To Seaside

Tuesday morning was a beautiful day. We walked Tasha along the coast and began out drive to Seaside, Oregon. This was another lovely drive. We found more State Parks where Tasha could run on the beach. Newport was the most interesting city. We also stopped at a number of lighthouses along the route. The most beautiful of which is the Yaquina Head Light.

Yaquina Head's rock outcropping and 93 foot tower are visible for several miles along the Pacific Coast Highway. The light was completed in 1873 and is a classic example of the towers of that period. Inside the lantern is a huge 12 foot high First Order fresnel lens.

The history of Yaquina is as shrouded in mystery as the cape is in foul weather. A persistent myth is that the lighthouse was mistakenly constructed in the wrong location, but mislabeled government survey documents seem to be responsible for this historical inaccuracy. In any case, Yaquina Head Light was built just north of Yaquina Bay Light, dooming the smaller tower to obsolesence.

Today the lighthouse is the centerpiece of Yaquina Head Outstanding Natural Area, and is one of the most-visited lights on the west coast, with over 400,000 visitors each year.

Pacific Coast Highway goes inland at Tillamook. We encountered rain on this part of the drive. We did stop at the Tillamook Cheese Factory to get some cheese and crackers.

We went through Cannon Beach just before Seaside. We had visited Cannon Beach on our Columbia River Cruise in 2000. Susan wanted to stop and browse the shops, but I used Tasha as an excuse not to stop.

In Seaside we stayed at the Sea Side Inn Bed and Breakfast. It too was a little dated, but very quaint and a bit frou-frou. It was right on the Seaside Promenade and a very pretty sandy beach. Tasha loved running and digging in the sand. Our room overlooked the beach. The bed was small and left us wanting sleep.