Tillamook Creamery

The Tillamook County Creamery Association was founded in 1909 as a farmer-owned cooperative and is now known for its dairy products.  Tillamook is the 44th largest dairy processor in North America, with over $1 billion in sales.  The cooperative includes around 60 dairy farms, mostly within Tillamook County, Oregon, selling cheese, ice cream, butter, sour cream, and yogurt, their most famous product being the cheese, particularly Tillamook Cheddar.  

The Tillamook Creamery is about an hour south of Cannon Beach and we head down for a visit to see the process of cheese making.

Entrance to the creamery

History of the creamery

Source of the milk

The creamery has a self-guided tour that circles around an elevated platform viewing and describing the cheese-making process.  The cheese is formed from milk into 40 pound (18 kg) blocks, aged, and then cut into smaller blocks and slices for sale.

Cheese making

The next stop (before leaving) is the gift shop, where we purchase some cheese (6 year aged cheddar) and take a few pictures.

Driving the bus

After shopping, we stop for lunch in the creamery restaurant:  fried cheese curds and a grilled cheese sandwich.

Lunch

What a great, educational (and tasty), stop.

A Few Northern Oregon Beaches

We drive south of Cannon Beach on Highway US101 in Oregon to visit nearby beaches, starting with Arcadia Beach, about two miles south of the Cannon Beach and known for its sandstone bluffs, tidal pools, and rock formations.

Arcadia Beach

Our next stop is at Short Sand Beach in Oswald West State Park, a scenic cove known for surfing, tide pools, and a small waterfall, all bordered by lush, old-growth forest.  We reach the beach by a 1/2 mile (0.8 km) walk from the parking lot.

Walk to the beach

Views of the Short Sand Beach

We head next to Newhalem Bay State Park, then the beach at Neahkahnie, just above the park.

Newhalem Bay

Neahkahnie Beach

Our last beach is located in Oceanside, a small coastal community with a national wildlife refuge just offshore

Oceanside

The beaches are in close proximity, each with its own personality and character, and they are individually unique and fun to walk and explore.

Cannon Beach

Cannon Beach, Oregon, is a popular coastal town that National Geographic has listed as one of the world's 100 most beautiful places.  The area around Cannon Beach was settled originally by the Tillamook people in the 15th century.  Lewis and Clark's expedition explored the area in 1805 and 1806 and William Clark described it as "...the grandest and most pleasing prospects which my eyes ever surveyed, in front of a boundless Ocean..."

We visit Cannon Beach, staying at a hotel on the beach, to explore the beaches, trails, and towns of the area.  On our arrival, we first walk out on the beach to visit Haystack Rock, one of Oregon's most recognizable landmarks and home to colorful tidepools, diverse birdlife, and, from early spring to mid-summer, tufted puffins.

Haystack Rock

Views up and down the beach

Tufted puffins

The puffins are not yet at the rock, but the area is filled with tidal pools and people wandering through the landscape.

Exploring Haystack Rock

Do not disturb the wildlife

Houses overlooking the beach

We spend several days exploring the area around Cannon Beach, but return every afternoon to enjoy great seafood in the restaurants of the city.

Baked halibut, cod and chips

Baked salmon, seafood stew

View from our booth in a restaurant

Wedge salad, clams, baked halibut

These are incredible meals, perfect endings to the wonderful experiences we have each day exploring the coast around Cannon Beach.