Cannon Beach: Village of artists attracts visitors from around the world

It was here when William Clark (of the Lewis and Clark team) hiked over Tillamook Head in 1806 to strike a deal with local Indians.

Gazing down from a cliff in what now is Ecola State Park, on the edge of Cannon Beach, Clark saw a long, tawny strand of sand and a lofty, sea-sculpted rock.

The explorer made this entry in his journal: " . . . from this point I beheld the grandest and most pleasing prospect which my eyes ever surveyed."

The view still is grand and pleasing - a 7-mile-long stretch of soft-sand beach, with 235-foot-high Haystack Rock for a backdrop.

And now there is a cozy town called Cannon Beach that wraps like a beach blanket around the grand seascape.

"Wow!" said my granddaughter Christine, 25, as she dashed down the beach to get a closer look at Haystack Rock and its resident tufted puffins and cormorants. "Take pictures," she suggested.

"I did," I muttered. "I'm out of film."

Haystack Rock is so photographable that almost anyone with a camera could go home with a masterpiece.

Artsy village

But there is more to Cannon Beach than Haystack Rock.

"Our little speck on the map attracts visitors from all over the world," said Diane Talbot, a volunteer at the Cannon Beach Information Center. "We have excellent restaurants, interesting art galleries, wonderful lodging places and a string of state parks - and, yes, you're going to need more film."

Locals call Cannon Beach (pop. 1,200; thousands more in summer) their "village." It is a snug little town. The main street, Hemlock, is only about three blocks long. The tempo, even on a busy day, is easygoing.

"Open Noonish," says the sign at the Blue Door antique shop in Sandpiper Square. We'll wait. Or maybe we'll walk up Hemlock and have an ice-cream cone at Osburn's Grocery.

"We need a kite," Christine suggested.

At Once Upon a Breeze on North Spruce Street, a block east of Hemlock, "starter" kites are $4.95 and up. Serious fliers can spend $2,000 or more for fancy models.

Galleries beckon all along Hemlock Street with glass art, paintings, pottery, metal sculptures, wood carvings, candles and other wares. Kathleen Bremer, a saleswoman at the Rare Discovery gallery, describes her town as "an artists' colony with a beautiful setting."

"We're fortunate to be here, and we know it," she said.

We bought some wind chimes, then strolled down Hemlock to browse 'Tis the Season, a year-round Christmas shop.

"I think we deserve a rest stop," said my wife, Mabs.

There are three benches outside the Mariner Market, a longtime gathering place next door to the post office. One bench is labeled "Republican." Another is marked "Democrat." In between, in neutral territory, is a bench for Independents.

I'm not sure what it means for pollsters, but both the Democrat and Republican benches were empty most of the day.

Soon it was back to the beach with a bargain kite and a new roll of film.

Tracing Clark's steps

"Why did Captain Clark walk all the way down here?" asked Christine. "The short answer is that the Lewis and Clark party needed some new nourishment in their diet."

Members of the trailblazing expedition were spending a miserable winter at Fort Clatsop, near Astoria. Clark heard of a beached whale down the coast and set off to find it.

About where the town of Cannon Beach sprouted later, Clark met Tillamook Indian villagers as they were rendering a giant whale. The next day Clark and his crew headed back to Fort Clatsop with 300 pounds of blubber.

It was late afternoon when we registered at the Stephanie Inn, then joined other guests for a wine gathering and a toast to a golden sunset. Many travelers rate this inn as the best of the accommodations along the Oregon Coast.

"It's all about romance, romance - and romance," said Tom Drumheller, president of the company that owns and manages the inn.

Inn workers even sprinkle flower petals on the beds at turndown time. And then there's that great view of Haystack Rock . . .

Copyright © The Seattle Times Company