Other Favorite Spots to Read in Oregon

There is this really neat place ... Humbug Mountain ... on the coast. I remember climbing it several times as a kid and then again as an adult. The trail switches back and forth across the east face of the mountain. There were occasional streams across the path. Salmon Berries were a pleasant surprise once in a while. And as we neared the top, there were glimpses through the trees of the ocean beyond. Once on top, there was a broad sloped meadow bordered by trees. Walking forward, more and more of the Pacific came into view. My favorite spot to read, if I were there and had a book with me, would be from one spot in that meadow. There was a tall tree stump, maybe ten or twelve feet tall, with a wood bench fixed to the top of it. There were wood rungs nailed to the backside of the stump. From that seat, almost like Frodo on top of Amon Hen, like a mountain-king upon his throne, one can see the coast both north and south, and the broad expanse of sea and sky.

The coast is a great place for books, period. Seems like every town from Astoria to Harbor has a used book store of some kind, so you can always find something to read. And I love absolutely *nothing* more than sitting in a tiny cafe and trying to decide which part of my loot to start pawing through first while I'm watching the weather roll in.

Hey, that's an idea for a thread! Oregon Coast used book stores, linked to the nearest place to sit!

The library at Sylvia Beach Hotel.

There's a small bookstore/coffee shop in Oceanside that is just about ideal. Oceanside is out of the way enough that it's not too touristy, so you actually see locals there.

I love to sit in the dunes along the beach, in a hollow spot with the sound of the waves and the wind. This works best in the summer btw! Other great reading spots are around a campfire or sitting in a canoe on the lakes.

>5 Amante:

A bit wet for that this time of year. Portland has already exceeded the monthly average rainfall for January. I would suspect the coast is equally soggy this year. Should be nice in a couple of months though. Too bad they don't print books on that waxy paper that surveyors use when they have to work in the rain.

anywhere