The first days of summer

People in Oregon say that summer here is from the 4th of July until Halloween. I always thought they were kidding, but believe it or not, the 4th rolled around and it was 96 degrees. And, it has been sunny ever since. And how do the Hoybooks like to mark the beginning of summer? With a trip to the beach of-course.

As I have blogged before, the Pacific coast is a great place to go when the weather in Portland is crummy. Even when it is windy and rainy, you can still stroll along, hunt for shells, and duck into a coffee to warm up. Since the ocean is so cold, its not like you get in the water anyway. The coast is also a great place to be when the weather in Portland is gorgeous. When the weather is hot in P-town, the beach is the place to be.

B and I headed west yesterday, stopping for awhile to shop in Lincoln City and then north up to Pacific City, mostly to get a bite to eat at the Pelican Brew Pub, but also to check-out the beach our friends call their "favorite." Pacific City hides behind this huge sand dune cape and it is one of the coolest spots on the coast. The dune is probably 500 feet high and climbing it is no easy feat. B and I made it about halfway up and then walked out on the cape, Cape Kiwanda, for some big wave action. This a popular spot along the coast for photographers to set up their cameras on tripods and wait all day for that one big wave that hits the cliffs just right. Its also a popular surf spot and while we were there, we saw probably 50 trucks and SUVs parked along the beach. Its one of the few spots where vehicles are allowed and people will tow their dory boats (fishing boats with high front bows for riding waves) down and launch them from the beach.
Pacific City is now my favorite beach. We haven't made it to the entire Oregon coast yet, but so far, this is the best.