Cannon Beach Haystack

Monday was for wandering around Seaside and Cannon Beach just back down the road. Cannon Beach is a little town, terrain limited between Headlands. Streets filled with shops and Inns.  This rock is larger than some along the coast at the ends of Headlands and has an imposing presence over the area. I sat in the Wayfarer Inn restaurant and had breakfast and looked at this view. At the end of one of the streets there were stairs and a path out to the beach through trees, it was really inviting. People were riding four wheel recumbent bikes and fat tire bikes out on the beach. I was not tempted to try and herd the Mothership out through the sand to ride on the beach. It would have taken everyone on the beach to get me out of there.


Cannon Beach has a little public library also and I spent some time in there on their wifi. The only problem with not having wifi in my motel room the last two nights was I couldn't do email and this blog. The upside of no wifi in my motel room was all the neat places I have been in to use wifi.
     There is building going on in Seaside and Cannon beach and lot of exterior work that looks like everyone is getting ready for the summer season. A lot of the buildings here are covered in shake shingle siding, gray and weathered that looks nice against all the green foliage. Cannon Beach had a warm an inviting vibe to it.
    Seaside is bigger than Cannon Beach with grocery stores lots of Inns up by the beach, with some high-rise resorts. You can tell up at this end of the Oregon Coast you are much closer to Portland and the other population centers along I-5. The beach is really large and some of the town houses wrap around the south end of the beach along that headland. I got some time on the beach in the afternoon to sit on a log and smoke a cigar. The waves were breaking five or six times in a row before finishing up on the beach. There was a lot of spray in the air. Children were trying to get water in little buckets to wet down their sand castles. So they would run out chasing the retreating water, stopping to try and scoop and then chase some more, but only to suddenly turn around and race back to outrun the next wave coming in. I found myself wanting to shop out, "look out, look out"! It was fun to watch.
              In the evening I went downtown to the Twisted Fish restaurant and treated myself to a wonderful dinner of Sea Scallops  and rice plus steamed spinach with bacon. A lovely Malbec from Argentina. I even had coffee and a slice of exquisite cheesecake. It was a celebration of having made my westernmost destination. Tomorrow I drive the 18 miles up to Astoria and the Columbia River where I will cross over to the Washington side of the River and turn east to begin the journey of leaving sea level and climbing back to Colorado and my 7,000 ft high home in Salida.
     This has been a journey of revelations. The differences between fantasy and reality. I cannot image, not having done this trip. It has called me for a long time. To do it on this wonderful motorcycle has been a true pleasure. But it is bittersweet to turn east.
    Tomorrow promises to be a rain suit day, which is only right as I leave the Oregon Coast and head into the Columbia River Gorge.

Will by the river leaving the Pacific Ocean.