Tuesday, December 31, 2019

Cannon Beach & Tillamook Creamery (OR)

We left Nehalem Falls Campground and headed to the Oregon coastal town of Cannon Beach on 04 September. I had visited this tourist town several times during the year-and-a-half I lived in Oregon in the late 1990s. It offered a very pleasant pedestrian shopping experience; and the beach, with its natural tide pools, was vastly different from those I had taken in prior to it.

In the twenty-two years since I last spent time there, it felt much larger and considerably busier—especially for a weekday following Labor Day weekend. We lucked out and found a parking spot on the main drag. The weather was a very pleasant 70°F; but it was quite overcast, which made for a lot of glare. Margaret and I strolled up and down Hemlock Street, stopping in Cannon Beach Bakery for some goodies and being awestruck by the photographic talents of Randall J. Hodges in his Images of the West gallery.

Cannon Beach is a charming and well-maintained little town brightened by planters of colorful flowers and sporting an abundance of art galleries, boutiques, restaurants, and other specialty stores to enjoy.  

Cannon Beach Book Company on Hemlock Street. Photo by Virginia.

Wednesday, December 11, 2019

Nehalem Falls Campground (OR)

It was 02 September 2019 when we left Barview Jetty County Campground after five nights. We were both looking forward to peace, quiet, and a more natural camping experience. Margaret had Nehalem Falls Campground in mind; so we left the coast and headed up into the mountains of Tillamook State Forest where we were fortunate to find several open campsites (there are only 20), vault toilets, trash, recycling, and potable water (hand pump). What there wasn't was a cell phone signal, per usual. The fee was $20 a night, and we stayed for two nights.

Nehalem Falls Campground sign. Photo by Virginia.