That's Ecola, Not E.coli State Park

We hadn't been to the beach for a few weeks, so we set out for Seaside once again this past weekend. After the obligatory Tillamook ice cream cone and salt water taffy (probably made in Salt Lake), Jason wanted to do a little crabbing. Sitting around waiting to catch inedible baby crabs is not my idea of fun so I went on a hike by myself at Indian Beach in Ecola State Park near Cannon Beach. Indian Beach has been the site of many scenes from movies including "Goonies", "Kindergarten Cop" and "Twilight"-the scene where Jacob and Bella are talking about the origins of his tribe. It was a gorgeous place!

The purpose of the hike was to get to a viewpoint to see Tillamook Rock lighthouse about a mile off the coast. I didn't realize that the hike was so steep THE ENTIRE WAY. There were numbered posts along the way with #9 being the last post. By the time I got to #7 I was determined to go the rest of the way even though I felt like I was going to have a heart attack. It was so misty and humid, but I didn't mind, at least it wasn't raining. I love hiking through coastal forests, it always makes me think that I've been transported to prehistoric times and that I'll see a brontosaurus at any moment.

It was only an 1/8 of a mile to the lookout from post #9. I finally got there and this is what I saw:
Great view, huh? Oh well, I was very proud of myself for making it to the end. The way back was much easier. The beach was so beautiful that I wanted the rest of the family to see it. I went to pick up everyone in Seaside then we went back to Indian Beach to play around.
We finally got out the kite we bought at Costco about 4 years ago that the kids have been asking to fly for about that long.
After walking along the beach for a while I turned around and saw the lighthouse I had hiked up the hill to see.
We played around for a while then it started to rain (big surprise) and it was getting dark, so we headed home.