Posts
I was going to have surgery today to repair my Cranial Cruciate Ligament Rupture. Well, that didn't happen and I am back at home.
This was my diagnosis from my local vet and he suggested we see a surgical specialist. We did and she look at me but didn't really study my x-rays until this morning when she was planning her day. When I was examined last week, she thought the ligament was ruptured by the way I was walking, sitting and laying down, so we proceeded with the surgery plan. She looked at the x-ray I had taken here in a bright room and she didn't notice the area of my bone that was a little off. I took a new x-ray today and she doesn't think my pain is the ligament, but osteosarcoma, which is a bone tumor. The tumor is at the top of my bone in my knee joint, that's why I was limping and showing signs of a very common dog problem.
It is very likely it will spread, if it hasn't already to my lungs. I will be taking some pills to help with the pain but with all the options on the table, I think the best choice for me is to manage the pain as long as I can.
Please think about me during the next couple of weeks. Don't call, I can't talk on the phone, but I can answer you e-mails.
Oscar Meier
Monday, February 23, 2009
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Taking Green Lodging One-Step Farther.
The Craftsman Bed & Breakfast Partners with Carbonfund.org To Go CarbonFree®
Taking Green Lodging One-Step Farther.
Pacific City, Oregon – 19 February 2009 – The Craftsman Bed and Breakfast today announced that it is offsetting its carbon emissions with Carbonfund.org; the country’s leading nonprofit carbon offset organization. By joining Carbonfund.org’s CarbonFree® Partner program, The Craftsman B&B has joined a national movement of businesses and organizations that are leading the fight against global warming.
Carbonfund.org’s CarbonFree Partner program supports renewable energy, energy efficiency, and reforestation projects in the U.S. and abroad to reduce CO2 pollution and help hasten our transition to a clean energy future.
Here at The Craftsman B&B, we are committed to greener business practices and encourage our guests to experience our green ideas. We choose our vendors and spending to reflect that commitment, and network with other organizations that share our commitment. We have set achievable goals and a realistic framework for achievement of green practices, but we are flexible to evolve our goals as the business at our Bed and Breakfast increases and changes. One of our ideas to promote our green and CarbonFree business is to discount our rates for guests that use public transportation, bike, or drive an alternative fueled vehicle to our B&B.
“We are proud to have found this house and rescued it from possible demolition,” said Mike Rech, owner of The Craftsman B&B. “We had the vision to restore one of Pacific City’s oldest buildings. With our loving restoration, we were able to breathe new life in this family home. We took care, respecting what was here and returned the style that had been removed. Our plan was to do it with the smallest impact possible. This didn’t come without some challenges during the restoration and challenges we face today to become greener and have a smaller impact on our planet.”
Carbonfund.org President Eric Carlson said, “We applaud The Craftsman B&B’s initiative in helping the fight on global warming and hastening the change to a clean energy future by becoming a CarbonFree Partner. The Craftsman B&B is supporting Carbonfund.org’s verified carbon offsetting projects that are helping to reduce or sequester emissions of greenhouse gases.”
One challenge the Pacific City bed & breakfast faces today is that living in a remote area increases driving to get the basic supplies for the business. They are too small for food companies to deliver to them, so they must go shopping for food weekly, always combining errands to one shopping day. Mike rarely gets in a car, but when he does, his car is carbon neutral. VW of America and Carbonfund.org are planting the VW Forest. They are offsetting carbon emissions by funding the reforestation of the Lower Mississippi Alluvial Valley. The Craftsman B&B is also working on our guests’ ability to purchase “green tags” to offset their stay at our B&B. How much more green is a small B&B in a small town on the Oregon Coast?
About The Craftsman Bed & Breakfast:
Located in Pacific City, The Craftsman Bed & Breakfast welcomes you to experience the beautiful Oregon Coast in style, grace and comfort. Your stay begins as you enter the front door and are taken back to a time of simple elegance. Built in 1921 and renovated in 2005 to include the comforts and conveniences of today. You will marvel at all the details of the Craftsman era that went into the renovation of one of Pacific City’s oldest homes. Whether for a simple escape from the chaos of "the city" or to celebrate a special or romantic event, we will make your stay memorable. Everything in town is within walking distance. Park your car, relax and unplug. No lace, no doilies!
About Carbonfund.org:
Carbonfund.org is the country’s leading nonprofit climate solutions organization, making it easy and affordable for individuals, businesses and organizations to reduce their climate impact. Carbon offsets enable individuals and businesses to reduce carbon dioxide emissions they are responsible for in their everyday lives by supporting renewable energy, energy efficiency and reforestation projects where they are most cost effective. Carbonfund.org works with over 1,000 corporate and nonprofit partners including Discovery, Volkswagen, Amtrak, Dell, Orbitz, Staples, and JetBlue.
