TUESDAY - Other than a Walmart and Taco Bell stop the drive today was pretty, but uneventful.
There were so many scenic pullouts along the route today, but they were all too small for ROVER and THE POD, plus they were all on the opposite side of the road which made it even more difficult to maneuver into.
TRAVEL DAY PHOTOS
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Today's drive seemed to bring another spectacular view every time we rounded a corner.
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The Alsea Bay Bridge was by far the longest bridge we crossed today...
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...although the Yaquina Bay Bridge was the most decorative.
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Soon we were setting up in a light fog at our new site.
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It's not all that fancy here, but the price is right and it's near our sightseeing choices.
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As soon as we were all set up and unhitched we drove another 3-miles north to this trail...
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...that leads out to a pristine 7-mile stretch of undeveloped coastline.
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It's also where you'll find Twin Rocks Arch just off shore.
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The surf was very ruff today and I was surprised there wasn't a single surfer in sight.
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We then drove another mile north to the town of Rockaway Beach to enjoy a delicious meal at the Old Oregon Smoke House. It's just a simple little shack that offers outdoor dining.
WEDNESDAY - Today we've got some "mostly indoor" sightseeing plans.
We'll first have to drive some 11.5-miles back south to the Blue Heron French Cheese Company. We'll probably arrive shortly before they open, but that should give us time to check out the petting zoo.
After our first stop is complete, we'll get on US-101 and head back north just 1.5-miles to the main attraction when it opens at 10:00AM. Afterall, it is the reason for our stop here.
INDOOR SIGHTSEEING
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Arriving early has it's benefits, like front row parking!
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You'll find a large retail store, a candy shop and beer, wine and cheese tasting parties.
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There's also a petting zoo with an alpacas, goats, donkeys, geese, chickens and roosters. This one goose followed me up and down the fenceline thinking I had food for him.
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You could hear this peacock screaming in the background of the previous video.
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He wasn't shy about having his picture taken, if only he would spread those tail feathers.
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This alpaca has recently been sheared for the uncoming summer temperatures.
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They had a few different varieties of goats here.
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There are plenty of FREE overnight RV parking spaces here if you're a Harvest Host member. I'll bet these are really popular during the weekend tastings and live music events.
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We are in Tillamook, Oregon at the famous Tillamook Creamery factory tour.
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To gain entrance to the facility you'll have to pass under the watchful eye of "Flower".
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This is the receiving dock where 25 8,000 gallon trucks deliver milk each and every day. I'll do the math for you, that's 200,000 gallons a day on average.
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LOOK! Here comes one of those 8,000 gallon trucks full of milk now. The milk is tested when it leaves the local farm and again when it arrives here at Tillamook.
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The factory tour consists of a large overhead enclosed catwalk over the factory. Down one side is where they bring in the milk and make the cheese. Down the other side is where they process and package the cheese.
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This station is where they form 40-lb. bricks of cheese for storage.
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This process is slow and deliberate. A mistake here would ruin 40-lb. of cheese.
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The other side of the catwalk is where they bring in the 40-lb aged blocks of cheese. First they cut the block into 1-lb bricks of cheese. Then they manually separate the 1-lb pieces and send them down the line. Soon they'll be individually packaged and boxed for delivery to the supermarkets.
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Next up was this obligatory photo op. Tricia was just glad she got to drive!
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Here are our yummy purchases from the Blue Heron French Cheese Company.
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The Tillamook purchases far out weighed the ones from Blue Heron and rightfully so!
I should also mention that before we made our purchases at Tillamook we ate a delicious lunch in their newly expanded on-site cafe.
Tricia ordered the Bacon and Leek Mac﹠Cheese topped with Shredded Sharp Cheddar, while I ordered the Double Cheddar Grilled Cheese made with Sharp Yellow and Medium White Cheddar cheeses on thick sliced Sour Dough Bread with French Fries. We each shared our meal with the other, so we both got a tast of each meal.
After lunch we each had a "Flight of Ice Cream", which consisted of three scoops each of our 6 favorite Tillamook flavors.
Neither one of us finished our flight, but we sure gave it our best try!
THURSDAY - Yesterday was our indoor sightseeing day, which means today it will be time for our outdoor sightseeing.
We have three locations selected to visit today, and lucky for us, they are all within 3-miles of each other along the Oregon coast.
Also, we'll be passing by the Tillamook Factory right around lunchtime, so I guess I know where we'll be eating lunch today.
OUTDOOR SIGHTSEEING
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Our first stop today is in the little coastal community of Oceanside, OR (pop. 366).
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They have a beach here with a very unique feature.
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Have you spotted that unique feature yet?
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A 90-foot long, man-made tunnel was carved through the cliffs of Maxwell Point in 1926.
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The Rosenberg family created the tunnel to give their resort guests access to more beaches.
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You can access Tunnel Beach on the other side at low tide without going through the tunnel, but if you're not paying attention and the tide comes up you are effectively trapped on Tunnel Beach until low tide returns, that was true until the tunnel was created.
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The first half of the tunnel is all concrete and the second half is all natural rock.
