Panoramic Promontory: Bay View Beach House

Waldport is a sleepy town. It has its community and history. The town and ocean waves are within walking distance of our house. Pay attention to the tides. High tides can reach the rocks below as well as the bay wall and make it impossible to walk on the sand back to the house from either direction. If you get stuck coming from the ocean direction there is a public beach access between the houses just west of us. It will take you up to the neighborhood and it’s a quiet walk back. If you get stuck coming from town, there is a narrow highway shoulder you can walk on to get you back. Thankfully these natural high tides only occur during the full and new moons each month! Caution: It is ALWAYS important to never turn your back on the ocean at any time. Sneaker waves are common and we witness them all the time. They can knock an able body down and the undertow that follows is fierce and unrelenting. These are not the same kind of waves that California and Hawaii have. Be vigilant with yourself and those with you on the beach. Sitting in a chair near the surf is not enough. Have a plan. Don’t look away to read a book or check your phone. It’s that important. The surf is strong and determined. Respect water always. Okay, so back to the walking to town. If you are walking on the sand, you will first arrive at Keady Wayside and take the concrete steps up from the beach. This is a nice viewpoint. Here at this intersection is a kettle corn/popcorn shop, and local Mexican restaurant across the side street. As you continue walking you arrive at the Waldport Flea Market. This place is full of treasures. It’s a regular haunt for some of us. Over the years we have bought all kinds of useful and interesting stuff. Continue your walk into town. There’s a Hi-school pharmacy, funky antique and collector shops, a local bar called The Flounder Inn, a Chinese Food restaurant and other stores. Keep walking towards the bridge. Where the sidewalk reaches the beginning of the bridge you will come to the Alsea Bay Historic Interpretive Center. It’s part of the Oregon State Parks system. It has a nice museum as well as visual displays of the local history of the central coast. It features remnants of the old Alsea bridge and interactive features for kids. You can also gather lots of maps, brochures of activities and places to explore in the region. Once you cross the highway and walk back into town, you can walk east on Highway 34 towards old town. You will see an antique store, the Waldport Heritage Museum and other stores. Eventually you will arrive to the side of Ray’s Food Place. A bit further is the Ace Hardware store. On the next block past Broadway is Mill Street. Turn north on Mill Street to find “The Pacific Sourdough Bakery”. Their hours are Thursday, Friday and Saturday, 10am to 3pm. They make fantastic bread and pastries. You can watch them and smell the delicious smells of baking goods from the screened viewing area. Often there is a line to get in but well worth the wait! Yum! For a bit of wildlife after all these shops, go a bit further east to Lint Slough. This is a nice estuary for wildlife viewing. There is an osprey nest platform on top of a pole. You can see osprey sitting on eggs or feeding their young. Turn north on N.E. Broadway Street. This will take you to the old town and the docks. There are six restaurants there, a bait and tackle shop, boats for rent and lots of people dropping crab pots off the docks in hopes of catching a few. Many get some! You can buy shellfish and or fishing licenses, rent a few crab pots, buy some bait and try your luck. In our garage at the house there are some crab pots you can borrow. Please tie the ropes onto the dock so we don’t lose them to the depth. Please purchase a license to support sustainable management of our shared fishery resources. Heading back to the house via sidewalks on the south side of Highway 34 towards Highway 101 you will see more small town businesses, a former elementary school with community gardens, the senior center, firehall, post office and more. During May through September there is a Waldport farmers market often referred to as the Waldport Wednesday Market. It operates between 10am - 3pm. As you continue, you will see a candy store called the Chocolate Frog on the corner. If hamburgers are what you are in the mood to eat, there is a place called “Vickie’s Big Wheel Drive In” on the east side of the entrance to the bridge. There are other fun shops with interesting items. There is a food cart called “Chubby”s” They also have hamburgers and an outdoor picnic table. Further down the sidewalk you will pass more stores. Eventually you will arrive at the local liquor store, a laundromat and Grand Central Pizza. This place has good food and is family friendly. There you have seen most of the town. Cross the highway again so you can walk back through Keady Wayside. Use the steps down to the sand and walk back to the house.