Itty bitty, skinny mini, swervy curvy roads from Florence, OR all the way to Tillamook. Cliff skirting offered a beautiful view of Heceta Head Lighthouse.
Pulled into the Tillamook Elks RV park, another spacious full hook-up with 21 sites. I’m down to one breathing treatment a day so plans are to see anything and everything, paying no attention to the rain pouring down. As we left LilyPad to explore, the clouds parted and a few rays of sunshine nudged the drenched farmland.
Badly in need of a venture outdoors, forested Munson Creek Falls was chosen and we drove the uneven dirt packed state road over several miles of lumps. Cold dampness still hung in the air as little sun was being allowed through the treed thicket. Swamp Lanterns were in bud and ready to unfold.
I hiked for less than half way before my lungs began to close and returned to the car. John and KatieBug finished the hike and brought back pictures of the falls. Early to bed ended our day.
As you would suppose, living in a box on wheels and being together 24/7 sometimes results in squabbles, many times settled amicably. This one instance, as we pulled into our next stop and still in the heat of an argument, I told John if he would admit to being an ass, I’d admit to being a cow and we sealed the agreement with a photo shoot in the yard of the Blue Heron French Cheese Company.
Returning to relaxation mode we were able to enjoy the creamy cheese bite samples and flight of red wine before wandering outside again to watch the farm animals and imagine what it would be like to homestead using the 1900’s Buffalo Pits 13 horse power tractor to clear acres of fields.
A local flyer suggested we visit the Tillamook Air Museum inside the oldest wooden WWII blimp hangar in existence. The hanger could house up to 8 gigantic “K” class Navy blimps. The most astonishing fact about the planes we viewed was that they still fly…and they are all older than what AARP considers senior citizens!
They had a continual big screen movie of the hazards and tribulations of building the hanger, had several showcases of German and Japanese memorabilia and many war items including communications showcases with short wave radio’s, guns, flags, pilot trainers,
a real WWII Guppy to explore
and odds and ends from WWII including a photo of a Texan woman pilot.
John, of course, was fascinated with everything while I was drawn to just a few odd looking or exceptional planes. One was the Grumman J2F-6 Duck, single engine amphibious biplane, utility and air-sea rescue, a very strange structural design.
The Consolidated PBY-5A Catalina, the most successful WWII patrol bomber because of its size
and the Chance Vought F4U Corsair, 440mph, versatile and deadly performer, because of its history…and being the only one I had heard of from my history books about WWII.
Next day we visited Tillamook cheese factory, a dairy co-op began in 1894 by Thaddeus Townsend, a must stop when in Tillamook. We toured the factory, sampled various cheeses and then the Tillamook ice cream counter reached out and seized us both, forcing us to eat junior cones of mint chocolate chip and Tillamook Mudslide. Almost, but not quite, as good as the Little Creamery in Brenham.
One smile inducing part of the self-guided tour was reading the old 1950’s and 1960’s ads. From “Don’t run with our cheddar, it’s very sharp”, “Only serve our cheese on special occasions, like when you eat”, “The best milk you’ll ever sink your teeth into” and “It’s the same cheese that my great-grandfather ate only with a different expiration date” and my favorite… 99% natural, 100% if you remove the wrapper before eating.
A full day of rest before we ventured over to the tiny seaside town of Oceanside. Such an inviting dining opportunity perched on the edge of the ocean. Afterward we drove up the mountain to reach Cape Meares Overlook before the sun disappeared.
Hiking up to The Octopus Tree, aka the 250 year old Sitka Spruce, was a journey we expected would expose rosy hues spread across the ocean horizon but turned out to be a tree studded blockade.
A quick decent and a trek across the park to one more ocean overlook and checking out the Cape Meares welcome sign but again, no view of the waning sun. Had to check the mini islands anchored in the oceans breakwaters to search for supposed Puffins that were represented on the welcome sign but no Puffins and still no sunset.
With time slipping away, we took the long walkway down the hill to the lighthouse only to spot one tiny glow in the distance.
Sometimes nature gives you just a taste of its splendor so you hold on to the anticipation. Chasing sunsets can be exhausting.
Next nights sunset chase, dinner first, then allowing KatieBug to drain out her energy dashing along the damp stretch of beach, we were finally rewarded with a bit of that unpredictable splendor.
Morning came and we completed the short 3 hour drive to Burien Elks Lodge in Washington. Just a parking lot with hook-ups but near the famous Pike Place Market, one of our must see again when in Seattle.
This public market has been in continuous operation since 1907 and one of the oldest in the US.
Consisting of several levels and stretching out over several downtown blocks, it contains antique dealers, collectible shops, restaurants, one of the oldest “head” shops in Seattle, fish mongers, fresh cut flowers,
fresh produce stands, fresh cheese makers, craft stalls and arcades.
10 million visitors a year munch their way through the market as foodie delights are available every few inches. Lunch arrived so we snacked on veggie pockets at Piroshky Piroshky and cheated on our diets with a buttery treat from the French Bakery, bought handmade dog fruit treats for KatieBug, inspected flowers to purchase for brightening up LilyPad, listened to the music man
and tapped our Texas toes to the music from a group of pickers
before walking our feet into exhaustion.
Next morning Ribbit needed an oil change so we had breakfast at a local café until Jiffy Lube had completed the job, hooked up and drove on to Bellingham RV Park in Washington.