SEASIDE, Ore. — People anxious to visit Oregon’s beaches got their first chance Monday, as access points reopened.
Last week, Governor Kate Brown approved nearly every Oregon county's Phase One plan to reopen, including those along the coast in Clatsop County. In Seaside, the beaches reopened at 6:00 a.m. Monday.
“It gives us time to stretch our legs, get out and visit with each other,” said John Clark who lives in Seaside. “People have been wanting to get out on the beach for two months now!”
Tim and Kathy Johnson drove to Seaside for the day from Oregon City.
“It's nice to get out and just breath that air,” said Kathy Johnson. “Getting cooped up inside gets a little rough sometimes.”
The Johnsons said they looked forward to supporting the coastal economy during their visit.
“We're probably going to have dinner here, walk on the beach a little and go home,” said Tim Johnson. “Try to avoid everybody.”
Avoiding crowds turned out to be easier than many anticipated, with very little foot traffic around local businesses. One reason for that is short-term rentals were still closed in Seaside.
Coastal communities imposed their own rental closures to keep the number of visitors down in their towns. Seaside officials planned to meet this week to decide when they would allow hotels to reopen.
In Cannon Beach, rentals planned to reopen May 26. On Monday, Haystack Rock and a walk along the ocean was enough to attract Meagan Fogle and her family for the day.
“We hope the business here can survive until everything can open back up,” said Fogle. “We're really excited to spend some time back at the coast, it's our favorite part of Oregon.”
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