We continued our trip down the Oregon Coast with short
stops at Tillamook and Newport.
Tillamook (Oct 1 - 2)
As we left Troutdale, it started raining. It was a short two-hour ride to Tilamook and
it rained the whole time. It was pouring
when we arrived at NETARTS BAY GARDEN RV RESORT in the town of Netarts Bay just
outside of Tillamook. We changed sites
two times until we finally settled into a third site that was level and long
enough for our trailer.
After
setting up in the rain, we settled into our trailer and stayed put. It rained the rest of the day and into the
night. It stopped raining in the wee
hours and at around 3am a rooster, nearby, started chatting away. So now instead of a noisy train, we now get a
chatty rooster. The damn thing kept it
up until around 6am. During the last
hour I started hearing an owl. So I
prayed…. Mr. Owl have some breakfast…please.
When it quieted down after 6am, I thought my prayers were answered. But no… Dave heard it again when he went to
the showers.
The
next morning it was cloudy, but no rain yet.
We finally got to check out the place.
The park has about 90 sites. The
main part of the park is a marina and is next to Netarts Bay. The upper section is an open area surrounded
by trees. This area is fairly private,
but the sites are close together. Our
site is in this area. We have a strong
WiFi signal, but no TV. So this is where
we finish watching the DVD’s we brought.
We
are staying in Tillamook for two nights.
Tillamook’s lush grasses due to 70 – 90 inches of rain a year sustain
the herds that compose Oregon’s dairy industry.
Much of the county’s annual milk production of 25 million gallons is
made into natural cheddar cheese. There
is also a lot of crabbing and deep-sea fishing done in this area.
There
are a lot of hiking trails and nice beaches to walk on, but it was a cloudy,
cold and wet day so we did none of that.
But we were able to visited some sights.
Cape
Meares Lighthouse
Oregon’s
shortest lighthouse stands 38 feet on top of Cape Meares and 217 feet above the
ocean. The lighthouse was built in 1886
and the lamp was first lit on January 1, 1890.
Some interesting facts: the bull’s
eye lens generated 18,000 candlepower of white light and 160,000 candlepower of
red light. The Mariners could spot the
powerful beams from more than 21 miles away and the distinctive red-white
pattern allowed them to plot their location.
See all the white on the cliff side.
That's the nesting area for a seabird called 'Common Murres Manners'
A view from the lighthouse
Nearby
is the “Octopus Tree”. An unusually
large Sitka Spruce is named for its unique shape. Ten feet at its base, it has no central
trunk. Limbs 3-5 feet thick branch out
close to the ground. This tree is about 300 years old.
Blue
Heron Cheese Company
Known
for its Blue Heron Brie, Blue Heron Cheese Company has been in business for 30
years. It’s barn-like store house a gift
shop, gourmet foods, wine tasting, a deli with homemade bread and soups.
Tillamook
Cheese Factory
This
factory has been processing cheese and other dairy products for over 100 years. In 1894 renowned cheesemaker Peter McIntosh
brought his cheddar cheese-making expertise to Tillamook County, where he taught
the locals all he knew and earned himself the nickname “Cheese King of the
Coast”. Over 120 years later, the same
cheddar cheese recipe is still being used.
Newport (Oct 3 - 5)
Newport is another coastal village and a resort
community for over 100 years. Newport’s location
at the entrance of Yaquina Bay has made fishing an important industry.
We stayed at nearby Beverly Beach State Park. This State Park has a very nice campground
with full services. No WiFi but we got a few local channels on the TV with the antenna. The campground is huge and is spread out
under the trees.
We
stayed here for three nights and like Tillamook, it rained every day. Stormed all night and parts of each day with
lots of wind. You should have seen the
ocean waves! But we still went out on
both days and visited the historic Bay Front in Newport, the Oregon Coast
Aquarium, nearby Depoe Bay, and some coastal sights between Tillamook and Depoe
Bay.
Historic
Bay Front
Is
known for its giant, colorful murals and fish processing plants. It’s a place where you can wander the docks
and buy fresh fish from the fishermen or have a fishy meal at one of the many restaurants. You can visit the funky shops or view the
seals sunning themselves on platforms below the piers.
California Sea Lions. The below pile of rocks are covered with them.
Oregon
Coast Aquarium
The Aquariums’
1.32-million gallon “Passages of the Deep” exhibit is an underwater adventure
featuring 5,000 sea creatures where visitors can walk through shark-filled
water in the safety of a 200-foot acrylic walkway deep beneath a simulated sea.
Sardines!
Depoe
Bay
Is
the whale watching capital. We came here
to see the whale museum on the recommendation of someone we met at the
campground. But it was closed. The museum is only open on weekends. So we walked down the main street and checked
out the gift shops and galleries. After
about the 5th one, we realized that all the shops had the same stuff. By then it started storming, so we ducked
into the “Sea Hag” for some lunch and waited for the storm to pass.
During
the calm of the storm, we returned to Newport and stopped for some coastal
views along the way.
Rocky Creek Bridge
Devil’s
Punch Bowl
This
is a ‘State Natural Area’. It is located
at Otter Rock between Newport and Depoe Bay.
During winter storms, water from the ocean slams into a hollow rock formation
shaped like a huge punch bowl. The surf
churns, foams, and swirls as it “mixes a violent brew”. This was the perfect day to view this phenomenon.
The punch bowl was probably created by
the collapse of a roof over two sea caves, then shaped by wave action.
This
place is also a popular whale watching site where there is a park and picnic
area. There is also a small gift shop
and tasting room for Flying Dutchman Winery.
We tasted a few samples and bought a bottle of Raspberry Mist.
Off to California and HOME!
