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31 Days in Oregon: Tillamook

RidgetopFarm&Garden — Tue, 21 Oct 2014 20:45:52 +0000

The coastal town of Tillamook sits just inland from the Tillamook Bay. It’s not a large city, but it’s big enough to have everything you will need for a trip to the beach.

In and around Tillamook there are many outdoor activities available: boating, golfing, riding atv’s, & hang gliding just to name a few. It seems the middle of all the action is in Tillamook.

Driving around Tillamook County you see many dairy farms.

Tillamook Cheese Factory

My favorite place to go in Tillamook is the Cheese Factory. Cheese samples, ice cream & pepperoni sticks!

Tillamook Quilt Trail

A fairly new activity in Tillamook is following the Quilt Trail. This trail is the first of its kind on the West Coast & I love the idea. It is meant to make visitors aware of the heritage of dairy barns and other buildings in the area. It is a self guided tour.

We haven’t completed the entire trail, but we have seen many of the quilt blocks around town. There are also a number of geocaches & letterboxes based on the trail.

The trail begins at the Chamber of Commerce with a large Oregon Star pattern block. When we saw it, it was displayed on the ground.

Blue Heron French Cheese Company

Just down the road from the Tillamook Cheese Factory is the Blue Heron. We don’t go here near as often as the Cheese Factory, but it is a nice place to visit. They offer fancy cheeses & wine. They also have many animals to look at on their farm, which is a lot of fun for the kids. There just happens to be a quilt block on the store.

Oregon Coast Scenic Railway

We have taken the trip from Garibaldi to Rockaway on the Oregon Coast Scenic Railway. It’s a quick train ride with fabulous views of Tillamook Bay.

Tilamook Country Smoker Outlet

One of our other favorite stops is grabbing pepperoni & jerky from the Tillamook Country Smoker. Technically the outlet is not in Tillamook, but it’s just north in Bay City.

Garibaldi

About 15 minutes north of Tillamook is the little fishing town of Garibaldi. From here you can fish in the bay, head out to go deep sea fishing, go crabbing in the bay, launch your boat to go on a scuba adventure or stay on land raking clams.

This is only a short list of things to do around Tillamook. There is so much more. Hopefully, I’ll be sharing more with you in the future.

To see what others are sharing for the month of October check out write31days.com

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31 Days in Oregon: Tillamook Cheese Factory

RidgetopFarm&Garden — Mon, 20 Oct 2014 20:26:28 +0000

We can’t drive through Tillamook without stopping at the Cheese Factory. We’ve been there a thousand times & I’m sure we’ll go a thousand more times.

The factory makes cheese. Fabulous Tillamook Cheese! From a viewing area upstairs, cheese lovers can watch how it is made. I have peeked through those windows many, many times.

Cheese Samples

Let’s get right to it. We have visited the Cheese Factory a thousand times because of the cheese samples.

There are a few flavors out to try including extra sharp or pepper jack. My hubby likes to try them all. I, however, am there only for the cheese curds.

Cheese curds, aka squeaky cheese
We always have to buy a bag or two (or three). They’re wonderfully cheesy, salty, and squeaky!

Upstairs

Upstairs is where you view the cheese preparing & packaging process.

There is also historical information on cheese making in Tillamook.

Making Cheese

1. Milk + Starter Culture = the beginning of cheese
2. Stir
3. Separate Curds from Whey
4. Curds turn into Cheddar Cheese
5. Add salt

Curds are pressed into a 40ish pound block.
The blocks are vacuum sealed.
The sealed blocks head up to be aged 60 days to 3 years.

Packaging the Cheese

After aging, the blocks of cheese get cut and packaged.

If a block weighs too much a bit gets sliced off. Those extra pieces are in the 2 bins at the bottom right.

Packaged cheese

Heading out to be shipped

The kids watching the cheese packaging process.

Ice Cream

Another must when visiting the Cheese Factory is getting ice cream. I rarely eat ice cream, but I do get a small cone here because their ice cream is delicious.

Yay for Tillamook Cheese! Good ol’ Tillamook cheddar is my favorite. When we’re out of cheese, I say we’re out of food because most things I eat include cheese. My love for cheese I’m sure is a big part of why I {heart} the Tillamook Cheese Factory.

To see what others are sharing for the month of October check out write31days.com

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31 Days in Oregon: Cannon Beach

RidgetopFarm&Garden — Thu, 16 Oct 2014 18:53:51 +0000

Cannon Beach is about a 15 minute drive from what I would guess is Oregon’s most visited coastal city, Seaside. Cannon Beach is popular, too. But is more trendy & upscale than Seaside.

When people think about Cannon Beach, they right away envision Haystack Rock. It is 235 feet tall and is seen in many photos representing the Oregon Coast.

To make things confusing, there is another Haystack Rock further down the beach about 65 miles in Pacific City. Although, this one in Cannon Beach is the Haystack Rock that most people think of.

Haystack Rock is made from basalt, being formed from lava flows.
At low tide, you can search the tide pools at Haystack Rock.

The tall rocks are known as the Needles.

This section of beach was used in the opening scene of the movie Goonies during the truck race.

Looking north towards Ecola State Park
This section of beach is a great place to play, in part due to Ecola Creek flowing into the ocean.

Sometimes while walking along the beach we find beautiful shells. Other times we find blobby jellyfish washed ashore.

The main area of town is known for its small town feel with boutiques, souvenir shops and restaurants. I’m not a shopper, so I couldn’t tell you the must see shops.

I can tell you, though, that I love the restaurant Mo’s.

Mo’s is famous for their clam chowder. However, it’s not my favorite. I do love their steamer clams, though. The garlic parmesan bread is also fabulous.

Mo’s is located right along the beach, making it that much more delightful.

View of Haystack Rock from Oswald West State Park

Another view, looking south, while on a hike at Oswald West State Park.

To see what others are sharing for the month of October check out write31days.com

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31 Days in Oregon: Seaside

RidgetopFarm&Garden — Tue, 14 Oct 2014 18:14:00 +0000

Seaside is a very touristy coastal town about an hour and a half from Portland. It’s not a place we go to often, but living in Oregon my entire life I’ve been there a number of times.

The Beach

The Promenade

The promenade is a concrete boardwalk built in 1920.

Along the promenade, is a small aquarium that has been around since 1937.

The Turnaround

Broadway, the main street through town, and the Promenade meet at the turnaround. From here there are stairs down to the beach.

The turnaround also marks the end of the Lewis & Clark trail.

Portland to Coast

Every year the Portland to Coast walking relay finishes in Seaside.

Years ago, I had the opportunity to participate in it. So, I did. I’m smiling in the photo, but this relay was rough. I didn’t train at all. Stupid, stupid, stupid.

Fun Stuff Along Broadway

At the center of the Seaside Carousel Mall is a carousel. Inside the mall are many gift shops, a couple restaurants, and an Old Time Photo studio.

Bumper cars, Tilt-a-whirl & Mini Golf are next to each other along Broadway. They’re the same ones that were there when I was a kid. As a kid I don’t remember the bumper cars being so jerky and uncomfortable. However, I rode them a few years ago, and it wasn’t a pleasant experience.

The Arcade is another fun place to play.

We typically choose to visit other beaches, but Seaside is worth checking out if you’re traveling along Highway 101.

To see what others are sharing for the month of October check out write31days.com

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