Spring Break 2014

All three boys had the same week off for Spring Break this year. So, I made a reservation at Ecola Creek Lodge for a couple of days. We love going to Cannon Beach, although I was a bit worried about going on Spring Break. It was busier than usual but I’m pretty sure the dismal forecast kept most people away. Thankfully, God blessed us with a mostly dry time and even some sunshine and blue skies! And, Chris got to join us for the last night there!

When we arrived, the room wasn’t ready yet. So, we hit the beach while it wasn’t raining in case it was the only opportunity we got…

Apparently we weren’t the only ones with that same thought…

The tide was REALLY low, so we also got to explore a whole lot more of the rock than usual!

After supper it still wasn’t raining, so Zack went running and Will and I did a bit of exploring the road past the lodge.

Zack ran into these guys on his run, just around the corner from where we were staying...

Will and I just ran into Hwy 101 on our walk… ;o)

But I did come back to the lights on at the lodge and I always like how inviting it looks in the dark.

The weather was still dry the next morning, so Zack and I went running (I went all the way to the Rock and back). We did a bit of exploring in town and then had lunch on the quiet side of the beach while Zack did some skim boarding.

See! No people! Perfect!

  

Everyone was on the other side of the river, just where I like them to be. ;o)

After lunch, the sun really came out and I walked to the quilt shop on the other side of town. It was just too pretty to be inside…

Everyone else thought so, too.

 

The lady at the quilt shop remembered me from earlier in the month when I came in after watching the guys surf in the storm. I guess we’re kind of infamous now???

Chris came in the evening and we had a delicious dinner at the Castaway. Then we went to the Rec Center for some carpet ball, battle tops and mini golf…

They got some new obstacles for the mini golf… some of them were harder for some of us. LOL

  Before heading out of town, we stopped for lunch at Mo’s. Since it was high tide, there wasn’t much beach left for walking on…

A bit of shopping in Seaside, a stop at Costco (man, they have delicious frozen yogurt!), and then we were home. I love truly relaxing vacations! Glad the boys were able to have a bit of a real Spring Break before hitting the books for their last quarter. 

Beacon Rock

I have wanted to hike to the top of Beacon Rock ever since we stopped to have lunch there on Walt and Dena’s boat about 8 years ago. Today we finally did it!

Not only was it the first official day of Spring Break but it was 71 degrees! Much too beautiful a day to waste it indoors. So we drove south and hiked up the rock. It is a good thing it was a warm sunny day because it was WINDY! REALLY WINDY!

Thankfully, the wind died down quite a bit as we were protected from the wind by the rock for most of the first part (and last part) of the hike.

All the little old details on the trail were pretty cool, too.

  We paused quite a bit to take pictures. It was hard not to…

Looking west down the gorge

Then we started to really switchback up the rock…

   

Looking east up the gorge

When we rounded this corner, the wind picked up again…

  more switchbacks

 

even more switchbacks

Almost to the top…

Then we climbed one staircase to the very top of the rock…

It’s much faster going down. Especially when you are hungry for lunch…

It really isn’t nearly as bad as it looks… :o)

Now that we have our Discovery Pass for 2014, I wonder where we’ll go next???      

Surfing in the Storm

After being back from Leavenworth less than 24 hours we headed to the annual leadership retreat in Cannon Beach. I love going to this every year! I love seeing friends that we don’t get to see often! I love that God blesses us with powerful teaching from fantastic speakers! (This year was HB London. He did a super job! He was relevant, convicting and hilariously funny!) But you never know what the weather will be like. And 2014 was no exception…

When we arrived on Friday, the weather was spectacular! Blue skies, hardly a breath of wind. Gorgeous! It looked like the guys’ surfing date for the following day could be stellar!

That was because we hadn’t checked the forecast yet…

The weather on Saturday took quite a drastic turn while we slept. And as the day went on, it only got worse! But Zack and Andy were on their way to the coast to surf and Chris and Warren (his surfing buddy from Hope LBC) were determined to go no matter what the weather.

Honestly, I wasn’t sure the surf shop guy was going to rent to them. But they were pretty persuasive and we left the shop with 3 boards, wet suits and 4 crazy guys! Tatum, Talia and I decided we’d tag along to watch, take pics, pray, and call 911 if necessary… ;o)

It was raining and windy when we arrived on the beach. Warren gave the boys a quick lesson before they headed to the ocean…

It is really hard to carry an 8-foot long surf board under your arm in 30 mph winds with 50 mph gusts!

By the time they reached the ocean, the rain and wind really began to pick up. The girls and I looked like we’d already been in the ocean. We were soaked within about 15 minutes! I would have loved to have taken more pictures but honestly I didn’t want to ruin my camera or have it blow away. It was hard enough to just stand up at times! When Andy came back in with a broken fin on his board, I just went ahead and waded in the waves just above my knee trying to find the missing fin. I was already so wet, it didn’t make a bit of difference.

  Chris said they were fighting five forces all at once: the wind, rain, waves, tides and currents. But they fought the good fight and I’m proud of them!

When they were all done, four triumphant men and three soaking wet girls all climbed into the cars and headed back to the rooms for hot showers and dry clothes.

On the bright side of things, the next time can only be better…

Oh, and guess what? The weather today was lovely!