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Adjusting to life on the coast
By Rachel Finney, Outdoors Editor
Thursday, November 05, 2009 | No comments posted.
Approaching my third month of living in Coos Bay, I find the natural beauty makes it simple to adjust to Northwest living after 22 years in the Midwest. Maybe the southern Oregon coast still is shiny and new, but I intend to enjoy everything this area has to offer.
My husband and I were born and raised in Ohio. Now that we live in Coos Bay, we often find ourselves at the beach, which no longer commands a full day of driving, hotels or much planning to visit. This generally is an improvement from when we found ourselves sitting for hours watching television in our pajamas, which happened far more often than I care to admit.
Back in central Ohio, we had the same discussion of what to do every weekend, and every weekend we ended up watching college football or basketball and all of the NFL games shown on TV. Much to the dismay of our arteries, we often just ordered pizza and sunk into the couch cushions for the latest marathon of televised sports.
What else could we do? Walk around Walmart?
Our move to Coos Bay is dramatically changing our weekend plans, with beaches to visit and hiking trails to conquer. I’ve explored Sunset Bay, Shore Acres and Cape Arago, and enjoyed a relaxing walk on the beach at Cape Blanco.
I’ve seen sea lions not encased in glass at the zoo, and elk that put Ohio’s deer to shame. Tidepools hold sea creatures I’ve only previously seen in aquariums, and I certainly couldn’t buy fresh seafood straight from fishing docks.
The closest body of water was a YMCA pool five minutes from my house, and trust me, the view wasn’t as nice as the jagged coastline to which you’re accustomed.
I can’t wait to drive up and down the coast. Visiting Crater Lake has been added to my to-do list. I want to go deep-sea fishing, despite how many times my husband got sick on his first fishing boat. I’m still compiling adventures, and hoping I can get to them all.
Tourists may annoy residents who have lived here their whole lives, but frankly, I would be proud that vacationers want to clock some time in my hometown, seeing as my hometown of Newark, Ohio, is famous for a large office building shaped like a basket thanks to the nearby Longaberger basket company. It’s true — look it up and have a good laugh.
Since I’ve seen more coastline, crashing waves and thick evergreen forests than oversized baskets, I’m going to say this was an upgrade.
My husband and I were born and raised in Ohio. Now that we live in Coos Bay, we often find ourselves at the beach, which no longer commands a full day of driving, hotels or much planning to visit. This generally is an improvement from when we found ourselves sitting for hours watching television in our pajamas, which happened far more often than I care to admit.
Back in central Ohio, we had the same discussion of what to do every weekend, and every weekend we ended up watching college football or basketball and all of the NFL games shown on TV. Much to the dismay of our arteries, we often just ordered pizza and sunk into the couch cushions for the latest marathon of televised sports.
What else could we do? Walk around Walmart?
Our move to Coos Bay is dramatically changing our weekend plans, with beaches to visit and hiking trails to conquer. I’ve explored Sunset Bay, Shore Acres and Cape Arago, and enjoyed a relaxing walk on the beach at Cape Blanco.
I’ve seen sea lions not encased in glass at the zoo, and elk that put Ohio’s deer to shame. Tidepools hold sea creatures I’ve only previously seen in aquariums, and I certainly couldn’t buy fresh seafood straight from fishing docks.
The closest body of water was a YMCA pool five minutes from my house, and trust me, the view wasn’t as nice as the jagged coastline to which you’re accustomed.
I can’t wait to drive up and down the coast. Visiting Crater Lake has been added to my to-do list. I want to go deep-sea fishing, despite how many times my husband got sick on his first fishing boat. I’m still compiling adventures, and hoping I can get to them all.
Tourists may annoy residents who have lived here their whole lives, but frankly, I would be proud that vacationers want to clock some time in my hometown, seeing as my hometown of Newark, Ohio, is famous for a large office building shaped like a basket thanks to the nearby Longaberger basket company. It’s true — look it up and have a good laugh.
Since I’ve seen more coastline, crashing waves and thick evergreen forests than oversized baskets, I’m going to say this was an upgrade.
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