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After the FUNERAL in Aumsville, we spent the next few days exploring the coast of Oregon.

We had planned a family vacation for the middle of July, but knew we wouldn’t be able to make another trip back up so we made the most of the time we had. I’m so glad we did because it had been 9 years since our last visit… far too long to be away from the ocean and trees.

We spent a couple days in Seaside, headed up to Astoria for a day trip, then drove down the coast to Newport for our last couple days.

It was a little slice of Heaven on earth.

Silverton

Have you ever seen the murals on the buildings in Silverton, Oregon? They are amazing. I could have spent a whole day just walking the streets looking at them. This was one of my favorites.

Seaside

The TINY LITTLE AQUARIUM in Seaside is a must see.

We got to feed seals, touch sea cucumbers, and watch an octopus chase sea slugs. These little touch tanks were definitely the highlight for our kids. They didn’t want to leave.

Astoria

While we were driving around looking for signs of Goonies, we stumbled upon the Maritime Museum and couldn’t help but stay for hours. They have a map of the Columbia that lists every documented shipwreck around Astoria. My little history lover was hypnotized and had to study each and every last wreck. He enjoyed every second we spent there.

Haystack Rock

Lou Lou enjoying a rare moment of sunshine

The tide pools around Haystack Rock were incredible!

The kids fell in love with the starfish. Of course, I missed the starfish photo shoot due to a dancing 3 year old’s over-active bladder. Ah, the joys of being a mother! But, I did get several photos of this beautiful old staircase that leads down to the beach.

When I imagine a magic portal, this is it.

Driving down the coast, my son saw this view and we couldn’t resist pulling over to enjoy it. I think my favorite part of the trip was that we took the time to mosey. We didn’t have an itinerary, we just drove until we saw something we wanted to discover.

We were free.

…To be continued.