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Valentine's Day Retreat to an Oregon Beach.
This Valentine's Day we celebrated by driving to Salishan for a weekend retreat. Salishan at Gleneden Beach is wonderful resort and golf community on the Oregon coast long known as a place to relax, reflect and enjoy what the best of the Northwest Pacific Coast has to offer, a short 2-hour (100 mile) drive from Portland.
It was another "road trip" with our friends Russ and Moe (see visiting Saint Joseph, OR for our former trip details). I was relieved to see Russ pull up to our driveway in his Ford Expedition (the large vehicle!) as Rob and I stood at curbside with what must have looked like to our neighbors the "Beverly Hillbillies" hitching a ride. Geeze, we were going for two nights to a fully equipped, luxuriously appointed two bedroom unoccupied beach home of mutual friends, but we had filled the Expedition with suitcases, duffels, coolers, bags, computers and whatnot. We were prepared!!! With the Oregon coast you never know about the weather so several seasonal changes of clothes were packed. We laughed at ourselves saying if we buy something one of us will have to get strapped to the roof on the way back for the lack of room left in the vehicle.
Our mission this weekend was the best of the Northwest - which of course included Oregon seafood and wine. Being in the heart of the Oregon fishing industry, it's easy to pick up fresh seafood locally and inexpensively - well usually. We kidded Moe about her favorite fishmonger being closed for the weekend but all was not lost as after two trips through Lincoln City (3 miles north of Salishan) we found for our supper-fresh, sweet Dungeness Crab and smoked salmon, which we paired with the wines, cheeses and artichokes we brought and Cream Brulée I made - I'd say we couldn't have done much better.
Saturday we ate a hardy breakfast and headed out to the beach for a long walk on Gleneden Beach situated on the inlet of the Siletz River and Bay. Known as the Salishan Spit this four-mile beach with its soft sandy shoreline, crumbling sandstone bluffs and rolling surf is perfect spot to watch Seal lions (it's hard to say whose watching who). Weather was perfect for mid-winter beach walking although the skies were overcast, the rain held off and the warm winds were to our backs. The river outlets into the ocean and you can walk along the riverside and watch the fisherman and seals fighting it out for the fresh salmon going up stream. We witnessed a small tidal surge (in inches) that gave us pause and our thoughts and prayers went out to the victims of December 26, 2004.
Later that morning we drove south along Highway 101 to Newport, a well establish fishing community located on the central Oregon coast. We lunched at Shirley's on "D" Bay located at wharf - Shirley's usually there and she proclaims "darn good food" and she's right! We strolled along SW Bay Boulevard and took in the array of shops, art galleries, and restaurants mingled in-between the commercial fish businesses. However, what held our fascination with noses to window glass was the making of salt-water taffy. Literally like kids in a candy store we watched mesmerized the 1940ish taffy puller and wrapper machine. Candymaker, Robbie Hoefs is a wonder to watch: simultaneously he readied a boiling copper cauldron of corn syrup, sugar and water, attended the often mind-of-its own taffy puller, one-handedly empted the overflowing bins of just wrapped taffy and spread and cooled the next ready batch of taffy. At one point while all was going on he stopped long enough to beckon Moe in for a generous double handful of still warm taffy to pass out to all us on-lookers. (Randy you need a bigger window!). Every seaside resort seems to boast the "best" taffy - but you've never had taffy as good as this! Randy calls it "Old World Style" taffy that melts in your mouth, (not stick to your fillings). He offers 40+ flavors, all made with egg white base instead of coconut oil (which makes taffy gooey and sticky). It's just yummy!! A must stop for any candy lover. While in Newport be sure to drop in and watch Randy at his Newport Candy Shoppe, 440 SW Bay Blvd., Newport, OR or give Randy a call at (541) 867-4580 and order a batch of "Old World Style" Taffy. He's a delightful, dedicated young man who truly loves his craft. Oh and his hand-made chocolates are to die for!Later that night we dined at the Sidedoor Café, minutes away from Salishan on Gleneden Beach loop. The delightful eclectic décor and intimate dinning setting made this a perfect spot for our Valentine dinner. Later that evening, cozy at our beach retreat and snug in front of the fire - we regaled in Russ's account of his boyhood memories growing up in upstate New York and working at his grandfather's dairy farm during his summer breaks. What a delightful weekend away - while we only were gone a couple of days it seemed like it was more - it must be all those ocean negative ions that rejuvenated us.
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Cheers,
Annette
President & Co-founder