Dog Friendly Beach Getaway to Lincoln City Oregon

I was so excited. We packed for the beach and my things were included. My dog food, supplements, bone, leash and rain coat. It was all there. We were going to Lincoln City to hunt for Glass Floats. I'm sure I wouldn't be the only one hunting but I figured I'd have the best nose for it!

Finders Keepers Glass Floats

What I found out was, the Lincoln City Convention and Visitors Bureau hides beautiful glass floats on beaches from mid-October through Memorial Day. And dogs like me can hunt them. And if we find one we get to keep it! I was told you had to hunt between the tide line and the grassy embankments on the beaches at Lincoln City.

But I had my hunting territory all planned out. I was headed for one of my favorite places - Siletz Bay.

Dog Friendly Looking Glass Inn

Now I've been to this wonderful beach before and I've luxuriated at The Looking Glass Inn, but this time I had a real mission. I was determined to find that float.

My home away from home at the Beach!

Last time I was at The Looking Glass Inn, it wasn't near Christmas. But this year we went in December and I got to see the decorations and look under their Christmas tree for something really nice.

We arrived at the inn and I knew where I wanted to go... directly to the office! You see, I had great memories of the nice people at the reception desk who were just waiting to give me a treat, a linens basket and a nice cushy bed.

I think of the pet-friendly service at The Looking Glass Inn as concierge-level service. The dogs come before the people. But the time my owner could even sign in, I had my treat and was headed to check things out under their tree. After all, the Christmas tree had unwrapped dog toys and treats just waiting for an assertive little Coonhound like me! It didn't matter that the tree was really for dogs who were there for Christmas. I was determined to make a fool of myself.

I made a beeline for the tree. This tree was a dog's dream... treats, toys and more.

Since they were so nice, they offered me a toy if I would back off from the tree. I selected a beautiful hot pink squeaky toy. 

They gave me this hot pink toy!

Finally, after I caused all the commotion, my owner signed in and we got our dog linen basket and big round cushy dog bed. And, of course, they were hoping I would leave quietly so they gave me yet another treat. 

Should I be offended that they said I'd do anything for a treat?

Once we were in the room, my owner put the round bed down and I checked it out. 

Dog friendly luxury!

We looked in the basket and guess what was there? There was a laminated page of dog rules (which I promptly ignored,) sheets to cover the human bed in case I wanted to sleep there, towels, dog poop bags, dog bowls and... you guessed it... MORE TREATS! 

The basket!

We settled in and unpacked. I took a brief nap since there wasn't much for me to do.

To The Beach

After I rested up for a bit I checked out the Finders Keepers website and learned that the floats I would be hunting were handcrafted glass floats made by local artisans. Float Fairies drop 3,000 of them on the beach. You never know where or when. But with my hound nose, I was certain I would find one. 

We headed over to the beach. It's practically right outside our door at the inn. I sniffed around the picnic area, up on the wall and then headed for the driftwood. I was certain I'd find one wedged in between the logs. I also looked in the grass.

No floats here!

Well, our afternoon wasn't too successful. I sniffed the air and smelled some seals over on the sandy bank across the river. I remembered those guys from one of my previous trips.  I heard that aside from the Sea Lion Caves near Florence or the Bayfront in Newport, it's the closest you can get to to them. Last time they were swimming in the bay, bobbing up and down, and giving me the eye. This time they kept to themselves across the bay and made a lot of noise.

The seals were WAY over there and didn't mess with me.

By 4:30 it was time for sunset. Sunset comes mighty early in the winter in Oregon. But I don't mind because I was looking forward to dinner in my luxury room and a nice snooze on my cushy bed.

My owner went out to dinner at the nearby Inn at Spanish Head and enjoyed some salmon and forgot to bring me any. We Coonhounds don't forget these things!

You Gotta Get Up Early to Catch the Floats

It was pretty early, maybe about 5 a.m. and I thought I heard the Float Fairies outside. I got up and woke my owner up. She wasn't too pleased but got dressed and took me out. The first thing I heard was some hissing and screeching. I nearly took off chasing those feral cats but my owner held me back and told me to quit baying. I guess it wasn't the Float Fairies after all.

