Jeff & Manchu had lots of suggestions for things to do in the area. This is wonderful, but as I've mentioned before, this isn't the typical sort of sight-seeing trip. It's been wonderful to just be for a span of time. It lends an air of normalcy and permanency in the midst of constant change. Hard to believe that we'll have been in Portland for almost a month by the time we leave.
But we had wanted to take a drive to see the coast west of Portland, and Jeff suggested swinging south from Cannon Beach to Tillamook to see the cheese factory. It makes sort of a loop, taking the 26 West out of Portland to Cannon Beach, then south on the 101 to Tillamook, then back east on the 6, which links up once again with the 26. It's just about 90 minutes from Portland to the coast, and about the same on the way back, unless you happen to hit the outskirts of Portland at 5pm rush hour, which is what we did. In which case, tack at least another hour onto the drive!
Cannon Beach is a cute little seaside community. It appears to be driven mostly by tourism and some very nice real estate lining the hills and cliffs over the beach. We grabbed a bite to eat at a local pizza joint and then headed to the beach. Of course, we hadn't packed swimming suits or extra clothes for the kids. After all, the water was going to be pretty cold, and the northern Oregon coast is famous for chilly winds even in the summer. We were looking forward to seeing the distinctive rock outcroppings on the beach and the surf that seem to be a hallmark of this part of the Pacific Coast.
However it was a picture perfect day. The breeze was firm but not annoying - or cold. The sun was out in full force and so were the tourists, including us. The kids quickly forgot our admonitions to only go ankle-deep out into the water, and were quickly more or less soaked. Oh well. Kids are kids, right? We only stayed for about 45 minutes or so since we hadn't packed sunscreen, and we still wanted to stop down in Tillamook. What a fun way to spend mid-day though!
The drive to Tillamook wasn't too long - less than an hour. The 101 is windy here, but not as windy as it gets in northern California, if memory serves me correctly. The Tillamook Cheese factory is a lot more popular as a tourist destination than I would have guessed. So we went in, looked around on the self-guided tour, grabbed a tiny ice-cream for the kids and left. The kids were pretty impressed by the whole operation, particularly since they know that they eat that brand of cheese (when it's on sale).
The drive to and from the course is beautiful, winding through densely forested hills and small mountains. The trees are massive pines that must be at least 100-feet tall. The area just outside Portland to the west is mostly farmland before the hills take back control and the trees seize the skyline. Unfortunately we hit Portland at the peak of rush hour, and discovered that the traffic can be most unpleasant. But it was a wonderful day. Everyone had a blast, and after another short installment of reading The Hobbit together, the kids were down for the count.
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