Sometimes, the best thing about Corvallis is not actually Corvallis.
One of the reasons I initially moved to Corvallis was that it had all the benefits of being a small town, without being completely removed from civilization. Driving an hour or two in any given direction will bring you to Portland, forests, mountains or the ocean.
And what an ocean. I've been to stretches of shoreline in nearly every state on both east and west coasts, and I believe the Oregon coastline is simply the prettiest. You have sandy beaches, even dunes, or rocky beaches with tidepools, sandstone cliffs, a few caves, and sometimes the mountains and forest come right down to the sand line. All this, only an hour awayby car through a beautiful stretch of forested road.
So, yesterday, as the mercury climbed past the 100°F mark, the family and I hopped in the car and headed west to Lincoln City and Newport and spots in between. We played on the beach, had some clam chowder, dipped our toes in the water and then killed a few more hours watching Lady in the Water at a movie at a theater that was completely empty, even on opening night. A friend who saw it here in town said it was unbelievably packed with people also trying to escape the heat. The movie let out just in time for us to head back down to the beach and watch the sun go down. We didn't have to shell out for a hotel, though we did notice the prices had inexplicably doubled with the influx of overly warm people (hah). We simply drove the hour back home, arriving just as the house was cooling back down.
And what an ocean. I've been to stretches of shoreline in nearly every state on both east and west coasts, and I believe the Oregon coastline is simply the prettiest. You have sandy beaches, even dunes, or rocky beaches with tidepools, sandstone cliffs, a few caves, and sometimes the mountains and forest come right down to the sand line. All this, only an hour awayby car through a beautiful stretch of forested road.
So, yesterday, as the mercury climbed past the 100°F mark, the family and I hopped in the car and headed west to Lincoln City and Newport and spots in between. We played on the beach, had some clam chowder, dipped our toes in the water and then killed a few more hours watching Lady in the Water at a movie at a theater that was completely empty, even on opening night. A friend who saw it here in town said it was unbelievably packed with people also trying to escape the heat. The movie let out just in time for us to head back down to the beach and watch the sun go down. We didn't have to shell out for a hotel, though we did notice the prices had inexplicably doubled with the influx of overly warm people (hah). We simply drove the hour back home, arriving just as the house was cooling back down.
Yup. I love living here. It was even fun driving past the weird rednecky shack on Highway 18 that has the giant "REPENT!" sign out front.
posted by Corvallist at
5:45 PM
3 Comments:
Never taken HWY 18 to the coast...usually 20.
They gouged hotel prices? Assholes!
By
crallspace, at 8:41 PM
Yeah, just because we were having a good time, we found one crappy hotel with a vacancy and asked to see what the price was. The guy obviously made the price up on the spot. He knew other places were full and he might make a killing. "Uh, well, it's really crowded, so about $80." It's an inland dump, the equivalent of the scary hotels in South Corvallis that charge $35/night. I checked online later and found out this place doesn't charge more than $40 per room. We actually laughed and just drove home instead. We don't mind paying that much if it's a decent hotel, but this was laughable, considering places like Inn At Otter Crest charge $99 for amazing ocean-view suites.
Hwy 18 is a nice alternative, especially if you want to head toward Lincoln City instead of Newport.
By
Corvallist, at 9:19 PM
Back before we had DD, we took the M/C to the coast whenever it was hot and we didn't have to work. That meant Saturday and Sunday. It was great. We'd go over and back both days. Usually Hwy 34. Another cool place even closer than the coast is Alsea Falls. Nice photo.
By
Vita, at 10:54 AM
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