Neskowin Beach

Tuesday the 5th we had to be checked out of the hotel at 11:00 am and our plan was to have a beach day and it was the perfect day for it. Another cloudless sky and in the low 70s. So we woke up the same time we always do (at about 8am) ate breakfast, showered and then Austin, Maisie and I headed down to the tide pools right outside our hotel. With how busy we were the day before, we didn't have a chance to scope out the tide pools just a few hundred feet away from us. After a short adventure on the rocks we headed back to our room where we finished packing up whilst watching the Casey Anthony trial (don't even get me started on the verdict). We then started making our way up north towards Lincoln City. We were going to stop at Otter Crest for lunch, but Maisie fell asleep and since she was already way off her normal schedule we wanted her to sleep as long as possible. We made a pit stop in Depot Bay for some old fashioned caramel corn and then continued past Lincoln City to Neskowin (I have such a soft spot for Neskowin. This was the beach my family would ALWAYS go to). 

We decided to have lunch before hitting up the beach. We ate at the Hawk Creek Cafe and oh man, it is delicious! This was my second time eating there (once for dinner and this time for lunch) and I highly recommend it. After lunch we grabbed our towels and beach toys and walked until we found the perfect spot. This was Maisie's first real time playing on the beach. She ate fist fulls of sand and loved the water. All she wanted to do was splash around and throw sand clumps. The water was freezing, but she didn't seem to mind much. She would shiver and chatter her teeth, but she got mad every time we tried to dry her off or relocate her. She was loving everything about the beach. The kites, dogs, little kids, waves, of course the sand and her little water spot next to the ocean river. She wasn't too happy with the clean up that occurred after we headed back to the car, but I don't think shes too traumatized. Austin and I even had a little stroll to ourselves. Austin called it a date, while Maisie was being watched by Aunt Miranda, Grandpa and Grandma. Austin and I even got brave and decided to play in the ocean. It was so cold and pretty much the whole time we were screaming uncontrollably. We got a little above waist deep which is a feat for the Oregon Coast. We then walked/swam upstream the river to our little spot and the river water felt like a lukewarm bath compared to the ocean waves we were just frolicking in. It was so nice just to be able to hold hands. That is something I used to take for granted, but since having a child and now having to push a stroller or carry a bazillion things (including a baby), it seems like such a treat when we are actually able to. We then headed back to the car and made our way back home. We all got a little sunburned, mainly me. I was the only one who didn't put on SPF (I put SPF 15 on my face) but as for my chest, shoulders and neck... well I was a little toasty. It has already healed nicely into a tan though (Yay for diligent aloe vera applications and not peeling!)

Anyway, here are some pictures of our day at the beach.

red, white and blue flowers at Hawk Creek Cafe

Throwing sand clumps. She would make the cutest little noise as she threw them.

splish splash.

We had such a great time and our whole trip was so nice. There seriously couldn't have been any better weather at the coast. We are very excited for our next mini-vacation.