3 CAPES SCENIC DRIVE

The quilt sisters first order of business yesterday, was a drive into Tillamook, where you guessed it....
there is yet another fabric/yarn/quilt store.  While they were gone, I found a drive through car wash, and now the Jeep is almost as shiny as the motor home.  When I got back, the girls had returned, and we set off for a scenic drive on the 3 capes road.

This coastal road hugs the ocean between Pacific City on the south, and Tillamook Bay on the north.  We started by driving to the Pacific City Thousand Trails, where we'll be staying for a few days after our Golden Spike RV Rally in Garibaldi.  It's been about 3 years since we last stayed at this park, and there has been a major change as to where RV's enter the park.  The old driveway entrance is still usable by cars, but the RV entrance has moved about 500 feet to the east.  Now, there's more room to park while registering, particularly when you take your towed vehicle to look for a suitable site to situate the RV.  I'm glad we found this out in the Jeep, and not in the motor home.

 These islands off Cape Meares, are noted for the several tunnels through the rock.

The drive from Pacific City north to Cape Meares, passes by Cape Kiwanda, Cape Lookout, and the small communities of Netarts, and Oceanside.  Fortunately, we were blessed with a perfectly sunny day, light wind, and temps in the high 60's, low 70's.  We stopped at a few vista points, before coming to the end of the road at Cape Meares.  The road goes beyond, but was blocked by barricades, and signs that read "road closed".  When we left, we had to back track about 3-4 miles to Netarts, where the road returned to Tillamook.

The Cape Meares Lighthouse is one of 9 built along the Oregon Coast in the late 1800's, and 7 are open for public viewing.  This particular lighthouse was activated in 1890, serving until 1963, when it was decommissioned.  The ocean views from the Cape are pretty awesome, but be prepared for about 1/4 mile walk down to the light from the parking lot.   The down part isn't bad, it's the up part that gives the lungs a bit of a workout.

When we got back to the motor homes, Tom & Barb had returned, and we all piled into our Jeep for a drive into Tillamook, where we had seafood at a small place across from the Tillamook Cheese Factory.  Not sure what's happening today, but tomorrow, we'll be moving a short distance up the coast to Garibaldi, and a reunion with our Golden Spike friends.