TRAVELOGUES FROM OREGON
Cannon Beach, Oregon
THURSDAY, October 7, 2010One of best things in life for us is getting together with good friends. This weekend is very special to us because we are with the friends who introduced us to each other (Clayton & Natha) and the friends who got married the night before we did (Rob & Christie) 10 years ago! Through the past 10 years, our friendship has grown into a very special one. Rob & Christie moved up to Portland, Oregon area a couple of years ago; and when they did, we felt a big void. When we get together, it is as if we’ve always been together and not so far apart – it is a wonderful homecoming!
When we can, the six of us get together and enjoy good friends, good food, good wine and lots of laughs! Last year we all drove up to the San Juan Islands to Friday Harbor and rented a house facing Hairo Strait. We spent the weekend exploring the island, enjoying the lavender festival at Pelindaba Lavender Farms, wine tasting at the San Juan Vineyards, hiking out to Lime Kiln Point to the lighthouse and enjoying some delicious food up at Roche Harbor. The other infamous pastime that all six of us enjoy is playing a card game called “Euchre”. Last year, the Gals won the trophies and the Guys received the Crying Towels. The trophies are now once again on the line – and the tournament has begun!
Clayton & Natha and Jim & I flew out of San Diego on Thursday morning and arrived in Portland shortly after noon. Rob & Christie were there to greet us with open arms and lots of hugs! It was so good to see them again! They rented a 6 passenger van so all of us could travel around together; and we were off to meet our daughter Jennifer (who lives in Vancouver, WA) for lunch at Henry’s Tavern at 12th and Burnside in the Pearl District of Portland. Henry’s is a two story, rustic tavern with open beams and booths and tables upholstered in black naugahyde. We had a nice visit with Jen before she had to leave for work and then the six of us walked back to the car and took off for a little tour of Portland.
Downtown Portland is a maze of one-way streets and lots of hills. Rob was our chauffeur and took us by the Oregon Hospital School of Nursing¬ so Clayton & Natha could check out the campus for their son Cory who is interested in continuing his education there. The campus is high on a hill overlooking Portland. The view from the top is breathtaking as you can see the many bridges crossing the Willamette and Columbia Rivers below.
After that, our “driver” drove us to the Portland Rose Garden. The Rose Garden is maintained by volunteers and is meticulously manicured and well-kept. It is on the side of a hill also overlooking Portland. You enter the garden under the high arch ways full of miniature roses and before your eyes is a beautifully terraced rose garden. As you can imagine, each of the roses has a small plaque stating its’ name and type of rose (i.e. hybrid or floribunda, etc.) We all had to “stop and smell the roses” along the way – and some of them were scented and some were not. Though it had no fragrance, my favorite rose was the Burgundy Iceberg. This was a deep burgundy or maroon color and just different than anything I had ever seen before. And yes, I did take a picture of it!
From the Rose Garden we traveled along the windy road of the park which also is home to the Portland Zoo and the Japanese Tea Garden back down the hill on to Tigard where Rob & Christie now live. I could not help but notice that the sides of the roads were all green with grasses and ferns followed by thick groves of pine trees and other deciduous trees that have begun turning their colors as the cooler weather approaches. Because of the cooler climate here in Oregon, we are actually going to be able to see some “fall colors” without going back east to enjoy them!
Once we unpacked the car and got settled, the first glass of wine was poured, the Euchre cards were on the table and the games began! Christie made us a delicious dinner of homemade enchiladas, Spanish rice and green salad; and after the Gals losing the first two games of Euchre, we called it a night.
FRIDAY, October 8, 2010 Around 9:00 a.m. everything was packed into the cars and we all piled in and off we went. The Gals were in the minivan and the Guys were all in Rob’s truck – which carried our plethora of luggage, food and drink. We drove down Highway 26 south - and as soon as we left “the city”, we were surrounded by miles and miles of countryside rich for farming. Many of the homes were ranches where horses lazily grazing in the meadows. We crossed over several small streams as we drove along the green roadway. Many of the trees were turning colors of yellow, gold and red; and the ground was already starting to fill with golden leaves that had dropped off the trees.
