You eat and you drink every day, but with the exception of the FREE BEER tour at one of those national breweries, most people would rather eat and drink than know how it was made!!!!

Of course there are some foods you NEVER want to see produced … at least in their initial stages: hamburger, sausage, hot dogs … bologna!

But that’s not the case with milk or cheese.

For over 100 years, they’ve been milkin’ those cows, and makin’ that cheese on the central coast of Oregon. There’s not a cow in sight (you passed them on your way up Highway 101), but you’ll never see more Tillamook Cheese in one place than at the company’s visitors center in Tillamook, Oregon.

Tillamook Creamery & Visitors Center

If you think that only a few people would want to see someone making cheese, you’d lose that bet. On a recent rainy day, and Sunday morning at that, there was a full parking lot of cars and RVs outside of the huge modern blue and white building with the big yellow letters spelling “Tillamook Cheese” next to US 101.

Inside was a crowd that you would expect at a rock concert squeezed into the deceptively large interior. They were in the Gift Shop, lined up at the Ice Cream counter, sitting in the food court, standing in line sampling cheese and, most of all, standing around up on the second floor.

Workers on assembly lines produce the famous packaged Tillamook cheeses

From this level, glass surrounds two sides of the final processing area and across the hall one long line of glass lets you see where cream is turned into institutional sized large blocks of cheese, which are sent under you on a conveyor belt to the other side of the building.

Packing blocks of cheese

Unlike some manufacturing plants that have no production on the weekends, even though it was Sunday, the white-jacketed cheese making crew was busy running the machines that cut and package the large blocks of cheese that move down the conveyor belt. The area cows do not stop for a break on the weekends, and neither does the staff at the Tillamook Cheese factory.

I am sure they are painfully aware that hundreds of people are staring at them and taking pictures from the upstairs gallery.

There are lots of displays to look at explaining the history of the co-op and the cheese making process. When you leave the building you’ll definitely have a good education about the production of cheese and other allied products.

The Tillamook County Cheese Association

In 1909, the Tillamook County Creamery Association was formed by a group of 10 independent cheese plants in the county. As of today the co-op is owned and operated by about 110 family-owned dairy farms. They milk the cows, make the rules and share the profits.
Pasteurization Vs. Heat-Shock

An interesting note came to light during the self-guided tour …

With the exception of the specialty and flavored cheeses (i.e. Colby, Monterey Jack, Mozzarella, Garlic, Pepper Jack, etc.) the basic Tillamook Cheddar and Swiss cheeses are not pasteurized.

After a special process called heat-shocking, (info can be found on the company Web site), cheddar and Swiss sold to the public must be cured (aged) for a minimum of 60 days prior to their sale. This time frame meets the U.S. government standard.

60-day aged cheese becomes a “Medium,” as seen on its distinctive yellow packaging. Any further aging is packaged as:

Vintage White Medium: 100 days
Sharp: 9 months (minimum)
Extra Sharp: 15 months (minimum)
Vintage White Extra Sharp: 2 years (minimum)

There is even a 3 Year Vintage White Extra Sharp available.

Ice Cream Counter

With 38 flavors of ice cream manufactured and sold at retail by the Tillamook company, the visitors center is the only place you can find all of the flavors under one roof. There are even seasonal and special flavors that crop up over the year.

The two lines are long on this weekend waiting for the beehive of local kids behind the counter to fill their cups or handmade waffle cones with flavors such as:
Bubble Gum, German Chocolate Cake, Lemon Blueberry Pie, Marionberry Pie, Mountain Huckleberry, Pumpkin, Root Beer Float, White Licorice
And my favorite names: Tilla-Mint & Udderly Chocolate

Farmhouse Café

Okay, let me guess! If I were to open a café in a cheeeeeeese factory, what would my major ingredient be for most of the meals?

Ah, ah …… wait, I’ll get it …. Ah …

How about …

Ham & CHEESE …

Omelet with CHEESE …

CHEESEburger …

Salads with shredded CHEESE …

And believe it or not … they even went out on a limb and took a chance by putting a slice of cheese between two pieces of bread … and GRILLED IT!

