Changing things up a little since we were away for the three-day weekend and I have LOTS of photos. It was a triple celebration - Valentine's Day, my birthday, and our anniversary coming up later this month.
We headed to the Oregon coast on Saturday morning. It was about a four-hour drive because we were going down to Tillamook to take a tour of the Creamery and then back up the scenic byway to Cannon Beach where we would stay for two nights.
That's Washington in the grey and Oregon in the tan - we cut over from Route 4 and then over the Astoria-Megler Bridge to begin our trek down the coast
For my non-US readers, Tillamook is a brand of cheese and other dairy products like cream cheese, sour cream, yogurt, butter, and ice cream. The hard cheese is made here in the Tillamook Creamery factory. We were a little early for our tour, so we grabbed something to eat in the Food Hall and had a little browse around the shop.
The Tillamook orange VW vans are promotional vehicles used by Tillamook Dairy to promote their cheese products. These customized minibuses are painted in a distinctive orange color and feature branding such as "Tillamook" and "Medium Cheddar Cheese" on their sides. They were part of the Loaf Love Tour, which aimed to expand Tillamook's brand recognition and generate media attention by showcasing their cheese in various locations across the United States.
The information wall gave all the details of the beginning of the brand and where they are today.
We went upstairs with our guide and followed the cheese-making process from receiving the milk to sending off the packages of cheese.
Our tour included sampling of the aged cheeses and cheese curds.
I told Vic we need one of these in our kitchen!
We were staying for two nights at The Surfsand Resort in Cannon Beach. All of the oceanfront rooms were taken when I booked but look at the view we had from our balcony!
This is Haystack Rock, a 235 ft-tall (72 m) sea stack. The monolithic rock is adjacent to the beach and accessible by foot at low tide
Our room was lovely with a little seating area off to the left, bathroom behind the hanging/seating area, and the balcony.
We headed out for dinner. I had done some research on restaurants in the area, and we were able to walk to Pelican Brewery where we enjoyed Chicken Piccata (me) and a Crispy Coastal Shrimp Bowl (Vic).
Vic also tried some of the local brews on this flight.
This tide clock was interesting.
We headed back to the hotel and watched the Olympics.
Sunday morning, we headed out to a little cafe that had been recommended by a couple in our small group. The menu was limited and crazy expensive, but we enjoyed our breakfast.
A waffle with fruit for Vic
A marionberry scone for me - it's an unwritten rule, when in Oregon, eat something marionberry
After breakfast, we headed north to where we'd seen a sign for the Lewis and Clark National Historical Park. We knew the basics of their expedition, but it was really interesting to learn much more. There were two movies in the small theater that added to our education.
Standing arms outstretched, Meriwether Lewis beholds the Pacific with excitement and thankfulness. Kneeling in a posture of stability and supplication, William Clark records the event in his journal. An un-named Clatsop Indian, representing native assistance through the course of the journey, holds a starry flounder for documentation in the journals. Lastly, Lewis' Newfoundland dog, Seaman, shows his unquestioning devotion to his master - bronze sculpture by Stan Wanlass.
The statue of Sacagawea and her infant son by Jim Demetro stands near the Fort Clatsop Visitor Center, along the trail leading to the reconstruction of Fort Clatsop.
The reconstructed Fort Clatsop
Heading south again, we stopped in the small town of Seaside for a visit to their aquarium, established in 1937, one of the oldest aquariums on the West Coast.
It was very small, but these guys were worth the visit.
We wandered around the town a little, but it reminded me of parts of Virginia Beach, lots of saltwater taffy and many, many tourist shops. We stopped for lunch and then headed back to the hotel. We had a 7:15pm dinner reservation at a restaurant recommended by a friend so we spent the afternoon with more of the Olympics.
Dinner was good, salmon for Vic and filet mignon for me.
This cocktail was amazing - EST. 77 - Empress Rose gin, blood orange and lemon juices, simple syrup, topped up with champagne
Summing up our three-day weekend with big smiles, we had a lovely time!
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