First stop: Tillamook Cheese Factory. ~1.5 hour drive. Lots of people, big parking lot. Big factory machine. You can see the conveying belt, but everything is in giant stainless steel barrels. Of course, we stopped for ice cream. I lined up buying the ticket, while the other two sampled ice cream flavors. Cell signal weak in the factory.
2nd stop: Blue Heron Cheese Factory, almost next door. Much smaller, no view of any cheese making. It's really a store. Only about 5 brie cheese to taste, and you have to ask the girl to cut a slice. Quite some jams and sauce to try, most are not made by Blue Heron. I bought a small bottle of Walnut Fig jam for dad. $8.
3rd stop: Ecola State Park, my favorite park on the coast. ~1 hour drive along the coast. Ate, walked on the "closed" short trail. Finally we decided to walk to Crescent Beach. My neighbor is old and just had a hip surgery, so couldn't keep up. The trail is short: 1.25 miles one way, but rather steep when close to the beach. A short ladder helps you go down. Only the two of us. Thick clouds formed a blanket just above the water. No real sunset. But still lovely.
