We stay huddled in bed a little longer this morning. Its cozy. Our view out of the back of the Westy is of the dunes, beach, and Pacific Ocean. We’re not terribly fond of the campground, but you can’t beat this site. Today our plan is to get somewhere into northern Oregon, perhaps with stops in Astoria, Cannon Beach, and Tilamook. We reload the van (when I say we I mean Randi and I. The kids usually play, lie around, or sometimes watch a DVD) and get going. The route today often skirts the coast or heads inland through old logging or oyster fishing villages. We are anxious to get to Oregon and so make a straight shot, stopping just once, for gas and food.
Breaching a hill I can see the wide, slow moving Columbia River through the trees. I announce to Josh and Zev that Oregon is just ahead. We ride along the Columbia for a short while and then turn onto the long bridge into Astoria, OR. I remember visiting Astoria before and it’s a pleasant town. But Randi and I decide to bypass it this time and keep going. Our first stop is Seaside. Randi and I once stayed at a bed and breakfast here. Seaside is not how I remember it, however. It appears to mainly be a touristy beach resort. We stop though, because the kids need a break. They get some salt water taffy and play some games in an arcade. We’re off, though, in less than an hour. Randi has selected a campground for tonight, Cape Lookout State Park, and it’s still a ways off. We also want to make a few more stops.
Just a few more miles and we reach Cannon Beach and the famous Haystack Rock. Haystack Rock is the third largest sea monolith in the world. The community at Cannon Beach is also a lot nicer than Seaside. We take a long walk along the beach and then circle back into town. The kids find a bead shop and have taken an interest in making their own necklaces. Soon, however, we return to the coastal highway and continue further south. It’s a pretty drive but it’s getting late and we want to make sure we have time to make dinner at our campground. Before we get there, though, we stop in Tilamook at the Tilamook Cheese factory. Here you can view the factory in process and we watched as workers monitored and packaged cheese. Sounds too good to be true? Well we had a really good time here. We joked about the cheese and where it comes from (since you get milk by milking a cow can you get cheese by cheesing a cow? I guess you had to be there.) The best part is they hand out free cheese! We got back in line several times. Yum, yum. The boys and Randi also had to try some Tilamook ice cream. That was pretty darn good too.
Well as much fun as a cheese factory is, it was time to head south and west just a few miles further to Cape Lookout State Park. It was a wonderful winding road to the campground which is located right on the coast. We immediately liked what we saw and picked out a good campsite. It was pretty late so Randi and I got to making dinner… spaghetti with sautéed onions, garlic, and spinach in olive oil… while Zev secured some firewood. Josh was working on his necklaces, which he plans on selling to unsuspecting fellow campers. We enjoy our dinner and a campfire, though the necklaces didn’t sell too well. Later Randi and I head to the beach to watch the sunset. Josh and Zev stay back and help ready the van for bed. They did a great job. This campground is in a really beautiful area and it would be well worth returning.
Breaching a hill I can see the wide, slow moving Columbia River through the trees. I announce to Josh and Zev that Oregon is just ahead. We ride along the Columbia for a short while and then turn onto the long bridge into Astoria, OR. I remember visiting Astoria before and it’s a pleasant town. But Randi and I decide to bypass it this time and keep going. Our first stop is Seaside. Randi and I once stayed at a bed and breakfast here. Seaside is not how I remember it, however. It appears to mainly be a touristy beach resort. We stop though, because the kids need a break. They get some salt water taffy and play some games in an arcade. We’re off, though, in less than an hour. Randi has selected a campground for tonight, Cape Lookout State Park, and it’s still a ways off. We also want to make a few more stops.
Just a few more miles and we reach Cannon Beach and the famous Haystack Rock. Haystack Rock is the third largest sea monolith in the world. The community at Cannon Beach is also a lot nicer than Seaside. We take a long walk along the beach and then circle back into town. The kids find a bead shop and have taken an interest in making their own necklaces. Soon, however, we return to the coastal highway and continue further south. It’s a pretty drive but it’s getting late and we want to make sure we have time to make dinner at our campground. Before we get there, though, we stop in Tilamook at the Tilamook Cheese factory. Here you can view the factory in process and we watched as workers monitored and packaged cheese. Sounds too good to be true? Well we had a really good time here. We joked about the cheese and where it comes from (since you get milk by milking a cow can you get cheese by cheesing a cow? I guess you had to be there.) The best part is they hand out free cheese! We got back in line several times. Yum, yum. The boys and Randi also had to try some Tilamook ice cream. That was pretty darn good too.
Well as much fun as a cheese factory is, it was time to head south and west just a few miles further to Cape Lookout State Park. It was a wonderful winding road to the campground which is located right on the coast. We immediately liked what we saw and picked out a good campsite. It was pretty late so Randi and I got to making dinner… spaghetti with sautéed onions, garlic, and spinach in olive oil… while Zev secured some firewood. Josh was working on his necklaces, which he plans on selling to unsuspecting fellow campers. We enjoy our dinner and a campfire, though the necklaces didn’t sell too well. Later Randi and I head to the beach to watch the sunset. Josh and Zev stay back and help ready the van for bed. They did a great job. This campground is in a really beautiful area and it would be well worth returning.
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