Monday, July 28 Into Oregon, Raymond, Cape Disappointment, Tillamook

 Mon. July 28

A pleasant 50 degrees this morning as we continue down the coast towards Oregon.  We go through the town of Raymond, which features a "sculpture corridor" with many metal cut-out type sculptures through town.   Here are a few...

We pass a salmon hatchery,  a Seafood Farm and Oystery, and this giant stack of cages - crab traps.  Obviously these folks depend on the water. Gotta get some seafood soon!

We pause at the Willapa National Wildlife Refuge and stretch our legs on a short trail along Cutthroat Creek, with some whimsical artwork.

Then we head back to the coast and Cape Disappointment State Park at the mouth of the Columbia River.  A fur trader back in 1788 was looking for the mouth of the Columbia River and missed it, thinking this was a bay hence the name.  We visit North Head Lighthouse which was built in 1898 and is still in use.  130' above the water.  Unfortunately it doesn't open for tours until 11:00, so we just walk around it and enjoy the view with a few others.  

The nearby keeper's house is pretty.

Then into Oregon!

Once in Oregon we pass several beaches that are already very busy this Monday morning.  We stop at Neahkanie Viewpoint where we get a view of popular Canon Beach and Haystack Rock.  (If you blow up the top picture you will see that the beach is teaming with people.)  We were there 10 years ago when we spent some time in the northwest.

As we travel along the coast we dip in and out of low lying Tsunami Zones.  One place even had a sign that advised us to climb to higher ground in case of flooding.

We pause at a little fishing town that has a tiny park with these carvings to honor the fishermen and the women who work in the oyster industry.  

We've decided to brave the crowds and stop at the Tillamook Creamery where we do a self-guided tour of their cheese factory.  Tillamook is farmer-owned-and-led since 1909 and is supported by close to 90 farming families.  Plus it is a huge local employer. 

Lots of information about cows - they use mostly Holsteins and Jerseys because Holsteins produce the most milk and Jerseys produce the richest milk.  Their farmers have rigid guidelines as far as feed and care of the animals.  I got a kick out of these rollers which help keep the cows clean but also provide scratching and massage. 

All milk is processed within 24 hours and this factory produces over 170,000 pounds of cheese daily!

They gave us some cheese samples and we bought some ice cream at their shop.  Both were delicious! Huge gift shop too, of course, but nothing we couldn't live without.

We again head inland a bit to find a campground and settle on Jones Creek State Campground. We passed several dairy farms that no doubt work with Tillamook - Rose Ranch was our favorite!   Greg got a kick out of this sign on a small country store we passed.   

The campground  was busy but not full.  We had nicely shaded Site A1, which was $20.   There is a day use area as well, for swimming in the creek.  There are a couple of trails here which seemed to get good use, too.  Talked with a neighbor from Portland who was here to do an 8 mile hike.  No hookups so we did bird baths tonight.

Dinner was ham, mac 'n' cheese and sliced peaches. Chocolate-covered almonds for dessert.

Followed by cribbage.