Escaping the 100+ Heat To the Beach

Once more we were faced with the dilemma of what to do to entertain an out-of-state visitor when its too HOT to do much of anything?

Leave– obviously! A couple of days ago we went to Ape Cave which was awesome and totally worth it, and today we did the tried and true “escape to the coast” thing that many people in the hotter valleys do when temps hit 95 or above.

There was a line driving to Astoria all the way there– and a line driving back as well. Still not as bad as Hwy 18 or 26 in Oregon on such days though. We took Ben to Astoria for the first time, and walked around the Sunday market and various shops downtown. I found a book I wanted and an August to August calendar! I’ve missed those and they’re SO handy! We even visited an arcade with vintage games from when I was growing up which was a trip!

Then we headed for Fort Stevens State Park. Miles and miles of beach and pedestrian/bike paths winding around a coastal forest. Really pretty and very comfortable. It was in the mid 70s there and windy, and so much better for physical exertion. We saw lots of kite flyers by the shipwreck on the beach, and even a couple of hang-gliders who were seated and going up and down along the slope to the bluffs above the beach. Looked like lots of fun, actually.

When we got back, I made chicken salad and garlic bread for dinner, and then we played another card game. This was followed by hours of horror video games. Ben was so funny on those- he’s used to playing them alone and so he was just shrugging while the rest of us were screaming and hiding our eyes! Too funny!

I am exhausted though, and must go to bed early tonight. Its been a busy few days with lots of travel and activity and I need my rest!