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Thrill Rides Take Flight for Season on North Coast |
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Covering 180 miles of Oregon coast travel: Astoria, Seaside, Cannon Beach, Manzanita, Nehalem, Wheeler, Rockaway, Garibaldi, Tillamook, Oceanside, Pacific City, Lincoln City, Depoe Bay, Newport, Waldport, Yachats & Florence.
05/27/08
Secrets of the Season |
Thrill Rides Take Flight for Season on North Coast
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| Above the sea in Seaside Helicopters |
(Seaside, Oregon) - There are some serious good times waiting above Seaside. That’s right, not in Seaside as much as above it.
Two magnificent aerial joy rides await the tourist to the Oregon coast - both with different, startling angles on fun in the skies. Now that the summer tourist season has begun, you can find some unforgettable moments at the airplane ride Aviation Adventures or the helicopter extravaganza of Seaside Helicopters. They will both be operating in full swing, showing off aerial views of landmarks you can’t see anywhere else or any other way in some cases.
Aboard Seaside Helicopters, pilot/owner Gary Turel zips you around the shores of Cannon Beach, the peaks of Tillamook Head and above the north Oregon coast resort town of Seaside at about 100-plus miles an hour. Various plans take you to various places. They start at $39 per person for the Seaside tour, $69 per person for the Cannon Beach tour to a stunning Sunset tour for $175 per person. Other options include wildlife tours and other combinations. All flights have at least a two-person minimum.
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| Unseen caves visible only via Aviation Adventures |
Turel says he expects those prices to rise more this year as the price of fuel continues to soar. So check www.seaside-helicopters.com or (503) 440-4123 just before you head out.
With a bubble window to the world below, you feel yourself ever so gently lift upwards, a sensation similar in some ways to easing up in an airplane, but in a helicopter there's definitely that spine-tingling feeling of rising faster. It's exhilarating to say the least, with the tilt of the aircraft pulling you against its quick upward ascension.
Depending on the flight, in no time, you’re up over the back of Tillamook Head - a 1300-foot-high, forested headland. Gary points out its sheer cliffs from this side, spots where elk congregate and even the small bald spot on top of the mountain that is a Lewis & Clark monument. It was here – some two hundred years ago – that William Clark, Sacagawea and a few others hiked over the headland to catch sight of a beached whale in what would become Cannon Beach.
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| Above Tillamook Rock Lighthouse, via Aviation Adventures |
Most incredible is approaching the tip of Tillamook Head as Gary points out a rocky arch sitting offshore called "Goonies Rock," which was featured in the movie "Goonies." Remember that scene near the end where the kids took a key and matched it to a rock structure with a hole in it? That rock is now named after the movie, visible from Indian Beach.
Seaside Helicopters is just south of Seaside. Hwy 101, S. Seaside. www.seaside-helicopters.com. (503) 440-4123.
At Aviation Adventures, longtime Navy pilot Allen Sprague not only takes passengers on a whirlwind tour of the north Oregon coast, but he lets you take the wheel for a bit as well. That’s right. You briefly get to fly the aircraft.
Flights begin at $35 per person and run as long as 30 minutes in some cases. He even offers beginning flight instruction at $59 per session and intermediate flight instruction at $140 an hour.
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| Taking off in Seaside Helicopters |
Aviation Adventures gives you the option of flying around Seaside and up to the Columbia River; or south, around Cannon Beach and Nehalem Bay. He’ll ask you what you want to see and take you accordingly.
Often, Sprague says, people take the northward tour, which takes people up beyond Astoria, to Dismal Nitch, Young’s Bay and then back to the beaches of Seaside, for a quick swing around Terrible Tilly - the legendary lighthouse that sits a mile offshore. Other tours involve extensive, detailed looks at the varied and nearly endless nooks and crannies in the cliffs and beaches of Cannon Beach, Hug Point, Arch Cape, Short Sand Beach, Cape Falcon, Neahkahnie Mountain and Manzanita. You also get extensive glimpses of the shoreline along six-mile long Tillamook Head – which are, of course, never visible to the average tourist.
