Full hookups, but crowded place. Fits the sole purpose of being close to Tillamook though.
This stop had one job, which it tends to do very well. That job is to be located relatively close to Tillamook Creamery. It’s not a far drive from Ilwaco, and check in time is 3:30. That left us wondering what to do to kill time before arriving. Richard went on a long walk in the morning to try to find the North Gate Trail, which was a good use of time. Still, we had to check out by 11, so we looked for things to do along the way.
Lewis & Clark Museum
We’ve seen signs for the Lewis & Clark Visitor Center, on the Oregon side of the Columbia River. There’s an interpretive center, RV parking, and enough historical exhibits to keep us entertained for about two hours. I’m glad we went. It’s informative for sure, with a replica of Fort Clatsop (where the party spent their first winter), and docents performing reenactments of some of the daily chores the explorers would have done. For example. we got to see a live demonstration of rendering fat over a fire in order to make candles. That was cool. We watched the informational movie and hit the road, aiming for a 3ish arrival. Nailed that one, but also unintentionally timed the travel just as the winds started picking up. I’m ok with a tail wind, and even a direct headwind, but crosswinds are my nemesis and it was a rather tense tow down to Rockaway Beach.
Excitement!
We made it nicely timed so that they would let us in just a wee bit early. We wasted no time unhitching and made a bee line for the creamery. If it’s not the 4th of July, this campground is sort of meh. The sites are fully serviced, but slotty and packed in tightly. You can get to the beach and that would be the thing to do here. We were not there for recreation purposes, so we just went straight to Tillamook for a late lunch/early dinner.
Long lines for ice cream and food service
If you’ve been to the creamery, you know. In addition to a fine and dandy view of the cheese making process, Tillamook Creamery sells all their ice cream, plus a selection of savory lunch or dinner options that showcase cheese. What’s not to love about foods that showcase cheese?
Mac & Cheese in a cast iron pan, with toasted bread crumbs on top. Grilled cheese with fries on the side (unnecessary, but good)
We have been looking forward to the mac & cheese, served in a small cast iron pan, for a long time. It definitely held up to the anticipation. I want to make a note for my future creamery visiting self: Get 1 order of mac & cheese and get an add on side of French fries. That’ll be plenty. Waiting in a long line to order dinner and seeing how cute and small those cast iron pans are, I tend to question whether splitting that will be enough. This time I ordered a grilled cheese, which comes with fries, just to make sure there was enough. It was way too much. The grilled cheese was fun, but not much different from any old grilled cheese, and need not have been purchased. I did save half, plus at least half of the French fries, for a nice inverter powered microwave lunch the next day, so it wasn’t a waste. But next time, just get the fries.
I mean. If anyone ever asks, “Do you want to make that a Brownie Sundae Special?” there’s really only one answer.
The ice cream also deserves a note to future self. Get the single scoop in a bowl with hot fudge. I had planned on doing that, but when the ice cream dispenser asked me if I wanted the “Brownie Sundae Special,” like my husband had gotten, I couldn’t very well turn that down, could I? And yes, the brownie bits were really high end brownies. And yes, the hot fudge was super thick excellent hot fudge. But honestly, I thought I might die right there. It was so much food. I couldn’t finish the ice cream, and that says a lot.
Vacuum sealing blocks of cheddar
We walked around the upstairs for a while, where you can see people actually processing huge blocks of cheddar. There are informational kiosks everywhere telling you what all the equipment does. It’s a fun experience, especially if you are working on finishing way too much ice cream while you walk. There is a vast gift shop downstairs and we identified the fabulous fudge as Coops Hot Fudge. That is worth a special order for sure.
Oh look! Just what I need!
Leaving the busy creamery, we drove into town to do our weekly shopping. We saw an incredible deal on Tillamook ice cream. It’s a good thing Dory’s freezer really can’t keep ice cream frozen or my declaration of never indulging in ice cream again might have fallen by the wayside within minutes of saying it. Great stop always. We will never pass through this area without indulging.
Total miles from Eagle’s Nest: 74.6, 15.4 mpg, 3 hours 47 min with stop at Lewis & Clark. Site 32 full hookups. Good cell for both. Dump $10.
