Oregon is really beautiful, the spring weather isn't the best, but it has a different kind of beauty. It was raining as we started to hook up and then the sky let loose, we had a downpour of hale...felt like we were roller skating as we moved around. Finally we headed out and within 30 minutes the sun was peaking out. The weather here is a lot like home - if you don't like it wait a minute!
We drove through Willamette Pass and over Cascade Head with great views and then through Suislaw National Forest with Alder, Aspen, and Douglas Fir on both sides of the road. This area is very much like home. We passed a Daffodil Farm and lots of dairy farms as we wound our way along Nestucca River. The river is a great recreation spot for fishing. Soon we began to see snow capped mountains on our right in the distance. It was our first view of the Cascade Range.
Along 101 we started seeing signs for "Squeeeky Cheese" and knew we were getting closer to our first stop.. Tillamook Cheese Factory. This is the only place you can get Squeeeky Cheese, Tillamook Ice Cream, and a first hand look at how Tillamook Cheese is made. Of course we took the self-guided tour. It was really interesting. They make 167,000 lbs of cheese per day and 1.7 million gallons of milk is delivered daily to the factory. So what is squeeeky cheese? When cheese curds are cold they have a squeak, but when they come to room temperature they squeak their hearts out and that's half of the reason people eat cheese curds. Tillamook's cheese curds are made from cheddar cheese curds...hmmm...and it has a nice medium sharp taste with a little bit of a rubbery texture which adds to their enjoyment. The curds also have a bit of a salty taste and they are shaped oddly which makes them fun. After the tour we went to the cheese tasting counter and last but not least visited the ice cream counter (38 flavors). Naturally we took cheese and ice cream home with us.
As we continue up Rte 101 through Garibaldi and Rockaway Beach we really can't see much for views as it's pretty socked in. We crossed over the Nehalem River lined with houseboats into the little community of Nehalem and passed Wanda's Cafe. The forest got thicker as we drove through Oswald West State Park. A mountain appeared in front of us and as we rounded the corner the opening of a tunnel appeared taking us through to the other side. Suddenly we came along a stunning stretch of beach, Cannon Beach provides breathtaking views around every corner. The town was named for a cannon that washed up on the beach in 1846. The cannon from the US Navy schooner Shark washed ashore after the schiooner was wrecked while trying to cross the Columbia Bar, known as the Graveyard of the Pacific. The cannon was rediscovered in 1898. The town has worked very hard to keep the natural beauty of the area.
Arriving in Seaside, Oregon's first seaside resort, the gray stormy ocean rushed up to meet the sea stacks and exploded into the air along the roadway. Seaside is very quaint and offers visitors dozens of specialty shops, art galleries, and antique stores. It's a great place to browse. Rolling through Seaside we find ourselves back on the Lewis & Clark Trail. We thought if the weather clears we would come back this way to enjoy the beautiful beaches.
Arrivng in Astoria we realized we were about to cross Mile 0 of Highway 101 at the south end of the Astoria-Megler Bridge. The bridge rose in front of us and we were not prepared for the immenseness of the structure. The bridge is the longest continuous three-span bridge in the world and is over 4 miles long. The bridge makes Hwy 101 an unbroken link between the Canadian and Mexican borders. Going over the bridge the road took us up over the Columbia River as you get to the crest the bridge slants downward like the first drop on a roller coaster and then flattens out to more like a causeway. As we reached the crest Seagulls were flying by at eye level. You think you are over the bridge and then the causeway turns to a single lane bridge, due to construction. A line on this bridge divides Oregon and Washington. At 3:21pm we passed into our 21st state on our journey.
Our first view of Washington along Rte 101 is foresty with little hamlets dotted along the way. We got to our campground in Long Beach and unhooked and set up for the 1st time in driving rain and wind! Dinner, TV and Bed.....
It was an awful weather day but gorgeous scenery!
Pictures: Oregon Sunset (without sun)
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