We drove about an hour before we reached our breakfast stop at Camp 18. There is a huge log cabin style restaurant here with a lot of old rusted logging equipment from days-gone-by when I’m sure the area was bustling with loggers. There is also a Logger Museum on the property. As we went inside, you couldn’t help but notice the high, two-story, ceiling built from huge log beams; and there were ceiling fans turning high in the rafters. Around the room were several animals that had been placed on display – one was a huge mountain lion along with a moose head and many others. There were several wood carved statues of animals or figures about 4-5 feet tall apparently carved from large timbers with the use of a chain saw. Many of the tables were flat sections of enormous trees that had been cut and placed on top of a wooden base. One of the most spectacular tables was in the center of the main dining room – one long table that could easily sit 24 people. All of the tables were set with cloth napkins and glassware. In the center of each table were small green crocks holding creamers or your choice of jams and jellies. As you can imagine, our meals were served on large plates and everything was delicious from the biscuits and gravy to the omelets and the French toast.
After our tummies were sufficiently full, we walked through the gift shop and then down to the small stream that was passing by below the restaurant. The water in the stream was shallow and the fallen leaves were catching on the rocks of the babbling brook. Looking back up to the restaurant there were several dozen bird feeders and houses were hanging from the beams full of blue jays feeding to their hearts content.
It was only about 20 minutes from Camp 18 until we reached the small, seaside town of Cannon Beach. We drove to our rental house first to drop off our food and then we headed out as the owners were not quite ready for us. Our first stop was down to the beach near Mo’s Restaurant and the Tolovana Inn. There is a large parking lot there with easy access to the beach. We piled out of the car with cameras in hand and headed north on the beach towards The Haystack monolith. We walked about a mile down the beach. It was high tide. The 5-6 foot waves were crashing as they reached the shore. The sand along Cannon Beach is quite firm, so when you are walking along, you are not slipping and sliding in soft sand. This makes cleaning up much easier and quicker. There were sea gulls feeding on the sand crabs as the water rushed up on the beach. Dozens of people were enjoying the day walking hand in hand along the shore. Off shore, you could see The Haystack which is the largest of the monoliths along with several other smaller ones – and in the far distance looking north - out on a rock island all by itself stood Tillamook Lighthouse.
After walking for a couple of miles, we piled back in the car and drove into town where we walked around a few of the quaint shops and art galleries before we grabbed a few items at the local market and then headed “home”.
We rented “The Cannon Beach Big House” which is on Hemlock Drive one block from the beach. It is a rustic home and very quaint inside. White wooden paneling lines the lower half of the walls downstairs with the wainscoting trim painted in a deep forest green color dividing the wall. There is a large bay window in the front of the living room covered with sheer, white curtains that are pulled back onto hooks that forms a soft frame around the window. Three large upholstered chairs are in front of the window making it a cozy place to curl up and read a good book with the gas log fireplace along the other wall. A couch faces the three chairs on the opposite side of the living area with a dark Persian throw rug bringing the area together. Behind the couch is a large dining table and the kitchen is directly behind to that.
There are four bedrooms in the Big House – the master and one guest room upstairs with one bath and then two bedrooms downstairs – each with its’ own bath. The front bedroom is handicapped equipped with twin beds and an “accessible” bathroom. The home is very quaint and cozy and quite comfortable.
So - the Euchre cards came out and the games were on. The Guys are ahead now 5-1. Christie made us delicious Rachel Ray Weeknight Two Sauce Lasagna Bowls pasta dinner, salad and garlic bread. More Euchre games followed dinner – and the Guys are ahead at this point 5-1.
SATURDAY, October 9, 2010We woke up Saturday morning to the sound of gently falling rain outside and brisk winds. It was a leisurely morning with everyone coming together in the kitchen eventually for a light breakfast. Jim and I took off for a walk down the beach. Though it was rainy, it was not cold at all. We bundled up and walked down to the waters’ edge and really enjoyed the beautiful scenery. We were out walking around 8:30 a.m. and there were already some brave souls out in the waves. There were not as many seagulls looking for food along the water this morning. The clouds were low and that led to a foggy appearance along the monoliths that jutted out of the water. We headed back to the house when the rain started coming down harder.
Once we were all ready, we piled into the car and our chauffeur, Rob, safely drove us into town to first go to the Visitor’s Center where we picked up a couple of local maps – and then we were off driving south towards the small town of Tillamook.
Highway 101 follows the coastline here and it is quite curvy. There are many pull-outs along the roadside as the coastline is so dramatic. There are many monoliths that jut out of the ocean surf along the edge but nothing as large as The Haystack in Cannon Beach itself. Some of the monoliths have caves in them that years have carved from the salt water crashing waves against them. You are compelled to pull over every chance you get, because the scenery is so beautiful and breathtaking – and you don’t want to miss a thing. We did that several times. Unfortunately, because of the low clouds and foggy conditions, our views were not as spectacular as they would be on a clear day. However, I have to say that I love this weather and seeing things as they are most of the year because of all the rain that Oregon receives, seemed very appropriate to me.
