The Oregon Diaries - Day 3

Got up early, as usual, but stayed in bed for another hour – till 7 am…then got up and got ready as today I have to drive to Cannon Beach. Checked out by 8 am.  Getting to Hwy 26 was not as bad as I was expecting…but the traffic on the highway was interesting. The traffic coming into Portland was backed up maybe 5-7 miles. And then outgoing was backed up near Hillsborough! That was crazy. It was stop and go for a while and a couple times it was just sudden breaking.  Really cannot afford to look around at all – 100% attention should be on the road!

After I came out of city, then stopped for breakfast at McDonalds. Egg McMuffin (sans meat) and hash brown. Already had hotel coffee so no coffee.  I must say that McDonalds is one constant in all of the world – it has consistent service. Two most consistent things – fries and restroom!!

Filled up gas also and was ready for my long drive today. The scenery got better and better as I drove out of the city. Hills turned into mountains and valleys. The trees were amazing. What was not amazing was all the logging going on. There were a lot of shaven mountains – really pains for me to look at them. I really admire USA! The roads are impeccable, the signs are all there at the appropriate places and just when you think you need to go…there is a rest area. Too good.

My mp3 player was hooked on to my car’s speakers (auxiliary cable)…so life is good! Reached Cannon Beach around 10am or so. Pretty little town. All about shopping, eating and the beach. I also parked and went to see the famous rock. The beach is good. Smooth sand, and it goes so far out before water starts. Maybe it’s a summer thing. Walked almost a mile to get a good picture of the rock and then walked back. Walked around the downtown a bit and then drove on to Tillamook.

There were several scenic stops on the way. I stopped at all of them. Really good views. I could see Oregon coastline for miles. It was a bright sunny day and really hot. Good think I had filled up ice in my water bottle.

Reached Tillamook Cheese Factory just in time for lunch at around 12:30 pm. The place was jam packed with people! I had not expected that many people there. Walked up to the observation deck to see the cheese being made – its over rated because you really cannot “see” anything. Cheese is made in huge steel tanks. So what you really see is a nice huge chunk of cheese coming on the beltway and the packaging of it. Oh well…fine. Went to have my lunch of grilled cheese sandwich made of Tillamook cheese. It was cheesy!! Very tasty cheese.

On a personal note – as I was sitting there and looking around, I saw only families and groups of people. No one was alone – like me. I sat there for about 30 mins having my lunch and all the time I was thinking, “It would be nice to travel with someone. Someone I can talk to, someone who has the same interests as I do, someone who can watch my stuff while I use the restroom etc. etc.” The travelling solo is a good experience and in my case, no choice. But there are perks to traveling in company.

After the sandwich, it was time for ice cream as this place is also super famous for it. Got my favorite – butter pecan. It was good. Truth be told, I can only tell when an ice cream is bad, I cannot differentiate one good ice cream from another unless I have both in front of me. So yes, this was good.

Then it was time to get back on the road again. After stopping a few more times for scenic stops I reached Lincoln City. I almost missed it! There was no big sign saying “Welcome to Lincoln City Sapna!!” No problem. I had to go to 34^th St. So I went up to 38^th and realized I was in Lincoln, so I turned around and found my hotel (Whistling Wind Motel). On second thoughts I could have driven on to Newport today as I had originally planned. Tomorrow might turn out a longer day….but we’ll see.

The Motel is very comfortable. Since I am single, I got the “Porch Room”, which is literally a room made on the porch. It is comfortable room – just perfect for one person. The decor and supplies are amazing. Really nice job of making one feel welcomed.

After a taking a little nap and getting stuff from the car, I ventured out to see the town. Went to the shopping area. About 20 shops in the outlets…not bad to walk around. Went to Devil’s Lake – quite pretty. Had to drive so much down and then up! Yikes! And finally went to the beach to see the beautiful sunset. Lets see how the photos come out this time.  And then as I was coming back the full moon came out! Most beautiful.

End of another lovely day.  I walked about 5 miles today!!