Last week my husband’s Minnesota family joined us in Portland and we traveled the few hours to the Oregon Coast for a 5 night reunion. There were 15 of us and potential for more when we made the plans and we rented two homes in Bella Beach, south of Lincoln City. The homes were of darling beach decor and quite functional for 15 family members (including 5 couples) to stay comfortably a block from the beach.
There were a lot of cards played, cool beach time, bocce ball in the Bella park area, eating around an extended dining table that fit 15, story telling of days gone by, the list goes on. There was time spent in the kitchen preparing meals and cleaning, game time after dinner and some quiet time.
We hiked to Cascade Head upon which is a stunning view south of the coastline to Lincoln City. The hike was about 45 minutes each way and down obviously quicker. We were on our way up and asked a woman if we were almost ‘there’ – she said we were close to where the clouds swirl, her favorite part. We got to a lovely viewing area (not quite the top of the trail) and indeed there was swirling and we stayed away from the cliff edge…….the views were phenomenal and we saw a herd of elk on the hillside below us. Incredible scene for a hike uphill all the way.
We cruised to Newport, Oregon one day and ate on historic Bay Street, checked out the crab pots and the beautiful Yaquina Bay Bridge.
Our last outing was to the Pacific City sand dune. It was a great place to take a large group with various abilities. Some watched the climbing of the huge dune and some climbed the dune more than once. We all took in the beauty of the immense landmark and my favorite part was running down with such soft landings on each step. Warning: Do not take a camera with an actual lens to the top of this sand dune. The lens will go home with sand in it :/
I can’t complete this post without mentioning our last dinner at Title Raves in Depoe Bay. We thoroughly enjoyed the seafood and amazing views. Title Raves accommodated 15 at one table. Beyond the outstanding food and seascape, we were together enjoying the Oregon Coast.