Top 10 Highlights from Fry Vacation Part 2

It’s no secret that I am always looking for a reason to go somewhere. Vacation planning is pretty exciting for me. Honestly, I get a tad more excited if the vacation is somewhere new and far away. Realistically, that doesn’t always happen. However, we are blessed to live in one of the most beautiful places on earth so a vacation in the northwest is nothing to complain about! 

This year we split our vacation up into two sections. You can read about our first adventure here https://shellyfryphotography.com/my-everyday/exploring-the-northwest-shelly-fry-photography

This past week we took off for the second half of Northwest Vacay 2019. I had some specific places in mind that I wanted to visit while at the Oregon Coast. 

The Weather – 

Was absolutely amazing!  Seriously, I’m a NW girl. I fully expected to get rained on during our Summer vacation at the Oregon Coast. NOT A DROP!!! I actually came home with a darker tan! Calm and warm all 4 days! It was like we had won the weather lottery!

Ty and Kim –

It was really fun to be able to share some of our time with Ty and Kim. They came mid day Friday and had to head back late Sunday morning. Kim is a SCAL girl so it was especially fun to show her the Oregon Coast at it’s finest. I laughed when her feet got wet and she was so shocked at how cold the water was! She quickly learned that once the numbness sets in it’s not so bad. 

God’s Thumb

I was curious about this location. I had seen it tagged by some photographers and I was super curious to see if it would be an amazing place. Saturday we all headed out to find this trail. It wasn’t easy. It’s not marked anywhere. Not a single sign reads “god’s thumb” this way. Thankfully there were people around to ask and we knew we were on the right trail. We worked up a sweat on this hilly 5 mile climb. The bright sun and lack of wind was a shock to the system! We were rewarded with amazing views from the top. 

If you look at the largest pic on the right that is the thumb. That final climb is very steep and much scarier coming down than going up. There isn’t a lot of room at the top. When we arrived there were 4 other people and 1 other dog. So we doubled it and it felt a bit crowded to me.  If you are afraid of heights this may be too much for you!

Tidal Pools

Sometimes we are brilliant. But only on accident 🙂 

In addition to hitting the weather just right we also had a full moon which meant extra low tides. We saw countless starfish as well as lots of other slimy sea life. The pool of urchins was Jeff’s favorite. We spent time every day poking around and exploring these pools. 

Being Active

I have to take some time this month to recover and our trip to the beach was the first time I was really up and about. I am so thankful for a healthy body and the ability to bounce back! Jeff and began each morning climbing the massive sand mountain at Pacific City. Its a lung burner but the views at the top are amazing and coming down is super fun! 

Exploring

Well it turns out there is another side to Cape Kiwanda!!! I don’t know why it had never occurred to me to check out the other side (North). Turns out its super cool! Especially when you have the benefit of low tide!

After accidentally discovering the North side the night before we looked up the tide schedule and decided to return Sunday morning. The low tide would allow us to really get into the area. We hoped the water would be low enough that we could pass through a tunnel. However, we changed our minds when we say we would have to brave the waist deep water. We decided a better plan was to go up and over. So for the 4th day in a row we climbed steep sand hills but it was totally worth it!

If you ignored the water and just looked at the rock formations it almost felt like you were in the dessert. 

Cape Lookout

After the kids left Jeff and I hiked Cape Lookout for the first time. It was a long, very rooty and had some freakishly scary drop offs along the way. It was a gorgeous day and the view went for miles and miles. 

Sunsets on the beach

At the end of each day we would drive down to the beach, set up chairs, pull out our books and chill. Our last night we built a fire and stayed until the moon and stars were shining overhead. It was perfect. 

Lucy

She makes going to the beach so much fun! It’s like having a kid that can’t wait to go to Disneyland. She wakes up early begs to go on what will be the first of many, many walks, hikes adventures that day. We did successf_ully tire her out! That is a huge accomplishment! She fetched, climbed, explored, chased, jumped waves, swam and just had a blast. She was one sad puppy when she realized we were packing up!

Short Beach

We unintentionally saved the best for last. I knew I wanted to explore this beach but I had no idea what I would find! It is so exciting to explore and discover something you had no idea was there! It is such a beautiful little beach with a ton to offer! I would love to do a photo shoot here one day! 

 

So that’s it! My top 10 list of our vacation.