One last leg along the Oregon coast awaits us today. Surprise! It rained overnight and continues to drizzle as we get ready for the day. Showers are the stock same as the other Oregon state parks but these seem to have been renovated slightly with new fittings and lights making them feel brighter and cleaner. Hot water (good) so they get a 7/10.
We depart our site at 10:00am and join the line-up to dump our tanks. We leave the park at 10:30am. Our first stop of the day is at “The Devils Punchbowl”. It’s a natural rock arch through which the waves break into what was a large cave before the roof collapsed. Now in certain conditions the waves break and shoot skyward. Not when we arrived however as the tide was not yet at its highest, although the weather and sea conditions made it look like it might have been quite a spectacle later in the day.
The road along this section of US-101 has at times subsided and as such it was quite bumpy and we had to pay attention to the warning signs regarding speed or suffer the consequences of our belongings being flung about the van.
Arriving in Tillamook, OR we stopped first at “The Blue Heron French Cheese Company” where we sampled some lovely cheeses and picked a few pieces up for eating later. We then, of course, made our way to the “Tillamook Creamery” where we visited their museum and viewed the creamery workers making and packaging cheese. The visit concluded with a trip through the gift shop and finally lunch at their cafe where cheese was prominent in all menu choices. Yummy!
The coast ‘softened’ as we headed further North with more of the coast now being wide open sandy beaches dotted with Summer getaway towns such as Rockaway Beach (not the one made famous by The Ramones). We made a stop at a viewpoint high on a cliff top and captured some beautiful shots of this portion of the coast.
We make a quick detour into Warrenton, OR to get a few groceries & fill up with fuel at Fred Meyers. Maybe, just maybe better than H.E.B. in Texas. Barb is smitten.
A short drive from Warrenton we arrive at Fort Stevens State Park where we will camp for the next two nights. This is our second time here as we camped here two years ago and had a great time.
Settling in the for the night under the trees. Good night everyone!
Getting close!