a short vacation

On Tuesday Ally and I headed to Newport for a few relaxing days off from work. As a wedding gift, we received a free nights stay at a condo. The free night had to be used by the end of March, and Valentine's day seemed like as good a day as any to spend a night on the Oregon coast.

The weather on Tuesday was beautiful with the temperature above 50 degrees and the sun out. We left Portland early enough to arrive in Newport around 2:30, giving us a few hours of daylight. We couldn't check in to the room until 3pm, so we headed to the bayfront where we ended up at the Rogue Ales pub. After a pint of beer each, and an informative conversation with a few locals, we headed to the condo to get checked in and to enjoy the beach before the sun went down.

That night we went to dinner and then tried one of the local bars on the bayfront. This being February, and the middle of the week, the bar was dead so we decided to head back to the condo and take it easy the rest of the night.

The next morning was Valentine's day, so I made Ally eggs, bacon, hashbrowns and mimosas. After breakfast, we went to the Oregon Coast Aquarium. The weather had turned on us, so it was a bit difficult to enjoy the outdoor exhibits. It was fun nonetheless. After the aquarium we went back to the bayfront where we bought some saltwater taffy and had lunch. Ally usually hates seafood, but she was a good sport and had a cup of delicious roasted garlic and crab soup with her cheeseburger. I also had a cup of soup along with a tasty fish taco. After lunch we decided to retreat back to the condo until it was time for our valentine's day dinner.

For dinner we decided to take Tim's advice and try a place in Depoe Bay called Gracie's Sea Hag. On the 8 mile drive to Depoe Bay, we discovered where the name Cape Foulweather came from as we drove through the most dense fog I think I've ever encountered. The dinner was good, but we left promptly in hopes that the fog didn't have time to get much worse.

The next morning we woke up and left early so that we could get breakfast at the Otis Cafe. It is always the best breakfast anywhere, and is deserving of it's national praise. After breakfast, we drove to Grand Ronde and stopped at the casino. We set a limit of $20 each and decided to play the slots. Ally lost all $20, but I left with $41.45. All together, we won $1.45 ... not much, but at least we didn't lose anything.

All in all it was a fun and relaxing trip.

The condos as seen from the beach below

we tried to save this starfish from the gulls

Ally on the beach

why am I walking like a penguin?

Ally takes a stroll on the beach

we were eaten by a shark at the aquarium

boats in the bay

delicious fish taco