When I was little we always went to the Oregon coast. It was the only sand I knew, the only ocean I'd played in (note played in rather than swam in) and the only place I'd ever collected sea shells.  In fact, I think that for about five years in a row our family Christmas card photo was taken on a huge piece of drift wood in front of the Pacific Ocean.

[caption id="attachment_5264" align="alignleft" width="614" caption="At the Oregon Coast"]<a rel="attachment wp-att-5264" href="http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2011/07/22/the-oregon-coast-and-newport/img_8794/"><img class="size-large wp-image-5264 " title="At the Oregon Coast" src="http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/IMG_8794-1024x682.jpg" alt="" width="614" height="409" /></a>[/caption]

The Oregon coast beautiful. Around Newport, there are plenty of public beach because they are all public and they are sans umbrellas or lounge chairs.  If you want it, you've got to bring your own. The beaches tend to be  wide and long given the tides which have produced over time large swaths of very fine sand. This is no beach of little rocks or pebbles but of course, this is no surprise especially when you see wave after wave pounding the beach.<!--more-->

[caption id="attachment_5265" align="alignleft" width="614" caption="A glimpse of the beach"]<a rel="attachment wp-att-5265" href="http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2011/07/22/the-oregon-coast-and-newport/img_8824/"><img class="size-large wp-image-5265 " title="A glimpse of the beach" src="http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/IMG_8824-1024x682.jpg" alt="" width="614" height="409" /></a>[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_5266" align="alignleft" width="614" caption="Seagulls"]<a rel="attachment wp-att-5266" href="http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2011/07/22/the-oregon-coast-and-newport/img_8833/"><img class="size-large wp-image-5266 " title="Seagulls" src="http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/IMG_8833-1024x682.jpg" alt="" width="614" height="409" /></a>[/caption]

There's a but however. The but is this: the weather is often grey and cloudy and the water even in July and August is icy cold.  The good news is that when you're little you don't know that there are other beaches with warm water and white sand which will burn your feet, so you are very happy to romp through the water at the sea shore darting in and out of the ocean but keeping the water below your knees while you play in the waves.

[caption id="attachment_5267" align="alignleft" width="614" caption="A hint of color "]<a rel="attachment wp-att-5267" href="http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2011/07/22/the-oregon-coast-and-newport/img_8770/"><img class="size-large wp-image-5267 " title="A hint of color " src="http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/IMG_8770-1024x682.jpg" alt="" width="614" height="409" /></a>[/caption]

This has set me up for a life time of awe and surprise. Like when I went to Florida for the first time at 24 years old and realized that you can actually swim, swim in the ocean.  Or when I went to Montenegro and when swimming and sun bathing on the smooth round rocks of the beach. Then there was Thassos in May with stretches of lovely white sand and the prettiest white marble rocks.  And finally there's the Bulgarian Black Sea with white-grey sand, warm water and almost no waves.

[caption id="attachment_5268" align="alignleft" width="614" caption="Foggy sea shore"]<a rel="attachment wp-att-5268" href="http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2011/07/22/the-oregon-coast-and-newport/img_8787/"><img class="size-large wp-image-5268 " title="Foggy sea shore" src="http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/IMG_8787-1024x682.jpg" alt="" width="614" height="409" /></a>[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_5269" align="alignleft" width="614" caption="MoM and sister on the shore"]<a rel="attachment wp-att-5269" href="http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2011/07/22/the-oregon-coast-and-newport/img_8791/"><img class="size-large wp-image-5269 " title="MoM and sister on the shore" src="http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/IMG_8791-1024x682.jpg" alt="" width="614" height="409" /></a>[/caption]

Anyhow, at the Oregon coast the rule is: don't turn your back to the ocean. There are serious waves crashing onto the beach. I of course didn't take this rule as seriously as I should have. I'd waded out ankle deep into the ocean and then I turned towards the shore to look at my MoM and my sister Charlotte. They looked great and I told them to pose for a picture. That's when I got smacked by a knee high wave. A very cold knee high wave. Oh and my jeans where only rolled up to mid-calf. <em>Awesome</em>. Afterwards, my MoM and sister both announced they wished that they had a picture of me at the exact moment the wave hit me. Me? I was unrolling my jeans to brush out all of the sand trapped in my cuffed pants.

