Unless you live in Oregon or have traveled through the state on the Pacific Coast Highway, it’s likely that you think of cheese or ice cream when you hear the word Tillamook rather than the town or region. The products are distributed widely throughout the US. The Tillamook Creamery produces 170,000 pounds of cheese and 18,000 gallons of ice cream every day and has a cold storage facility capable of aging 50 million pounds of cheese at once. It has a secondary creamery in the town of Boardman on the Colombia River east of Portland that produces another 300,000 pounds of cheese a day.
Peggy and I normally include Tillamook on our route when we travel up the Oregon Coast. We are big fans of the ice cream. Both of the containers above are in the process of being eaten! They were given to us by our niece, Christina, last week when we visited her in Olympia. She knows our taste in ice cream. Our weekly Date Day treat for years has been a substantial bowl of Tillamook’s vanilla ice cream topped with hot fudge and whipped cream. Peggy likes to add a sprinkle of Heath Bar English Toffee Bits to hers. I sometimes substitute Irish cream liquor for the hot fudge. Whatever we add, the total package adds up to decadence.
We also like Tillamook’s cheese. I often have its pepper jack on hand. But there are so many excellent cheeses out there, most of what we eat comes from different creameries. Our trip up the Pacific Coast over the past three months qualified as a cheese lover’s dream— and we took full advantage of it.
The entrance to the visitor center at the Tillamook Creamery. A large restaurant and ice cream parlor is on the left. Visitors are invited to watch the processing of cheese on the right. There is also a large gift shop where anything the creamery produces is for sale. With over 1.3 million visitors annually, the creamery is one of Oregon’s top tourist destinations. On a busy summer day, up to 17,000 visitors will tour the facility.It all starts with cows, and, when you walk into the entrance, Tilly the Cow is there to greet you. The creamery is actually a cooperative owned by local dairy farmer families that go back several generations. One example of the importance of cattle in the region was that the herds had a special evacuation route across the coastal mountains during World War II in case of a Japanese invasion.My fellow blogger and friend Crystal Trulove of the blog, Conscious Engagement, came over from Portland to visit us in Tillamook. Her best bud, Pedro, and his two sons Liam and Andre, joined us in chowing down on various flavors of ice cream at the creamery. Bone also made it into the photo. Crystal, who is a Cherokee, took Bone with her to visit the Cherokee Nation in Oklahoma. (BTW: For new followers of this blog, Tom Lovering, a friend of mine, and I found Bone when we were backpacking in 1977. Bone has been traveling with us and friends ever since. He has been to over 50 countries and had incredible adventures, including being blessed by the Pope, attending a Presidential Press Conference, climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro, and being married at Burning Man to the beautiful Bonetta.)We also visited the Tillamook Forest Center with Crystal, Pedro and the boys. Smokey the Bear greets visitors. An old donkey steam engine can be seen on the side. Crystal took this photo from a fire tower that is next to the Center.The fire tower.Peggy and Crystal snuggle up to Smokey. The bear looks like he has put on a few pounds. I’d say it’s middle age spread except Smokey has left middle age far behind. He turns 80 in August. Shouldn’t his fur be showing some grey hair?The inside of the Tillamook Forest Center is crammed full of information on the forest industry and tells the story of how the area recovered from three devastating fires in the 40s and 50sTha attractive Wilson River flows by the Forest Center. A walking bridge across the river provides great views. This is looking down the river. (Photo by Crystal Trulove.)Looking upstream from the bridge.As might be expected, given that Tillamook is a few miles away from the spectacular Pacific Northwest coast, there is also great scenery in the area. We were staying at the Netarts Garden RV Resort on Netarts Bay and this was the view from our campground. The dots are seals— bellied up to the sand bar, so to speak.A closer look…And closer.The Netarts Garden RV Resort lived up to its name by being covered with flowers such as these.A Calla Lily…And this rose.You know what they say, however: A rose by any other name is still a rose. We found this wild one out on Cape Meares, which is just up the road from Netarts Bay.The roses decorated a path leading up to the Cape Meares Lighthouse.The lighthouse, framed by trees and bushes.A signboard informed us that the French hand-ground Fresnel Lens is one of only two eight sided lights in the US. The other is in Hawaii.The Cape Meares Lighthouse has the distinction of being the shortest lighthouse on the Oregon Coast.The Octopus Tree is another well-know feature of Cape Meares. Whether created by nature or careful pruning by Native Americans, the sitka spruce has eight branches that travel outwards parallel to the ground and then shoot up into the air. (One of the original limbs has been cut off, in case you are counting.)Peggy used me as model…Sitka spruce cones.Like so many other locations along the Pacific coast, there were towering seas stacks…And plunging cliffs. Last time we were here, we watched baby murres flutter down to the ocean and their waiting fathers. That’s it for today. The next post will take us up to Olympia and Olympic National Park.
I live soooo close to Tillamook and would you believe I’ve never stopped to explore? Yikes. There’s so much to see… and eat! I do indulge in their ice cream and cheese and butter on a routine basis. And I have to say, Bone is well traveled! That tidbit of info was fun and rather amazing. Thanks for the fun post and great photos, as always. Happy Travels!
Now you have a destination, D. Grin. If you like cheese sandwiches and go to the creamery, be sure to try their’s. Quite yummy.
Every once I awhile, I repost a blog that Bone wrote about his/her history. 😳It’s probably time I did it again. Thanks!
I possibly have stock in Tillamook! I order my groceries from Safeway and the other day, I received someone’s order of 2 quarts of Tillamook ice cream! Their loss but I am sharing them with my daughter and family. Way too much and just so naughty! Great pics as always!
