4/21. Sunday, drizzle. Bayocean Spit loop hike outside of Tillamook Bay. ~8 miles, flat. One side the shallow bay, wet, mossy. The other is wide beach, windy, sandy. Saw a group of elk close to the parking lot (they disappeared into the woods on our way out, so was most of the water in the bay). A lot of shore birds (heron, egret, Caspian tern), 2 pairs of Elegant Tern. 
Bayocean was a planned beach front development in the early 1900s. A fancy hotel, comprised of a 1000 seat movie theatre and a 160'x50' indoor heated swimming pool (with gallery for spectators :). The roof of Natatorium collapsed in 1936. By 1954, the spit washed out, making Bayocean an island. The last house fell into the ocean in 1960. After the 2nd protective jetty was built in 1970s, the spit became more stabilized. Now a county park. No trace of former town. Found some soggy mattress along the trail, not sure it's from the old days, or just carried in by the tides.
We stopped for icecream at Tillamook Cheese Factory. No active production was running at that time, but the big rooms have glass windows for viewing the machinery. Posters about the local history, a video showing the cheese making process, some tasting samples. Lots of people.
Direction: Hwy 6 to Tillamook, right on Bayocean Rd for 5 miles. Parking on a gravel road. Today: 7 mindful people, 3 dogs. Organizer Samantha is very knowledgeable about the history and birds. I like this group better, no unnecessary chitchat.
