Cape Lookout State Park
Feb. 24th, 2026 02:59 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
serafaeryThe trip to the coast with Josh and Tyler was indeed restorative and I actually feel good now, not just meh. Holding onto it for as long as I can.
I ran on the sand! I looooooooove running on the beach, and sand is so soft on my feet. I often run best when it rains, and it did. The coast is milder weather than in the valley, so it was warm enough that being wet was not a problem, and although it was stormy all night, there was no wind in the morning when I went for my run.
This was my first time running in at least a year and a half. I tried once, not last summer but the summer before, after several months off, and it wrecked my foot.
Right now, my foot feels okay? We'll see if it lasts. I'm trying not to get my hopes up too much and suddenly start running around on trails like everything is fine. I know I need new shoes and I know I need to ease back into it. But still. But still. I hope I hope I can pick it back up. omg. It would be such a game changer.
I'm feeling more determined to heal enough to get my foot back into an ice skate, as well.
We shall seeeeeeeee.
Saturday I crashed pretty hard after silks, skipped pizza night with Cynthia and friends, which turned out to be a good call - Josh had a good time but reported that everyone was in their cups and quite raucous - not something I was up for in my state that night, at all. He doesn't drink either but he never has, and just thinks it's kinda funny when people are drunk. (He never liked it when I drank, though.) I get really bristly when I'm depressed and around people who are drinking, since going sober 3 years ago. omg it's over 3 years actually; my sobriety date is somewhere in late January. I'd have to look up the exact day but I think it's like the 23rd?
Anyway. I got up early Sunday to pack up for the cabin and set up Avalanche care instructions for her new cat sitters, and cooked us a bunch of food - Josh requested veggie burritos and I made us a big omelette to re-heat for breakfast (the cabin has a microwave and grill but no stove), I brought Bar Harbor clam chowder and bread and fruit and cheese and crackers and chocolate, coffee and tea, and fizzy drinks. Packed dishes as the cabin has none, also sheets, blankets, and pillows for both beds, a change of clothes, towels for the shower (there is hot running water which we do not get in the lookout towers, so it feels very luxurious to stay in these little cabins), trekking poles for the trail.
It was raining when we left, we picked up Tyler at a transit station between his place and the highway, Josh had bemoaned the weather but I scolded him, pointing out that winter on the Oregon coast is always rainy. But. There were little pockets of blue sky the entire drive. We stopped at a little cafe in Tillamook for lunch/snacks, and when we got to the park, the sun fully broke out of the clouds and it stopped raining. We checked in early and unloaded and rushed to get on the trail before the rain came back, and had the most blissful time in the forest with dappled sunshine and warmer air than back home.
The trail was so beautiful. We couldn't believe our luck with the sunshine, as the forecast called for steady rain the entire day. It was paradise. This is why I've never been to Hawaii - it's so beautiful here. You just have to try, and sometimes it works out and the weather lines up perfectly for you. I don't feel the need to further harm the earth burning extra fossil fuels to fly somewhere far away just for fun when there is so much beauty right here.
(I am flying to Vegas next week, but, a much shorter trip, for much needed actual sunshine, plus I never had kids so am less harmful to the earth in other ways. I do what is right for me.)
Josh cut his hike short because he was tired, but he made it to the really fun bouncy steel cabled wooden bridge in the middle, we had fun on that bridge. At the beginning of the trail we walked under a Sitka Spruce that spanned both sides with a gap in the middle of the tree, something I don't remember at all - I haven't been on this trail in 6 years and it was closed for a couple years after a storm, so I wonder if it got redirected or if we really just forgot - none of us remembered this tree. Photos below :) It was pretty magical.
I gave Josh one of my trekking poles because there was one particularly treacherous redirect by a small stream that I think was a bit extra slippery given the wintery conditions we were hiking in.
We saw one other person the whole time we were on trail (about 5 miles). She had two cocker spaniels with the wiggliest butts lol.
Got to the top right after it started raining, and Tyler and I got pretty drenched on the way back down. Tyler had a raincoat but I could not find mine before we started (I found it in the cabin later, whoops) so I just got drenched. It was not cold and I was in appropriate fabrics (synthetics and wool) and we kept moving so I felt fine, but have some funny drown-rat looking photos from the bottom of the trail lol.
I did not put on any makeup this entire trip. Felt kinda nice.
I was actually kind of hoping for a rainy hike because I knew it would make my clam chowder taste better when we got back to the cabin, and this was absolutely correct. I sat and held my warm bowl in my hands and cooed over the chowder and savored every bite. We shared clam chowder and veggie burritos, and the boys had chicken thighs and I sliced them up some cheese and apples and crackers while we played games after dinner.
Josh won Set and Bananagrams (I play more for style - see photo of my result), I think I won the cat donut memory game? And while he won the first round of the Charlie Harper memory game (I think? lol I can't remember who won memory, probably not me!) the second round we literally triple-tied, which we've never done before.
We had enough of a signal that Josh could watch his basketball game and Tyler could study and I could play on my phone and listen to music/audio books.
