After leaving Nehalem Bay, our first stop was the Tillamook Cheese factory. And just because you have to have a picture of the memory of being there, we all had to climb on the bus…that was right in front of the entrance…and smile while Dad took our photo and 20 people stared at us. Another great experience to add to the trip…

The factory; all of the cheese was packaged here. The packaging process starts in the bottom right corner of this photo. First the 40 pound block of cheese is cut into 2lb blocks, next it is laid onto the track, weighed, pushed into a package, then sent through the octopus vacuum and sealed. Finally all of the rough edges on the package are cut off and the perfect cheese is sent out of the room. It was really interesting to watch everyone do their job, over, and over, and over…again! The funniest part was the men; if they had any facial hair they had to wear a mask, that looked just like their hair nets, poor guys!

And the best part of the factory; the ice cream!!!  It was amazingly creamy and delicious. Dad also bought three new kinds of cheese, but you have got to eat the ice cream before it melts, right?!?

What happens when your Dad sees you taking a selfie, and wants to be as cool as you… You guys think he pulled it off…?

Sunday night, after Gospel Meeting, involved McDonalds, and visiting the laundromat! And when no one else is there, what better to do than rip around in the laundry carts?

Things can get a little crowded when it’s cold outside, so you are all trying to work around the table. At South Beach the weather was usually wet and rainy, which made for some interesting, and wet, bike rides.

We visited the Yaquina Head lighthouse, so while we were waiting for the tour to begin we found a box full of old clothes and a photo op. So when you can’t keep a straight face, like the rest of them, make the best of it…

Our tour guide knew what he was doing, and shared lots of information with us. The big canisters behind him are…or were…full of 100 gallons of pig fat oil. There used to be ten 100 gallon barrels in the room, which meant there was enough oil to keep the candle in the lighthouse burning for a year.

The 114 stairs we had to climb to get to the top of the light house.

This tiny light can be seen 20 miles out in the ocean. The prisms surrounding it take the little bit of light and direct the light out as a straight line and WAY brighter!

The bridges along the Oregon coast are beautiful!!! They are usually around 100 years old. with funky patterns to them! Thanks for the list of them, Grampa and Grandma – I think we found them all.

While traveling to our next campsite, we stopped to see the sights. Now, before you all tell me how dumb it is to stand five feet away from the edge, with huge waves flying up over the edge, I’m standing in front of a hole.  There was a hole in the rocks so when a wave came through the hole it would splash up super high!!!

I am now our day planner… I am planning what we do, and looking up the sights to see. So our first stop yesterday was at McVay Rock State Recreation Site. It is a beach, that’s all rocks, there is an abundance of colours, but the coolest part is the sea glass. It is glass from ship wrecks and things that has been tumbled around, until it’s smooth. It is really cool!!!

Next stop: Arch rock. The water was a gorgeous colour, and it was a beautiful day! We went on a five minute hike, then traveled to the next place.

Another stop, except this one was not that enjoyable! First we are climbing down the hill, and it’s muddy, then, next thing you know, Lanaya’s windmilling, but Mom, thankfully, was there to stop her. And while I’m still chuckling at them, my feet go flying. I’m left sliding down a muddy hill slide, thankfully mom stopped me, too. But only after my stomach ran into a tree branch and my finger jammed itself. But I am happy to report I am feeling fine now, after I took a shower and scrubbed off the mud on the backs of my legs, all the way from my heel up to my waist.

And last, but not least, the gorgeous sunset! You could see the moon, and watch the sun go down at the same time. Beautiful!