We went back to the room until it began to get light out. It was almost light enough to see the glass floats on the beach. So I had breakfast and went out again. It was beautiful. The tide was rushing into the bay and we could see the waves breaking in the distance. It was peaceful as the pink sunrise came over the mountain. The sliver of a moon was still in the dark sky as dawn broke.

Dawn on Siletz Bay

We enjoyed a nice long walk. In about a half hour there were other people out there with dogs. I kind of wanted to get off my leash and play with them. But I also kinda wanted to search for glass floats. I looked under logs. I looked in the bushes and I looked in the grass. Drat! I couldn't find them.

I looked everywhere!

We needed to warm up so went back to the room and planning some visits for the morning. We wanted to see one place where they actually do the glass blowing and sell art glass. So we headed down the road to the Jennifer Sears Art Glass Studio. I wasn't sure if they were dog friendly or not so stayed in the car and looked at the fancy blown glass balls in the window. They were pretty but I wanted to find my own on the beach.

I saw these beautiful glass orbs in the window of the Jennifer Sears Art Glass Studio. Wow!

Finders Keepers

I was getting mighty tired of sightseeing so was happy when we went back to the inn and headed for the beach. I went down to the water and found some agates. 

I stayed away from the waves and found agates on the beach.

At that point I walked up toward the pathway and spied something orange. I thought it might be a kid's ball or something. But when I got closer and pawed away the sand, I saw that it was shiny. IT WAS A GLASS FLOAT!

Aroo! Aroo! I found one!

I actually found a glass float. It had a seal with a year and number on it. I was one happy Coonhound. I brushed off the sand and put it up on the big log so my owner could take a picture. It was a glorious orange float and I, Cinnamon, was the owner!

Finders Keepers! Isn't it beautiful!

Leaving the Beach

I slept well that night on my big round cushy bed. We decided that since we achieved our mission, to find a Glass Float, that we'd leave as soon as it was light. We took one last walk on the beach at dawn and this time I enjoyed the waves and water. I was finished looking for floats. I had mine tucked away in my food bag, ready to take home.

We packed the car. My only regret was that the Looking Glass Inn office wasn't open when I left. I thought I could beg for one last treat from the nice people there. Fortunately I still had some left in the treat bag. I was so happy with myself I even decided to share some with Francesca when I got back.

If you want to visit Lincoln City, check out the Visitors Bureau Website. There's plenty of things to do there and they are very dog friendly.

Love, Cinnamon

 

Note: As is common in the travel industry, Cinnamon was provided with accommodations and treats for the purpose of review. While it has not influenced this review, the writer believes in full disclosure of all potential conflicts of interest.

Also, there are some affiliate links in my story but you can easily figure out which ones those are!

Wordless Wednesday: Cinnamon by the Sea

I love the ocean and the beach. Here I am in Yachats, Oregon
However, it's stormy today so I'm not there!

The Beach is for Relaxing!

Yes, I was so excited when I got to the beach I got up before dawn the first morning to go glass float hunting. Yes, I was all wound up.

But once I got to explore and sniff every inch of the beach and go for many walks during the day, I began to relax. All I wanted to do was rest on my cushy round bed at the nice Inn. I loved it when we left the door open and the sun streamed through the glass storm door. I stretched out in the sun to rest up after the long walks.

The last morning of our stay I was sound asleep when my owner decided it was time to go out onto the beach. After all, she said, it was light outside. I opened one eye and looked at the clock. It was 7 a.m. 7 a.m. in beach time is still early. I tried to go back to sleep.

It's TOO EARLY!

She proceeded to put on her coat. I knew I had to make a decision. Sleep more or go for a beach walk and hunt agates. It took me awhile, but I finally got up and stretched.

We headed out the door into the cool, dampness. I smelled the ocean and perked up. It was my last day at the beach and I was going to take a long walk and see what had washed up overnight. You never know!

It's morning on the beach. This guy is already out
hunting agates.

So our last day ended just the same as our first day began.... with a walk on the beach. I always say... "A Walk on the Beach Puts Life in Perspective."

And at the beach, life is always good.

Agate Hunting Tops Glass Float Hunting in Lincoln City

This is how you hunt for glass floats. You check out all the driftwood.