For some reason, I feel different up here. I feel comfortable and “at home”. Perhaps it is because I enjoy being with our friends – and it doesn’t matter where we are. Or perhaps it was because I grew up in Tucson, Arizona and through the years I’ve come to appreciate cooler weather. Even when it rains in southern California, I feel differently and it makes my heart happy.
So now that I have my happy heart, we are still driving with Rob at the helm. As we travel along Highway 101, we noticed that there are wild berry bushes all along the side of the road. At one point when we stopped to take in the view, we picked a few berries and tasted them. They were bitter tart – but I bet that if you mixed them with the right ingredients – perhaps even a splash of Grand Marnier liqueur that you would have one delicious cobbler or pie for dessert! And, I’m sure the house would smell heavenly while you were cooking it with the aroma of all of the ingredients blending together.
We drove through quaint seaside towns along our way including Manzanita, Nehalem Bay, Rockaway Beach and Garibaldi. Garibaldi is on the Tillamook Bay near Crab Harbor. We could not help but notice the dozens of small personal watercraft that were out on the water in the lagoon and along the coast as we drove by. Fishing must have been good, because these fishermen were all wearing their orange or rain gear and standing in the rain with their fishing poles in the water – I’m sure hoping to catch the next big one so they could come home and tell their stories.
There were some house boats along the river inlet south of there. Many of the homes up here are small cottage style vacation homes with rental contact information on the front of them. Then others were definitely private homes proudly standing on the waters’ edge with breathtaking views of the Oregon coastline. Some of these homes had to be well over 5,000 square feet.
As we approached the city of Tillamook on the north end, we saw a couple of large chain stores and of course, McDonalds. We were definitely in a larger community than what we have been driving through to get here.
Tillamook is the home of the Tillamook Cheese Factory and also the home of the delicious and creamy Tillamook Ice Cream. There is a huge complex that is open to the public where you can tour the plant and see the process of making cheese. The Tillamook Cheese Factory only makes a few varieties of cheddar cheese. As we proceeded through the tasting line, there were small cheese cubes to sample of the different varieties. My personal favorite of the samples of cheese was the small squeaky curds. These bite size yellow morsels actually do squeak when you bite down on them for the first time. They are yummy! And – a small package is coming home with us, because I’ve never seen them before in any of our stores in southern California.
After that, the path directed us into the ice cream parlor. The smell of fresh-baked waffle cones was heavenly and it is definitely a positive selling point on their part. We each chose our flavor of choice; and then with smiles on our faces, we proceeded to walk through more of the building. We climbed the stairs to the second floor which is lined with huge plate glass windows for observation of the works below. Below us were long conveyor belts with employees at different stations performing their tasks for the day. One person was cutting, one was stacking, another was slicing and others were performing quality checks at particular points. Eventually the blocks of cheese would be pushed on the conveyor belt into a plastic bag that would automatically inflate at just the right time so the cheese would slip easily into its’ packaging. Further down the conveyer, the package would be sealed, then shrink wrapped and ultimately continued on its way up and out of the large packaging room into another where I’m sure it was boxed up and would be shipped to a store somewhere for us to buy!
When we walked out of the Tillamook Factory to leave, the heavens had opened up and the rain was pouring down. The wind was also blowing quite briskly. Rob very kindly ran out to bring the car over to where the rest of us were, and we all piled in. We drove a little further into the heart of the city of Tillamook where we found Fat Dog Pizza. We ordered a combo pizza and sat by the front window in the small restaurant and enjoyed our lunch. The crust was thin and hand tossed. The sauce had a bit of spiciness to it and was covered with cheese, pepperoni, bell peppers, sausage, onions and olives. It was just perfect on this rainy day. Not too much for any of us. In fact, we even wrapped up several pieces to bring home and possibly have for leftovers or appetizers if we want.
Because it was raining much harder now, we decided not to go out to Cape Meares Lighthouse. Rob and Christie said from the parking lot, it is quite a hike to get to the lighthouse; so we opted to stay dry and head back north to our home for the weekend and play a few hands of Euchre.
