Tidepools, Cheese and Ice Cream

• Pig ’n Pancake – After discovering both the Cannon Beach Bakery and Lazy Susan’s are closed on Tuesdays we chow down at Pig ‘n Pancake, a busy, popular chain along the Oregon coast. My thin, crispy Swedish pancakes and generous serving of lingonberries were a real treat.
• Beach walk with tide pools and cormorants – To work off those pancakes we took a long beach walk  south from Tolovana Inn. It was nearing low tide so we could explore tide pools around the sea stacks. Snap, snap – lots of photos.
• Tillamook County Creamery Association – High on Bob’s list was a visit to the cheese factory  Tillamook, about 40 miles south of Cannon Beach. The drive hugs the coast through Arch Cape and Oswald West State Park with spectacular viewpoints.  Between Garibaldi and Rockaway Beach we stop for photos of the little steam engine that could on the Oregon Coast Scenic Railroad. We join a throng of visitors at the 100-year-old Tillamook Creamery, an average of 3,000-5,000 each summer day. It seems everyone leaving is either carrying a bag of  cheese or licking an ice cream cones– or, both. We order grilled cheese sandwiches on sourdough for lunch – better than any I make at home – followed by the self- guided tour to watch the cheese making process from vats to packaging. Pounds and pounds of cheese. The tour ends with samples. We cap our visit with creamy dips of caramel toffee crunch and caramel butter pecan.
• After multiple calls dealing with Mother issues we decide to stay in for dinner. With views of the incoming surf, a fire in the gas fireplace, apples, cheese, crackers, popcorn and a bottle of wine we end the evening.