Oceanside, Oregon!!!

Looking to take a nice walk along the beach???  Might I suggest Oceanside, Oregon???

Oceanside is about 9 miles west of Tillamook or 23 miles north of Pacific City depending on which way you are traveling.

Here's what I like about walking along this part of the beach...I am exercising and I don't even notice (love that), I get to enjoy the scenery and beauty of the area, I get to see things like Sea Lions and Seals, and I get to explore the caves and tide pools!!

The city of Oceanside offers great little restaurants, coffee shops and gift shops! Definitely a great day trip if you are in the Portland area!!!

If you take a trip out to Oceanside...bring a kite!!!  I wish I would have!!

Blowsion Surf Slam Was a BLAST!!!

A few weeks ago, I was telling you that I was heading to the Blowsion Surf Slam...well, I am here now to post that not only was it an amazing event, the weather was beyond beautiful and the people that joined me for this adventure were a blast to hang out with!!

Tierra Del Mar Beach (just about a mile or so north of Pacific City, Oregon) was the location for this event!  We parked the truck right on the beach, set our lawn chairs up in the back of the truck and on the beach and spent hours over the two day event watching the jet ski competition, Motor Cross Motorcycle show, Parasailer watching, people watching and enjoying the beautiful weather!!

The tricks the Jet Ski competitors performed in the Pacific Ocean were amazing!!!

Photo Credit:  Robert Young (my brother-in-law)

The tricks the Motor Cross performers accomplished were spectacular!!

The Parasailers just added to the fun and beauty of our weekend!!

All in all, this was a fun experience and we were able to do it on the cheap!!  The event is FREE to attend and we packed a lunch and snacks to bring along with us so we didn't have to buy food from the vendors.

If you get a chance to attend next year...I highly recommend it!!!

Get the info for next year's Blowsion Surf Slam HERE!

WALK!! See Portland, Meet People, Have Fun!!!

What a great way to see Portland, Oregon!!!  Go for a 3+ mile walk and help a cause at the same time!!!  

Sometimes you just gotta slip on the sneakers, head out there and walk the roads to see the sites of the city and hey, if you are gonna do it, you might as well join 10,000+ people who are doing the same thing!!!  Portland Komen Race for the Cure for breast cancer not only helps support women's health issues, but gives you a chance to see parts of the city from street level and at a slower pace to appreciate the parks, statues, bridges and THE FOUNTAIN!!! (we couldn't help ourselves...you can appreciate the fountain when you are right in the middle of it!!!  Tutus and all!!!) 

This event gave me a chance to also meet new people!!!

We had a really good time and it didn't even feel like exercise or burning calories when we were basically having a party while we walked!!!

Pacific City, Oregon!

One of my favorite all time beach places to chill out, relax and still have a good time is Pacific City, Oregon!!

Scenery = Beautiful... People = Nice... Food = Yummy... Local Coffee House = YES PLEASE, MAY I HAVE ANOTHER!!!

Roughly a 2 hour drive from Portland...it's well worth the drive!!

Obviously, walking on the beach, sitting on the sand and watching the surfers, boogie boarders and other beach combers is a nice relaxing time, but also keep an eye out for the Dory Boats coming and going, climb the large sand dune and hang out at some of the local restaurants!

A couple of my favorite places to hang while I am in Pacific City off Cape Kiwanda Drive are...

Stimulus Cafe (Coffee House) - Great beverages, super friendly staff, delicious pastries and snacks!
Pelican Brew House - Great food and beer, dine with a view of the ocean and haystack rock! (Great Fish & Chips).
Ben & Jeff's - Great Food, small sit down or to go restaurant, friendly staff and delicious Fish Tacos!!!
Also, The Oar House, which is located more in town, has good food and is a nice place to watch some sports while your eating!!!

Looking to get outta town for the day or a whole weekend...Pacific City is a good choice!!!

Stumptown Coffee - Delicious Coffee & More!

So here I am just outside of Portland and I am in need of caffeine in a big way....what do I do???  I pass by like ten Starbucks stores on my way to SE Belmont Street to this quaint little coffee house for some delicious coffee and great atmosphere!!

Stumptown Coffee Roasters!

Here's what I like about this place...It's quaint, the coffee is delicious, quiet (except for some good tunes playing throughout), perfect for people watching and relaxing while drinkin' my java and the baristas were super nice!  To top it off, my Vanilla Latte was beautiful!!!  (But not too beautiful to drink it up)

If you are looking for a good cup of joe, here's where you can find a Stumptown Coffee Roasters Coffee House in the Pacific Northwest...

