Despite the morning of intermittent drizzle, Van took advantage of walking the beach and riding the Ebike along a nice bike path before packing up. I was not up for a wet ride, so I stayed back with Quinnbo to drink my decaf, write and knit in solitude.
It was difficult saying bon jour to the beautiful Oregon state park.
We set off when Van returned from his ride, with the goal of arriving in Washington State before dark. We would be two hours from our next destination and the Thanksgiving rendez-vous with Clan Sellstone (minus Chad, who was dutifully working as an Army doctor healing people. Chad and Rachel, thank you for your service!)
We booked a room at the Best Western Long Beach, OR, where we would spend a few days sleeping in a comfortable bed with warm showers and recharging for the upcoming holiday.
It wasn't that TCB'S Murphy Bed was terrible, but the hardness of the cushions set on wooden slats was getting to my hips. I had convinced Van to follow the advice of many Solis owners and purchase a 1.5" memory foam topper that we could buy when we passed a Kohl's. The positive would be comfort. The negative would mean it would be harder to fold up the Murphy bed. I didn't think it would be a problem as we continually travelled with the bed down. But for Van, who was the supreme TCB packer, this meant more complications when trying to "find" stowed items. I appreciated his understanding of my ailments. We were looking forward to our Best Western stay, especially as this would be Quinnbo's first hotel stay.
The ride up the 101 was equally fascinating as the previous days with bridges, inlets, sea views and logging sites.
As the 101 turned a bit inland and into a large valley, we began to see expanses of farms and dairy cows everywhere. We were in the Tillamook Valley, the home of Tillamook Cheese, Oregon's version of New England's Cabot company.
We fell into the classic tourist trap when we pulled into The Blue Heron French Cheese Company in Tillamook, which was a very large, new, barn-like structure, with outdoor patios for seating along with an inside shop filled with their own label cheeses and other brands.
With a deli, wine tasting room, candy and gift shop, the complex reminded me of the cheese version of Yankee Candle in northwestern Massachusetts. I purchased some marionberry jam and a block of 2015 aged Tillamook cheddar. The showstopper was the resident peacock who meandered among patrons seated at picnic tables outside.
As we drove into town, we passed the Tillamook Cheese Company tasting room and manufacturing facility and regretted falling for the Frenchmen's ploy. Oh well. This was a lesson in the value of prior research and slowing down, northeast habits that seem to be ingrained into my DNA. I am working on it.
Excitement ensued as we crossed the bridge at Astoria, OR over the inlet to Long Beach.
The sun setting over the Pacific was a perfect welcome to Washington State, where we would be spending the next week during the Thanksgiving holiday.
After removing our packing cubes from the overhead "pizza oven" and loading them into a roll-up rolling duffel bag, we checked into our modest, king-bed room overlooking the parking lot.
It was palatial! I was looking forward to a cushy bed and some TV watching.
Thank you Van, for another scenic drive along the Oregon Coast and being onboard with the break from the road. Rest up TCB, in your safe and cozy space at the end of the hotel parking lot. We will be back soon.
