Friday, May 1, 2015
The Coast of Tillamook County
has something for everyone. The tremendous beaches with long stretches of flat,
soft sand, punctuated with rocky outcroppings, where the wave action thunders.
Numerous rivers and streams cascade down from the Coast Range providing inland
playgrounds for recreational opportunities, like the 317-foot Munson Creek
waterfall. Hiking trails abound at each area. You can camp with the sound of
the surf or the stillness of a forest setting.
We have found several
churches with Mass schedules that are convenient for us.
Tillamook, seven miles south,
is the County seat, and the crossroads of Tillamook County. We enjoy shopping,
restaurants, museums, and getting the stuff that we need.
Our visit to the Tillamook
Cheese Plant was interesting and tasty. They offer free samples of all their
cheese products and also offer a selection of their all-encompassing assortment
of ice cream products. Tillamook Creamery Association produces one million-plus
pounds of cheese daily.
Bay City’s Pacific Oyster is
a remarkable visit, where oyster-shucking is a professional skill. They produce
fresh oysters, distributing them in nation-wide markets.
Rockaway Beach, a high point
overlooking the ocean, is three miles north by road, or ½-mile up the beach, a
summer resort, with pristine beach, restaurants, shops, and rentals. Rockaway
Beach, like all the coastal communities, has a nice Coffee and Expresso stand. We
attend Sunday Mass at St. Mary by the Sea, Catholic Church.
Garibaldi, a fishing village,
two miles south, has a fine harbor with all sorts of attractions. Captain
Robert Gray discovered the bay in 1792 and considered it a fine natural port
but it was 1854 before it materialized.
On Wednesday, we drove the forty-mile,
scenic, “Capes Loop”, visiting Cape Meares, Cape Lookout, and Cape Kiwanda. We
had lunch at Oceanside’s Roseanna’s Cafe, gazing out the oceanfront windows,
overlooking the surf and beach. We stopped to visit Tom and Edna at Pacific
City, hosts of Woods Campground, on the Nestucca River.
The Pacific City Beach allows
driving on the beach, so it’s a lure for tourists to drive the beach but we
abstained.
There are only a few
oceanfront communities on the Oregon Coast that aren’t located directly on the U.S.
101(Pacific Coast Highway), and this loop is one of them. Hidden away are
stunning ocean views, sand dunes, old-growth Sitka Spruce forests, historic
landmark lighthouses, haystack rocks, Dory boats, hang-gliders, and wildlife.
The offshore, haystack rocks are annual nesting grounds for seabirds like the Tufted
Puffin.
Returning to Tillamook, we
stopped by the old WW II Tillamook Naval Air Station, where the giant hangers
housed the K-Class, anti- submarine blimps which patrolled the Pacific Coast
throughout 1942-1945.
5-7
Today, we traveled OR 6, up
the Wilson River to the Oregon State Forest Center. We walked the trails along
the river and toured the nice Visitor Center. The old pictures, artifacts,
exhibits, and video presentation were very enlightening and entertaining. The
Rhododendrons are in full bloom and laden with gorgeous blossoms.
We would like to take this
opportunity to invite family and friends to come visit us on the Oregon Coast.
You will find the “Tillamook” (land of many waters) coastline fits its name,
with five bays, five rivers, and one big ocean. Water is the main draw and it
offers much to do and explore, including a secluded, scenic coastal drive with
grand views, pastoral settings, and old-growth forests.
Friday,
May 8, 2015 marks our first two weeks as camp-hosts at Barview Jetty County
Park. We have settled-in and we like the park, people, community, and the work.
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