Oregon - Day 7
[First Picture: Aquarium]
It was an overcast day and was threatening rain. We drove up to Seaside. It was one of the spots we still wanted to see and was the closest. We made good time and there was little traffic. We saw a sign for an aquarium and chose that as our first stop. Seaside is definitely a more touristy town than many we had been to. There were tons of little shops and things for a family to do. I could see it being fun but a bit of a madhouse in the warmer months.
We found the Seaside Aquarium easily enough, parked, and went in. I paid for the tickets and also bought some "seal food" while Jaime looked at the seals in a nearby tank. One was peering through a plexiglass window, obviously hoping we were going to bring some lunch. When I handed the food to Jaime, she was a little startled and then remembered "seal food" was actually raw, whole fish.
As we watched the seals for a few minutes, they were getting anxious. One was trying to splash us. Another started smacking his front leg/flipper on the water to get our attention. It was quite cute and I wish I had caught it on video. The seals took the food, one even trying to splash us again when we did not pay enough attention to him. We got a few pictures while we were in there. The rest of the aquarium was pretty small, but nice enough. We walked around and checked out all of the displays. There was also a person (likely a college kid) giving an informational talk on some of the local marine life at some shallow tanks where you could touch ("pet"?) various creatures.
Back outside, we moved the car to be a little closer to downtown. We did some window shopping, bought some gifts for the nephews, and ate some lunch. We went to the Pig 'N Pancake, a small chain along the Oregon coast. We had seen one down in Lincoln City, but it closed before dinner time. Jaime also bought a shot glass before we left.
After lunch we moved the car again, since there was only 3 hour parking. I doubt they would have enforced it when the town was so empty, but I wanted to be safe. We did a bit more walking and then went down to the beach. It was quite chilly on the waterfront, but still much better than what we had left in Michigan. The rain had held off, so zipping up our jackets worked. As we walked towards the water, we noticed a whole bunch of people out at the surf line. We soon determined that since the tide was out, they were most likely "clamming".
On that particular beach combing session we saw some rather interesting things. First, when we got down to the beach, we saw a nearby peninsula with a cloud sort of stuck on top of it. As we looked at it, it appeared as if the cloud was actually pouring off the top of it. We got a couple of neat pictures and a short video where you can see it in action.
We also found a ton of intact sand dollars. Their shells are not very durable, so we had found mostly broken ones before. We also found a few sand dollars that were still alive. The first one startled me a bit. When I turned it over, the bottom was covered in the fuzzy, undulating cilia. Sand dollars usually live in deeper water, so I was not expecting a live one on the beach. We found probably half a dozen live ones while we were out there. Some had their shells broken, so probably would not live long, but in all cases we put them back down carefully and in at least a small puddle. One had been carried in by the tide and we could see the trail it left as it slowly crawled back towards the water. When Jaime turned it over, its little "legs" were moving rapidly. She actually walked that one to the water line to set it free.
Another cool thing we saw was a bunch of seagulls that had gotten a hold of a Dungeness crab. They were swarming on it and picking it apart. Sure, it was a little gross, but it was neat to watch. We also had to laugh at the one gull that had gotten a hold of one of the larger legs and was trying to make off with it without the other birds interfering.
Also while we were on the beach we got a call from my dad. He was giving us a status update on the house and cats. Apparently they had eaten all of their food. We have a feeder that used to last over a week for four cats, at least in the pre-diet days. Now when the food is out, they tend to gorge themselves.
After the beach, we got back in the car and headed across town. We were still full from lunch, but wanted to try out Goose Hollow at the Cove, another pub that was highly recommended by our trusty book. It was definitely our kind of place. If we lived anywhere near Seaside, we would spend a lot of time and money at a place like Goose Hollow. In another location it would be considered a "dive bar", but it was clean and the people were friendly. They also had posters telling about all of the various live bands that would be playing over the next month. The main room could not have been larger than 1,000 square feet, so adding a band would definitely be "cozy". Given the time of day and that it was a weekday, there were only a few people in the pub and they were all local. We ordered a couple of pints and some garlic cheese bread, both of which were very good. I ordered the Hef and Jaime had the Drop Top Amber (see the menu picture).
We drove back home from Seaside in the late afternoon. We hung out at the condo for a couple of hours. Then we went to a local pizza joint for dinner. We saw the place when we first arrived into town, but the marquee out front stated that they were closed until mid-February "for Mary's surgery". It was an obvious sign that we were in a really small town. Anyway, either that day or the day before the sign was changed to say they would be open early. We were very glad that they were. The food was fantastic. There were small signs inside stating that they had won a number of awards, and I would agree that it was some good 'za. They also had signs stating that they were not a "fast food" place, so it might take a little longer but it would be worth it. It was. I wish I knew the name of the place so that I could document it.
