Portland: Sunday

Portland is only about an hour and half away from the coast so I drove out there for the day on Sunday. First stop: the Cape Meares Lighthouse. I parked at the top of the trail head and walked down to where the lighthouse was situated, overlooking the Pacific Ocean. The view was spectacular, the slight rain just adding to the ambiance. (I guess it could have just been ocean mist and not rain; I've heard it both ways.) But regardless I was more than just a little wet by the time I made it back to the car.

After the lighthouse, I found a quaint little place to relax for the rest of the afternoon: Oceanside Beach. It was nestled among this adorable little town so it wasn't very busy. There were a few people paragliding or flying kites and a few families were picnicking. The weather was warm but the water was icy cold. I had to get my feet wet.

I headed back towards Portland just after sunset. But with one more stop: the Tillamook Cheese Factory. I do love me some sharp cheddar cheese after all. The exhibits were pretty darn cool. And there was a viewing deck where you could watch the employees working down on the conveyor belts through floor to ceiling glass windows. (This gave me major flashbacks of working the late, late cherry shift at Muir-Roberts back in high school. I will now eat my cheese with much more appreciation for those poor folks.)

More to come . . .