Life's a Beach

I love the Oregon coast. Part of it may be purely bias, having been raised an Oregon girl, but the more I see of the world, the more I love the Northwest.

I love the grey mornings when the fog drapes low over the trees and muffles the sound of the waves. I love the rocky shores, and the headlands where the forest meets the sea. I love the many different moods of the ocean that change on a whim. I love our seastacks, which I took for granted until I went to New Zealand and saw how my east coast friends were awed by their beauty. I love the cold water and the need for a wetsuit to protect against hypothermia from extended exposure. I love the pure smell of the salt sea air.




One of the most beautiful beaches on the northern Oregon coast is Short Sands Beach in Oswald West State Park, just south of Cannon Beach. It's a lovely, sheltered cove nestled into the thickly forested headlands of Neahkanie Mountain. The water is mind-numbingly cold, yet still a paradise for surfers and boogie boarders. The parking lot is right off the highway, and it's a quarter-mile walk through gorgeous, old-growth coastal forest -where the campground is located- to the beach. It is surreal.

And it is definitely worth a visit.