Another Beach Weekend!

Last weekend (July 26-27), we added another fun beach trip to our list of adventures. This trip was spontaneous, as Zoe complained of being homesick for the beach, and I was really ready to get my mind off work. We packed up the VW with food and equipment for one night, and drove to Newport.

The plan; to get to South Beach Campground before 1pm on Saturday and claim an unreserved camp spot, hang out on the beach, stay overnight, and head for home again on Sunday. If there were no spots, we would make a day trip out of it and it would be fun anyway.

The reality; Saturday morning the weather forecast called for drizzle in the morning, with highs around 55-57. Undaunted, we got the car packed and started on our way, only slightly later than we'd hoped. About 1 mile out of Newberg, however, traffic on HWY 99 came to a screeching halt. The next two miles to Dundee took a loooooong time to get through, but, as is typical, the traffic cleared up for no apparent reason and we continued on our way with only a few minor traffic slowups and one bathroom break.

By the time we arrived in Newport, it was close to 2:30. The campground was full, and it was drizzling. Peter was tired of driving and really wanted to find a place to spend the night. So we backtracked a few miles to Beverley Beach campground. Also full.

I suggested we pull into the day use area, get some real food out, and have a picnic on the beach. Everyone was tired of being in the car, and it wasn't raining at all here. When we arrived on the beach we were surprised there were soooo many people! It was foggy, and sweater wearing weather, but we found a great spot and had our lunch.

Peter realized he forgot to switch the VW's fridge to propane (jump starting the car as you're ready to leave isn't any fun). As he left to go do that, I suggested he check at the office to see if anyone had canceled and there would be a spot left. Ten minutes later he sent me a text message- "E29" Yay! There was a cancellation and we got a spot!
Camping At Beverly Beach Photo Album

After packing up the picnic and settling into our site, we walked to the activity amphitheater. There was a talk about fossils you can find on the beach. There were a lot of kids there, and the speaker was really good. He brought a lot of really nice fossils he'd found right here on the Oregon coast. He taught us how to recognize rocks that had fossils in them, and even pulled volunteers from the audience to help demonstrate cracking a rock open to reveal a shell inside.

Guess who jumped up and down at that chance? You're right, Cassie went up and got a hand-sized scallop shell, perfectly preserved! He let the kids keep them, and she was thrilled!

After the presentation, we were ready for dinner. It was still foggy, and so humid that our hot grilled cheese sandwiches steamed like they were on fire! We played with dragon breath, Made a fire and had s'mores, and went to bed happy and grateful to have found such a nice spot.

The next day we spent on the beach, hunting for fossils, splashing in the waves, flying kites and relaxing. We didn't leave for home until 6:30pm! A thoroughly worth it last minute adventure!
Playing on the Beach Photo Album