Monday, June 11 -- We stopped at Rockaway Beach, Oregon, this morning to look for sand dollars but were unable to find any....dang. It was fun looking anyway! We did see Twin Rocks which aren't really twins at all.
Twin Rocks
We then stopped at the Tillamook Cheese Factory.
Marsha's dad was a farmer, so he will appreciate the following two pictures. Sorry some how the weight of the 5 year old got cut off.
A day in the life of a dairy farmer…WOW!
This place has factory tours down to a science. The Tillamook Cheese Factory, often called a “Cheese Lover's Paradise,” welcomes nearly one million visitors each year.
The free, self-guided tour gives you a look from the second-story observation area of the cheesmaking room and packaging line, with videos, historical displays and interactive kiosks along the way.
We were fortunate to view the packing process for about 15 minutes before they shut down the line for a break. It's really a very interesting process to watch them cut the 40-pound blocks into the different sizes for packaging.
Each of the eight stainless steel cheese vats holds approximately 53,500 pounds of fresh milk. It takes TEN pounds of milk to make ONE pound of Tillamook cheese.
After you see the how it's made, you are free to head downstairs to the sample area. They have about a half dozen types of cheese on the counter for free bites. Of course, all the different cheeses are available to purchase in the company store.
To be honest with our readers, we were a little disappointed with the Tillamook Cheese Factory tour. It gets really hipped-up and in our opinion it isn't anything special. But what do we know....a million visitors a year tour this place!
We then drove down Cape Meares to see Big Spruce.
It's just a short hike through a pretty amazing forest of giant Spruce Trees to see this giant.
It is so tall there is no way we could get the entire tree in one photo.
Another amazing "small find” here on the Oregon coast.
Cape Meares State Scenic Viewpoint was our next stop. Again Wildlife Volunteers had viewing scopes set-up to see nesting Cormorant in the cliffs off the coast. Also, there were hundreds of Common Murre swimming in the water. An eagle was in the area and these birds fled their nesting areas for the safety of the open water.
Cormorants 
Common Murre
We then hiked the path down to the Cape Meares Lighthouse. This is Oregon's shortest lighthouse standing only 38 feet atop Cape Meares and 217 feet above the ocean. It has a rotating eight-sided Fresnel lens that was first lit on or about January 1, 1890. The beam is visible to ships 21 miles away.
We wanted to take the tour, but it was all booked.
On our way back to the parking lot, we took a side path to Octopus Tree. This popular attraction is an unusually large Sitka spruce aptly named for its unique shape. And yes, it has a unique resemblance to an octopus.
Sign for the day.
Thanks for stopping by. Hope to see y'all back real soon. Have a great day!
