48th Stop - Tillamook, OR

Blog Post #59 - Written April 3, 2026

Stay: September 3-6, 2025


So remember that scene in The Goonies where the kids are riding their bikes to use the skeleton key on the rock?

Well, that misty coast is none other than Canon Beach along the Oregon Coast. I figured such a popular spot would have plenty of parking, especially for RVs.  Boy I was almost wrong! But we found a spot a few blocks away and bundled ourselves up to enjoy our misty day at the beach.  If you've never been to the Oregon Coast, the beaches are not warm and sunny. They are misty, windy, and mysterious.  


Walking along the coast, we found countless jellyfish and starfish.  They were massive! (Just look at them compared to Gary's large hands and feet!)  We also found some amazing sand castles! 



When we finally made it to Haystack Rock, (the Goonies iconic backdrop rock) it was the end of low tide, so we quickly dashed around the various sea anemone and star fish habitats.  You cannot climb on the rock itself, since it is a sea bird sanctuary.   


Alas, our beach time came to a close and we ran back to the trailer.  Along our path, we noticed some pellet scat all over.  So we made our guesses of what kind of animal it was. We finally figured out what it was when some elk wandered up the road on our way out.  


We finally made it to our Harvest Host spot in Tillamook, which was a giant grass field next to the Blue Heron French Cheese Co. It was a cool place to stay, since there were around 30-50 other campers staying there as well.  We met one woman from Texas who took the summers to find boring buildings in major cities and paint mural on the sides.

Another couple of campers were practicing their Rope Flow, a low impact Tai-Chi sort of exercise that helps with joint mobility and coordination.  It was fun to watch and the kids were absolutely fascinated.  And with their childlike bewitching powers, we ended up with our very own Rope Flow rope.  

The entrance also boasted an old train engine, a couple of cars, and a petting zoo.  We bought a couple bags of feed and spent our mornings feeding the sheep, goats, ponies, and guinea fowl. There was also a giant flock of swallows that came out in the evenings to eat all the bugs.







We took one morning to go to Tunnel Beach, where there are 2 coves next to each other, one of which is only accessed by a tunnel.  There were a lot of rockhounders looking for agate.  We found a couple of tiny pieces, but mostly we found rocks that had opaque spots through them.  The sand was extremely hard and flat, so the kids decided to make some massive sand drawings, including a giant blue whale.  

 


    



There was another smaller tunnel that G and the kids tried to explore. It was full of some interesting crustaceans.  Out in the sunlight, we found some really cool barnacles with their 'legs' dancing above them.  



Now, it would have been absolutely foolish to come all the way to Tillamook and not go to the Tillamook Factory.  It would've been even more foolish if we hadn't gone more than once!  It's a good thing Gary's Grandpa Durrans instilled a deep love of Tillamook cheese in him, so we are not foolish, because Gary and the kids were able to all the joys that Tillamook cheese and ice cream have to offer. Twice!  I enjoyed touring the factory, watching all the steps from separating curds and whey to long term storage to final packaging.  They have giant open windows with corresponding signs to read and watch the entire process.  We (mainly G and kiddos since I'm dairy-free) have great appreciation for all the dairy farmers and their cows for our milk, cheese, and other various dairy products.






***Fun Facts***

* Approx. 1.8 million pounds of milk are delivered to the factory daily from local farmers
* This makes about 170,000 pounds of cheese daily
* A New York dairy farmer made a cheese wheel that weighed 1,400 pounds, and sent it as a gift to President Andrew Jackson. He kept it in the white house, until it started to smell so pungent that he invited all of DC to come take a bite so he could get rid of it.  They ate it all in 2 hours, but legends tells the smell lingered for a long time.  (OK, we didn't learn this at Tillamook, but it's a fun cheese related story). 

After some cheese samples (smoked black peppercorn was the best!), a couple tubs of ice cream, a big block of extra sharp white cheddar cheese, and a couple of empty Tillamook Ice Cream buckets, we were ready to finish our time in Tillamook and head to our next magical destination: Seal Rock, OR.

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