Oregon Coast family trip part 1

For a long time Sean and I have wanted to visit the Oregon Coast. The pictures always looked so beautiful and it was a place we felt we could drive to with our family that was different from the places we usually go. We decided to go for it and booked an Airbnb right on the beach in Newport, and it ended up being one of the best family vacations we have ever taken. I am so glad we took this trip!

Before making it to Newport, we stopped in Bend, OR for the night. We walked around the downtown area and went out for pizza. We all instantly loved Bend! Such a cool vibe and it was beautiful!

Day 1: Driving to the coast, checking out our beach, Drift Creek Falls trail

The next morning we hit the road. We made a couple of pit stops on our way to the coast, including a little outside market (where I bought an antique flour sack I am now using as a pillow case), and at this grove of giant Spruce trees.

When we finally made it to Newport, we didn't waste time and headed right to what became known as "our beach," because it was directly in front of where we were staying. Sean bought a few kites for the kids and they were a huge hit the entire trip. We didn't bother putting on swimming suits when we first got there. The kids got wet anyway, which is always what seems to happen, and I am ok with it. I remember taking family trips to California and Hawaii with my family when I was a kid and doing the same thing!

The beaches were so wide-- it was amazing! The kids loved the dunes at our beach and had fun running and jumping off of them.

It was a bit windy that first day!

Our cute Airbnb! It's a bit rustic inside, but it was more than adequate for what we needed and the location was unbeatable.

That evening we decided to go take the Drift Creek Falls hike that was recommended by some of our friends. This hike was one of my favorite parts of the trip! You hike through the forrest and end up at this really tall suspension bridge that overlooks a waterfall. It was so beautiful and so fun! We spotted a couple of owls on our way back, which Sean was very excited about.

Day 2: Beach, Devil's Punchbowl, downtown Newport, Yaquina tide pools

We started almost every morning with a trip down to our beach. I took a million pictures of the kids with the kites because I was obsessed. I was also obsessed with this beach. It was so picturesque with the lighthouse off in the distance.

Checking out Devil's Puchbowl

Sean went to Porsche driving school with his boss and his boss's brother-in-law a few months ago, who happens to live in Newport. He and his wife were so nice to invite us to have lunch with them at their family's restaurant (the famous Mo's!). We met them downtown and had so much fun hanging out with them. We all loved our lunch and the kids especially loved the sharks that came over their straws on their sodas. They played with those sharks the entire trip!

We loved walking down the pier and watching the sea lions. They were so loud and hilarious. There was one in particular that was striking quite the pose that was really cracking us all up.

After lunch we headed to the Yaquina Lighthouse (which happens to be the one we could see from our beach) and the tide pools. Some of the most beautiful views of the trip from this spot!

The light house was actually closed for tours by this time, so we decided to come back to go in another day. We still went and checked out the tide pools, which was so fun. None of us have really ever been tide pooling before, and we loved it! We saw lots of starfish, anemones, and urchins. We couldn't believe how cool anemones feel.

A few pictures back at our beach that night.

We walked to a local spot for dinner. We loved how convenient it was to just walk there.

We finished the day out on our porch watching the sunset. It was one of those days where everything just seems to go right and where you are left just feeling really grateful for the experience and the people you love to share it with.

Day 3: Yaquina Lighthouse tour, Seal Rock beach, family pictures, Depoe Bay

Not a bad view to accompany your breakfast!

Sean waving to us from the backyard of our place

Since the lighthouse was closed the day before, we went back and I am glad we did. We learned more about the lighthouse, its old keepers, and how they lived. It was cool to learn how a small, 4-inch flame appeared to be 9 feet tall because of the lens, and how each lighthouse in the United States has its own light pattern. This lighthouse's pattern is two seconds on, two seconds off, two seconds on, then 14 seconds off. There were a lot of stairs to climb to get to the top!

We enjoyed watching a whale spouting nearby after touring the lighthouse. We saw SO many whales during our trip!

Next we headed to Seal Rock beach and spent the entire afternoon there. There were more tide pools to explore and a stream headed to the ocean to play in. The kids just ran around and played for hours and we had a great time. 

I had so much fun taking pictures during this trip. I hadn't pulled out my actual camera in what felt like a long time.

That evening we hired a local photographer to take our family pictures. We headed back to the airbnb and took our first showers in a few days and got all cleaned up. We met her at a place called Fogerty Creek and it was a beautiful spot! I am so glad we ended up getting them done. These next two photos are where we had them taken and are just pictures from my cell phone. I'll do another post with all of the professional pictures. They turned out awesome!

After family pictures we headed to dinner in Depoe Bay to a place called Tidal Raves that was suggested to us by our photographer. It was so good! And the view of the Bay from the restaurant was so beautiful. Again, we sat and watched the whales while we waited for our table.