Weekend at the Coast

I've only been to a handful of places on the Oregon Coast so far but every one seems to be more beautiful than the next. This past weekend some friends invited us last moment to go to their beach house in Pacific City. Camden and their little guy play really well together and we thought it would be fun to let them play in the sand for a bit while we had a few drinks at the beach. (we laft at such a last minute that we forgot the camera so all of these pics are from my phone)

Camden loves to explore the tidal pools and see all the little inhabitants

Saturday was a great, sunny and warm day to play on the beach
And, of course we had to throw a stick in the water!

Mussels anyone?

Sunday was a bit overcast and cold so we headed back early so the boys could get a day of exploring OMSI (children's museum/learning center) in Portland. After a few hours of playing there we headed toward home in the Columbia Gorge and decided to stop at Multnomah Falls for a short hike and some dinner. This is one of the biggest tourist attractions in the state and we usually choose some other hikes in the area but on a Sunday evening the crowds have gone and their is a decent but expensive restaurant right there. These falls are the second highest year-round waterfall in the country and plummet over 600 ft. It really is a breathtaking place with the old concrete bridge. The trail is paved and attracts thousands of visitors all year but what most people don't realize is that it is only one of about 77 year round falls on the Oregon side of the Gorge and although none are as tall, some are even more scenic and definitely less touristy.
Camden ran the 1/4 mile uphill hike to the bridge and then sprinted back down - this after a full day!!! I wish I could bottle his energy

He has been swimming a bunch lately - with me and through his school. I finally got him goggles because he opens his eyes under water and the chlorine has been bothering him. He loves them and wore them all the way to the coast - including while he napped!

He likes to use his goggles so he and I can sit on the bottom of the 4 ft pool and wave to each other or he'll sink his toys and we dive down together to get them. Everyone around can't believe what they are seeing with this little guy diving to the bottom of the pool and holding his breath for what feels like an eternity to a protective dad!!