Saturday, August 6, 2016

The Florence Out of Italy

The time I most realize we’re on vacation is when our bodies wake up at nine in the morning without any need or purpose to rise out of bed.

I enjoy that feeling thoroughly. If I hadn’t become a cumbersome obstacle for people to get their breakfast, I could have lied in bed just a bit longer. That was a good reminder, however, that life could by so quickly without you ever realizing you need to get up and do something about it.

We weren’t entirely sure of what plans were in front of us, but two things were on our mind: Florence, Oregon, and visiting a lighthouse.

Our lazy start got us ready to leave around eleven. Still, there was much of the day to come.

My eyes returned to the pages of The Scorch Trials, still succumb to the overarching story that keeps on giving. I kept glued to the book before me, not allowing much to get in my way except for an occasional comment or glance toward the scenery.

However, I looked up from the pages momentarily to find myself starved for a meal. As if on cue, dad rolled up to the tiny town of Reedsport, Oregon. It housed a quaint yet packed restaurant, which offered up more of its charm by calling itself Harbor Light.

The family stopped for a meal at The Harbor Light Restaurant
in the small town of Reedsport, Oregon.
There, I had the best clam chowder on the West Coast that I have ever tasted! The only thing I think it is still in competition with is among those cities and towns of the East Coast we have traveled to. Boston and New Jersey are homes to delicious chowder, but, now I know that the Oregon Coast is as well!

I kept this restaurant in mind as a place to journey to again in the future, whether it be with my family or someone new.

Our family kept down the trail with a mission in mind to explore one of the many lighthouses along the coast. After a bit further of a drive, the Heceta Head Lighthouse became our first official stop of the day.

A small, half mile hike led us to the top of a cliff that held the lighthouse. The chilly breeze offered a bit of a challenge, but the view beat it all.

Once or twice, we paused on our way up to look out at the scenery below us. The beach showed itself to us in a beautiful way. I watched the waves turn to white before my eyes, exploring every crevice of the waters and surveying its depths.

When we made it to the top, a park ranger offered a tour of the lighthouse. Kyle, Sam, and my dad took to it while my mom and stayed behind, leaving us outside instead.

While it would’ve been enjoyable, I knew I’d find my pleasure the same place my mother found hers. My eyes drew toward the scenery as more waters lied before me. Deep waters surrounded what looked to be a giant rock, splashing into it every so now and then and making a perfect wave of overpowering whiteness. Not much can beat this view.

About twenty minutes of this view was etched into my mind, hoping to never separate. I was sure to catch plenty of pictures and a hyper lapse video the keep the memory.

A view of the water and the greenery captured my attention
as we headed up to the Heceta Head Lighthouse.
I also noticed a cold, young pup and my heart reached out to her. I snuggled Lacey against my chest. When it was time to go back, I ran my way down with her to get her feet moving again. Soon, I noticed, she had that usual jaunt in her step which went warmness had kicked back in.

Next, the family ventured to a sea lion cave. My mom waited back for us in the truck with Lacey while the remainder examined the sights. It was another nice location and an enjoyable view, but, very quickly, the freezing air hit me hard and I remembered that I had a leather jacket back home waiting for me. Before the rest of them, I made my way back up to the truck.

Not too long after, though, the rest followed behind. And our next journey was to find a coffee shop.
Florence housed a small café that caught our attention. As usual, I ordered myself a white mocha, which always pleases my taste buds. The whole family got coffee to warm us right back up.
I took Lacey outside the taffy shop while I enjoyed my coffee, mom and dad both perusing around their selection. They came bag out with a random assortment of taffy I began to pick out. I quickly discovered banana is a favorite.

Our exploration of Florence continued, as we walked into a few random shops. While Sam and Kyle explored an overpriced shoe store, my mom and I looked around a t-shirt shop. While at the register, I convened with the cashier who also sang the words to Mr. Brightside by the Killers.

Noting her taste in music was similar to mind, my mother and I had a brief conversation with her. It excited the musician in me to talk about our taste in artists. Green Day, My Chemical Romance, and, my two favorites, Twenty One Pilots and Paramore were mentioned. Needless to say, I ended up liking that girl.

Once we all convened again, we passed a variety of restaurants before we hit an antique shop. Sam and I agreed that this was a noteworthy place to pick out for future items. While I wouldn’t have a good place for their furnishings now, it was a great place to remember for potential decorations.

Right next to it lie a small bookstore. As soon as I entered, I saw what I was looking for: the next book to the Maze Runner series. I picked that and the next one up as well, with the realization that I’ll most likely finish The Scorch Trials soon. (My track record for finishing books is three days.)

The further I went into the bookstore, though, the more I wanted to purchase. I had to stop before I went broke, so my mother and I got what we wanted and headed toward the pizza restaurant we walked by. Kyle and Sam stayed behind.

The lingering smell of pizza wafted in the air, leading us to Rest-o-bar. For someone who isn’t hung up on pizza that much, it was a delicious meal! Service turned out to be just as friendly, as we had a jokester of a waiter that left behind a humorous picture for us.

After our dinner, home is where we arrived, tired from an extremely eventful day that I’d love to live through again sometime in the future.


No comments:

Post a Comment