Dried wet shoes on the heaters. Heated cabin, so lux!
We gave Tyler the bunk beds and took the futon in the front room, because it has the ocean view. Fell asleep to the sound of the ocean and stormy rain outside. Sooooooooo cozy. It was really nice falling asleep all snuggled up with Josh.
Woke up to solid rain but less wind, and I grilled the boys some chicken apple sausage and toast to go with their omelettes and coffee/tea (boiled water in the microwave in a glass jar that I brought for this purpose) and berries. So indulgent. I went for my run, came back soaked from the rain and so happy, took a hot shower while the boys watched rock climbing, and we packed up and headed out.
I dropped the key in the little wooden box next to the wheelbarrow shed (they kindly provide wheelbarrows to get your gear from the car to the cabin on the little trails through the forest - as the cabins are nestled back in the trees away from the parking lot, with little trails running down to the ocean or up into the forest right outside the cabins, there are six of them and it's just such a magical little place), and then realized I left my bag and purse inside the cabin. I was bummed that we would have to find the camp host to get back in, but decided to try to fish it out first. Grabbed a fallen salal stick that seemed appropriately bent, and I was able to fish the key ring back out no problem. lol. It's really lucky that the key drop box is very old fashioned with a wide wooden slot for the key and a plastic viewing window, so I could see what I was doing and grab the ring with my fingers once I got it high enough. So funny. I was bouncing around all proud of myself.
And then when I got back to the cabin it wasn't even locked anyway, I had forgotten to lock it, haha. But it's still good I got the key so I could actually lock it before we left. omg. So funny. But I could have gotten my purse either way. Really glad we didn't bother the camp host over it. Haha. So funny.
Josh kindly drove home, I supplied him with kombucha and snacks and Tyler let me ride in the front seat, so nice of him. He said it was the nicest break he'd had in about six months? So sweet. He was on the beach looking for shells while I was running and Josh was chilling in the cabin, soaking up his downtime. Josh very rarely relaxes so I am in full support whenever he decides to be lazy, it happens like 3x per year. Often in woodland cabins.
He loved the ocean view when we woke up, and thanked me for choosing the futon to sleep on.
I need to remember how fun these cabins are and try to rent them more often, that was just so so lovely. They are only $100 a night and the location is just unbeatable. It's a 1.5 hr drive to get there, and so worth it.
...
I should try to get a little bit of work done tonight, but this entry seemed important. I ran! We hiked! We played games! We had beautiful food! And we got to just enjoy one another. What a delightful little respite. We would never even know these cabins existed if it weren't for Tyler, so I thanked him profusely for that.
You can't tell but past the trees behind Josh is the Pacific ocean :)
I ran on the sand! I looooooooove running on the beach, and sand is so soft on my feet. I often run best when it rains, and it did. The coast is milder weather than in the valley, so it was warm enough that being wet was not a problem, and although it was stormy all night, there was no wind in the morning when I went for my run.
This was my first time running in at least a year and a half. I tried once, not last summer but the summer before, after several months off, and it wrecked my foot.
Right now, my foot feels okay? We'll see if it lasts. I'm trying not to get my hopes up too much and suddenly start running around on trails like everything is fine. I know I need new shoes and I know I need to ease back into it. But still. But still. I hope I hope I can pick it back up. omg. It would be such a game changer.
I'm feeling more determined to heal enough to get my foot back into an ice skate, as well.
We shall seeeeeeeee.
Saturday I crashed pretty hard after silks, skipped pizza night with Cynthia and friends, which turned out to be a good call - Josh had a good time but reported that everyone was in their cups and quite raucous - not something I was up for in my state that night, at all. He doesn't drink either but he never has, and just thinks it's kinda funny when people are drunk. (He never liked it when I drank, though.) I get really bristly when I'm depressed and around people who are drinking, since going sober 3 years ago. omg it's over 3 years actually; my sobriety date is somewhere in late January. I'd have to look up the exact day but I think it's like the 23rd?
Anyway. I got up early Sunday to pack up for the cabin and set up Avalanche care instructions for her new cat sitters, and cooked us a bunch of food - Josh requested veggie burritos and I made us a big omelette to re-heat for breakfast (the cabin has a microwave and grill but no stove), I brought Bar Harbor clam chowder and bread and fruit and cheese and crackers and chocolate, coffee and tea, and fizzy drinks. Packed dishes as the cabin has none, also sheets, blankets, and pillows for both beds, a change of clothes, towels for the shower (there is hot running water which we do not get in the lookout towers, so it feels very luxurious to stay in these little cabins), trekking poles for the trail.
It was raining when we left, we picked up Tyler at a transit station between his place and the highway, Josh had bemoaned the weather but I scolded him, pointing out that winter on the Oregon coast is always rainy. But. There were little pockets of blue sky the entire drive. We stopped at a little cafe in Tillamook for lunch/snacks, and when we got to the park, the sun fully broke out of the clouds and it stopped raining. We checked in early and unloaded and rushed to get on the trail before the rain came back, and had the most blissful time in the forest with dappled sunshine and warmer air than back home.