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
It's Official
Well after a few weeks of trying to recover from my Cranial Cruciate Ligament Rupture, I'm going to have surgery. For you humans, this is like a torn ACL you hear about so much in athletes. I will go in next Monday and be staying with the vet until Wednesday. I know this will be tough, but I would love to be on all fours again.
I have learned to hop pretty good in the last few weeks and on the grass, I am a master. As far as the steps go, still not good. I can get up and down the stairs off the back porch, only four steps and I need a good run at them. Any more than that and I go down to my belly and slide back; thud, thud, thud.
I like to be with Mike at all times, so when he cleans the rooms I usually lay at the top of the stairs and keep an eye on him. Now, he blocks off the stairs with dining room chairs, so I lay at the bottom of the stairs until he is done with the rooms. The worst thing now is I can't show our guests to their rooms, so I make sure I get some good sniffs in before they go up the stairs to their room.
So we went to a vet in Keizer yesterday, about an hour away. She looked at my x-rays and blood work-ups I had already done. She took a long look at my knee and made me sit, stand, walk and lay down. She had several options on what she could do to fix my knee. We watched some videos on the different choices we had and they chose to do Tibial Tuberosity Advancement, TTA is what everyone calls it and I thought dogs were lazy, humans have a short cut for everything. Read more about the procedure here.
We also found about another option called TPLO. This requires the surgeon to go to expensive classes and use expensive tools and the guy who developed it, patented the procedure so they have to pay royalties to perform the operation, what a scam. The vets who do it, push that procedure because they have so much invested in learning it.
My local vet only does the lateral imbrication technique. He did not recommend that for me as I am too big and too active. The vet we talked to yesterday said she would be happy doing this for me and had great success with larger dogs, but Mike and Laura decided that the a bone plate would be better the a mono filament line.
I sure hope I can get through this and get back to my job as meeter and greeter here at The Craftsman B&B. I hope to be able to go on walks again as I miss all the smells of Pacific City and the cookies I get at the bank and hardware store. So wish me luck and think about me next Monday. You can come visit me too, I like visitors and all the new smells you bring with you.
Saturday, February 14, 2009
Harts Cove
Because it's Valentines Day today, I thought I would tell you about a hike to Harts Cove. The previous hikes I wrote about were just a warm up for the hike on Nature Conservancy land at Cascade Head. We suggest the most rewarding of the hikes to Hearts Cove. This trail from the summit is a Forest Service trailhead and is closed from January to mid-July to protect wildlife.
Head out to highway 101 and south. You will drive through the town of Neskowin and head up the hill to the summit of Cascade Head. At the summit, pull off into the parking area on the right for Cascade Head Road 1861. After 3.3 miles, a guardrail on the left marks the easy, upper trailhead to the Nature Conservancy preserve on Cascade Head. Pass that by and drive an extra 0.8-mile to a parking lot at road's end.
Harts Cove is a 5.4-mile hike down 900 feet of elevation, one-way. They say it’s a moderate hike, it is going down hill. The return trip is a little more difficult. You will hike down a switch-backing trail through a hemlock forest and a footbridge over Cliff Creek. Then it’s Sitka spruce and hemlock giants to a bench that offers a glimpse ahead to Harts Cove's headland. Continue on the main trail, cross a bridge over Chitwood Creek to the headland's fabulously scenic meadow. Take the leftmost of several paths down the grassy bluff to find a cliff-edge viewpoint overlooking Harts Cove and Chitwood Creek's waterfall. To reach the shore, climb back up from this viewpoint 50 yards to a junction and head seaward. A scramble trail descends to the lava rock edge of the headland, where deep water gently rises and falls, exposing a bathtub ring of barnacles, starfish, and sea palms.
Cascade Head information:
Cascade Head is the tip of a 300-mile-long Columbia River basalt lava flow that erupted near Idaho about 15 million years ago and puddled up at the seashore here. The panoramic bluff-top wildflower meadows were threatened by commercial development in the 1960s, but fans of the wild headland rallied to purchase the fragile area and donate it to the non-profit Nature Conservancy for preservation. Ironically, the impact of up to 10,000 nature-loving visitors a year now threatens the meadows' ecology. As a result, two of the trailheads are closed for six months of each year, pets are banned, and hikers are urged to stay on existing trails. Flower picking, hunting, camping, fires, bicycles, and dogs are banned at Cascade Head. The easy, upper trailhead to the headland meadows is closed six months of the year to protect threatened Oregon silver spot butterfly caterpillars. Even if you hike here from the lower trailhead (open all year), please stay on the trail. Even spreading out a picnic may inadvertently trample the meadow's rare checker mallows, 5-petaled pink wildflowers, or the violets that serve as food for the rare caterpillars. In summer expect white yarrow, plumes of goldenrod, tall pink foxglove, and Indian paintbrush.
