Rockaway Getaway
Our most memorable and cherished getaways have always been to The Oregon Coast. We've enjoyed the quiet calm of Rockaway especially since it is so close to the tiny towns of Wheeler and Nehalem, and from there, a short little jaunt to Manzanita.
In October of 2008 we'd decided to spend Halloween in Rockaway. It was our first time there, and we stayed at the Tradewinds motel. Everything was perfect on this trip, and Halloween was on a Friday night; it couldn't have been more atmospheric!
The neighboring towns of Wheeler and Nehalem are wonderful little drive-thru villages with a ton of flavor and personality. I really like Nehalem, and shot the photo at the right just as we were pulling into town. Fall was definitely in the air here, and passing through these towns led us to Manzanita just a few short miles north.
In Manzanita there is a great arts and crafts store called Salt and Paper. Terry usually loads up on art supplies while I load up on salt water taffy. The photo at left is of the store. I took this on the day before Halloween. Every time we visit Manzanita we always visit Salt and Paper. On this trip, the store was new, so it was our first time visiting which made it all the more special.
Meanwhile, back in Rockaway, I got a wonderful italian dinner for two and brought it to our room. We toasted our first evening with an outstanding lasagna by candlelight just as the sun was beginning to set.
The room had a real wood burning fireplace, and with the sliding deck door open, the sound of the Pacific ocean serenaded our table. Our first evening was just a prelude to the rest of our stay, and each day seemed almost better than the first. One fair warning about the town of Rockaway though: they tend to roll their sidewalks up at around 5 pm, and the choice of places to eat is a list that narrows rapidly.
There's nothing more appealing to me than the misty dawn over a small beach town. Looking down Pacific Avenue gave us a fantastic view of the morning.
That morning we had coffee and watched seagulls and other birds sweeping the waves and beach in search of food. Rain was coming that afternoon and just before the storm we both got out and explored Rockaway.
Halloween night was on Friday, and spent on the Oregon Coast, it's even more special. Terry and I are both Christians, but we don't celebrate Halloween as some sort of evil holiday, but enjoy it as a scaled-down simply holiday for kids and adults. As for myself, Halloween brings back wonderful childhood memories of innocence and days gone by. It was great to see the kids out in costume trick-or-treating. We settled back with pizza and the fireplace and watched Don Knotts' immortal classic "The Ghost and Mr. Chicken".
