Recent Travels

i have never thought of myself as much of a traveler ~ i enjoy staying in my own little home too much but in the past 20 years or so i have become a bit of a gad-about.  Actually since my children  have grown up, developed lives of their own and moved to various parts of the world i have needed to travel, so i have.  Recently, however, i needed to travel for another reason.  Due to some of the circumstances in my life i needed to get away for some serious thinking.  Not that i can't think at home ~ i can especially since i live alone now but at home there are always things calling to me to be done and so i wanted to go somewhere neutral to do my thinking.  When i mentioned this idea to my family (who live next door) they suggested Cannon Beach, Oregon.  They have been there a few times and have expressed their love of the place and how beautiful it is.  It is about a 3-4 hour drive from where i live and so i decided to go for it.  A bit of an adventure, as it were. 
Cannon Beach is a small town on the Pacific Ocean.  i had never been to the ocean before unless you count a couple of hours on Daytona Beach, Florida 13 years ago (which i don't).  It is a rather touristy area but at this time of year there weren't too many (tourists) in attendance.  The downtown area is a rabbit warren of little shops of all descriptions.  i had looked online for a place to stay and reserved a room downtown above a couple of the shops.  It was a cozy room with a full kitchenette (off to the side) and only 1 block from the ocean.

i stayed there for 2 nights and it was very comfortable.  Since i arrived after dark, i didn't walk over to the beach until the next day.  It took me a while to find it, which may sound humorous since the ocean is such a big thing, but i did locate it and find the path to get to it.  As i walked down the little stairs and onto the beach it took my breath away.  It was absolutely amazing!  The sheer power and majesty were almost more than i could take in.  That day there was a storm off the coast and the clouds were various shades of gray and white and looking very ominous and the water looked the same.  In fact it was difficult to tell where the sky ended and the water began.  The waves were huge and crashing!  i wasn't able to get any good pictures of that day but i can still see it in my minds eye.

There are quite a few large rock outcroppings in the area that just seem to rise up out of nowhere; a most notable one being Haystack Rock. 

You can see in this picture how big it is by the size of the people walking on the beach.  i understand that at very low tide you can walk out to the rock and even climb on it but the tide was not low enough when i was there.  Another notable sight is the Tillamook Lighthouse which sets out in the water perched on the top of a rather large rock. 

Here is the lighthouse with a boat in the water beyond it.  i went back to the beach my second day there and the water was much calmer and the sky was not as threatening.
The other notable part of my travels was the bridge at Astoria, Oregon which spans the Columbia River on its way to the sea.  The bridge is more than 4 miles along and i was a bit apprehensive when i first saw it.  Not that i'm afraid to cross bridges but i had never crossed one that long before.

The river forms the boundary between Washington and Oregon and it is a huge river!  All in all, it was a wonderful experience and i am looking forward to visiting the area again.
As to the reason for my going there ~ i was able to think and consider options for my life.  i didn't really receive the answer i was seeking until i came home but that was all right.  It was definitely worth the trip!