An Escape to the Oregon Coast

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Six friends and the foggy Oregon Coast

By Joseph Gulizia

Tired of the confines of the city and the rain, we took off from Vancouver, Canada for the Oregon Coast. Our goal was the town of Canon Beach and its photo-perfect coastline.

Traffic on the way down was hellish. Not expecting to go through secondary checks at the border and an important Trader Joe’s stop, we had to cross through Seattle at rush hour, but the joy of three days at the beach playing spikeball and laughing around the bonefire kept our spirits high.

Pulling in (and onto) Canon Beach Haystack Rock looms large through the windshield. Gabby comments on how epic it is that we can drive on the beach, which isn’t allowed back in Canada.

The sand is compact and easy to drive on, but I am glad to have a high clearance AWD vehicle in case we hit any deeper sand.

After a quick rip on the beach we head for the small town of Canon Beach. The summertime crowds make for longer wait times but are not enough to deter us from coffee and a snack at Insomnia Coffee Company where they are practitioners of the Swedish Fika.

Walking back to the beach we notice the extremely low tide and decide to go for a quick dip and to check out at all of the different species of birds that call Haystack Rock home in particularly the Tufted Puffin which we spot pretty easily from its bright coloring.

The next morning after the fog burns off we decide to hunt for another beach.

Heading south we find an empty stretch of beach with a passable shore break and I decide to surf while the rest of the group plays spikeball.

I pass a bald eagle before paddling out, falling into the familiar rhythm of sets and waves. As sunset arrives I return to shore as the group is preparing the bonfire.

The sunset did not disappoint making for the perfect bookend to the trip.

With special thanks to The Oregon Coast, Insomnia Coffee, Spikeball, and Bailey Nelson