The Oregon Coast

The central coast of Oregon is one of the most beautiful drives anywhere in the world - rivaling or even besting Big Sur. 

 

 

We drove south from Cannon Beach and stopped in the town of Tillamook, Oregon, which is famous for its cheese factory.  There is a self-guided tour in which I was able to observe the first assembly line I've see since those I Love Lucy episodes from my youth.  This one was real.

  

We were given a view site at a great campground in Newport, Oregon, right on a beautiful marina and next door to a wonderful aquarium.  We watched the feeding of a giant octopus, who turns red with excitement when offered a fish dinner.  The aquarium is almost as impressive as the Monterey Aquarium; its display tanks aren't quite as dramatic, but it has some outdoor exhibits of aquatic animals - otters, puffins, and so on - that Monterey doesn't.

Across the city's innovatively designed arch and suspension bridge is the Nye Beach upscale tourist area, which we loved.  Appealing shops and restaurants and great views of the Pacific Ocean.

 

Further down the coast, just before we reached California, we pulled into a campground in Brookings, Oregon, right on an ocean beach.  There was a lady in the office checking her motorhome in for the night.  She told the manager that her children didn't like having RVs on either side of theirs.  The manager asked her what color her kids were.  That seemed insensitive to me, and I expressed my outrage.  Turned out that the "children" were her dogs.  Imagine my embarrassment.