Cannon Beach

We have tried to go to Cannon Beach on several occasions but by the time we know T.J's schedule all the dog friendly places have been booked up. This past weekend though T.J. knew by Monday that he'd have a 4 day weekend so we called around a found the perfect spot for a little beach get away. Cannon Beach is about 3 hours away from our home on the Oregon coast and it's been on my PNW bucket list ever since we moved out here.

Thursday night before we left we watched The Goonies to get in the zone. If you didn't know the movie is set in Astoria, Oregon, which we would be passing through, and the very last scene at the beach is filmed at Cannon Beach. Fun fact.

Friday we got up loaded the car and hit the road. Hunley of course was a ball of anxiety thinking we were going to leave him behind or leave him at the kennel but by the time we got to Astoria he had started to accept that he was going to be included on this trip. We stopped at a shopping center right by the harbor to let the dog stretch his legs, grab a bite, and say hello to the seals who were having a very lively and loud town hall meeting.

Cannon Beach is only about another 45 minutes down the road from Astoria and we were eager to get there. We had booked a suite at The Ocean Lodge and we were able to check in early. It was the perfect room for our needs. It was steps from the beach with amazing views of the famous Haystack Rock and we were able to let Hunley out the sliding door to go to the bathroom rather than having to deal with steps and elevators. It had a bedroom and then a living space which allowed us to spread out a bit and was nice to relax in on the rainy days.

(The view from our room.)

(The Ocean Lodge)

I am so glad we got to town early enough to enjoy the beach because Friday was definitely the best weather of the weekend. It was in the low 50s and SUNNY!!! As soon as we got checked in we headed out! My favorite part of the west coast beaches is how wide they are. Even though we were (kind of surprisingly because it's February after all) not the only ones out on the beach, you never feel like you're on top of one another. We let Hunley off the leash and had a blast.

Hunley was thoroughly soaked and thoroughly worn out by the time we came back in. T.J. grabbed a glass of wine from the lobby and we sat out on our porch to watch the sun set (and give Hunley time to dry off).

Then we turned on the fireplace and got cleaned up before heading out for dinner at Pelican Brewing Co. T.J. tried the local brews for both of us and then I had fish and chips and he had a burger and we split a marionberry crisp. It was really fun atmosphere and I can only imagine how busy this place gets in the summertime.

Saturday we woke up and had breakfast at the hotel (it was free and yummy) before taking the dog for another walk under more overcast skies.

Figuring we'd be getting rain later in the day we decided to head out to Ecola State Park while it was still dry. This park has great views of the coast and Tillamook Lighthouse, a bunch of trails, and a picnic area.

Of course the rain came on soon after we started hiking so we turned back and dropped Hunley off at the hotel and then headed out in search of a cozy spot for lunch. Once we got parked in town (I still can't believe how busy this beach town was in February) we found a table by the fireplace in Bill's Tavern & Brewhouse.

The rest of the day was spent snuggled up in the room reading and watching movies. We embraced the lazy vibe and ended up just ordering pizza for dinner that night. Hunley was so well behaved- I wish we had a beach to run him on every day!

On Sunday the weather was insane, pouring rain and hail. We took our time leaving but the rain definitely made it easier to say goodbye to our little weekend retreat. Even though it wasn't the best weather I loved getting to have a little taste of this beach with my boys and a baby on board.