The Severed Cortex

Today started out like all vacations should start out ... lounging in bed. Then Nancy told me to get off my lazy butt and get ready; today we are driving to the Oregon Coast.
We decide that we are going to eat breakfast at The Lazy Susan once we reach the coast at Cannon Beach which is about an hour and half drive. We stop at one of the two hundred and eighty seven coffee shops located within a 10 block area of our hotel to get a light snack and a coffee to go. (Seriously, does one town need that many coffee joints?) We head west on highway 26. The drive is nice and scenic with the only hiccup being that the Oregon DOT is doing a lot of road work. We have to wait a couple of times to pass through. We get to Cannon Beach and find Lazy Susan's, except that it's closed. Instead we wind up going to a place down the street called Morris' Fireside Restaurant. Nancy had crabcake eggs benedict and I had eggs and butter grilled razor clams. Both were good, but the razor clams really weren't my thing. Overall this place was pretty good, but a little pricey. We wander around Cannon Beach for awhile taking in the kitschy shops. After an hour or so we decide to head south towards Tillamook.
The drive down Highway 101 is obviously scenic, just like it is all along California. Tillamook is only forty miles away, but it takes over an hour to get there. We stop along the way to check out salmon fisherman fishing in Tillamook Bay outside of Garibaldi. Apparently this is a really good spot for salmon. The bay is fed by five different rivers; the Miami River, Kilchis River, Wilson River, Trask River, and Tillamook River. I'm there long enough to see a guy pull in what appears to be about a 10 lb. salmon. The combination of the rivers feeding into the bay along with the rising and falling of the tide creates a nutrient rich environment for salmon; which in turn provide a fish rich environment for sea lions.
We arrive in Tillamook and stop at the Tillamook Cheese factory. There's nothing overly exciting here, but you do get a chance to watch the cheese making operation from an observation platform. I was impressed by all the conveyor belts and machines. It looked a little bit like a giant Rube Goldberg machine. We bought a little cheese and smoked salmon for a picnic at Columbia Gorge tomorrow. A half mile down the road we stop at the Blue Heron Cheese place which sells brie and wine. We have a small tasting and settle on a nice local Pinot Gris for the picnic. This place is nothing special, but the sommelier (if you can call her that) was very friendly and helpful.
We head outside of Tillamook for the Three Capes Scenic Drive. We start on the north end at Cape Meares where we stop to take pictures and check out the lighthouse. This spot yields the photo of the day. We drive the remainder of the scenic loop but bypass the other two capes because we are pressed for time.
Had we known that the Lazy Susan in Cannon Beach was closed we would have started our journey in Astoria, where Lewis and Clark finished their journey. We didn't know that Lazy Susan didn't get up until around noon although most people would point out that Lazy is in her name. Because we didn't know that we are now doubling back north on Highway 101. Astoria is a good solid 60 miles north of Tillamook and it takes us over an hour to get there. By the time we do get there it's dark with little to see. Astoria looks like a nice quaint little town with a downtown area that seems to be thriving over several blocks long and four or five blocks wide. We park the car, walk one block, and Nancy spied a clothing store. She winds up buying a very nice shawl for a somewhat reasonable price. We walk around a little and decide to eat dinner at the Silver Salmon restaurant. The food here is very, very good and it turns out our water went to school in St. Charles at Lindenwood University. How weird is that?! Nancy has alder plank salmon with dungeness crab on top. I have the Silver Salmon special which is basically broiled salmon stuffed with dungeness crab. Both are fantastic. The food here is very good, although it is a little pricey. After dinner we grab a coffee for the road and head back to Portland; a nice two hour drive away.

... and so concludes Day Two.