caracolina

Kirk and Rachel met us early in the morning for a walk on the beach where we saw wreck of the ship “Peter Iredale“. We also checked out some of the woodsy trails in the State Park and spotted a few mushrooms. Then the guys headed back to their hotel to check up on the kids while we toured Fort Stevens, which proved to be a study of decay. The climate had very nearly worn down so many metal hinges, doors, and rails that the patterns of rust and corrosion appeared like modern art. For lunch we met with the guys (and kids) in Astoria again, then we all drove out to Seaside and went shopping in a veritable Saltwater Taffy superstore (hundreds of flavors!!) South of Seaside our ways parted and our friends returned to Portland while we were on our own and ready to start our trip South. While we had enjoyed the company immensely, it was just as great to be alone together. And what could be a better place to celebrate a truly romantic moment than Tolovana Beach at sunset?

We checked into our yurt at Nehalem Bay State Park and got some firewood, but didn’t feel like cooking and decided to stop at Mo’s. Mo’s is a chain of small seafood restaurants and we’d seen their billboards for years so it was about time we give it a try and we left quite satisfied. On the way back to the yurt we stopped at a roadside and took photos of the coastal night sky.