A cheesy day at Tillamook

After breakfast we drove to Tillamook, OR, about 60 miles down the coast. The Tillamook Cheese Cooperative has a Visitor's Center at their HQ cheese plant. There were a CRAZY number of people there. It's a really nice facility with a very large educational area, a store, and a restaurant/ice cream bar.

We did the self tour which allows you to see how the cattle are cared for. There is a model cow for kids to learn how to apply a milking machine. There's photos and videos and all kinds of info about cows and dairy farms. Tillamook is a cooperative owned by about 90 area dairy farms according to the information.

The next part of the tour has windows down into the cheese plant so you can see how the cheese is made and packaged. It was really interesting. Then there was a cheese tasting room where you could try different kinds of cheese.

We ate lunch in their restaurant. I had grilled cheese and Phil had a cheeseburger. They also had pizzas and salads. Afterwards Phil got a flight of three ice creams.

Its supposed to be raining in the morning so we'll pack up tonight as much as possible. We have a long drive (354 miles) tomorrow down Highway 101 along the Oregon coast to our next site at Harris Beach. Its a busy scenic highway so we expect it will take most of the day. Checkin is not until 4 pm though.Read more