When we unlocked the door of the house and went inside, we could all smell our dinner. I had been slow-cooking a pot roast on the stove all day. You just wanted to take a big whiff of the comfortable smell and let out a big sigh.
This weekend has definitely not been in the Gal’s favor as far as the cards go. I think at this point, we are down 7-1. The Guys are enjoying the fact that they have been able to back-up their partners with their hands and win their bids. Not only that, but Rob has “feathered” over five times! When you “feather” in Euchre, it means that you have successfully won every trick after you said that you would in the bidding process. The Guys have done well.
Our pot roast tonight was served with whole new potatoes, fresh baby carrots and the most delicious Brussel sprouts that I’ve ever tasted. Christie made the sprouts; and I must say, until now, I have never liked these tiny cabbages. I doubt that my palette has changed – it was because she is an excellent cook and prepared an incredible side dish.
After dinner the Guys cleaned up the dishes while the Gals went and spruced ourselves up for our night out on Clayton and Natha! They treated us to “A Talent for Murder” by Jerome Chodorov and Norman Panorama at the Coaster Theatre Playhouse in downtown Cannon Beach. The theater will seat about 175-200 people in a very intimate setting. There were three sections of seats terraced down to the stage. The theater has huge open beams above that house the lighting for the production. There is a small entry area with a tiny booth at the end of the parlor area where you can purchase a fresh cookie or coffee or tea during intermission. According to our program, “A Talent for Murder is a suspenseful drama about an internationally famous mystery novelist whose relatives would consider doing anything to get their hands on her money. Her money is in the form of an invaluable art collection, which, to the horror of her heirs, the novelist has considered donating to the Museum of Modern Art.” The entire evening was thoroughly enjoyable and entertaining. We came home and had a nice champagne toast for our anniversaries and played another game of Euchre – which the Gals again lost. The score of the Euchre Tournament is now 8-1 in the Guy’s favor.
Sunday, October 10, 2010Sunday morning was another leisurely morning. We enjoyed a wonderful quiche that Natha made along with lemon, poppy-seed muffins and fresh fruit for breakfast. Coffee brewed and the house smelled wonderful.
After breakfast, we all piled in the car and headed into Cannon Beach downtown to do a little shopping. The Guys took off to find a local tavern where they could take in one of the Sunday football games; and we Gals started our tour of all the boutiques and shops along Hemlock Street. There is a wide variety of choices to choose from including boutique clothing stores to antique stores, a Christmas store, and several art galleries including Jeffrey Hull, a well-known local artist.
We all met up together at the Driftwood Restaurant and decided to head to Mo’s Restaurant at Tolovana for lunch. I think we had one of the best tables in the house – a round table for eight right in the middle of the restaurant and next to the large, plate-glass window giving us a perfect view of the crashing waves on the beach outside. To the north was The Haystack and to the south was the rugged Oregon coastline complete with huge boulders jutting out of the water from the pounding surf along the shore.
After lunch we again piled into the car with Rob in the drivers’ seat and we headed north to Ecola State Beach. From the turn off on Hwy 101¸there is a narrow, two-lane road that winds in and around the thick forest for about three miles until you reach a large parking lot and grassy picnic area. High on the cliff above the ocean, we could see down the coast to the south for miles. It was the same looking north. The surf below was at high tide with waves that appeared to be about 10-15 feet tall. The waves came rolling into shore in perfect sets; and once they reached the jagged rocks along the bottom of the cliff, they crashed and threw spray high into the air. There was a slight wind blowing from the north; and as the waves began to crest and tumble and fall, you could see the wind blow spray for several feet above the wave throwing a mist the opposite way the wave was falling.
We walked down to a new observation deck that was recently built to the south of the parking lot which gave you a beautiful view of the beach below, Haystack Rock and then the rest of the foggy coast. Around 4:00p.m. the tide began to recede and the rush of water from the waves began to give way to more and more beach area to walk on. There is a nice walking path from the observation deck on out to Ecola Point where you have an even more breathtaking view of the Oregon coast in both directions. You can see huge pieces of driftwood that have washed up on the shore and are now piled along the waters’ edge. There were several small streams and a waterfall making their way from the forest behind us to the shore where they met the ocean.
