Thanks for everything...

This past holiday weekend was spent exploring the Oregon coast–a place that makes it IMPOSSIBLE to be anything BUT thankful. For everything.

We left for the coast around 4:30pm the day before Thanksgiving. Popped in a new mix and made the three-hour drive in the dark and intermittent rain from Hood River to our first stop, Oceanside. Early night.

Around eight the next morning, we left our coffee perch (comfy room with a big oceanfront window) at the historic Anchor Inn at Oceanside to head south down the coast. After a short drive, we hiked five-miles to the edge of Cape Lookout. The rain was pretty much turned off the entire two hours, but the wind at the lookout took my breath away like riding with your head out the car sunroof.

After Cape Lookout, we went south in search of some Thanksgiving Dinner. We enjoyed giant helpings of all the the turkey day essentials at the Pelican in Pacific City. After filling to the gills and ordering a growler to go, we continued our journey south.

At many of our stops, we hiked down to the beach to get closer to the water.

It's hard to believe what you see out of your car window.

That's why you have to get up close and personal.

These shots were taken on a very beautiful section of the Oregon coast–the fifty mile stretch just north of the Oregon/California border.


Hello rock friend. He came home with us.
On our third day, we crossed into California and spent some time in Redwood National Park. Besides Kauai, Washington, Oregon and California are the places where you wouldn't be surprised to turn a corner and run into a dinosaur.

These trees are B I G.

Tom and God on the Damnation Creek Trail–an enjoyable hike through old-growth redwoods that ends with rugged coastline.

There was a really cool bridge on the trail that reminded me of that bridge on Sesame Street with all the geometric shapes and the bridgekeeper wizard guy.

We spent our last night at Wild Spring. Incredible. I've never felt so relaxed at a place in my life. A beautiful place to get lost and find yourself, or just enjoy a great tea selection, a hot tub overlooking the pacific and make-your-own sundaes.

The placement of each object at Wild Spring made the environment very homey and welcoming–the antiques lending an air of tradition, which balanced perfectly with the luxury of the service and accomodations. Wild Spring feels like the kind of place where any living thing could find peace.

We were lucky to enjoy a few days of wonderful sunshine, including a spectacular sunset right on the water. A great way to spend a holiday weekend.