This weekend was a whirlwind of adventures. This past week had been epic – I was in the midst of finishing a  tremendous custom laptop/travel bag for a Seattle VIP (more on that later), when we got news that my husbands great Uncle Kaz had passed away.  We originally had booked a beach rental in Seaside, OR with friends for a well-deserved getaway on the ocean. So although we’d have to cut our trip short, we were determined to squeeze in a bit of the Oregon coast, and make the best of it.

And what a getaway it was!  We spent our first day exploring the beach at Hug point, where we discovered a little waterfall and a few sea caves that we’d not found before. Then further north we ventured into Ecola State Park (Cannon Beach, OR) where we combed the beach for treasures and spotted a few purple jelly fish.  Then we ventured out for a hike above the sea cliffs.  About a mile into the trail, we were scared half to death by a HUGE elk, about 10 yards away. I think we scared him just as much as he scared us!  After we’d gathered our composure and marveled at the lush clover and trillium underfoot, we headed back to the parking lot. It was starting to get dark, but driving out to the overlook – we encountered a herd of 15 elk, grazing in the field!

The next morning, we introduced our friends to low tide at Haystack Rock, where starfish, mussels and sea anemones covered every nook and cranny.   I also geeked out on finding my first nudibranch (a furry orange and aqua sea slug) in the wild.  Then we relaxed with our friends, devoured too much wonderful food and drove back to Seattle in the wee hours of the night.