After walking around Ecola State Beach, we ventured on back to the Big House and Christie began preparing a delicious dinner of red beans and rice complete with homemade cornbread. While dinner was simmering on the stove, at sunset we grabbed some wine with cheese and crackers and walked down to the beach. We gathered near several driftwood logs and had a toast to good friends and enjoyed the sunset. As is often along the Oregon coast, there was a light fog which gave a gray hue to the horizon. We chased a couple of the waves washing up on shore. It was getting cool as the sun finally set in the west, and so we wandered on back to the house where we enjoyed our fabulous dinner.
After dinner the Euchre slaughter continued and finally ended with the Guys plucking the Gals feathers” and winning the Euchre Fest 10-1. It was late after that last game and we all headed off to bed.
Monday, October 11, 2010Our long weekend was coming to and end, and this morning we woke up and had to pack our things and be on our way home. We left the house by 9:00 a.m. and headed north on Hwy. 101 towards Astoria. It took us about 1 ½ hours to reach Astoria and make our way across the two-mile long, green steel Astoria Bridge from Oregon over the Columbia River to the state of Washington. Our destination was Cape Disappointment Lighthouse.
Cape Disappointment Lighthouse is set out on a bluff high above the ocean near the mouth of the Columbia River. After we parked the cars in the parking lot, we made our way up the concrete sidewalk towards the visitor center. As you reach the top of the incline and turn left Cape Disappointment Lighthouse comes into view. With hundred foot tall pine trees behind it, this white and black spiral concrete spire stands proudly on this grassy knowl. Atop the black and white spire is the beautiful glass dome and brass railing. On the walkway around the visitor center you will find several plaques with dedications to those who have lost their lives during inclement weather coming across the treacherous currents at the mouth of the Columbia River.
Being the adventurous ones today, Natha and I took off down the path marked “this way to the lighthouse”. While we thought that everyone knew where we were, we were mistaken; and they began diligently looking for us. We walked further and further down the dirt and rock path that was only about 2 feet wide and line on both sides with the thick forest floor covered with moss and ferns and pines. Eventually, Natha and I began to question actually where we were going. We wanted to get out to the lighthouse, but the directional signs were misleading with one stating it was .75 miles to the lighthouse and the next saying it was 1.2 miles and then another saying .5 miles. When we came upon a beautiful peaceful lagoon, we decided we’d better turn around and head back as none of the rest of our group had apparently followed us. Thus was our trek for today. As we got about half way back up the path, here came Jim and Clayton, Rob and Christie hoping to find us. We left together, laughing at our adventure on the path less traveled to Cape Disappointment Lighthouse.
From Cape Disappointment, we drove around to North Head Lighthouse which is just a few miles away from Cape Disappointment. The walk to North Head Lighthouse is much easier and all paved. The first building that you come upon at North Head is the lighthouse keepers’ house. This is now offered as a B & B and can be rented through the State of Washington. The dwelling is made of concrete to withstand the harsh weather. It is painted white with red trim. As you walk past the keepers’ house, the path takes you along another cliff and in about half a mile you are looking at a statuesque tall lighthouse also painted white with red trim. There are historical markers painted on the side of the lighthouse indicating the longitude and latitude and also the date it was built – 1898.
From North Head Lighthouse we headed back into Astoria and drove across the bridge and up the other side up to the Astoria Column. This dramatic concrete column was erected to commemorate many significant dates in Oregon history from “before the white man came” through the Lewis & Clark Expedition. There are twelve different scenes depicting these historical events; and they start at the bottom and wind upwards to the top of the 124 foot column. Jim, Rob and Clayton went inside and climbed to the top where they came out on a small observation deck.
After our sightseeing of the lighthouses and The Column, we enjoyed a wonderful lunch at The Bridge Water Bistro. Housed inside a barn red building directly underneath the Astoria Bridge, is this wonderful restaurant facing the Columbia River. Our lunch was delicious and came to an end all too soon as we had to get back on the road in order to get to the Portland Airport in time to board our plane.
We drove down I-5 south towards Portland and could not help but notice more beautiful farm country, slow moving rivers winding through the green pastures and magnificent Mt. Hood and Mt. St. Helens far off in the distance.
Our weekend ended all too soon. Our five days had come to an end; and we found ourselves saying our goodbyes on the curb of the airport terminal. I always hate this part. No matter how much time we have with our friends, it is never quite enough. The scenery was breathtaking, the food was delicious, and the memories are priceless. Thank you to Rob & Christie and Clayton & Natha for celebrating our 10th anniversary with us and for making more special memories. And, to my Jim – the past 10 years have been wonderful. Thank you for coming into my life and letting this butterfly out of her cocoon.
