Weekend getaway in Lincoln City...

Eric and I have been talking about spending the weekend at the beach for a while, and this past weekend we finally made it happen.  One thing I realized was that it doesn't matter if you are going way for 2 weeks or 2 days--the prep is pretty much the same.  While Eric was at work on Friday, I was in charge of vacation prep--taking Bailey to the kennel, pulling out the suitcases, setting things up with our house-sitter, putting out fresh cat litter, filling the gas tank, making sure clothes we needed were clean, etc.  The kind of things that make you feel like you need a vacation from preparing for a vacation.

By 4:15pm on Friday, we were off on our little adventure.  I have to say that one of the things I really like about living in the Pacific Northwest is that there is really no such things as a bad drive.  Yes, you hit traffic, and we had our share, but the drive is usually scenic and nice.

At 7pm we decided to stop for dinner at the famous Cedar Plank Buffet at Spirit Mountain Casino in Grand Ronde, OR.  90 minutes and 2 full bellies later we were back on the road for the last stretch of road towards Lincoln City, OR, our final destination.

We checked into the Looking Glass Inn at 10pm, after making a slight wrong turn that took us 30 miles out of our way (whoops!)  That's our room on the bottom right.  The "ocean view" we were expecting was kind of a joke, because, as you can see, the room faces the parking lot.  It was more like a "bay view," which can only be seen out of one of the side windows.  Other than that, though, it was a comfortable room with a small fireplace, kitchenette, TV/DVD, and a whirlpool tub that was loud, but relaxing.

At the end of the sidewalk is a path that leads to the beach.  We enjoy taking walks, so both of us walked that path on our own and together.  We also got lucky with the weather, because it was a misty, beach rain until around noon on Saturday, at which point it stopped and cleared up.

Lincoln City is known for its outlet mall, which we visited briefly, and its little gift and antique shops, I visited a few while Eric was napping on Saturday afternoon.

Mostly, though, you just go to relax.  I also took lots of pictures at the beach.  Some were taken at midday and some as the sun was beginning to set.  Photography is so fun, even with my simple little camera:

The beach is very different than a California beach or a Hawaii beach, but still beautiful.  I'm not really one for swimming in the ocean, but I do love standing and watching the waves go in and out in their endless cycle.  I like to ponder the ocean's vastness and majesty, all the while thinking about how, with all of their ingenuity, there are still so many things that Man could never duplicate.

Because the little shops close up early, and because we aren't into the "bar scene," Saturday evening was spent in the hotel room after dinner.  We relaxed away from our obligations at home and work, enjoyed each other's company, and settled in with a movie we rented from the front desk (Australia, with Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman...pretty long, but good, and worth seeing at least once.)

Yesterday morning we were back on the road, headed for home.  This time we took a different route though Cornelius Pass in Oregon.  I've been on that route once before and it is quite lovely.  Trees are everywhere.  Like I said, odds are you'll have a nice view when you drive up here.

We arrived home with that combination of mental rest and vacation tiredness.  It was a nice getaway with my #1 sweetie.