Covering the Oregon Coast {Vol 11} Pacific City Getaway

Our family goes to the Oregon coast a LOT and I love every single adventure we have experienced there. No matter how many times we visit a place, the adventure is different, the tides are different, the sea creatures we see are different, and it never gets boring or old. I truly am in awe of the ocean every time we go. This past spring our boys played baseball and we bought raffle tickets to support their league. It just so happens that we won a Pacific City getaway and a 2-night stay at the Inn at Cape Kiwanda. Pacific City holds a special place in our hearts because it's the beach where my husband proposed to me 11 years ago. We booked a weekend away over my birthday weekend in November because a trip to the coast with my family is the best gift ever. We brought board games and planned for cooler Oregon coast weather, but we got an absolutely beautiful weekend and spent nearly all of it outside.We decided to hike Cape Lookout the morning after we arrived. The sun was shining and it was the perfect morning, but we contemplated turning around mid-way through the hike because of shin-deep mud in parts. I am SO glad we decided to come up with a solution because what we witnessed at the end of the hike was one of the most amazing things I have ever seen at the coast.  My husband, being the problem solver that he is, found old wood pallets on the side of the trail, so we made trips up and down the trail to make a pathway through the mud.I love hiking through the forests in Oregon and finding creatures and cool-looking plants and trees all over.  We make a game and give points per mushroom, slug, and snail discovered.  It has been years since we hiked to the end of Cape Lookout (pre-kids) and it was so worth it to make it to the end.  The views along the way looking out over the ocean are awe-inspiring.  As we were standing out at the edge looking over, another family said they kept seeing things jump out of the water.  Being so high up, it was hard to tell what, if anything, we were actually seeing.  Was it just waves?  Was it seagulls?  Seals?  A girl said she thought it was dolphins and while it almost looked like that, we didn't think it was likely.  But sure enough, just along the edge of the rocks were 12-15 dolphins (porpoises?) swimming and surfacing above the water.  It was truly an incredible sight!That evening we watched the sunset in Pacific City as sky turned from blue to orange to bright pink and purple.  Our boys are known to be early-risers (particularly our oldest) so it was no surprise when we ended up at Stimulus, the bakery and coffee shop below the inn, by opening at 6am the next morning.  We snuck out while my husband slept and had coffee, hot chocolate, and cinnamon rolls before walking down to the beach to hike the big dune at Cape Kiwanda in time for sunrise.  I love this dune and the view at the top, but I also feel it in my legs for days afterwards.  It was so worth it in the wind and blowing sand to see the views at sunrise.  My youngest kept yelling at the top, "It's gorgeous up here!"  The most fun part about climbing all the way to the top is getting to run/roll all the way to the bottom.  This is a beach getaway we won't soon forget.  Thank you to the Inn at Cape Kiwanda!  We can't wait to see you again.  To see just a few more of our personal Oregon coast adventures, click HERE.Heidi Heaphy Photography is currently booking 2018 portrait sessions, wedding, and elopements at the Oregon coast, the greater Portland area, and elsewhere in the Pacific Northwest.