The trail was so beautiful. We couldn't believe our luck with the sunshine, as the forecast called for steady rain the entire day. It was paradise. This is why I've never been to Hawaii - it's so beautiful here. You just have to try, and sometimes it works out and the weather lines up perfectly for you. I don't feel the need to further harm the earth burning extra fossil fuels to fly somewhere far away just for fun when there is so much beauty right here.
(I am flying to Vegas next week, but, a much shorter trip, for much needed actual sunshine, plus I never had kids so am less harmful to the earth in other ways. I do what is right for me.)
Josh cut his hike short because he was tired, but he made it to the really fun bouncy steel cabled wooden bridge in the middle, we had fun on that bridge. At the beginning of the trail we walked under a Sitka Spruce that spanned both sides with a gap in the middle of the tree, something I don't remember at all - I haven't been on this trail in 6 years and it was closed for a couple years after a storm, so I wonder if it got redirected or if we really just forgot - none of us remembered this tree. Photos below :) It was pretty magical.
I gave Josh one of my trekking poles because there was one particularly treacherous redirect by a small stream that I think was a bit extra slippery given the wintery conditions we were hiking in.
We saw one other person the whole time we were on trail (about 5 miles). She had two cocker spaniels with the wiggliest butts lol.
Got to the top right after it started raining, and Tyler and I got pretty drenched on the way back down. Tyler had a raincoat but I could not find mine before we started (I found it in the cabin later, whoops) so I just got drenched. It was not cold and I was in appropriate fabrics (synthetics and wool) and we kept moving so I felt fine, but have some funny drown-rat looking photos from the bottom of the trail lol.
I did not put on any makeup this entire trip. Felt kinda nice.
I was actually kind of hoping for a rainy hike because I knew it would make my clam chowder taste better when we got back to the cabin, and this was absolutely correct. I sat and held my warm bowl in my hands and cooed over the chowder and savored every bite. We shared clam chowder and veggie burritos, and the boys had chicken thighs and I sliced them up some cheese and apples and crackers while we played games after dinner.
Josh won Set and Bananagrams (I play more for style - see photo of my result), I think I won the cat donut memory game? And while he won the first round of the Charlie Harper memory game (I think? lol I can't remember who won memory, probably not me!) the second round we literally triple-tied, which we've never done before.
We had enough of a signal that Josh could watch his basketball game and Tyler could study and I could play on my phone and listen to music/audio books.
Dried wet shoes on the heaters. Heated cabin, so lux!
We gave Tyler the bunk beds and took the futon in the front room, because it has the ocean view. Fell asleep to the sound of the ocean and stormy rain outside. Sooooooooo cozy. It was really nice falling asleep all snuggled up with Josh.
Woke up to solid rain but less wind, and I grilled the boys some chicken apple sausage and toast to go with their omelettes and coffee/tea (boiled water in the microwave in a glass jar that I brought for this purpose) and berries. So indulgent. I went for my run, came back soaked from the rain and so happy, took a hot shower while the boys watched rock climbing, and we packed up and headed out.
I dropped the key in the little wooden box next to the wheelbarrow shed (they kindly provide wheelbarrows to get your gear from the car to the cabin on the little trails through the forest - as the cabins are nestled back in the trees away from the parking lot, with little trails running down to the ocean or up into the forest right outside the cabins, there are six of them and it's just such a magical little place), and then realized I left my bag and purse inside the cabin. I was bummed that we would have to find the camp host to get back in, but decided to try to fish it out first. Grabbed a fallen salal stick that seemed appropriately bent, and I was able to fish the key ring back out no problem. lol. It's really lucky that the key drop box is very old fashioned with a wide wooden slot for the key and a plastic viewing window, so I could see what I was doing and grab the ring with my fingers once I got it high enough. So funny. I was bouncing around all proud of myself.
And then when I got back to the cabin it wasn't even locked anyway, I had forgotten to lock it, haha. But it's still good I got the key so I could actually lock it before we left. omg. So funny. But I could have gotten my purse either way. Really glad we didn't bother the camp host over it. Haha. So funny.
Josh kindly drove home, I supplied him with kombucha and snacks and Tyler let me ride in the front seat, so nice of him. He said it was the nicest break he'd had in about six months? So sweet. He was on the beach looking for shells while I was running and Josh was chilling in the cabin, soaking up his downtime. Josh very rarely relaxes so I am in full support whenever he decides to be lazy, it happens like 3x per year. Often in woodland cabins.
He loved the ocean view when we woke up, and thanked me for choosing the futon to sleep on.
I need to remember how fun these cabins are and try to rent them more often, that was just so so lovely. They are only $100 a night and the location is just unbeatable. It's a 1.5 hr drive to get there, and so worth it.
...
I should try to get a little bit of work done tonight, but this entry seemed important. I ran! We hiked! We played games! We had beautiful food! And we got to just enjoy one another. What a delightful little respite. We would never even know these cabins existed if it weren't for Tyler, so I thanked him profusely for that.
You can't tell but past the trees behind Josh is the Pacific ocean :)
