Coast is clear

MANZANITA, Ore. – On cool, overcast mornings, it’s possible to take a stroll anywhere along the north coast of Oregon and discover the pleasures of solitude: miles and miles of sand and surf with almost no one in sight.

If it’s seclusion you seek, this is the place.

You’ll have to bundle up. Warm jacket, cap, maybe even waterproof boots.

And bring a dog if you have one. Many people do.

Oregon’s coast is pleasantly inviting – and its towns uniquely charming – if you visit during the cooler months of spring or fall. Fewer people. Less traffic. Cheaper lodging.

Most visitors prefer June, July and August, when the coast bustles with couples and families looking to soak up the sun and dip their toes in the chilly water. You’ll just need reservations months in advance, whether you choose a rental house or a hotel room.

The towns on or near Highway 101 on the north coast – Seaside, Cannon Beach, Manzanita, Oceanside, Newport and others – all have their special appeal. And all are connected by their expansive beaches and rugged hillsides, some that stretch into the ocean and produce intriguing tide pools or jagged rock formations.

But if you’re thinking about a trip, do it soon. The coastal landscape is steadily changing as a result of growth from new homes, condos and retail.

Which town to visit? That’s the beauty of a trip in off-peak season: You can drive the scenic highway and stop wherever you please. I did and found plenty of places to enjoy the views or take a peaceful beach stroll.

No two hamlets are alike. Astoria, for instance, sits at the mouth of the Columbia River and marks the western end of the Lewis and Clark Trail. Victorian homes dot the landscape, and stately old storefronts make it appear frozen in time. The lush rain forest provides a spectacular backdrop.

Seaside, a few miles south, has a two-mile promenade, arcade games, paddleboats, a carousel and a small aquarium – a kind of Atlantic City of the Northwest. If your kids are looking for carnival activities, stop here.

Cannon Beach, site of the much-photographed Haystack Rock, a 235-foot-tall marine and bird sanctuary offshore, has a quaint and attractive retail district, with galleries, boutique shops and restaurants in a compact area – a miniature Carmel that draws a crowd year round.

Newport, at the southern end of my trip, is the coast’s equivalent of a big city. The historic Bayfront is kind of kitschy, unless you’re fond of cheap tourist souvenirs and wax museums, but Mo’s Restaurant – so popular there’s an annex across the pier from the original – serves a rich, savory clam chowder, the best I’ve ever tasted.

Across Yaquina Bay, the Oregon Coast Aquarium is first rate: interactive tide-pool displays, an underwater tunnel with unobstructed views of sea life, and outdoor exhibits featuring sea otters, harbor seals and sea lions.

However, if you’re here for tranquility – a place to fly a kite or collect agates and driftwood – you can always find it at the beach, no matter where you stay.

For me, Manzanita and Oceanside offered welcome respites. Both are isolated, with easy beach access, small hotels, a few restaurants and some shopping. (Remember, you’ve come for long, quiet walks on the beach – alone or with your significant other – not for the nightlife).

“It’s quiet and relaxing,” said Charlie Love, who runs the Inn at Manzanita with his wife, Phyllis. “At 10 o’clock at night, you don’t hear a thing. It’s like taking a tranquilizer.”

Mornings are perfect for beach walks, even if the sun refuses to appear. Fog sometimes hangs over the nearby hills and a mist rises from the foamy waves, but if the tide is out, there are broad sweeps of beach to explore. Many mornings I had the shoreline to myself.

Oceanside, a village of about 300 located nine miles west of Tillamook (think cheese factory, where you can watch the stuff move across conveyor belts and sample some), is an ideal getaway. Cell phones don’t work, and the main drag is little more than a couple of restaurants, a hotel and the post office, where residents park their cars in the red zone every morning to pick up their mail. There’s not a souvenir shop in sight.

The view is awesome. From my hotel window, I had a perfect sight line to Three Arch Rocks at the north end of the beach. The rocks, which resemble submerged shark fins, are actually a national wildlife refuge designed to protect a seabird nesting colony, plus the peregrine falcons, brown pelicans, bald eagles and sea lions who settle there. Pack binoculars for a better look.

If the tide is out, take a walk through the narrow human-made tunnel burrowed into the hillside. At the other end, you’ll find the aptly named Tunnel Beach, with several smaller rocks off the coast and tide pools that can be examined readily by kids. You can continue farther north to Agate Beach, but beware if the tide rolls in – you may have to scramble back to the safety of the tunnel.

At day’s end, head to the Historic Anchor Inn and Grill, or Roseanna’s Cafe on the other side of Pacific Highway, where you can dine on oysters, clams or crab and watch the sea fade into darkness.

Locals will tell you to enjoy the coast now because it’s gradually changing. And a land-use measure passed in 2004 – but hotly disputed today – might create a construction boom.

Condominiums, homes and retail stores already are rising, and longtime residents worry that the squeeze will obstruct views, drive up prices and disturb the peace that makes their towns so livable.

“They don’t like it very well,” said Krissi Weitman, standing behind the bar at the Anchor Inn and Grill. “They want it to stay like it has for years. Unfortunately, on the coast, that’s just not going to happen anymore.”

In Seaside, for instance, two large condo complexes are going up side by side on the Necanicum River, a couple of hundred yards from the beach. In Manzanita and Rockaway Beach, condos – some expected to fetch up to $1 million apiece – are being built. Most are likely to be second homes and vacation rentals. (More than two-thirds of the homes in Manzanita, for example, are second homes).

The big problem for residents comes in summer, when cars jam the local roadways and towns are flooded with vacationers. But the area is so dependent on tourism that no one complains too loudly.

“The only industry that’s growing along the coast is tourism, hospitality and lodging,” says Guy DiTorrice, a longtime Oregon resident who gives fossil tours year-round. “That’s a trend that’s been taking place the last 10, 15 years.

“The locals prefer the winters because you don’t have RVs blocking traffic, or visitors clogging the stores and streets.”

You’ll see none of that in the spring or fall. Just lots of space, and lots of quiet.