I was so excited about looking for blown glass floats that I got up at 6 a.m. this morning. That's before dawn! The moon was out lighting our way to the beach. I started looking around for blown glass orbs but had a little trouble seeing.

After all, it was still dark. So I gave up and went back to bed. Of course I enjoy my cushy round bed at the Looking Glass Inn so it wasn't hard to persuade me to go back to the room.

So after my owner showered and we had breakfast, we decided to try again. By now it was bright and sunny out. People were out in their shirt sleeves (this is January on the Oregon Coast mind you!).

We started looking under drift wood logs. We started looking in the dunes and grass. But we didn't find anything... well, quickly, anyway.

But in the distance we saw people all hunched over looking at something at the water's edge. When we got down to where the people were looking we asked them what was going on. Come to find out the tide was going out and they were finding AGATES. Now that sounded like something to hunt. So I bagged the glass float hunt and decided to be an agate hunter! It was fun. I had to dodge the waves to make sure we found the wettest stones, but I FOUND AGATES!

This is how you hunt for agates.... in wet sand.

I decided at that point that I'd be an agate hunting dog. We ended up with a cup full. I don't know what I'll do with them, but at least I WAS A SUCCESSFUL HUNTER!

Now I hear there is a whole beach devoted to agates. I don't know if that is true or not but I should check it out.  It is called Agate Beach. I want to go there sometime and hone my skills.

More Information
Agates at the Oregon Coast

Hunting on the Beach in Lincoln City Oregon



Me and my shadow at the BEACH!

Hi. It's me, Cinnamon, writing from THE BEACH!

Yep, we finally got to the sunny beach after driving through fog and drizzle in the Coast Range and down the beautiful Oregon Coast for what seemed to be forever.

Once we got to THE BEACH (Siletz Bay) I hopped out of the car and decided to go hunting. I remembered fondly how I went tide pooling in Haida Gwaii, crunched on crab shells and tasted dried fish. So what was I to hunt here?

Here's one of the seagulls that I scared!

We walked along the beach, hopped over driftwood and skirted the incoming waves. The tide was turning in Siletz Bay and I found my first thing to SCARE! I went after seagulls. They were wading in the incoming tide looking for stuff to eat and didn't notice me until I was pretty close to them. That was fun.

Then I looked out in the water and saw some bobbing heads. Was it dogs swimming? No, it was sea lions. Sea Lions cavorting in the tides and looking for some fish to munch on. They were pretty far out so I didn't go after them.

Here's the sea lions bobbing around in the bay.

So I went back to the car and we unpacked and took everything into our room at the Looking Glass Inn. They even gave me a cool round bed to sleep on.. and TREATS.

So once I got to the room I did some research on Lincoln City. I found out that we were smack dab in the middle of Glass Float Hunting Season. Now that was something I could hunt. There were shiny orbs on all the beaches just waiting there for ME TO FIND THEM! Float season in Lincoln City takes place through May 26th. I can't wait to go hunting! And like they say, it's FINDERS KEEPERS!

This is our really nice room at the Looking Glass Inn with the really nice round dog bed.

I'll let you know if I find one. But for now, I'm going to rest up on my nice round, cushy beach bed!

Wordless Wednesday: Cinnamon at the Beach on the Cliffs

On Rock Climbing and Equipment Needs

Hi Guys. I slept in this morning. My owner went off to have a cup of tea and a scone with her friends and I just stayed in bed! I think all that fresh sea air wore me out.

Here I am climbing up a rock at the Oregon Coast

I was looking at our pictures and remembering how much fun it was to climb the big rocks on the Oregon Coast.

I'm really pretty good at it. I have great balance and can get up the side of a huge rock so I can stand on it and look all gorgeous. I love standing high up on rocks and logs so I can look out over the sea. I THINK I CAN SEE RUSSIA! (insider joke).

Here I am looking out to sea. Did you notice my ill-fitting harness?

So when I was in Yachats I climbed up the rocks and peered over cliffs and found out that I can get up almost everything. Well, except a tree to catch a squirrel. When I was at Siletz Bay, I climbed up on the driftwood. That was fun too.

