Waldport Get Away

Winter this year has been a bit of a slog.  The weather has been post-apocalyptic to say the least.  We actually had a round they dubbed “Snowmaggedon.” The snow came down hard in the Pacific NorthWest, and we ended up with about 8 inches at our house.  For those outside of the area, that is absolutely unheard of. We don’t get snow, especially in the lowlands.  My wonderful little town quickly found itself buried in about two feet of snow, and to say the least, no one knew what to do. The grocery stores were wiped out, and people hunkered down, staying home from work and school for days on end.

Previous to this event, however, Tom and I were finding ourselves in need of a get away.  The wedding was looming ever closer, and as great as that day will be, it can really wear you the heck out.  All the planning, micromanaging, primping and prodding to have one six hour party.  Instead of stressing out and being on each other’s nerves, we decided we would take a trip for my birthday.  For all those keeping track, that is in February.

The question really came down to, what the heck were we going to do for a quick weekend trip, in the Northwest, in early February. We didn’t want to spend a ton of money, and we wanted to take the crazy dog with us.  Tom decided he would take over, and my inner control freak conceded with a cringe.  What would we do? Would he think of everything?  What should we pack?  How would the dog make the tip?

I needn’t have worried. Tom, bless his little heart, really did think of everything.  He outfitted our Subaru with a dog net, and made a little hovel just for the little buddy. We packed for warmth, since I knew we would be in a few state radius.  But all he would tell me was when he was picking me up from work.  Boy was I in for a surprise.

He pulled up that day, entering just as the snow was beginning to fall. I hoped in the car with not a clue for where we were going.  He told me to sit back, and relax, that we were going to Waldport, and he had everything under control. I quickly found out he was right. 

I had never heard of Waldport.  After doing a quick bit of googling, I found we were going to end up on the Oregon Coast, just south of Newport.  It was a five hour drive, and we spent the time laughing, talking and just listening to music.  The doggo made it pretty well actually, and quickly settled behind his new screen.  He was warm and provided a soft bed, while staying far enough behind us for his barks to no longer be a bother.

I have to admit, I was a little unsure of what kind of place my love had picked; We had the a-hole dog with us after all.  I wasn’t ready for what we pulled up to. Tom had done his homework, he found us a tiny little 800 square foot cabin, steps from the beach.  The waves were crashing about 100 ft from our back deck, and it was spectacular.

As we unloaded the car, I really got a sense of just how well stocked we would be.  Packed in the car was water, coffee, creamer, wine, and snacks.  The smart little booger had even packed my new camera, and we would sure have fun playing with that later.  That first night we ordered pizza from a little place in town, and just relaxed.

It was the funniest trip to the Oregon Coast I have ever had.  The weather felt like it had turrets, and would go from sun, to rain, to hail, and even snow, being sure to switch back and forth several times throughout the day.  But it was so nice to get away for a while.  Because we were only there for a few days, we really weren’t able to experience Waldport to its fullest, but we loved being able to drive up to some of our favorite places along the coast.  The bridges provided amazing spanning views, and we even made it back to “our” beach, where we landed for the first big trip we ever took together.  Lincoln City, Newport, and Waldport saw us pass through, always offering staggering views of the craggy coast.

The food was good everywhere we went.  Pizza, breakfast, and just little hole in the wall grocery stores provided what we needed for the few days away.

There really is nothing like the grey skies over a stormy beach.  They always provide a cleansing; almost a refresh to the soul. Nothing seems to be able to shake you if you just spend a little time at the beach. As the rain poured down outside, we built a fire, poured some wine, and just let go.

Inevitably, and all too soon, it was time to head home.  Would we even be able to?  Somewhere deep inside we kind of hoped not, willing the siren call of the ocean to keep us a bit longer.  Snowmaggedon couldn’t stop us though, and back home we went, to dig ourselves out of our newly poured 8 inches of snow.  But the whole experience taught us one thing, we love the beach and wouldn’t be able to stay away for long.

Until the next adventure!

Evergreenlady