In all of our travels, one place that frequents our discussion of most loved places is Oregon’s stunningly beautiful coastline.  And, perhaps as nowhere else in the country, you can traverse the whole coast of Oregon by driving Highway 101, which hugs the entire coast from north to south.

On the northern end of Oregon’s Highway 101 lies the town of Cannon Beach.  It is said that the first recorded European, in what is now Cannon Beach, was William Clark one of the leaders of the Lewis and Clark Expedition in 1806.

Today this picturesque seaside village sports around 2,000 residents, and besides its beautiful beach, it may well best be known for the monolithic Haystack Rock which resides just south of town.

The Haystack Rock is a 235-foot sea stack which geologists tell us was formed by lava flows emanating from the Grand Ronde Mountains eons ago.  This mammoth hunk of basalt, along with three smaller adjacent formations (collectively called “The Needles”) are but one shining example of the allure of the beautiful Oregon Coast.

I was able to photograph this beautiful scene as the sun was just beginning to burn off the fog while I was on an early morning walk on Cannon Beach.  We were on a baby boomer road trip with friends Bob & Karen from Michigan and having the time of our lives exploring this beautiful coast.

We came away from our Oregon adventure with our eyes filled with beautiful seaside landscapes, and a newfound love of fresh salmon and Pinot Noir wines from the Willamette Valley.

As I recall, we transversed the Oregon Coast in four or five days.  We often talk about returning, and this time taking perhaps a couple weeks so that we might deeply breath in all that the Oregon Coast has to offer.

If you’ve never been to the Oregon Coast, it really needs to be on your bucket list!

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