Cape Perpetua and Tillamook Cheese

I always like to plan for fun things to do along our route on long travel days. There are quite a few things to see along Highway 101 on the six hour stretch from Seaside to Coos Bay. Our first stop was the Tillamook Cheese factory.

I was surprised how busy this place was. We did the self-guided tour which took us upstairs to give us a good view of the production lines. They have a weird orange film over the windows.

Here they are separating the curds from the whey. 

In this area, the cheese begins as giant 42lb blocks and is cut down into smaller pieces or slices and packaged for individual sale. They make 171,000lbs of cheese each day and age it from 60 days to 3 years depending on the variety.

Next it was time to taste the finished product, which we did happily! Their vintage extra sharp white cheddar is probably our favorite. Of course we grabbed a big bag of cheese curds, or "squeeky cheese" as some call it.

And THEN it was time for ice cream, ignore the fact that is was still technically morning.

With happy tummies, we headed for our next stop, Cape Perpetua, a designated national scenic area known for it's unique coastal features. The first is Devil's Churn, a crack in the coastal rock has created a channel where the incoming and outgoing waves collide into a powerful explosion of water.

The view from the top of the trail before heading down to the churn. 

This wind is so strong and constant here, that the trees just grow this way. The wind was barely blowing when I took this photo.

Next was Cook's Chasm. Spouting Horn, to the right, is where water builds up during high tide and will shoot up thru a hole in the rock at certain times. This area just looks so different that any other.

And last, my real reason for this visit, Thor's Well. A hole that appears bottomless which at high tide fills and empties from the bottom with the pressure of the waves from underneath. It is incredibly dangerous, so must be viewed from a distance. It's power is evident when you see and hear the force of the water growing inside come splashing out.

In this first picture for perspective, people can be seen standing quite close to it. 

One moment it's full of crashing water and the next it's a cavernous hole in the earth's crust.

Now, on to Coos Bay. 

Canon Beach, Oregon

Haystack Rock at Canon Beach is an easily recognizable landmark. During high tide, it's an island in the ocean, but at low tide, the most amazing tide pools are revealed containing vibrantly colored creatures. 

All of these rocks and creatures are underwater most of the day. It's a real treat to see them like this.

There are three starfish in this photo!

These were taken underwater with Daddy's iphone (inside a lifeproof case)!

                     

We returned to the beach another day for some letterboxing and swimming.

(I love the seagull in this picture!)

More letterboxing (we found 7 in one day!) took us to this interesting rock garden where people have left large rocks that they've painted. The kids painted rocks to leave here and glued parts of a sand dollar on top.

Found a seahorse stamp!

The Oregon coast is just breathtaking. It's difficult to drive it without stopping every few minutes to admire it and take more photos.

One day we drove out to Astoria to walk around the farmers market. Afterwards we ate lunch overlooking the Columbia River while watching seals play. Next we drove up the mountain to the Astoria Column. Even though the column was closed for renovations, the view was spectacular.

 That's Washington state on the other side of the bridge. (Of course he's trying to roll down the hill.)