Escaping to Cannon Beach

All I want for Christmas is…

• The sound of crashing waves
• Peace and quiet
• Fresh marine air
• Sand between my toes
• Nature's Glorious Beauty to remind there is still greatness which surrounds us
  
• Solitude so I can dream
  
• And a joyful memory to take with me into the New Year

For the first time in years we found ourselves alone for the holidays.  And after a long, busy year my body, mind, and soul craved solitude and quiet. I have been in love with Cannon Beach, Oregon since 1994 when my sister got married on the beach. There is just something special about this coastal town, which calls to your soul. Most visit for the beautiful beach, the town full of quaint shops, intriguing art galleries, and delectable restaurants, and for photographers it is a visual paradise.

Our decision to leave town was very last minute. At first it was hard to find a place to stay with the dates we had in mind or wasn't priced too high. I contacted a place via Facebook. I manage Facebook pages for businesses so I was impressed how quick and responsive they were via messaging.  The front desk sent an email with a quote within a short time. I called and they were friendly, accommodating and helpful over the phone. They gave us off-season rates even though it was Christmas. We booked the room, packed our bags and hit the road the next day.

Upon our arrival, I was pleasantly surprised. We stayed at the Lighthouse Inn, but check in is at their sister property, Inn at Cannon Beach. We were greeted by the same person who helped over the phone, check in was quick and easy, they had warm delicious cookies for guests, and over 400 movies to choose from. The Lighthouse inn is conveniently located in town, everything was within walking distance; the beach, restaurants, shops, grocery store. We had a 1 bedroom suite with a small kitchenette, a large tub (this was a treat for me), a fireplace. Comfy, cozy, clean, and convenient.

The front desk gave us a list of restaurants, including two that were open on Christmas Day. We decided to splurge on Christmas dinner and made reservations at Wayfarer. The menu was limited to traditional holidays dishes, turkey and prime rib with all the fixings. The place was packed, the view was wonderful, the weather was gorgeous, and the service was define.

Most of the time the weather was just right, but the day after Christmas was stormy with scattered rain, so it made for a nice day to drive down the coast a bit, our final destination was to take the tour at Tillamook Dairy Co-Op (I was really going there for the ice cream.)  We stopped at various state parks along the way and drove through the town of Manzanita and stopped for coffee. For lunch we found a place on yelp, Hidden Acres Greenhouse and Cafe. It was a bit south of Tillamook and when you drive up it is a working nursery, the food and the atmosphere was well worth it.

A few facts I learned at the Tillamook Diary:

1. Tillamook means "Land of many waters."
   
2. The produced 15 gallons of milk a day.
   
3. In the 1800's, butter was the first diary product introduced.
   
4. There are 6,220 gallons of milk in one vat.
   
5. 165 lbs of salt is used for every 53,500 lbs of cheese.
   
6. They cut about a million pounds of cheese in a week.
   

On Thursday, the weather cleared up and visitors flooded the town and the beach. The quiet solitude was now filled with holiday cheer, dogs running around, children playing, parents and grandparents. It was our last day there and with cameras in hand we spent hours on the beach, people watching and photographing crashing waves. It was a beautiful end to 2018.