Weekend Update: Coastal Craving Edition

Having as of late been missing the salty smell and endless views of the ocean more than I could bear, this past Saturday I packed myself, a large iced coffee, an old school Nike bag (thanks, Grandpa!), and one very enthusiastic pug into my car and then pointed it (north by) northwest, to Cannon Beach.

Thirteen miles outside of my Haystack Rock-laden destination traffic came to a sudden and perpetual halt. I sat patiently for thirty minutes (Iggy sat less patiently) before being told by a lovely woman who had walked a mile up the road to investigate on foot that the last stretch of Highway 26 was officially closed due to an accident, and that it wasn’t slated to reopen for two hours.

I had previously told myself I was prepared to wait thirty more minutes, but two hours in my car with beach-combing legs and an anxious pug was out of the question, and so I set off back down 26 until I came to the Tillamook turn-off, a road I’ve never taken, but one I was sure would eventually lead me back to the coast, and the 101.

(Storytelling aside: Have you ever played telephone down a line of gridlocked traffic? It was actually sort of amusing: being flagged down by car after car as drove slowly back down the 26, stopping briefly to tell people that they might want to turn around too, unless they had two hours and a good book to read.)

Thus, a drive that was originally slated to look like this:

Actually ended up looking like this:

The detour ensured I didn’t make it to the coast until about an hour later than originally planned (and that I wouldn’t make it to Cannon Beach until much later), but the quiet windy drive down Highway 53 was lovely and relaxing, laden with trailhead turn-offs and river views, everything proudly green and damp and smelling of spring.

I reached the sleepy river town of Nehalem and instantly knew where I was, and smiled as the sun came out just as I pulled into Manzanita, one of my favorite coastal cities I don’t visit often enough.

The scenic detour was worth it in and of itself, but the views waiting for me in Manzanita were even more breathtaking than I had remembered.

After moseying on the beach with Iggy until all six of our legs were soaking wet, and visiting my favorite coastal store (hi, Unfurl!), and having watched ominous clouds grumbling up the coastline, I decided to race the impending storm to Cannon Beach, and managed to secure some quality beach time before some impressively strong wind started pelting rain into my ears.

Coastal craving: Satisfied. For a few weeks, anyway.