Yes, you to can purchase a Tillamook Grilled Cheese Sandwich!

Now, if they only served wine!

A Few Final Thoughts

According to a quote in the viewing area, the people at the Tillamook Creamery suggest:

“Only serve our cheese on special occasions – Like times when you eat.”

So, if you like cheese and ice cream, the Tillamook Creamery Visitors Center is nothing less than FUN! And …

Historic equipment on display in lobby

It’s Free!

(Unless you walk out of the place with a handful of postcards or a T-shirt with a cow on it, six different kinds of cheese, a gallon of ice cream, and, an ice cream cone along with your Grilled Cheese Sandwich!)

Then, it’s no longer free. But, don’t look at me, I had nothing to do with that!

http://www.tillamookcheese.com/

HOURS

Daily
Labor Day through mid-June
8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Mid-June through Labor Day
8 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Closed: Thanksgiving and Christmas Day

ADMISSION

FREE!!!

Tillamook Oregon Visitors Info

http://www.tillamookchamber.org/

Tomorrow… Come back to learn about an amazing use for a mountain

Inspiring scenery - the Pacific Coast with Haystack Rock is in the distance

 About the name – taken from a Native American word meaning “whale,” whales can be seen some times of the year from this vantage point. We didn’t see any, but we were there during September when they don’t hang out on this part of the coast.

Getting there

Getting to the park from Cannon Beach would seem easy from a map. The road begins at the northern “suburbs” of Cannon Beach, winding past some homes tucked into the hillside before it becomes the actual park. What a road, though! The road is extremely narrow and, while paved, it is tough to see around hairpin turns as drivers come flying at you from above.

 
When you finally get to the entrance gate, they will want $3 for a day use fee.
The walkways lead to picturesque viewing locations where the scenes can be quite breathtaking.

Sea Lion Rocks from Ecola State Park

There was another road leading to another viewpoint in the park, but we decided not to go further on the roads. There are hiking trails, but with it starting to rain, we took photos of Cannon Beach, Haystack Rock and the shore and took cover.

Tillamook Lighthouse

Tillamook Lighthouse and miles and miles of the sandy beach are there to see. Inspiringly tall pines are there in the distance for your hiking adventures.  Film crews have used several locations around the park for movies.  Do you recognize the place where they filmed Goonies?

You can just imagine the Natives and explorers haggling over the whale blubber and oil on the coastal beach below. 

If you don’t hike, it’s still worth a look for photos and a chance to get away from the developed resorts, breathe the salt air and relax. Just take that road in carefully!

During the busy summer months, parking is at a premium, so there is a shuttle from Cannon Beach public parking that you can take to Ecola.

http://www.oregonstateparks.org/park_188.php

Tomorrow – Come back for a recipe from a really cranky person – and a great restaurant!

An upscale beach community, Cannon Beach was the second resort town on Oregon’s coast. (Seaside was the first.) Art galleries, boutique shops, unique toy stores, candy makers and specialty restaurants abound.

Shops on Hemlock Street

The long, sandy beach with Haystack Rock as its centerpiece gives Cannon Beach a focal point. On a recent off-season Sunday, Cannon Beach’s main street – Hemlock – was busy with tourists. Mid-week, the throngs had disappeared and the sidewalks were not overflowing with people.

Celebrating an artisan's work

During the season, the restaurants and hotels are crowded with tourists. Prices tend to be high, but hey, this is a resort town!

Artistically carved gate and fence on Cannon Beach street

There is an artistic sensibility that pervades with fine craftsmanship and memorable wood, stone, glass and other art prominently noticeable almost everywhere.

At the Blue Heron - Another example of artistic work - Photo courtesy of Roger Gillespie

We tried out some moderately-priced restaurants that were one-of-a-kind. Both provided good food and good service. (On Friday, we’ll highlight one of them.)

