We quickly left Seaside and started down the coast.

Our first stop was Cannon Beach (where we determined we SHOULD have spent the night), and a visit to Haystack Rock, one of only a handful of marine gardens in Oregon. We lucked out and got there at low tide so we could see all the amazing variety of marine life clinging to the sides of the rocks. Here’s some of the cool stuff we got to see:

Then we hopped back in the car and made our way to Tillamook, home of our favorite cheese (and hard to find icecream).

I think our first introduction to Tillamook was when we in Alaska last year and Kate’s sister, Abby introduced us to it. Sadly, it’s not available in the midwest as far as we know, so we’ll be taking plenty back home with us.

Just north of Florence was my favorite part of the drive. There the coastline is dramatic, dotted by picturesque lighthouses and this… the Devil’s Churn, a small inlet where the waves have carved this awesome little channel into the volcanic rock. Very cool.