Category: THE CENTRAL OREGON COAST

The rain had eased up considerably overnight but the next morning promised little; a light drizzle had already descended. Over a breakfast of fatty and briny Tillamook Bay Oysters at Downie’s Cafe, just south of the hotel in Bay City, we continued discussing whether to cut the strip short; the Tillamook Creamery and then straight…

The highlight of the trip. Laying on the bed closest to the open window and hearing the crash of the waves on the shore. The unmistakable scent of salt in the air. Seagulls cawing in the distance. The chilly ocean air mingling with the heat from the fireplace heater. Thoughts slowly emptying from the mind….

After our uplifting experience at the Cascades Raptor Center, we headed west on OR-126 to where the Siuslaw River emptied into the Pacific Ocean, the seaside town of Florence, our first destination on the Central Oregon coast. Here was what I had hoped San Juan Island would have been: kitschy souvenir shops, galleries showcasing local…

I mimed to Bob that I would give my opinion of the Breve latte and made-on-the-premises cinnamon roll from Wandering Goat Coffee Company after the train laden with wood planks and electric poles had trundled passed. What was all this talk about inflated lumber prices? Low supply? The seemingly endless stream of train carts was…

The next morning, I had eavesdropped (if it could be called that) on the most asinine and pretentious conversation I had heard in a long time while we waited for our breakfast to arrive. But what would you expect at a place called Petite Provence. How dull was your life that you discussed the rationale…

I was being halfhearted when I told my therapist two Thursdays before our trip that something inside was telling me that it was time for a break. I wasn’t really serious. Two weeks to arrange something wasn’t enough time. On our last trip to Europe in 2019, it had taken us nearly nine months to…