July 3rd - Let's Go Fly a Kite

Seaside is very much what I remembered as a young kid - very touristy and very crowded.  It is such a contrast from the relative isolation we experienced at the Washington Coast.  We woke up this morning to wind speeds of about 20-25 knots, so we thought it best to go fly our kites.  I have to admit, I really had a lot of fun doing this.  It had been many years since I last flew a kite.

We then proceeded down the coast stopping off at one of my all time favorite Oregon coast spots, Pacific City.  We enjoyed a leisurely lunch at Pelican Pub & Brewery.  http://www.yourlittlebeachtown.com/pelican  This is our second visit to this fine establishment.  If you're passing through the area, I highly recommend it.  The food and beer are great, and the location can't be beat.  The kids can play around in the sand while you are sipping a beer on the patio.  The sand dunes are definitely worth a hike up, too.

After driving down to Newport, we turned east on Highway 20 and drove all the way to Redmond, Oregon.  This was a really pretty drive through the mountain passes.  There is a large swath of forest just south of The Sisters that was all burned a few years ago.  We drove through this area right at sunset, and all of the stark, bare tree trunks really popped against the pink sky.  I never knew a fire damaged area could be so beautiful.