Day 30: Rainy Day in the Pacific Northwest

 Tuesday, June 11

Well, it was bound to happen. Today is Day 30 and we have not had any rain at all since Day 4 of this trip. Seeing as we were also in the Pacific Northwest, where it does rain quite frequently, especially along the coast, today wsa a wet one--or rather a misty one. We had no problems boondocking right on the coast at Thor's Well last night. There were two or three other vans there overnight. No "no camping" signs. Just a bit noisy from the highway traffic. It was 54 degrees when we got underway and it stayed in the mid-50s as long as we were on the coast all day long. We continued north on Highway 101 along the Oregon coast to Waldport, where we saw a bunch of sea lions on the shores of the river below the bridge there. Then we stopped at the oldest lighthouse in the PNW at the Yaquina Head lighthouse. Next stop was nearby at the Devil's Punchbowl, this huge indentation on the coast that (at high tide) filled with seawater. Of course, we were there at low tide. 

Seeing as the weather was not getting any better as the day went on, we drove past this place in Tillamook where they make cheese. When we looked it up online, we saw that they have a free tour of the factory there and it was loaded with people, so it looked liek a good way to spend an hour or two on a rainy day. So we pulled into the Tillamook Cheese Factory, and I have to tell you that this free self-guided tour of the factory on the second floor looking through the windows into the cheese plant itself was amazing. The layout and flow and the signage and the exhibits explaining the whole cheese making process as well as labeling all the machinery and explaining what the workers were doing at each step of the way was fantastic. They also had free samples of different cheeses and an eatery and gift shop. We definitely had some of their ice cream there before getting underway again.

Continuing north on 101, we stopped at the famous Cannon Beach to see Haystack Rock, which is probably the quintessential image that you think of when you think of the Oregon coastline. Here, we took a long walk on the beach before heading to nearby Ecola State Park for a picnic lunch. Ecola SP and its neighbor Indian Beach SP have this huge rainforest where you can walk around and feel as if you are in the jungle with all the luxuriant ferns and draping mosses on the trees. It is almost an otherworldly experience. Last, we headed east to Portland on Rt 26 and visited with one of Brian's former students from Haverford, who we stayed with on our last trip out here. Camped in their street and appreciated seeing a friendly face on the road and their generous invitation to use their shower.