[ Preface] [ Day 1] [ Day 2] [ Day 3] [ Day 4] [ Day 5] [ Day 6] [ Day 8] [ Day 9]
It was an overcast day and was threatening rain. We drove up to Seaside. It was one of the spots we still wanted to see and was the closest. We made good time and there was little traffic. We saw a sign for an aquarium and chose that as our first stop. Seaside is definitely a more touristy town than many we had been to. There were tons of little shops and things for a family to do. I could see it being fun but a bit of a madhouse in the warmer months.
We found the Seaside Aquarium easily enough, parked, and went in. I paid for the tickets and also bought some "seal food" while Jaime looked at the seals in a nearby tank. One was peering through a plexiglass window, obviously hoping we were going to bring some lunch. When I handed the food to Jaime, she was a little startled and then remembered "seal food" was actually raw, whole fish.
As we watched the seals for a few minutes, they were getting anxious. One was trying to splash us. Another started smacking his front leg/flipper on the water to get our attention. It was quite cute and I wish I had caught it on video. The seals took the food, one even trying to splash us again when we did not pay enough attention to him. We got a few pictures while we were in there. The rest of the aquarium was pretty small, but nice enough. We walked around and checked out all of the displays. There was also a person (likely a college kid) giving an informational talk on some of the local marine life at some shallow tanks where you could touch ("pet"?) various creatures.
Back outside, we moved the car to be a little closer to downtown. We did some window shopping, bought some gifts for the nephews, and ate some lunch. We went to the Pig 'N Pancake, a small chain along the Oregon coast. We had seen one down in Lincoln City, but it closed before dinner time. Jaime also bought a shot glass before we left.
After lunch we moved the car again, since there was only 3 hour parking. I doubt they would have enforced it when the town was so empty, but I wanted to be safe. We did a bit more walking and then went down to the beach. It was quite chilly on the waterfront, but still much better than what we had left in Michigan. The rain had held off, so zipping up our jackets worked. As we walked towards the water, we noticed a whole bunch of people out at the surf line. We soon determined that since the tide was out, they were most likely "clamming".
On that particular beach combing session we saw some rather interesting things. First, when we got down to the beach, we saw a nearby peninsula with a cloud sort of stuck on top of it. As we looked at it, it appeared as if the cloud was actually pouring off the top of it. We got a couple of neat pictures and a short video where you can see it in action.
We also found a ton of intact sand dollars. Their shells are not very durable, so we had found mostly broken ones before. We also found a few sand dollars that were still alive. The first one startled me a bit. When I turned it over, the bottom was covered in the fuzzy, undulating cilia. Sand dollars usually live in deeper water, so I was not expecting a live one on the beach. We found probably half a dozen live ones while we were out there. Some had their shells broken, so probably would not live long, but in all cases we put them back down carefully and in at least a small puddle. One had been carried in by the tide and we could see the trail it left as it slowly crawled back towards the water. When Jaime turned it over, its little "legs" were moving rapidly. She actually walked that one to the water line to set it free.
Another cool thing we saw was a bunch of seagulls that had gotten a hold of a Dungeness crab. They were swarming on it and picking it apart. Sure, it was a little gross, but it was neat to watch. We also had to laugh at the one gull that had gotten a hold of one of the larger legs and was trying to make off with it without the other birds interfering.
Also while we were on the beach we got a call from my dad. He was giving us a status update on the house and cats. Apparently they had eaten all of their food. We have a feeder that used to last over a week for four cats, at least in the pre-diet days. Now when the food is out, they tend to gorge themselves.
After the beach, we got back in the car and headed across town. We were still full from lunch, but wanted to try out Goose Hollow at the Cove, another pub that was highly recommended by our trusty book. It was definitely our kind of place. If we lived anywhere near Seaside, we would spend a lot of time and money at a place like Goose Hollow. In another location it would be considered a "dive bar", but it was clean and the people were friendly. They also had posters telling about all of the various live bands that would be playing over the next month. The main room could not have been larger than 1,000 square feet, so adding a band would definitely be "cozy". Given the time of day and that it was a weekday, there were only a few people in the pub and they were all local. We ordered a couple of pints and some garlic cheese bread, both of which were very good. I ordered the Hef and Jaime had the Drop Top Amber (see the menu picture).
We drove back home from Seaside in the late afternoon. We hung out at the condo for a couple of hours. Then we went to a local pizza joint for dinner. We saw the place when we first arrived into town, but the marquee out front stated that they were closed until mid-February "for Mary's surgery". It was an obvious sign that we were in a really small town. Anyway, either that day or the day before the sign was changed to say they would be open early. We were very glad that they were. The food was fantastic. There were small signs inside stating that they had won a number of awards, and I would agree that it was some good 'za. They also had signs stating that they were not a "fast food" place, so it might take a little longer but it would be worth it. It was. I wish I knew the name of the place so that I could document it.
[ Preface] [ Day 1] [ Day 2] [ Day 3] [ Day 4] [ Day 5] [ Day 6] [ Day 8] [ Day 9]