PORTLAND LOCATIONS:
100 SE Salmon Street
4525 SE Division Street
3356 SE Belmont Street
1026 SW Stark Street
128 SW 3rd Avenue (Downtown)

SEATTLE LOCATIONS:
616 East Pine Street
1115 12th Avenue

For more information on Stumptown Coffee Roasters, check out their site HERE!

My NEW Favorite Cupcake Place!! Saint Cupcake!!!

I am a fan of sweet treats....that's for sure and now I am addicted to Saint Cupcake!!!  
Oh my gosh, I am not even messing around here...by far the best cupcakes I have ever had!!!  
There are a variety of flavors that I am sure would please anyone!!!  The cupcakes are moist, delicious and the frosting...oh the frosting...so good! 

I mean what is a cupcake without frosting....A MUFFIN, right???  

They offer cupcakes in 2 sizes...mini...like a shot glass of cupcakey goodness and regular size.

My family got a few different flavors and shared bites so we could try a variety of them...and my favorites were the Salted Caramel, Toasted Coconut Cream and of course you can't go wrong with a Chocolate Cupcake with Cream Cheese icing!  Another hit with the family was the Carrot Cake Cupcake as well as the Vanilla with Butter cream icing!

Another item you might want to try while you are there is the Alder Smoked Chocolate Chip Cookie (we bought one and each took a piece of it to try it out). This Cookie is made with Alder Smoked Flour which gives it a smokey flavor!!  I liked it and so did my sister, brother-in-law, father and nephew, but my niece was not a fan of it, so I think it's one of those things that you really like it or you don't.  Worth a try and sharing it!!!

There are 2 Portland locations of Saint Cupcake:
1138 SW Morrison At the corner of SW 12th & Morrison
3300 SE Belmont At the corner of 33rd
To get more information and check out Saint Cupcake's menu schedule, just simply click HERE!

Westport, Washington! Don't miss the Donuts!!!

So I took a little trek out to Westport, Washington with a friend during the Westport Art Festival which is held the 3rd weekend of August each year!  

The arts and crafts part of the festival was nice!  I saw lots of crafty things I had never seen before, but then again I just spent nearly 20 years in the Midwest and there is not an over abundance of creativity and free thinking in that part of the country like there is in the Pacific Northwest!!!

Highlights of Westport anytime of year, from my point of view:

LITTLE RICHARD'S HOUSE OF DONUTS!!!  - If you go to Westport, this is a MUST!!!  
This awesome little donut shop is located right on the main drag across the marina and they have the best freakin' donuts I have ever had!!  (I am sure you can tell by my pictures that I am not a tofu, fruits and veggies kind of gal....You don't get all that meat on your bones without having some indulgences!!)  Anyway, they are only open Thursday through Sunday from 5:30 am til they sell out, which I am guessing is right around noon or 1pm.  You gotta get there early to snag one of their awesome donuts, but they are sooooo worth it!!!

WESTPORT VIEWING TOWER!! - There is a viewing tower located at the far west side of the main drag in Westport.  This tower goes three flights up and give you a 360 view of Westport, the beach and the Marina!  This is a great spot for getting your photos!!

SHOPPING!!  - There are a number of quaint little shops located in Westport which specialize in beachy merchandise and souvenirs, but there are also antique stores and amazing specialty shops!  Good chance to wear some tread off your shoes, shop and you won't even know you are exercising!!!

FRESH SEAFOOD!!!  -  We didn't go out fishing this particular day, but a lot of people did!  We walked down the Marina to a little cabin on the water called the "Seafood Connection" where we  purchased a couple live crab that were soooo delicious for dinner that night!!!  Their selection of fresh seafood was amazing!!! (probably not super amazing to you folks that have been in the Pacific NorthWest for a while, but for someone coming from the landlocked Midwest like me...I was on overload!!) 

RELAXING ON THE ROCKS!!  After a day of walking around, eating, shopping and site seeing...well, it was just really nice to climb up a few rocks and relax while taking in the scenery, ocean views, and sounds...I even saw a sea lion!!

There really is so much to do in Westport...you'd be surprised because when you get there it seems like such a small town!!!

Just a small list of other activities you will find...
Crabbing
Elk Gazing
Go Carts
Harbor Tours
Fishing
Scuba Diving
and so much more!!  You can see a long list be CLICKING HERE!!