Neskowin July 2011

Alison’s family has a rich tradition of gathering at a funky resort at the little town of Neskowin Oregon the last weekend of July. I’ve been there maybe 5 times already.

Most of the old vanguard has passed, Alison’s Aunt, Annie Lousy, as she is called is the last one, frail enough to require a full time care person to come to the “beach” with her.

Friday night is Mexican night for the Allen section of the family and Saturday evening is a big potluck and group pictures of everyone. Sunday morning is a drawn out affair of lengthy goodbyes and standing around the parking lot.

BUT the rest of the weekend, the daylight hours, are spent on the beach – except of course Saturday morning, early. A group goes golfing and the others who aren’t sleeping in, meet in the parking lot in preparation for a hike/run up Cascade Head.

Cascade Head isn’t a long hike, it’s just up. Stair stepping through a Sitka Spruce forest and on to long switchbacks through hilly meadows only to arrive breathlessly at the top to a grand view south along the Oregon coast way down below.

Only this year was a bit different. Great views of the ocean and the beaches to the south as we left the forest but the top was socked in, windy and a bit too cold for me in my T-shirt and running shorts. We stayed long enough for a group picture but we high tailed it out of there as fast as the slope and rocky trail would let us.

The main event of course was the beach and the surf.