photography

Alysha Spencer

Spencer Family Adventures | Oregon + California Pt 3

Part Two was all about Seaside, Oregon! Part 3 is all about Newport.

Our must see’s in/around Newport were:

• Devil’s Punchbowl

• Aquarium

• Yaquina Bay Lighthouse

September 22nd

The next morning it was time to pack up and head to Newport! It was raining so the kids lounged inside and watched a movie while we packed up! We made a quick breakfast and then hit the road to start our next adventure.

FUN FACT: Tassimo is a canadian thing!! Brian convinced me (against my better judgement lol) to bring the Tassimo vs the Keurig and guess what… we couldn’t buy Tassimo pods, ANYWHERE!! I realized this while standing in the grocery aisle at Fred Meyer and had to make a quick decision on what to do (we needed coffee lol). Since we loved the convenience of our Keurig, we decided to purchase a Hamilton Beach Flexbrew coffee maker. Not only does it work with the K-cups but you can also use your own ground coffee for single cups as well (If you have been in the studio lately you may have used it for your coffee or hot chocolate lol)

After driving for a bit, we stopped in this cute little town (I wish I remembered the name) for a quick bathroom break and to make some lunch. The biggest perk to travelling with your RV is being able to pull over at any point to make some eats or stop for a bathroom break (if you have kids you know how essential this is) lol.

Brooklyn was sleeping, so Brian stayed with her while Nixon and I went for a walk to check out the beach. It was still pretty gloomy here but it was nice to stretch our legs and take some pictures.

Thankfully the weather was getting better and better the further south we went. I had completely underestimated how beautiful the drive from Seaside to Newport was going to be! The black rock, endless beaches and ocean views reminded me of Hawaii, it was hard to believe all of this was just a few hours from home (ok a bit more than a few hours but close enough to be able to enjoy again lol) We made sure to pull over at some of the lookouts to stretch our legs, enjoy the views and take some pictures!

We stopped at Devil’s punchbowl to play at the beach. The weather warmed up significantly and we quickly realized we were to say the least, overdressed! haha. It was a bit of a hike down to the beach, especially with the stroller, the kids and all their toys in tow haha, but everyone had fun adventuring around the beach. Once we figured out how to actually get into the Devil’s punchbowl, we realized we wouldn’t be able to make the trek in, you definitely need good shoes and to be without small kids to climb in. Brookie fell face first into the water while running on the beach, then decided to roll around in the sand, it was a real treat lol. I quickly remembered how much I disliked the combination of wet kids and sand haha. After playing for what felt like hours we made the hike back up to the truck to change Brookie. We decided to walk to the top lookout area to see if we could get a better view of Devils Punchbowl. We definitely got some breathtaking views from up top and it was so cool to see the water come in and slosh around in the punch bowl. There was the cutest little winery that I am still kicking myself for not going in too! So if you find yourself there, check out the winery and report back on how it is 😉

Finally, after a full day of adventuring and many, many stops, we made it to Newport! Once we set up camp it was laundry time (thanks to miss Brooklyn) so was a good excuse to sit back, relax, have some drinks and do some editing while I waited in between loads!

Day 4 – September 23

The next day we planned a day at the Aquarium, the kids had a blast! They loved watching the sea lions swim and even got to touch some of the sea creatures at one of the open water exhibits. After the aquarium, we stopped for lunch at a delicious little seafood spot, The South Beach Fish Market, it was jam-packed so we knew it was going to be good. It did not disappoint!! After lunch, we took our sweet time getting back to the campsite, we hit the beach, strolled through Yaquina Bay to check out the lighthouse and then once we arrived back at the campsite, we played a round of family mini golf as it got dark, before calling it a night.

Next up, our drive to Santa Cruz, California and all the fun stops along the way!

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