We here on the Central Oregon Coast have a plethora of sights that we see on a daily basis. From the spectacular views, the wildlife, the sea life, the natural and man-made attractions, there are plenty of sights to keep even the worldliest person occupied and entertained. However, there is nothing quite as fascinating as watching young children who are visiting see what we see all the time.

Recently Crystal and I were visited by her two young Grandchildren ages five and nine. They are from Medford and have been to Yachats before but this time they stayed a full week and if anyone wonders what it's like to spend a week with kids exploring the coast I can tell you it's quite enlightening. In their week long stay they covered quite a bit of territory from Newport in the North to Florence in the South. When you think about it, there is a lot to do and see in that slice of Oregon and when you see it as a kid, according to them it's “awesome”!

Where are you going to find several lighthouses, one of which is haunted, a spectacular aquarium, a sea of sand to play in and two “cool” old towns with several stores that have what kids are quite fond of; sweet treats!

I admit that I've seen most of the sights the kids saw and over time have become accustomed to them so I just kind of notice them then go on about my business. But you should hear the excitement in the kids’ voices when describing the jelly fish at the aquarium, the whales they saw rolling at the mouth of the Yachats River, or the dune buggies they watched in the dunes. The level of excitement is contagious; I got excited just listening to the narration. But not all of their coastal pleasures came from shops, restaurants, lighthouses, aquariums or roadside attractions like Sea Lion Caves, no; they were thrilled to watch the ever present Seagulls hovering about as picnickers at Yachats State Park fed them. To a kid nothing is quite as exciting as having a gull dive down and snag a piece of bread right out of someone's hand. I'm sure when they left they would have loved to have a Seagull go along with them to become their flying memory of the Central Oregon Coast!

To reach Rick Schultze email; yarick@pioneer.net