Laughing, Wendy. We would have kept them as well. As for sharing… hmm. The jury is still out. By the time it came back in, the ice cream would have been gone. Thanks on the pictures.
Such a fun post! It makes me so happy seeing all our faces together. It’s the best kind of day when I get to share it with you and Peggy. I’m glad you also got to meet the boys. We had a really good day – even the twins agreed on that. The Forestry Center was an excellent choice. We were just talking with my travel buddy Margaret about how well done that forest fire documentary was.
I love that Tillamook has a named cow, too. I suspect Tilly would get along quite well with our Bluebell’s Belle. Tillamook cheese is the best. Some day I need to try their ice cream again and see how it strikes me. It just didn’t appeal in the past, but my taster might be off. On the other hand, even Bluebell’s not my favorite now. Our local grocery chain, HEB, stocks an Italian made store brand gelato that is superb. My current favorite is tiramisu.
I especially liked seeing the Sitka cones. The Hans Christian that I sailed for years had masts and booms made of Sitka spruce. It’s a perfect wood for that purpose: strong, straight, and flexible.
You served us Bluebell, Linda, and it was quite tasty. I do remember that you have switched loyalty to the gelato.
Tell me a bit about your Hans Christian experience, Linda. I know you mentioned it, but I don’t remember the details.
I know there are many different flavours of ice cream, but for me the only flavour of ice cream (which should be in a waffle cone) is mint chocolate chip.
Well this post is full of wonderful: the octopus tree(!), the seals, and especially the ice cream! I love Heath Bar, and hadn’t thought of it for years – thanks for the reminder. The ice cream goes without saying.
Alison
You and Peggy on the Heath Bar connection, Alison! She was so excited when she found Heath Bar crumbles she could sprinkle on her ice cream. Give her that and hot fudge along with ice cream and she is close to ecstatic. –Curt
Wandering through Time and Place 
Never mind the cholesterol then Curt!
Thanks, Andrew. On your recommendation, I will totally ignore it!
I live soooo close to Tillamook and would you believe I’ve never stopped to explore? Yikes. There’s so much to see… and eat! I do indulge in their ice cream and cheese and butter on a routine basis. And I have to say, Bone is well traveled! That tidbit of info was fun and rather amazing. Thanks for the fun post and great photos, as always. Happy Travels!
Now you have a destination, D. Grin. If you like cheese sandwiches and go to the creamery, be sure to try their’s. Quite yummy.
Every once I awhile, I repost a blog that Bone wrote about his/her history. 😳It’s probably time I did it again. Thanks!
🙂 I remember posts about Bone in the past. I forget where you all were. But I don’t remember his history. Lol.
I think that you would have fun reading the 10 questions people most frequently ask Bone, D: https://wandering-through-time-and-place.com/2023/09/27/the-ten-questions-people-most-frequently-ask-bone-the-interview-updated/
Ha. Heading over. 🙂
Alie regularly buys Tillamook cheese, but we did not know they made ice cream. We were out that way a few years ago – had we only known. 😒
Did some research, Ray. Both Kroger and Meijer carry Tillamook in Columbus. 😄
I possibly have stock in Tillamook! I order my groceries from Safeway and the other day, I received someone’s order of 2 quarts of Tillamook ice cream! Their loss but I am sharing them with my daughter and family. Way too much and just so naughty! Great pics as always!
Laughing, Wendy. We would have kept them as well. As for sharing… hmm. The jury is still out. By the time it came back in, the ice cream would have been gone. Thanks on the pictures.
All nice things on this post – lighthouse, river, ice cream, old tree, seals and oh the gorgeous flowers! Sigh.
Smiling about the flowers! Grin. They get plenty of rain there…
It shows. Very healthy blooms, even on the side of the road.
Beautiful country – and darn good ice cream!
Yes on both!
I love getting these emails from you. ☺
Hey, we’re glad, Don. 😁
Such a fun post! It makes me so happy seeing all our faces together. It’s the best kind of day when I get to share it with you and Peggy. I’m glad you also got to meet the boys. We had a really good day – even the twins agreed on that. The Forestry Center was an excellent choice. We were just talking with my travel buddy Margaret about how well done that forest fire documentary was.
It was special, Crystal!
Tillamook is now on my list. We have two cheese factories near us—Tilba and Bodalla.
Nothing like ‘going to the source,’ Peggy.
Wonderful photos. Enjoy!
Thanks, Cindy.
I love that Tillamook has a named cow, too. I suspect Tilly would get along quite well with our Bluebell’s Belle. Tillamook cheese is the best. Some day I need to try their ice cream again and see how it strikes me. It just didn’t appeal in the past, but my taster might be off. On the other hand, even Bluebell’s not my favorite now. Our local grocery chain, HEB, stocks an Italian made store brand gelato that is superb. My current favorite is tiramisu.
I especially liked seeing the Sitka cones. The Hans Christian that I sailed for years had masts and booms made of Sitka spruce. It’s a perfect wood for that purpose: strong, straight, and flexible.
You served us Bluebell, Linda, and it was quite tasty. I do remember that you have switched loyalty to the gelato.
Tell me a bit about your Hans Christian experience, Linda. I know you mentioned it, but I don’t remember the details.
I know there are many different flavours of ice cream, but for me the only flavour of ice cream (which should be in a waffle cone) is mint chocolate chip.
Which is also pretty close to perfect. Grin.
Well this post is full of wonderful: the octopus tree(!), the seals, and especially the ice cream! I love Heath Bar, and hadn’t thought of it for years – thanks for the reminder. The ice cream goes without saying.
Alison
You and Peggy on the Heath Bar connection, Alison! She was so excited when she found Heath Bar crumbles she could sprinkle on her ice cream. Give her that and hot fudge along with ice cream and she is close to ecstatic. –Curt