I have a lot of pics of our trip, so bear with me!
The amazing view of the mountain range on our way to the beach...so pretty.
Our first touristy stop was the Newport Aquarium. It was a great place with beautiful grounds, but uber-expensive for an aquarium. I get paying that much back in the day when Keiko called it home, but now that they don't have a draw like him, we felt a little robbed. But, all-in-all, still a very nice aquarium - and the kids loved it!
Swimming with the fishies
Next stop, a field trip for the parents - Rogue Brewery!
These are pictures from the first of three lighthouses we visited. They kept all the original furniture and appliances in the lightkeeper's house to show what life used to be like for the family who lived there. Who knew this would also be an informational trip??
And then after touring the lighthouse, we went down to a pier in Newport and watched the sea lions "bark" at one another. They were super entertaining - we stayed for close to an hour, watching them trying to take one another down to get to the perfect spot at the top of the pile.
And the last stop of the day was to Yaquina Head Lighthouse. Here we were given a tour of the inside of the lighthouse and part of our group hiked to the top. How many things can we cram into one day??
We celebrated Eli's birthday that night (albeit three weeks early :) with pirate cupcakes. It's fair to say that the kids (and adults!) were pretty tuckered out at the end of this day :)
Day two we went drove south to Heceta Head Lighthouse - a spot where I spent a lot of time as a child. Since the coast was only a 45 minute drive from my hometown, the beach was always a quick day-trip getaway. I loved bringing my own children here - it was definitely a full-circle moment for me. I look forward to taking them here more when they are older and can have some of their own memories of hiking up to the "white house" and lighthouse at the top of the hill and looking for sea life in the tidepools down below. Such a great spot!
It's so funny how quickly the weather can change at the beach. Just a few minutes earlier, it was cloudy and looked like a rain was about to start. But suddenly, the clouds disappeared and we enjoyed a hike up to the lighthouse with the sun shining on us.
The picturesque views from our hike up to the lighthouse.
The beautiful view from the top of our hike.
A popular tale to tell whenever I'd come as a child, was that this house was haunted. My friends and I would always dare each other to walk around the house by ourselves and then look up into the attic to see if we could spot the ghost lady who apparently looks out to sea from the top window. Of course everyone who did this always said they saw her ghostly image. Because of this, I am always intrigued by this house and sometimes will still freak my inner-child self out thinking I see her ghostly face from the top window. The funny thing is, this house is now a bed and breakfast. And we looked into staying here for this trip. I quietly felt comforted when I found out it was already booked for the weekend. If I get goosebumps just walking around it, not sure I would have gotten much sleep if I were to stay here for an entire night :)
Next, we went to the Sea Lion Caves. We had a picnic lunch on their deck and then went down to the stinky cave below. It was quite a sight to see so many of these creatures all fighting for top spots so they wouldn't be washed off the rocks. They were fun to watch, but only for so long as the scent was a little much at times :)
Looking out at the lighthouse from the caves.
After the caves, we found a little beach where the kids and dogs could roam free. It was a perfect ending to another long day of sightseeing!
Brotherly/sisterly love at the beach house. These two are becoming so interactive and sweet together - I love it!
What a wonderful weekend with such great memories! Can't wait to visit some of these places again as the kids continue to grow!
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