Oceanside & Cape Mears Lighthouse, OR

Friday, 6/26/09 We decided to take a drive to see some more of the beautiful area around Netarts and decided to start with Oceanside, OR. Now this little town was only 2 miles up the road and what a treasure. Miles & miles of ocean view from the small parking area above. We met a delightful couple in that parking lot from Yuma, AZ....Beth & Dave, actually the nicest people we have met in the area. We started talking to them (remember, I AM the Mayor) and they told us of a great RV park in Yuma, AZ that if we get back to that area we must check out. Actually, I want to go back to Yuma now just to visit Beth & Dave and of course our friends, Ann & Al from Washington.

We then walked over to some small cabins, with this fabulous ocean view & saw they rented for $75 a day, all I could think of is how much Kim & Bill would LOVE THIS PLACE. Of course Kim would be bundled up & Bill would be in short sleeves. We then talked with some people staying there that said the tide was so low we could actually walk around this gigantic mountain/cliff that normally would be in the water. They then showed us a tunnel that had been dug through this mountain that we could walk back through. So, off we went for a great adventure. Walking into where ocean would normally be but because of low tide we could walk around it. Then we found the tunnel & returned that way. The sun was out and the wind was really blowing hard and we couldn't wait to get back in the car, but what fun! I believe I read in some literature that in the early 1900s, 2 couples actually dug through this mountain and it is now maintained by the Oregon State Park system. Unfortunately, I couldn't find the info to verify this....so just take my word for it.

We then continued on this same road to Cape Mears State Park & Cape Mears Lighthouse that was a beautiful area with picnic tables, ocean viewing areas, hiking trails with a hike down to the lighthouse that you could actually go in. First off, we headed for the lighthouse, thru the gift store so graciously staffed by volunteers www.capemeareslighthouse.org and then up the stairs to view the prisms. The lighthouse is no longer used and they have some "ugly light thing" behind it that they use today. After learning about the lighthouse we hiked back up to the picnic area and had our lunch that we had brought. That would be lunch for the three of us Will, me and a squirrel. Boy, as soon as we sat down he was over there ready to be fed. So what do squirrels eat? We tried giving him all our healthy stuff, wheat bread, carrot, broccoli, fruit..no he wanted no part of that he only wanted Will's Pringles.....Will decided this would make a perfect commercial for Pringles.....We even wound up giving potato chips to some girls who fed him the Pringles out of their hand so they could take pictures.

Offshore is Three Arch Rocks which is a national wildlife refugee to the largest concentration of tufted puffins along the coast. It seemed like there were thousands of birds out on these rocks. Set up on the viewing platform were several people that had large, and I mean large telescopes trained out on the rocks & birds. They were most generous & let us look through them and explained what we were seeing. First off the eagles had come along & scared the puffins off the rocks & they were all now swimming in the ocean waiting to return to the rocks. They had another telescope trained on 3 falcons. They have been watching these falcons since they were hatched. One lady told us her husband has been filming all the birds & these rocks for 16 years!!!!!! Can you imagine. My comment to Will later was, "who would you show that film to?" But it was wonderful of them to share it with us.

We then started to hike another trail in this area that took you to something called the Octopus Tree it is the largest Sitka spruce in Oregon. I can only describe it as approx 30 feet across, with NO main center trunk, just at least 8 large curved trunks growing up very tall with branches. It is most unusual and very beautiful. With that we continued on our way back into Tillamook to take a stroll in the downtown area. A cute little town but what we discovered that this weekend, 6/27 & 6/28 was rodeo weekend and Saturday they were having a parade. Now we are suppose to leave Saturday and most of the roads in and OUT of Tillamook are closed Saturday morning. So we decided to bite the bullet, one more time, and get up EARLY and leave before the confusion started.

Saturday, 6/27/09 With the clock set for 6 am we got up early and took great satisfaction in making noise as the "early morning clam digging people were sleeping in"and we got to be noisy this morning. I might add that I never heard them and Will heard them every morning. But off we went, beating the parade and headed north on highway 101. We left so early we decided to stop in Cannon Beach, a cute little town that looks exactly like Carmel. Art galleries, coffee shops, restaurants, flower baskets hanging everywhere, lots of gift shops and very classy looking people. We found a nice RV parking spot & wandered thru the town & up to view the beautiful Pacific ocean again. We then continued on highway 101 and across the incredibly beautiful and very long bridge that separates Oregon and Washington. So we are now in WA just a few miles from that bridge in a very small town called Chinook, WA. It is a Coast to Coast park & we are staying here just two days to get our bearings on Washington. After lunch, we then started mapping out Coast to Coast parks in WA & then called to make reservations. As it now stands we are booked at RV parks through July 27, 2009.

Actually, I woke up this morning with a swollen gland & my ears are hurting. I'm hoping it is the wind/allergies and I'm not getting sick. If it's still here tomorrow when we go back into Astoria, OR to go sightseeing I will find a walk-in clinic and hopefully get some antibiotics. I sure hope it's nothing because sickness is NOT on the schedule for the tomorrow. Signing off with love to family and friends.