[caption id="attachment_5270" align="alignleft" width="614" caption="In front of Mo&#39;s"]<a rel="attachment wp-att-5270" href="http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2011/07/22/the-oregon-coast-and-newport/img_8762/"><img class="size-large wp-image-5270 " title="In front of Mo's" src="http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/IMG_8762-1024x682.jpg" alt="" width="614" height="409" /></a>[/caption]

This cold grey weather on the coast has it's perks. One of those is that no matter what time of year it is you want to eat clam chowder. Anyone in the know heads to <a href="http://www.moschowder.com/home.cfm?dir_cat=13368" target="_blank">Mo's in Newport</a> because they make a killer bowl of clam chowder.  They also serve up shrimp salad, oysters, fish and chips as well as fish tacos in their ocean front restaurants. There's nothing fancy about these restaurants--just good food and the possibility of sharing a big table with other clam chowder lovers.

[caption id="attachment_5271" align="alignleft" width="614" caption="Clam chowder at Mo&#39;s"]<a rel="attachment wp-att-5271" href="http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2011/07/22/the-oregon-coast-and-newport/img_8755/"><img class="size-large wp-image-5271 " title="Clam chowder at Mo's" src="http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/IMG_8755-1024x682.jpg" alt="" width="614" height="409" /></a>[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_5272" align="alignleft" width="614" caption="Charlotte and Me at Mo&#39;s"]<a rel="attachment wp-att-5272" href="http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2011/07/22/the-oregon-coast-and-newport/img_8758/"><img class="size-large wp-image-5272 " title="Charlotte and Me at Mo's" src="http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/IMG_8758-1024x682.jpg" alt="" width="614" height="409" /></a>[/caption]

You should also never underestimate the power of a good scoop of <a href="http://www.tillamook.com/cheesefactory/hope_youre_hungry/ice_cream.html" target="_blank">Tillamok ice cream</a> on a windy rainy day. You can get a scoop right around the corner from Mo's Annex in Newport. Everything seems a little better with a scoop of ice cream as you look out over the bay. My dAd gave me my first taste of ice cream on the pier when I was just a baby. He was carrying me in a snuggly on his chest and as the story goes I was sticking my tongue out indicating that I wanted a lick.  My dAd obliged and my MoM was furious. Ice cream became my first solid food.

[caption id="attachment_5273" align="alignleft" width="614" caption="Tasting at Rogue"]<a rel="attachment wp-att-5273" href="http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2011/07/22/the-oregon-coast-and-newport/img_8841/"><img class="size-large wp-image-5273 " title="Tasting at Rogue" src="http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/IMG_8841-1024x682.jpg" alt="" width="614" height="409" /></a>[/caption]

Once you've had some ice cream and you've poked into the little shops hugging the bay then you can drive across the bridge to the other side of the bay and stop off at <a href="http://www.rogue.com/" target="_blank">Rogue Brewery</a>.  Rogue Brewery is a family favorite. You can go on a free tour, you can buy sampler trays, you can get food there and once you've had enough of the brewery you can head down and across the parking lot and check out the <a href="http://www.rogue.com/spirits/spirits.php" target="_blank">Rogue Distillery</a> as well.

[caption id="attachment_5276" align="alignleft" width="614" caption="Rogue Spirits"]<a rel="attachment wp-att-5276" href="http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2011/07/22/the-oregon-coast-and-newport/img_8876/"><img class="size-large wp-image-5276 " title="Rogue Spirits" src="http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/IMG_8876-1024x682.jpg" alt="" width="614" height="409" /></a>[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_5274" align="alignleft" width="614" caption="Rogue Gin"]<a rel="attachment wp-att-5274" href="http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2011/07/22/the-oregon-coast-and-newport/img_8862/"><img class="size-large wp-image-5274 " title="Rogue Gin" src="http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/IMG_8862-1024x682.jpg" alt="" width="614" height="409" /></a>[/caption]

Yes, you read that right. Rogue not only makes beer, they are also making spirits including whiskey, gin and rum. You can also go on a tour of the distillery but don't expect a walking tour. The distillery is tiny compared to the brewery.

[caption id="attachment_5275" align="alignleft" width="614" caption="Five tastings, $5"]<a rel="attachment wp-att-5275" href="http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2011/07/22/the-oregon-coast-and-newport/img_8874/"><img class="size-large wp-image-5275 " title="Five tastings, $5" src="http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/IMG_8874-1024x682.jpg" alt="" width="614" height="409" /></a>[/caption]

We went to Newport for a day trip. It's about 1.5 drive from Corvallis to Newport. We left about 9am and found ourselves in Newport before lunch. So we started the day off with a scoop of ice cream, followed by some widow shopping, a cup of clam chowder and a seafood sandwich (I had an oyster sandwich), we went to the beach until it started raining on us and then we headed over to the Rogue Nation.

Man-o-man, you can have a lot of fun in just a day.