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| View from Cape Meares on the Oregon coast |
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It was our first full day in Portland, Oregon on a short visit to see Mike's family. I love to go to the beach under virtually any weather conditions, so was thrilled that Glenn and Marta, Mike's brother and sis-in-law, would plan a day trip to the coast on what was forecast to be a sunny day in Oregon.
Our first stop was the Tillamook Cheese Factory, where we all enjoyed a leg stretch, sampled their cheeses (garlic cheddar was the unanimous winner) and then got ice cream. Their pumpkin ice cream in fresh waffle cones is the best!
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| Susan getting Tillamook ice cream! |
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Next we drove up to Cape Meares where we saw two new birds, the Pelagic Cormorant and Brandt's Cormorant, from a high lookout point where volunteers shared spotting scopes. After walking some of the trails and visiting the Cape Meares Lighthouse, we headed off to Cannon Beach. Our cheese and ice cream lunch wasn't holding us over, so we were glad when Marta broke out her delicious Waldorf Salad, made with green apples, dried cranberries and walnuts tossed with plain yogurt instead of mayo - yum yum!
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| Cormorants nesting near Cape Meares |
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| Gulls nesting on Haystack Rock, near Cannon Beach |
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By the time we reached Cannon Beach, we were losing our sunshine and the wind was picking up, so Mom and Glenn stayed back, while Marta, Mike & I walked out toward Haystack Rock and got our feet in the sand. Harlequin Ducks were napping at the base of the Rock, but were hard to make out, with their heads tucked around into their back feathers. We got to see a Bald Eagle buzzing gull nests on the Rock and we also got to see our first Black Oystercatcher in the wild (we'd seen them at the Alaska SeaLife Center in Seward, Alaska in 2009, before we became interested in birding).
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| Bald Eagle buzzing gulls on Haystack Rock |
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We stopped for dinner at
Camp 18, a former logging camp turned restaurant known best for having lumberjack sized portions. After a great dinner, we checked out massive old logging gear on the grounds.
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| Entrance to Camp 18 |
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