I know there are dogs called Treeing Walker Coonhounds. I wish I could climb tree trunks like they do. But I think my legs are too short.

Since my owner is gone for awhile, I've been taking a look at my equipment. Now that I am a long distance walker AND A CLIMBER, I might need a harness that fits better.

Heck, I could practically fall out of this one... it is so big. Do you see how it is hanging off me? (And, doesn't it make me look fat?)

I think I'll go on Amazon.com and see what I can find. This one is a size M/L so maybe I just need a Medium. My owner likes the easy-walk type harnesses because I don't pull as much. Between you and me, I don't like pulling when I walk anyway... except when I encounter another interesting dog on the trail.

I'd better stop writing so I can get my shopping done before my owner comes home!

Love, Cinnamon

Yachats, Oregon: Huge trees, huge waves and long walks

Here's the beach in the early morning

Yachats, Oregon. How I do love thee. Let me count the ways. Yep, I love the beach and I love the woods. Yachats has it all. I am so happy here. I love the sea air, the crashing waves and all the people on the 804 Trail that say I am adorable and stop to pet me!

This morning we started out by walking the 804 Trail just in back of The Fireside Motel. I also created a commotion in the night so got to go outside then too. They even have a big spotlight on the ocean at night just for me!

But this morning I slept in a little before going for that short walk. I thought that was about it but we were back into the car after breakfast headed for downtown Yachats. The Yachats Coastal Gems walking club was putting on their annual Halloween Walk.

It was pretty fun. I liked the idea of treats and candy at the registration point (although I didn't get any!) and the water bowl put outside JUST FOR ME.


When I saw the SCARY PLACE
I decided to go the other way.

It was another of those 10K forced marches. But I was actually having fun. I got to walk along the ocean some more and then I saw something that said "scary place." I started to go in and then GOT REALLY SCARED. So we skipped the scary place and headed on up the street.

Soon we crossed the highway and hiked into some beautiful woods. This was not a place for squirrels. They just don't seem to have them here. There were huge trees and plenty of mushrooms. The trail went up and up. Someone had put logs on the trail to use as stairs. That made my hiking much easier. Pretty soon, I was just running up and down those stairs!

Then we were back on the streets. We passed a cemetery and I saw that the pink trail arrows pointed UP to a BIG HILL.

I decided not to go that way after I saw the Pet Cemetery in front of me. I wondered if that was for the dogs that got exhausted on hills like the one we were supposed to go up. So we went on a fairly flat street that was fun. At the end was a meandering trail with stairs that took us down to the town. After some more fun along the ocean, we were back at the registration place.

There was a big puppy getting ready to start the walk. I told him about the Pet Cemetery and warned him to NOT GO UP THAT BIG HILL!

By then I was ready for one of those treats that my friend Oakley had left for me and, of course, a long nap! Being at the beach can be exhausting!

Yachats - Beach, Gifts, Treats and Pets

Here I am NOT scared by the crashing waves in Yachats

Here I am, Cinnamon, magically transported to the BEACH! It was another one of those "Cinnamon, get in the car" days when I didn't know where I was going. But I should have known... my long leash and food were loaded, then my owner's jackets and hiking boots were put in.

So after a very winding drive through golden fall scenery, we reached a very nice dog-friendly place, The Fireside. My friend Oakley recommended it. He knows all about the Oregon Coast. In fact, when we got to our room, Oakley had left a GIFT FOR ME! I was so excited. Now I have tons of treats... enough to last me all weekend. And, I love the cute toy that looks like Oakley. I am one lucky dog.

Here's the gift Oakley left for me. Don't worry,
I won't eat the chocolate!

After calming down (I get excited about gifts) we went out the door and to the ocean trail which is just down the path. The waves were crashing and I wasn't a bit scared because I have been a "salty dog" ever since I enjoyed time in Haida Gwaii. I went right down to the rocks and sniffed around. I was looking for some crabs and dead fish.... cool stuff like they had in Haida Gwaii. But all I found was the remnants of a campfire where they must have been toasting marshmallows. Note to self: Check tide table.

