Day 8--Thursday, July 2nd--Mysterious Octopus, Lobster Autopsy Expertise and Tide Pool Shell Scores in Seaside, Cannon Beach, and Ecola State Park
Who woulda thunk they'd go WADING in the frigid Pacific-- at night-- in their cozy outerwear?! Crazy kids. It started as "pants rolled up above the knees toe dunking, but Zilla did a face plant and some huge "sneaker waves" drenched the kids to the chests. They were laughing and lovin' it till time to walk a few blocks to the hotel, then they were chattering, loudly protesting Popsicles.
While the dryer spun, we partook of the free breakfast buffet, then ran to take one last dip in the sizable hot tub and swimming pool. After our swim, we headed to the beach, where the tiny Seaside Aquarium has entertained and educated for over 60 years. We almost didn't go, since it looked a bit cheesy, but I was charmed by the wording "Mysterious Octopus" on their hand painted sign.
Though small, Seaside Aquarium was full of interesting tanks. My favs were the eels and fish who looked like they'd been drinking for years at an old man dive.
And the kids had a rare opportunity to touch starfish and even an anemone.
The Saga of Victor the lobster alone was worth the price of admission. The 28lb lobster was saved from the dinner table and shipped to the aquarium via FedEx, only to be kidnapped years later by a drunken aquarium visitor.
After the aquarium, we checked out the statue of Lewis and Clark commemorating their "big explore" and eager purchase of pounds of whale blubber, after eating hard tack for months.
So we hit the rustic, undeveloped beach at Ecola State Park, just in time for low tide. It was much nicer than it's Ebola--Ecoli-like name would suggest. The formations, waves and tide pools were all super cool.
The rocks full of multicolored starfish were unlike anything I've ever seen!
From there, we hit The Lumberyard, in Cannon Beach, for a tasty dinner. The kids chowed down on their meals and earned a giant S'more Skillet, served in cast iron.
We'd originally planned to drive back today, but the coast was so compelling, we decided to wing it, take a drive south on US 101 and stay an xtra day........ IF we could find a room, this close to the 4th of July weekend. After a hand full of misses, we made it as far south as Nehalem and discovered The Bunkhouse. Nick and Dorothy Jesse had a reasonable room open and we happily took it.
Siiiiiigh... I am transported back to summers spent tidepooling in Northern Cali. It's another world, isn't it? And we always had a giggle at the misguided tourists who would always equate beach with warmth. The Northern Pacific is a chilly willy place, but one with unmatched beauty!
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