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| Goonies Rock, seen via Seaside Helicopters |
You’ll
witness enormous sea caves you can’t see otherwise, or hidden cliffs
and structures lurking around landmarks that are normally familiar to
you, things unseen except from this vantage point. Especially remarkable
is when Sprague swings around Tillamook Rock Lighthouse several times,
and you can glimpse this ancient beauty - now a bird sanctuary and columbarium
- from an unusual and unforgettable angle. You actually get a good look
at details and features that generations of beachgoers have dreamed about
when gazing at that mysterious figure in the distance.
Sprague is also providing flights from the piers of Astoria to Seaside and back for the mighty cruise ships coming into Astoria. Those go from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m., weather permitting. Cost is $27 per person for a 15-minute flight, with a three-person minimum.
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| Above Seaside |
All other days: $35.00 per person up to 30 minutes (three people minimum) out of Seaside Airport; weather permitting. Must call in advance for scheduling (503) 717-1416.
You can find Aviation Adventures at the Seaside Municipal Airport, on the northern border of town.
Both Seaside Helicopters and Aviation Adventures run seven days a week during the high season months, depending on clear weather. They’re usually open to weekend flights or around on the nicer days on the north coast.
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Tradewinds Motel, Rockaway Beach. All rooms are immaculate and have TV’s, VCR’s and in-room phones w/ data ports. Oceanfronts have queen bed, a double hide-a-bed, kitchen, cozy firelog fireplace and private deck. Both types sleep up to four people. Others are appointed for a two-person romantic getaway, yet still perfect for those on a budget. Elaborate oceanfront Jacuzzi suite has two bedrooms, kitchen, double hide-a-bed, fireplace and private deck, sleeping as many as six. For family reunions or large gatherings such as weddings, some rooms can connect to create two-room and three-room suites. Some rooms pet friendly. 523 N. Pacific St., Rockaway Beach. (503) 355-2112 - 1-800-824-0938. www.tradewinds-motel.com |
 Inn
at Cannon Beach. Beautifully wooded natural setting at quiet south
end of Cannon Beach. Great during winter storms with a new book by
the fireplace – or when the sun is out for family fun and beach
strolling. Handsome beach cottage-style architecture. Lush flowering
gardens and naturalized courtyard pond. Warm, inviting guest rooms.
Continental buffet breakfast. Warm Cookies. Family and Pet Friendly.
Welcome gifts. Smoke-free. Complimentary Wireless Connectivity. Wine
and book signing events. 800-321-6304 or 503-436-9085. Hemlock At
Surfcrest, Cannon Beach, Oregon. www.atcannonbeach.com. |
The Ocean Lodge. There will not be another property built like this in Cannon Beach in our lifetimes. Rare, premiere ocean front location; handsome, dramatic architecture and tasteful, fun (nostalgic) beach interiors. Overlooks Haystack Rock. 100 percent smoke free. Imaginative special occasion packages. Massive wood burning lobby fireplace. Library w/ fireplace, stocked with impressive book collection. Pet and family friendly. Lavish continental buffet breakfast. In-room fireplaces, mini-kitchens. Jacuzzi tubs in select rooms. DVD players, complimentary movies. Morning paper. Warm cookies. 888-777-4047. 503-436-2241. 2864 Pacific Street. Cannon Beach, Oregon. www.theoceanlodge.com |
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Arch
Cape Property Services.
Dozens of homes in that dreamy,
rugged stretch between Cannon Beach and Manzanita known as Arch
Cape. Oceanfront and ocean view , or just a short walk from the
sea. |
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Oregon coast mileage chart & map Day trips, suggested itineraries Search for Oregon Coast Subjects, Articles Oregon Coast Complete Guides every beach access, attraction |
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