Eight miles south of Newport, Oregon is the Ona Beach State Park. This is a day use park which has the picnic area in a wooded section. From the picnic area, cross over Beaver Creek on a footbridge and you are on the beach.
State parks such as this one are great examples of the civics lessons which should have been taught in grade school. Government is about providing services for the people—not the corporations, but the actual living, breathing homo sapiens. When government is run like a business, then there is a shift from serving the public (everybody) to serving customers (see this diary by MNDem999 for some additional insights). Customers, as taught in Marketing 101, are people who want the service and can afford it. Unlike our national parks (which are often run like businesses), Ona State Park is a government activity which serves all people regardless of financial status, marital status, gender, sexual orientation, religion, race, ethnic group, and so on. It is free and it offers people an opportunity for relaxation, enjoyment, and spirituality. Enough of the rant—here are the pictures.