Making cheese.
I drove back towards the coast and found a free campsite in the Tillamook State Forest. From there it was only 15 miles to the town of Tillamook and only 8 miles further to the Oregon Seashore. From my campsite here it is an easy ride on Honda to explore the coast.
Tillamook has a cheese factory that is somewhat famous in this area. They brag about there cheese and ice cream being the best around. The factory where they make everything has a visitors center where you can watch people make cheese and, of course, purchase some to take with you when you go. They have a line you can move through and sample the different kinds of cheese they make. I thought the cheese wasn’t nearly as good as Cuba Cheese but I did buy some curd to take home.
Curd
From there I rode over to the coast to look at a lighthouse. As I got closer to the ocean a thick, cold fog enveloped me and all views of the Pacific were lost in the mist. The lighthouse was cute, definitely smaller than many I have seen. It is called Cape Meares Lighthouse, and is one of many in a row that are either abandoned or automated. Modern navigation doesn’t need them much anymore.
Cute Lighthouse
On my way back I stopped at a state park that has camping. I thought that maybe prices would be better as we get into October and I could stay one night and use the hookups. No one is ever in the booth at the entrance to state and federal campgrounds anymore. The usually have an honor system self registration board to collect your money and a ranger to drive by once in a while to catch the cheater.
It would add up in a month.
I’ll be here through the weekend and head down the coast next week. I may stay at a casino for my next sightseeing romp. I read where they are used quite often by rvers looking to see the area on a cheep budget.
One thing that seems strange is the way they sell gas in this state. It is against the law to pump your own so you must wait for the attendant to come out and pump it. I thought gas prices would be higher here because of the extra help but they are the same or cheaper than they were in Washington. When I pulled in on Honda the attendant set the pump and then handed me the nozzle.
Tillamook has been around a long time. We took the tour probably 30 years ago or more.
The gas pumping deal in Oregon is really dumb.
I’ve eaten Tillamook cheese. It’s good but as you point out it’s not Cuba cheese.
I’ve asked Jocelyn to find a cheese factory that gives tours for when we visit her at the end of the year. I want curds too.
In Canada you can pump your own gas, but the pumps can’t be locked on. You have to stand there and hold the handle. When you’re pumping 50 gallons it can take a while.
Daryl, I’ve run into those pumps too. I usually use the gas cap to hold the handle up so I don’t have to.
I kept trying to change the spelling of the town but everyone was against it