Strolling the beach

Cannon Beach is a great place to stroll, either along the beach or among the many shops tucked in over several major streets and alleyways. Be assured that you will find the items you see tempting – to your eyes and your pocketbook.

Cannon Beach – We’ve been there twice and next time we plan to stay in one of the most luxurious hotels – one with cozy fireplaces and a view of Haystack Rock. (The first time we just stopped for a few hours; this time we found a luxurious accommodation – 11 miles up the road in Seaside – that fit our budget.) – We figure the third time’s the charm. And Cannon Beach is, indeed, very charming.

http://www.cannonbeach.org/

Heceta Head Lighthouse - one of the most photographed locations in the world

We joined a tour, conducted by a knowledgeable volunteer, which took us into the lighthouse. The tours are free, but gratuities are gladly accepted. With only four people permitted per tour, it can take a few minutes to see the old building. Lucky for us, we didn’t need to wait more than two minutes for our tour.

How Heceta Head was built

Rod, our tour guide, knew every detail of the lighthouse’s history. In 1890, the US government determined that the picturesque vantage point was a great location for a lighthouse. Towering a total of 206 feet (but 50 feet tall) above the sea, the lighthouse took two years to build.

Rod, volunteer guide, inside the lighthouse

Recounting how the 40,000 bricks needed for the lighthouse’s construction were transported without roads, Rod helped us envision hauling the bricks at low tide, the only time that was feasible. On a horse trail along the shore for up to nine hours a day from Florence (the nearest town), the workhorses laboriously dragged bricks and supplies.

Living at the lighthouse

The three lighthouse keepers and their families were totally isolated. Kerosene, the fuel for both the lighthouse and the keepers’ needs, was hauled in, along with their other provisions. The lighthouse keepers and their families grew some crops and raised cows to augment their food supply.

Every four hours, the clock mechanism that kept the light circulating had to be rewound. On a very demanding rotating schedule, the three lighthouse keepers made sure that the lights never went out. Starting at one-half hour before sunset and continuing until one-half hour after sunrise, the keepers devotedly kept the light burning. Six gallons of kerosene were consumed each night for the task. Every 10 seconds, the light flashed over the 21-mile arc to warn of the shallows.
Not until 1934 did the lighthouse become electrified.

Patterns, equipment differ

Every lighthouse uses a different pattern with the light they produce. Heceta Head Lighthouse uses a pattern of light that rotates every 80 seconds. With the different patterns of light, each mariner could navigate by knowing the light – its timing and the light color pattern – of the lighthouses.

Heceta Head Lighthouse’s lenses were produced by Chance Brothers, a British firm that made only three sets for US lighthouses. With a distinctive golden color, the two-inch thick prisms – all 392 of them – are a “first-order” lens, the biggest used for the purpose. Each prism is two-inch thick glass, six feet across.

Lights and prisms

The original kerosene flame gave out 80,000 candlepower, but the new electric bulb provides 1,000 watts of light. It’s bright!

The building itself did not use steel as a frame, so the construction is slowly eroding. As a protection, the previous 10-people tours are now permanently smaller. The spiral staircase leading to the top shakes a bit when just four people are on it.

As of 1963, the lighthouse was automated. The isolated life of the lighthouse keepers and their families was no longer necessary. A spare bulb automatically comes on when a bulb fails.

A view from Heceta Head Lighthouse

If you go…

Even without taking a tour, the views from Heceta Head along the Oregon coast are worth it!

Tours are given March through October.

Officially called – “HECETA HEAD LIGHTHOUSE STATE SCENIC VIEWPOINT,” the park has some picnic tables and is very scenic.

There is a bed and breakfast in the building formerly occupied by the assistant lighthouse keepers.

Note: There is a $3 charge to park in the parking lot. The path to the lighthouse is at least ½ mile long and not handicapped accessible. Parts of the walk can be strenuous.

For more information, see http://www.oregonstateparks.org/park_124.php

Tomorrow… Join us on some very challenging roads!