So we spent quite a bit of time walking the coastal path. And, you know what? I found out the people here just love dogs. Many times I was stopped so people could pet me. The man in the picture below said that he and his wife were watching me from their balcony earlier and were thrilled to get to meet me and pet me when they took their walk. He scratched my back too!

So it's now time to hit the sack (I have my travel bed here... not my real bed because it is still in Haida Gwaii).  I heard that there is a 10K  walk tomorrow. I'll bet we're going on it. I will be good and tired after that.

I love Yachats! I can't wait for tomorrow!

Wordless Wednesday

Here I am sightseeing on the Oregon Coast. Anyone else been here?

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Home Sweet Home

Here at am at home on my favorite garden bench.

I loved the beach at Lincoln City. I loved the folks at Looking Glass Inn. And I even loved the Harbor Seals I saw swimming and looking at me this morning during our beach walk.

But what I love most of all, it seems, is being in my home sweet home. When I got home today, I ran out into my yard and romped a bit. Then I found a spot of sun and took a nap. As soon as my owner brought in my bed, I went upstairs and took a long nap there, too!

While I slept, I dreamed of the beach. I loved climbing on the driftwood logs and looking for crunchy crab legs to munch on. And I loved the staff at the Looking Glass Inn who gave me treats and looked the other way when I stole treats out of the new dogs' bowls!

But I am more relaxed in my own home. I don't worry about tsunamis or sneaker waves or harbor seals thinking I would be a good snack. I don't worry about rain and I don't worry about mean dogs. I am just home... where I belong.

But say the word.. BEACH... and you might entice me to go for another adventure!

Cinnamon on things

Here I am high on a driftwood log on the beach in front of some hotels.

Well, I have a new hobby. Since I am at the beach it was either collect dead crab parts, roll in stinky fish carcasses or climb driftwood logs. Since I have to please my owner, I chose the hobby of standing on driftwood logs and watching...  You know me, I like to watch for things. Maybe I am watching for a tsunami, who knows!

So I started my hobby this morning running and jumping on logs during my morning free romp on the beach. Then this afternoon, when I was on a leash, I stood watch on a log while my owner basked in the sun and watched a family clamming.

As we walked back, the tide started to come in. I am a bit leery of moving water and haven't figured out why the water keeps "coming to get me." Back home in New Mexico water ran in streams and was predictable. This Oregon water is pretty wild!

So now I am back in my wonderful room at The Looking Glass Inn for a nap.  Maddie on Things... watch out! You have some competition.

At the beach finally!

Here I am on my own bed with the sheet provided by the Inn.

After a long day, which I will not go into right now, we finally arrived at THE BEACH. I found out that THE BEACH has waves which may sweep you away. I've been reading all the Tsunami Warnings along the way and getting more and more concerned.

I have so much to share with you but for now I am relaxing in my dog-friendly room at the Looking Glass Inn watching As Time Goes By (I love my British comedies.)

The Looking Glass Inn welcomed me with dog sheets, dog bowls, TREATS, towels, poopy bags and a basket for holding everything. They also made me promise not to bark if I was alone in the room or shake my hair all about. No problem, I am finished shedding.

Gonna get some beach time!

Here's the picture from the Looking Glass Inn Website

I just found out that I'm headed for the Oregon Coast... Lincoln City, to be exact. I found out that the Looking Glass Inn is right on the beach and... they are dog friendly. They are so dog friendly that they woo houndies like me with a special package deal. Here's what they say they will greet me with:

"Bring your dog to the Looking Glass Inn. We are dog friendly. Rain and Paco want all dogs to be comfortable at the Looking Glass Inn so when you check in your dog will receive a basket to use during their stay. The basket includes two dog sheets, dog towels, two dog bowls, pooper scooper bags, and dog treats. We take all shapes and sizes of dogs with a maximum of 2 dogs per room."

Now I don't care a whole lot about the dog sheets and pooper scooper bags but DOG TREATS sound mighty good to me! And, I'll bet I get to go sniffing around the seaweed on the beach... at least I hope I can. The dogs they show on their Dog Blog look like they are having great fun in the ocean and on the beach.

I'll be posting photos and will tell you all about my stay later next week. I'm so excited I can hardly take a nap, but I'll try!