Lisa Wells

We woke up early in the morning and headed straight to the beach, because I was determined to see the Tufted Puffins that nest on Haystack Rock from April to August. You can’t get close to the puffins, but we definitely saw several flying around, and with binoculars and my telephoto camera lens, we could see them land on Haystack Rock. I checked the tide forecast for that day in Cannon Beach to see when low tide would occur so we could access the tide pools. Haystack Rock is a National Wildlife Refuge and a designated Marine Garden, so the tide pools and the area around Haystack Rock is protected due to the fragile marine life.

I knew it was still early in the season for the blue whales to be off the coast of Long Beach, but they had seen one a week earlier on one of the whale watching trips, so I was hopeful, but not optimistic. One thing I really liked about the whale watching boat at Harbor Breeze Cruises was the stadium seating. There was an inside area on the lower deck of the boat with a lot of seating for those that preferred to sit inside, or who got too chilly while on the water. Excitement instantly made it’s way around the boat while people went to the rails and stood to spot the whale.

The lighthouse, as well as the Queen Mary in the distance, and Shoreline Village made for a spectacular light show each night. Near Gladstones there was also Q Smokehouse (a BBQ joint), Tokyo Wako (A Japanese Teppan style restaurant), P. F. Chang’s (Chinese food), Outback Steakhouse, Chili’s, Hooters, and Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. If you take a short walk to Shoreline Village, you can dine at Yard House, Tequila Jack’s (Mexican food), Shenanigans Irish Pub and Grille, Louisiana Charlie’s (Cajun and Creole dishes), Parkers’ Lighthouse, or Queensview Steakhouse. A short walk down the boardwalk takes you to the aquarium, where you can watch many species of sea creatures including sting rays, sharks, fish, seals, jellyfish, and even an octopus!

The next morning we walked by the aquarium and there was busload after busload after busload of school children being unloaded for field trips to the aquarium, so the nighttime hours were definitely the way to go! The Lorikeet Forest is also located outside where visitors can feed the colorful birds, as well as the Marine Life Theater, where the live puppet show, Pacific Pals, takes to the stage in a 20 minute fun show for all ages. The sea otter exhibit also features four of those cute cuddly marine mammals! The Ocean Theatre features 3D movies for free at the aquarium, located just beyond the entrance to the aquarium, and you can stop at Cafe Scuba to grab a bite to eat while overlooking the seals and sea lions!