One minute I’m browsing this really cool new website about the Oregon coast, and the next I’m cruising Highway 101, soaking up all the clean air, beautiful views, gobbling up some amazing food, and visiting a bunch of funky secret spots. that I found online. It is a wonderful journey that is hard to forget.
Start with this Oregon Coast Beach Connection site: fairly new, but already huge and all-encompassing in its coverage of the upper half of the coast. I started fooling around with the virtual tours (not all of them are complete), which have an average of 60 different stops along various parts of the coast. I found some interesting hidden beaches near Cannon Beach, in Newport, and near Manzanita.
The site has this awesome sprawling news section, where I discovered some great restaurants and hotels. I used their weather page to check the forecast just before I left on this really sunny weekend in February, and just as one of their “winter weather secrets” stories said it would be, it was exceptionally warm in February. See their news section at [http://www.beachconnection/news].
So I head to the coast, first gobbling up crazy seafood in picturesque and pristine Tillamook Bay at Pacific Oyster. They have this cioppino to die for. It’s thick, meaty and so packed with a variety of fish it puts a hatchery to shame. Oysters are like tender bits of beef: extremely rich and flavorful, quite powerful for their diminutive size. The smoked salmon burger was also wonderful, and the view of the bay was magnificent. 5150 Oyster Dr. (503) 377-2323.
That night, I stayed at the Old Wheeler Hotel: a wildly romantic hotel in the small town of Wheeler that was carved out of an ancient building that was once on the verge of falling apart. It was totally unbelievable to discover, as the place has an extremely manicured old-world charm, with hardwood floors, chandeliers, claw-foot tubs, and views of pure, unspoiled Nehalem Bay. It has been dubbed the “Westin-Benson of the Oregon Coast”. I’m addicted and I’ll be back. Highway 101 and Gregory. http://www.oldwheelerhotel.com. 877-4 sight.
Practically next door is pure pizza heaven at a fairly new restaurant called Guido’s Ristorante. The staff here were constantly amusing, a bit like watching the cast of “Seinfeld” interact. But it was the food that was the real star of the show, with a thick, even juicy crust beneath a forest-like covering of innovative ingredients. The head chef there (he called himself Guido, but I think that was part of the banter of the night) said that he would help me decide on my pizza selection and that he would just make me something.
I sheepishly asked him about the meatballs in my pie, and not only did he say “yes”, but he finally brought me a masterpiece with various types of cheeses, a delicious marinara sauce drizzled over the meatballs, and some kind of vegetable garden that I didn’t even have. i can remember. This place also had an exceptional view of the bay. 675 Highway 101, Wheeler. (503) 368-7778.
The next day I wander north of Manzanita to check out one of the amazing hidden spots I found on http://www.beachconnection.net. A set of grandiose cliffs and a small mountain looms over the sleepy little beach resort, and its north face is home to some wild and bizarre slopes. The website said it resembled Ireland in some places and scenes from “Planet of the Apes” in others. Someone nailed him in the head. You walk through these steep, grassy areas to encounter a bizarre seascape of bizarre, jagged rock structures and boiling waves. It was absolutely remarkable.
Again I follow the website to a place called Hug Point near Cannon Beach. I had been here before, actually, but had never seen the variety of veiled delights and interesting details hidden in one rocky area or another. There’s a waterfall, some sea caves (one has an intricate structure inside that’s fun to crawl through), and this rather mysterious path that goes around the point. According to the Beach Connection site, the state had dynamited this road out of the rock at the turn of the century so old horse buggies and Model Ts could move during high tides.
The area is also a geologist’s wonderland, but that’s another story.
Next, I wander down to Cannon Beach and end up at this little wonder called Fultano’s Pizza. I ordered the penne pasta with meat sauce and meatballs of course. These meatballs are exceptional, with a wonderfully multi-layered flavor, like the subtleties found in fine wine. The meat sauce is partially responsible for this, also with a few layers of goodness of its own. This place is a true gourmet find, but not only is it totally kid-friendly, it also has a romantic element to it.
I came back here for dinner too, with this really delicious pizza with a sauce made from mashed grapes. This was fabulous, and I must say I have never had anything like it. 200 N. Hemlock and Second Street. (503) 436-9717.
That night, I go to bed at a charming motel called the San Dune Inn in Manzanita, accompanied by my friend and her dog. This place is very dog friendly.
They have a great selection of movies as well as other unique things that I have never seen in a motel like bikes for guest use, volleyball equipment, beach balls and other beach equipment. wow. We had so much fun riding our bikes to the beach (just a few blocks away) and laughing when we got stuck in the sand. That night, after drinks at Guido’s beautiful little retro bar (just a few miles away), we took the bikes out again, although I’m not sure if this was what the owners had in mind. 428 Dorcas Street. http://www.sandune-inn-manzanita.com. 888-368-5163.
In the morning, we devoured a combination of leftover Guido’s and Fultano’s, and slowly headed north toward home. We stop at a castle-like bed & breakfast called the Arch Cape House and look around, completely amazed. Antiques fill these rooms, and the place looks like something between a castle and a ski lodge. We make a promise to the owners to come back and stay here next time. East Ocean Rd. – S. of Cannon Beach. http://www.archcapehouse.com. 800-436-2848.