Ghost Cat and the Haunted House, an Oregon Coast mystery
My Tenth Life Cozy Paranormal Mystery Series lives in Ocean Cove, a small, fictitious town on the Oregon Coast. Like Louise Penny’s Three Pines, it doesn’t show up on the maps. Who knows why? Maybe the google guys were at lunch when their drone was doing its mapping. And back in the days of paper maps, many smaller towns were disregarded as too tiny to be of interest. Still, it’s likely to be on the Metsker’s maps, since they mark every house and driveway. Take a short detour from the main Highway 101, and there it is, on the bluff above the cove itself. Ocean Cove isn’t hiding so much as being merely overlooked.
Oregon has a long coastline, 363 miles from the town of Astoria at the mouth of the Columbia River to the California border. The entire length has public access. I remember when I was a kid, my parents took my dad’s yearly vacation at a tiny wayside in Agate Beach. The place wasn’t a resort then, just a cluster of rustic cabins, all unique and a bit funky.
When I got older, a teenager with a car, my friends and I would drive from Portland to the beach, only a few hours away. We would stomp in the surf and shout at the stars, then drive back again with wet shoes and happy memories.
I took my son to the beach when he was little. We vacationed with my parents at Surftides in Oceanlake, one of the original five towns that later merged into what is now Lincoln City. Precious family time.
Highlights of the Oregon Coast are too numerous to list. Much has changed over the years as populations grew, but miraculously some of the original shops and tourist places remain. The Snug Harbour Bar and Grill in Taft has been operating since the 1930’s, as has the Bijou Theatre in Oceanlake. Unfortunately the Pixie Kitchen, a one-of-a-kind restaurant/experience, closed in the 1980’s, but much of the memorabilia is housed in the local historical museum.
We always loved going to Depot Bay, which amazingly hasn’t changed much in the last 50 years. Maybe because there isn’t much to change. A quarter mile of shops on either side of the bay with a walk where people can watch the waves crash on the rocky shore and sometimes get drenched in the process.
Depot Bay houses a saltwater taffy shop that has been in business for as long as I can remember. The delicacy is made with salt water, but not from the sea. The name originated from an entirely different source: a late 19th century legend about an Atlantic City shop that was drenched in a tidal flood. Saltwater taffy comes in many flavors like root beer float, apple pie, licorice swirl, and lavender. My favorite is butterscotch.
Newer to the area is the Chinook Winds Casino, gambling fun at its finest. Though not as glitzy as those you’d find in Reno and Las Vegas, the Chinook Winds has entertainment, a nice buffet, and enough gambling machines and tables to take all your money. The slogan is, “It’s better at the beach.”
Aside from fun shops and eateries, the Oregon Coast has features one might not expect amid the rolling beaches and rocky sidelines. One such place is the Oregon Dunes Recreational Area near Reedsport, 40 miles of coastal sand dunes bordering the ocean itself. Here are a few more reasons to visit.
The Yaquina Head Lighthouse in Newport Oregon
Lighthouses: There are 11 lighthouses on the coast, 9 of which are historic. Most of them are still active.
Haystack Rock in Cannon Beach: 235-foot sea stack with tide pools and seabird nesting sights.
Whale watching: Gray whales migrate up and down the coast twice a year. You don’t need to be on a boat to see them.
The Oregon Coast Aquarium and Research Center: Features over 15,000 marine animals and is dedicated to native Pacific wildlife, marine rehabilitation, and ocean conservation. Enjoyable and educational for the whole family.
Sea Lion Caves: A privately owned wildlife preserve and bird sanctuary (since 1932) centrally located on the beautiful and rugged Oregon Coast.
Myrtlewood trees: Oregon Myrtlewood is a rare, highly aromatic broadleaf evergreen native to Southwestern Oregon. Known for its stunning grain patterns, it’s used to craft beautiful artisanal woodworks. There is the Myrtle Tree Trail near Gold Beach.
When septuagenarian Camelia Collins decides it’s time to fulfill her lifelong dream of living on the coast, her real estate agent comes up with a sweet older cottage right on the bluff of Ocean Cove. Camelia sells her big house in Portland and moves herself and her cat Blaze to their new home. Love Cottage, as it had been named by the original tenants, brought Camelia two surprises: A man had been murdered on her doorstep and the killer never found; the place was haunted by a ghost cat.
Ghost cat Soji draws Camelia into an age-old web of secrets when a body turns up in the long-abandoned house on the hill.
About the Author
