highway.

The pictures do the site and the storm absolutely no justice.  There was fog, and sideways pouring rain, mixed with the sand that was flying in the Kansas-like wind.  Untouched, the pictures look like grey blurs.  But, ahhh, grey had never looked so good in real life.

We snagged one of the only pull-off parking spots, took the tiny trail between shingled houses and clambered down the steep stairs to the empty beach... only to behold the most amazing behemoths we had ever seen.

I think the child was slightly impressed, but the sideways sand upstaged the monoliths.  He kept jumping straight up into the air, seeing how far along the wind could blow him before he landed :)  Within just a few minutes, we were all soaked in a splendid mixture of rain, saltwater and sand and happily headed back up to the car, feeling like real adventurers ;)

Retreat!