We were in no hurry to leave Portland and only left about eleven, leaving me enough time to get updates from my sisters on mum’s condition, which is still not good. We took it easy on the way to Rockaway Beach, and stopped at Cannon Beach for some lunch at the Pig ‘N Pancake. Brian had banana pancakes and I had a French dip with clam chowder. Both were OK but nothing particularly nice. We walked around Cannon Beach town for a while, looking for the famous Haystack Rock, and stopped to take some pictures on the way out of town. It was another very scenic drive on the way from Cannon Beach to Rockaway and we stopped a few times for pictures and to take in the views.
We arrived in Rockaway and found a lovely small town in a strip along the beach, with some bigger houses on a cliff overlooking the town. We checked into the Sea Treasures Inn, which turned out to be a really nice place, especially for the price ($72/night)! We could almost see the sea from our balcony and the room was nice and big with a big TV and very fast internet, perfect for us! In fact we only had two nights booked but almost immediately decided to try and extend our stay, so got an extra night booked half an hour later. Unfortunately, the town was having their annual Pirate Festival over the weekend and the inn had no room, otherwise we’d happily have stayed for the weekend.
We didn’t do too much other than walk through the town and along the beach for a while, and then trying out the local watering holes, with the firm knowledge that we could just relax and regroup for the next few days. I hadn’t been sleeping well since mum has been taken ill and really needed a break.
I woke up very early and occupied myself with a bit of light reading during the night, before eventually convincing Brian to go and get some coffee to wake me up properly. It was a great feeling knowing we didn’t have to do anything at all, not even getting out of bed if we didn’t feel like it. Another great thing is that the motel provides free Starbucks coffee all day so we didn’t have far to go for our caffeine fix. We spent the morning getting our blogs updated and went for a long stroll in the afternoon, all the way up the beach and back. Once back in the town we stopped at the Sand Dollar Restaurant for a quick drink out on their patio overlooking the sea. By that point we were a bit peckish and went to the Old Oregon Smokehouse for some fish and chips. Brian had cod and chips and I had halibut and chips. Both were great and totally hit the spot as it was lovely and warm and we could sit outside and enjoy the sun while eating. Rockaway has over six miles of beach and it really is an incredible beach for walkers or runners with very wide stretches of firm sand and very few people about. We found a cheap, local bar the night before so finished up an early night back at Rick’s Roadhouse.
Our last full day of our seaside holiday started a bit foggy but soon cleared up and it turned into a lovely sunny day. We decided to spend some time on the beach where I managed to get what Brian refers to as a bit of a tan, but what is more commonly known as sunburn! It appears, similar to joining a gym and never going, just buying the sunscreen and not applying it doesn’t protect you from the sun! A local woman told us of a nice beach half an hour up the road and we decided to go and have a look. We drove to Hug Point and walked along the beach, and looking at the waterfall (disappointing) and the rock formations in the sea and on land. It was well worth the journey for the walk and the sand between our toes, and we headed back happy to the inn. We did a bit more forward planning before going out for a bite to eat, and ended up eating in The Roadhouse, even though I’d intended to eat at the Sand Dollar. I had a burger and Brian had chicken and chips – both meals were edible but not much more.
Rockaway Beach is a great place and we thoroughly enjoyed our stay – it was just what we needed. The only strange thing about the town is that the local cops seem VERY keen and we saw them pull over people twice in the time we were there, and on the first night a policeman was walking around the bars/restaurants talking to people; I assume just keeping an eye on the town, but it did feel a little bit strange!
Also check out Brian’s post on Rockaway for more pictures and his musings – a bit more comprehensive than mine I think!
Biltong and Burger 