Living the Life in Seaside, Oregon!

Post one of two, I'm hoping! I was going to try to fit it all into one post, but your eyes will probably be glazed over by the end of this one, and I'm trying to keep you guys around. So, here's a part of my vacation. The Oregon coast may well be my favorite place in these United States, and if you get the chance to visit, I would recommend staying in Seaside because it's beautiful and close to everything else you want to do as well!

The Tillamook Cheese Factory is a great way to spend a day. Because, I don't know why really. It smells like cow there. But the factory is cool and you can read all the history about cheese making (I skipped all that though...). You can watch the cheese being sliced and packaged, and then you can sample cheese curds and cheese cubes! Let me clear here: There is no better form of cheese than in cube form. 

And for some reason, the ice cream tastes way better in a waffle cone at the actual factory. I mean, it's always delicious, but it's even better AT Tillamook. Which I know, no one thought was possible. Take my word for it.

Our next stop was Cannon Beach which is OFFICIALLY my favorite place in the world. You heard it here first, and it will stay that way. Has been all my life! Cannon Beach is the cutest little town, and a visit there is not complete without a meal at Mo's. And please get a bowl of clam chowder for me while you're there. 

 And then when you're done eating at Mo's you obviously need to actually go on the beach! They have the famous Haystack rock, which is a bird sanctuary, which I did not know until this very trip! Because we happened to get there when the tide was out and we could walk right up to the rock! There were REAL LIVE STAR FISH. I'm just saying. It was pretty fabulous. It reminded me of a time when I was a child living in Oregon and I found a not-living starfish and brought it home. But my mom told me I needed to leave it outside because it would smell. The next morning, my star fish was gone. I always secretly thought she threw it away, but when I confronted her about it this trip, she was surprised. My dad said a seagull probably got it.

After taking over Cannon Beach, we went to Oswald State Park which just might be the most beautiful place on this planet earth. I mean, I am sitting here thinking about how pretty it is, but next year when I go back, I will again have my breath taken away by how gorgeous it is in person. There is no explaining it! We found it years ago when our car broke down. The guy who came to fix it told us we better walk down the trail, so we did. You walk through all these tall old trees, and a pretty bridge and river, and everything is looking good, and then suddenly you pop out and there is this beyond amazing bay surrounded by cliffs covered in green trees, and the bluest water you ever laid eyes on. Just, go there. 

(I know I'm carrying a boogie board in all these pictures, but the truth of the matter is the water was way too cold for me, so I was a big baby and didn't do it. My brother and Alex did brave the waters, and then they needed to lay in the sun for a while. I did, however, body surf the next day. I conquered my fear of water once again!)

Anyway, this post was obnoxiously long, but seriously. Go to Oregon you guys.