Cape x3

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Today was spent following the Three Capes Scenic Loop. I'm not sure why it's a loop since it runs north to south and is not a circle, but there are three capes and it's scenic and we'll leave it at that.

Being on central time, I woke up at a normal time for me of 5:30, which is only 3:30 out here in Oregon. Not much to do that early in the morning so I dozed in bed and listened to the waves. Eventually I got up and had breakfast. This hotel does not offer breakfast so I brought my own oatmeal cups and got juice at the store, which is enough to fuel me for a morning of exploring.

I took Highway 101 south to Pacific City rather than drive the scenic loop route so I would see something different on both trips. The 101 south of Tillamook goes through a valley and is quite beautiful. There are cows and farm fields against a backdrop of some 1000' hills. I did not encounter a lot of traffic, but I was starting out at 8 on a Sunday.

Pacific City is a really tiny town that is mainly there because of two things, Cape Kiwanda and the dory fleet. The dory fleet is a group of fishing boats that draws quite the crowd when the leave and return for their day of work. I guess they zoom back up the beach as far as they can to meet their waiting boat trailer. I saw one truck zooming up the beach after unloading a boat in the water so I can only imagine a group of boats coming in at the end of the day! Pacific City is also home to Haystack Rock, a 327' tall sea stack, which is taller than the more famous Haystack Rock at Cannon Beach. This morning, the rock rose up out of the early morning mist and was quite the site!

Cape Kiwanda forms the north edge of Pacific City and looks to be a giant sand dune. I did not attempt to climb it but I'm sure the views from the top would be amazing. There were kids rolling down the dune and several people climbing up. I enjoyed it from the ground and headed back to my car.

The road north follows the coast and twists and turns as it goes up and down the terrain. There are times you cannot see the water due to the trees, but then the view opens up again. Small pullouts dot the road, leading to some hidden path to the water or other unknown site. I tend to stick to marked areas, especially when I don't know where I am!

The second cape on my route was Cape Lookout. This is a great place to see whales, if it's whale season and if you can make it to the end of the main trail. I failed to make it. I was all prepared to follow the 2.5 mile path to the end and then come back, especially after it was labeled easy to moderate. However, I am more out of shape than I thought and all the ups and downs were too much and I probably only made it a mile or so before I turned around. I did get to one lookout spot and failed to see any whales. The trail goes through the forest full of giant spruce trees and ferns. It's really a very scenic path and I'm glad I did some of it. There's also a beach and picnic area within Cape Lookout State Park that costs $5 for the day. There were lots of dogs and even some little kids playing in the water. I was content to walk along and cool off after my hike.

There are limited food options along the coast here so I headed to Tillamook to get some lunch. I ended up eating at the Tillamook Creamery Cafe, which is part of the cheese factory. I didn't do the tour or the tastings as that's for another day, but I needed food. I decided to go with the Piglet which is a grilled cheese containing sharp white cheddar, ham, caramelized onions, Dijon mustard and apple butter on sourdough bread. MMM! I'm not a huge fan of ham, but I do like it on a grilled cheese. Add a side salad and a giant iced tea and I felt much better.

The final cape on the loop is Cape Meares. Here there is a nice parking area with bathrooms and picnic tables. There is a short sloped walk to the Cape Meares Lighthouse. This lighthouse no longer functions, but is open for tours and has a gift shop. I didn't take the tour as I was busy looking out at the water hoping for a whale. Sadly, I saw none. But the water was a beautiful shade of blue and the little sea stacks glowed in the sun. I could see back towards the small towns of Oceanside and Netarts as well as Cape Lookout. An amazing view! The other attraction here is the Octopus Tree. This is a Sitka spruce tree with several tentacle like extensions, hence the Octopus in the name. While I enjoyed the other two capes, I think this was my favorite for the views and the shorter paths for my tired legs.

I was hoping to spend some time at the beach in Oceanside, but the parking lot was full and there was nowhere to park on the street so I headed back to Netarts. I'll try Oceanside again tomorrow when it might be less busy. The one restaurant there is supposed to have delicious desserts! Tonight I opted for a walk along the beach (there might have been a sneak attack on my pants by a rogue wave) and deli salads. A relaxing end to a long day. I walked a little over 18,000 steps and a lot of those were up and down. Temps today were in the upper 60s to mid 70s depending on where I was and it was sunny. Tomorrow is supposed to be the same. I'm not sure what I will do tomorrow. I'll have to see how my legs feel!

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Comments

[Dad]

3 Capes
The views really look nice and I'm sure the photos don't really do them justice. The paper shows Portland as being real hot (101 today, Monday). It sounds like it's much nicer near the ocean.