Did someone say cheese?

LOVE CHEESE? Then Tillamook, Oregon should be on your bucket list! Last time visiting this cheesy place we found a tired packing plant and took the tour. This time….WOW! Obviously a great marketing company has been tapped to give this worthwhile stop in Oregon a brand new look! I purchased a few different white cheeses and will go to work on a tasty Mac & Cheese. With gray skies and rain, it’s the perfect comfort food!

I also took in the Blue Heron French Cheese Company and gave Oregon’s clam chowder another try. This version was thick and tasty but still light on the clams. A couple baguettes and some brie cheese made their way home with me and along with a glass of wine, dinner was…perfect! Blue Heron French Cheese Factory is a part of Harvest Host, an eclectic collection of overnight stops for RVers. For a small annual fee you can spend the night at some great wineries, food stops, breweries, family farms, etc. The expectation is that you will make a purchase and enjoy your overnight stop. You didn’t need to twist my arm here!

Our sweet campground was located in Netarts, with views of kayakers and sun-bathing seals, what a treat!

Our Oregon visit ended with a gracious invitation to Terri & Hal’s seaside home. This provided us an opportunity to catch up and enjoy the conversation while watching hang gliders descend onto the beach from over their cottage. We say farewell to the State of Oregon and know we’ll return to Jim’s home state

The Oregon Coast

WE SETTLED INTO OREGON’S South Beach State Park, one of the largest state park’s we’ve visited with about 325 sites in several loops and well spaced. After a quick tour of the park, I hopped into the truck and headed north across the Yaquina Bay Bridge in search of my coastal splurge….a mighty big bowl of clam chowder. Construction began on the Yaquina Bay Bridge, made of steel & concrete, in 1934 and opened in 1936. Built during the art deco era, I held my breath during the crossing and made it safely to the other side. Jim, of course, reminded me that this was when steel was steel! That didn’t calm my anxiousness when we crossed with the Airstream (10,000 additional pounds!) a couple of days later. At Newport, Oregon’s historic waterfront I dropped into Mo’s Original Clam Chowder and picked up two sour dough rounds and a large container of chowder for dinner. It just wasn’t meant to be. Unfortunately, I can’t recommend Original Mo’s as the clams were almost non-existent, 0-1 for chowder on the Oregon coast. I found the Newport historic waterfront a cross between a collection of working fishing boats, touristy candy and ice cream shops and a Ripley’s Believe-it-or-Not museum. After soaking up a little more Vitamin D on the waterfront, it was back across the bridge! (May 25, 2021)

Bend, OR in the rear view mirror

WITH BEND, OREGON IN THE REAR VIEW MIRROR we headed west and landed in Hobbit Land. I would swear that it felt as if Tolkien had just departed this lush, riparian forest with mossy trees, ferns and our very own river just 40 steps from the back of our Airstream. The McKenzie River was peaceful to listen to while we fell asleep with the windows wide open. Next morning we were rolling to Oregon’s coast and the big, beautiful Pacific Ocean. With only two other people on the entire beach, Boone and Piper ran wild. This, they report, is the best dawg park….ever! (May 21, 2021)

Just south of Bend

LA PINE STATE PARK just 30 miles south of Bend was our next stop. For one week we toured and enjoyed this peaceful park. With 20 amp service and water hook ups, there was not one dreadful generator to be heard. We took off on the path less traveled and chatted up with the locals living on the Deschutes River in a sweet community. Then it was one more stop in Bend to pick up mail, enjoy the 18-acre dawg park and breakfast at the locals favorite, McKay Cottage over blueberry pancakes. If you love dawgs as much as we do, or even if you don’t, dog-gone-it, make your way the Bend (May 16, 2021)

The Last Blockbuster

FEELIN’ A LITTLE…..NOSTALGIC? Well, there IS something you can do in Bend that you cannot do any other place in the world, and that is to visit The Last Blockbuster on Earth. It’s true, right here in Bend, Oregon! I did not believe it until Rhonda pulled into the lot and we jumped out for a photo op (of course, people were watching so we wanted to get the shot and depart). At their height of video store popularity, BB had about 9,000 retail locations; now the lone survivor is in Bend. Later that evening, I caught, ‘The Last Blockbuster’ on Netflix, streamed on an iPad, of course. It brought me back to a simpler time when Miranda and I would go to BB on a Friday evening. She would head over to the children’s films while I was usually hanging in the Documentary, Subtitle or Rom-Com section. I agree with the film, BB provided a sense of community, a place where younger adults got their start in the work force. Simpler times, indeed. Thank you for the great photo as a reminder, Rhonda, and for being Bend’s Best Ambassador Ever!

So many Bends!

SERIOUSLY, Bend is…so many Bends! This is definitely a foodie haven with so many choices I would have to hang out for several months to hit them all! The natural beauty in this area is positively breathtaking complete with the Deschutes River running right through town! Everywhere I look there are people running, cycling, walking. I joke that in this town, lycra (workout clothing) is acceptable breakfast, lunch & dinner. It is a town for all seasons and there is no lack of activities to participate including ski season with nearby Mt. Bachelor. Its a great mix of young and retired!

Local resident, friend and fellow Airstreamer, Rhonda, took time from her day to share a favorite hike which qualified us for a hamburger, fries & shake but we settled on a fabulous ahi salad overlooking the Deschutes. We were also happy to meet up with Airstreamers and friends Lisa & Chris who were returning to California and dropped by to join us for dinner from Little Pizza Paradise (highly recommend).

Our time is running short in this beautiful community but be sure to put Bend on your places to visit. You won’t be disappointed!

Bend, Oregon

THIS TOWN HAS GONE TO THE DAWGS and has completely stolen my ❤ ! Bend, Oregon with a population just shy of 100,000, definitely adores dawgs as much as we do! With no less than EIGHT leash-free parks, dogs definitely rule this town. This particular park, Bob Wegner Memorial Off-Leash Area, has 18 FENCED acres for dawgs to roam about. From dirt trails complete with natural flora, to paved trails to a humongous grassy green field for ball & frisbee play time, dawgs certainly have their day(s) here. And once we are post-Covid, the fire hydrants will be open so they will have their very own splash park! KUDOS to Bend!