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I'm glad we finally made it through, it was getting kind of creepy in there!
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Looking back into the tunnel that we just walked through to get onto Tunnel Beach.
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The opening on the Tunnel Beach side is not as easy to spot.
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There were a lot of people searching the beach for agates. This gentleman was kind enough to show us what he had found to take home.
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Looking north up Tunnel Beach at extreme low tide.
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Looking south, around Maxwell Point, at extreme low tide from Tunnel Beach.
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On the very tip of Maxwell Point there is a future sea cave in the making.
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It was kind of eerie watching the people disappear into the fog.
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There is a constant pool of seawater at the tip of Maxwell Point.
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We are back on the road and heading to stop number two for the day.
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Cape Meares is where you'll find The Octopus Tree and a historic lighthouse.
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First things first, I want to see this so called Octopus Tree.
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At the end of this very short path in the woods is where we found the tree.
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The Octopus Tree
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No matter how it happened, that's one odd looking Sitka Spruce tree.
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Now that we've seen the tree it's time to head towards the lighthouse.
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We were surprised when we saw the lighthouse through the bushes.
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The Cape Meares Lighthouse.
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Like most of Oregon's lighthouses it's a short tower on a tall coastal cliff.
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Also like most Oregon lighthouses, only the first or second floor is open to the public.
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We also went to the "Original Pronto Pup" location in Rockaway Beach, OR. Think of it as a Corn Dog made with pancake batter instead of cornbread meal.
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They even have a "one of a kind" bucking bronco weiner ride out front.
Looking for our Visited States Map and Data? How about our State by State Bucket Lists or Visited Campgrounds List? If so, click on the sign below to be taken to our other website.
Today's drive seemed to bring another spectacular view every time we rounded a corner.
The Alsea Bay Bridge was by far the longest bridge we crossed today...
...although the Yaquina Bay Bridge was the most decorative.
Soon we were setting up in a light fog at our new site.
It's not all that fancy here, but the price is right and it's near our sightseeing choices.
As soon as we were all set up and unhitched we drove another 3-miles north to this trail...
...that leads out to a pristine 7-mile stretch of undeveloped coastline.
It's also where you'll find Twin Rocks Arch just off shore.
The surf was very ruff today and I was surprised there wasn't a single surfer in sight.
We then drove another mile north to the town of Rockaway Beach to enjoy a delicious meal
Arriving early has it's benefits, like front row parking!
You'll find a large retail store, a candy shop and beer, wine and cheese tasting parties.
He wasn't shy about having his picture taken, if only he would spread those tail feathers.
This alpaca has recently been sheared for the uncoming summer temperatures.
They had a few different varieties of goats here.
There are plenty of FREE overnight RV parking spaces here if you're a Harvest Host member.
We are in Tillamook, Oregon at the famous Tillamook Creamery factory tour.
To gain entrance to the facility you'll have to pass under the watchful eye of "Flower".
This is the receiving dock where 25 8,000 gallon trucks deliver milk each and every day.
The factory tour consists of a large overhead enclosed catwalk over the factory.
This station is where they form 40-lb. bricks of cheese for storage.
Next up was this obligatory photo op. Tricia was just glad she got to drive!
Here are our yummy purchases from the Blue Heron French Cheese Company.
The Tillamook purchases far out weighed the ones from Blue Heron and rightfully so!
Our first stop today is in the little coastal community of Oceanside, OR (pop. 366).
They have a beach here with a very unique feature.
Have you spotted that unique feature yet?
A 90-foot long, man-made tunnel was carved through the cliffs of Maxwell Point in 1926.
The Rosenberg family created the tunnel to give their resort guests access to more beaches.
You can access Tunnel Beach on the other side at low tide without going through the tunnel,
The first half of the tunnel is all concrete and the second half is all natural rock.
I'm glad we finally made it through, it was getting kind of creepy in there!
Looking back into the tunnel that we just walked through to get onto Tunnel Beach.
The opening on the Tunnel Beach side is not as easy to spot.
There were a lot of people searching the beach for agates.
Looking north up Tunnel Beach at extreme low tide.
Looking south, around Maxwell Point, at extreme low tide from Tunnel Beach.
On the very tip of Maxwell Point there is a future sea cave in the making.
It was kind of eerie watching the people disappear into the fog.
There is a constant pool of seawater at the tip of Maxwell Point.
We are back on the road and heading to stop number two for the day.
Cape Meares is where you'll find The Octopus Tree and a historic lighthouse.
First things first, I want to see this so called Octopus Tree.
At the end of this very short path in the woods is where we found the tree.
The Octopus Tree
No matter how it happened, that's one odd looking Sitka Spruce tree.
Now that we've seen the tree it's time to head towards the lighthouse.
We were surprised when we saw the lighthouse through the bushes.
The Cape Meares Lighthouse.
Like most of Oregon's lighthouses it's a short tower on a tall coastal cliff.
Also like most Oregon lighthouses, only the first or second floor is open to the public.
We also went to the "Original Pronto Pup" location in Rockaway Beach, OR.
They even have a "one of a kind" bucking bronco weiner ride out front.
