Tillamook Cheese and Blimps

The end of the line? Well, for Lewis and Clark, it was. Yes, the beautiful city of Seaside Oregon hosts much to do and see, as well as the "Turnaround" point for Lewis and Clark's expedition. 

The site is commemorated by a beautiful statue, wide beaches and a 1920's style promenade along a beach that goes on for miles. Oh, and high-rise condos and apartments, too. Geeeez! History: after 2-1/2 years and 8,000 miles, the expedition headed home to St. Louis in 1806, supposedly from this point on the Oregon coast.

We decided there was too much to see and do in Seaside, for the time we had allotted ... so, elected to come back and spend 3 or 4 days sometime in the future. This prompted an early start to Tillamook down Hwy 101; a beautiful stretch of road along the Oregon coast.

Arriving early in Tillamook, we immediately decided to stay an extra day, as parking at the Tillamook Elks Lodge RV parking acreage was spacious and quiet, with full hook-ups. There were many things to see here, beginning with the Tillamook Cheese Factory. 

Supplied with fresh milk from local dairies and contented cows nearby, Tillamook Cheese (and creamery) has been cranking out quality cheese products since 1949. The plant is very high-tech, but mirrors cheese making by the old process, now with better quality control and product consistency. The predominantly all stainless steel plant can be viewed from an observation deck. A well-written description of the process is posted by each window, so no questions go unanswered.

We arrived in the middle of a factory lunch break, but as soon as that period ended workers started streaming in and the processes were humming like a bee hive again.

Next stop was the Air Museum at the Naval Air Station just south of town. The blimp hanger is hard to miss from the highway. The six-blimp hangar was built by the United States Navy in 1942 during World War II. It is 1,072 feet long and 296 feet wide, and covers more than 7 acres. Walking into the wooden structure is breathtaking ... with 120-foot doors on each end.

Did I mention that this entire structure is constructed of wood?

Various airplanes including an F-14 Tomcat are on display as well as many "training" cockpits, all of which you can climb into and push buttons, and try to get clearance from the tower for takeoff!

Outside, we found a "guppy" aircraft, early transport, with four giant radial motors, leaking the usual amount of oil onto the tarmac. Our self-guided tour took us into the cavernous interior and up to the cockpit. Oh, to hear those big engines run would have been an experience not forgotten, but I couldn't find the start button!

There were dioramas of different wars (amazing) as well as a few interesting aircraft. Most were in pretty poor condition, or in process of restoration.

P51 Mustang engine ... always amazing to look at!

There are two more places we visited, a lighthouse and the Pioneer Museum downtown, but I'll save the details for the next session at the keyboard. It's time to relax and get ready for bed here in foggy Newport. Stay tuned ... I'll be back in the morning.