Today Kelly and I took a quick trip (for Valentines day) to the coast. We hadn’t been in way too long (over a year and a half), the weather was supposed to be decent, and we’ve had an urge to see the sea for several weeks now.
Kelly and I got up around 9am, she made some delicious pancakes, and then at about 11:30am we finally hit the road. We decided to take I-5 south to 99w, through McMinville to Highway 18 (which heads towards Lincoln City where we went a couple years back). This time however we wanted to head north.
The trip took forever, two and a half hours because of some terrible traffic, but once we hit 101 north it was smooth sailing. The destination was Pacific City, and it’s local brewpub Pelican Brewery for lunch.
It was beautiful there. Cold and windy, but beautiful. The brewpub is also very nice, sitting right on the beach with the view seen in the photo above. The place was packed and we put our names down, grabbed a beer, and stood outside and took in the view.
I got a pint of Tsunami Stout, which was a very dark smoky and strong stout. Very good. Kelly got a pint of the Kiwanda Cream Ale, which was clear and golden and was really, really tasty (I kind of wish I had gotten one, however there was quite the drive back so one was plenty for me).
While waiting (we waited nearly an hour, the restaurant was so busy) an ambulance and some fire & rescue vehicles pulled into the parking lot to the main beach area. One of the vehicles unloaded a couple jetski’s that buzzed out around the peninsula. A bit later, a coast guard helicopter flew in and started making slow circles around the end of the peninsula, obviously looking for someone. We never did find out what happened (and I can’t find any news about it at the moment) but I hope whoever they were looking for was found and all is well.
We were finally seated and had a delicious meal, albeit in a bit of a hurry since it was now nearing 4pm and we wanted to hit the highway and get over the coast range before dark.
Went north to Tillamook and took Highway 6 home. We got into town just about 6pm, and it was just getting dark. We decided to stop into a new-ish restaurant/bar, the Radio Room, for a beer before getting home. The place was pretty nice (though it somehow seems a bit too nice for the area, meaning, it doesn’t really fit in). They do have a nice patio with a gas fire pit, so we stood outside (avoiding some oddball and very goofy-sounding amateur theater being performed inside for the dinner guests). It’s a pretty nice place, and the patio will be really nice in warmer weather, though I’d like the place to have a better beer selection.
Anyway, it was a great day. Next time, we’ll have to make sure and get out of the house and on the highway much earlier so we can spend more time at the coast.