After leaving the Bandon area, Dave and I headed a bit further north, just outside the city of Newport, OR, camping at Beverly Beach State Park. Dave picked a premier campsite, just 50 yards from the beach! Boy was Murphy happy. More sunrise walks on the beach and gorgeous sunsets in the evening.
Our first adventure was to see not one, but two lighthouses in the area. As mentioned in my last blog, I am going to publish a separate blog describing Oregon’s 9 lighthouses. For a glimpse, here is a photo of one we visited. Unfortunately, it was under renovation.
I now use ChaptGPT quite a lot for destination planning. When I asked “Chad,” my name for ChatGPT, for the best local restaurants, it compiled a list of reviews from several sources. Two of the top-rated spots were Georgie’s and Local Oceans Seafood.
As luck would have it, Georgie’s was located right between the two lighthouses we planned to visit that day, so we stopped there for lunch. The place was packed, and for good reason—it seems every table has an ocean-front view! Since it was halibut season, we both ordered halibut dishes: I had the halibut tacos, and Dave had the fish and chips. Both were delicious.
For dessert, we shared a marionberry crisp. Marionberries are a type of blackberry created by a horticulturist at Oregon State University. They’re a fan favorite in the state, with 90% of the crop grown in Oregon’s Marion County. A bit sweeter than regular blackberries, they’re perfect in cobblers, pies, and ice cream. It was the perfect ending to a wonderful meal.
Thanks to a recommendation from our family friend, Ron, we took a short drive north to visit Depoe Bay. Known as the “world’s smallest navigable harbor,” its narrow, 6-acre channel runs right under Highway 101.
Depoe Bay is also famous as the “Whale Watching Capital of the Oregon Coast.” In addition to the usual north and southbound gray whale migrations, a group of about 200 “resident” whales stay within a half-mile of the shore. We were tempted to take a boat tour, especially since they allowed dogs on board, but we ultimately decided to head back.
On our way back, we stopped at two unique vistas. The first was Rocky Creek/Whale Cove. The cove is a protected marine reserve with no beach access. Marine mammals can rest close to shore and often during the summer season, gray whales enter or feed near the mouth of the cove.
Lastly, we stopped at Devil’s Punch Bowl, which is a collapsed sea cave. At low tide, you can walk inside the bowl (can you see the people in the picture below?) When the tide comes in, waves rush into the “bowl” and churn violently, especially during storms.
While there were no storms when we visited , we did experience a Tsunami watch due to the earthquake that occurred off the coast of Russia. It was a bit unnerving at first, as we were camped right at a beach, but luckily the advisory never turned into a warning, which would we have needed to evacuate.
Heading north, Dave and my next stop was Tillamook, Oregon and of course, we stopped by the Tillamook Creamery. You are probably familiar with Tillamook diary products. Tillamook is a farmer-owned cooperative, founded in 1909, still run by over 70+ dairy farms in Tillamook County (with 30,000 dairy cows!) The creamery provides a self-guided tour viewing the cheese-making and packaging process. They also offer an affordable “premium experience” which include a guided tour and a tasting, which included tasting their “Maker’s Reserve” – various aged cheeses. Their 2014 cheddar won the 2024 World Cheese Awards, beating out 4,785 cheeses from 47 countries. It was mighty tasty!
Beyond their famous cheeses, Tillamook has been making ice cream since 1947. Over the past few years, I’ve found myself consistently choosing Tillamook cheeses and ice cream over other brands. Now that I have learned about their commitment to sustainability, natural ingredients, and humanely treated cows, along with their process of naturally aging cheese, I understand why.
Of course, we stopped by their ice cream stand, not once, but twice! I had delicious marionberry pie ice cream the first time, while Dave enjoyed a chocolate malt. On our departure day, we stopped by again. This time I enjoyed a scoop of peaches ‘n cream ice cream (in a chocolate dipped cone no less) and Dave enjoyed a scoop of chocolate chip cookies ‘n cream.
The area isn’t just about the Tillamook Creamery (although they report receiving over 1 million visitors annually). Dave and I hiked to a waterfall and visited our 8th Oregon lighthouse (only one more to go!) which had a unique Octopus tree nearby. Next, we enjoyed a ride on the Oregon Coast Scenic Railroad up the coast to Rockaway Beach and back. We also enjoyed dinner at a Jandy’s Oyster Co., which is uniquely incorporated inside a garden nursery. The Tillamook area had lots to offer. We didn’t even go into the WWII air museum inside an old Blimp hangar.
We are continuing up the coast, with our northernmost Oregon stop next. It is going to be bittersweet to leave this area. Dave and I greatly enjoyed the cool summer temperatures, the gorgeous Oregon coast, dog-friendly beaches, and delicious food. We just might be back…
And I thought I loved California’s Northern Coast Brenda, Oregon did not disappoint Dave, and so many beaches, so little time Murphy
Well, I wish I could be Murphy and come along on the trip along the beautiful Oregon coast. He is one lucky dog. Glad to see you are back on the food trail! Stay safe.
Reta
(Love the State of Oregon! & it’s not just because my daughter’s family lives out there.)There’s so much more to the State than the coastal area too, Coastal OR is the tops though. Thanks for sharing which brought my Oregon trip memories to life.
I’m loving seeing all the Oregon coast has to offer.
The Tillamook Creamery confirmed that we need to be sure to put Oregon on our list of places to visit. 😉
The beaches are so beautiful and such picturesque campgrounds.