Head back to 101 north to Pacific City and The Craftsman B&B. The hot tub will be ready for your weary body. I'll peek over the edge to make sure you are doing OK in the tub, don't worry, I won't jump in, I don't like water.
Head out to highway 101 and south. You will drive through the town of Neskowin and head up the hill to the summit of Cascade Head. At the summit, pull off into the parking area on the right for Cascade Head Road 1861. After 3.3 miles, a guardrail on the left marks the easy, upper trailhead to the Nature Conservancy preserve on Cascade Head. Pass that by and drive an extra 0.8-mile to a parking lot at road's end.
Harts Cove is a 5.4-mile hike down 900 feet of elevation, one-way. They say it’s a moderate hike, it is going down hill. The return trip is a little more difficult. You will hike down a switch-backing trail through a hemlock forest and a footbridge over Cliff Creek. Then it’s Sitka spruce and hemlock giants to a bench that offers a glimpse ahead to Harts Cove's headland. Continue on the main trail, cross a bridge over Chitwood Creek to the headland's fabulously scenic meadow. Take the leftmost of several paths down the grassy bluff to find a cliff-edge viewpoint overlooking Harts Cove and Chitwood Creek's waterfall. To reach the shore, climb back up from this viewpoint 50 yards to a junction and head seaward. A scramble trail descends to the lava rock edge of the headland, where deep water gently rises and falls, exposing a bathtub ring of barnacles, starfish, and sea palms.
Cascade Head information:
Cascade Head is the tip of a 300-mile-long Columbia River basalt lava flow that erupted near Idaho about 15 million years ago and puddled up at the seashore here. The panoramic bluff-top wildflower meadows were threatened by commercial development in the 1960s, but fans of the wild headland rallied to purchase the fragile area and donate it to the non-profit Nature Conservancy for preservation. Ironically, the impact of up to 10,000 nature-loving visitors a year now threatens the meadows' ecology. As a result, two of the trailheads are closed for six months of each year, pets are banned, and hikers are urged to stay on existing trails. Flower picking, hunting, camping, fires, bicycles, and dogs are banned at Cascade Head. The easy, upper trailhead to the headland meadows is closed six months of the year to protect threatened Oregon silver spot butterfly caterpillars. Even if you hike here from the lower trailhead (open all year), please stay on the trail. Even spreading out a picnic may inadvertently trample the meadow's rare checker mallows, 5-petaled pink wildflowers, or the violets that serve as food for the rare caterpillars. In summer expect white yarrow, plumes of goldenrod, tall pink foxglove, and Indian paintbrush.
Head back to 101 north to Pacific City and The Craftsman B&B. The hot tub will be ready for your weary body. I'll peek over the edge to make sure you are doing OK in the tub, don't worry, I won't jump in, I don't like water.
Monday, February 9, 2009
Ocean view hikes
The other day I wrote about what to do while staying at The Craftsman B&B, it was mostly driving and a little hiking, unless you ventured out to the end of Cape Lookout. Today will be more hiking and less driving as we point you south of Pacific City towards bluffs overlooking the ocean. Then to a short beach adventure.
Head out to highway 101 and turn right toward Lincoln City. About 2 miles down, turn in to the Nestucca Bay National Wildlife Refuge. The road leads you to the first, overflow parking lot and a gate. Go through the gate and follow the narrow road up the hill to the second lot. Here you can park and take the short hike on the trail up to the viewing platform near the top of the hill. Watch for songbirds in the grasses as you work your way up to the platform. Binoculars are good to have, but you will still see birds. Watch the tree groves as well for hawks resting on the outer branches. On the platform you get great views of Cape Kiwanda, Haystack Rock and the Nestucca Bay.
The next hike to the Nature Conservancy Trail in the headland meadows is further south on 101. You will drive through Neskowin and over the summit of Cascade Head. Then at the base of the hill, turn right on Three Rocks Road for 2.2 miles and turn left to the parking lot of the Savage Park boat ramp.
The lower Nature Conservancy Trail is a moderate 4.2-mile hike, gaining 1200 feet of elevation. Let’s head out, the trail crosses Three Rocks Road and traverses the woods above Savage Road. Just into the hike, ignore a side path to the left that leads to an old trail head. The main trail climbs through a forest of large, gnarled spruce to a meadow with a breathtaking view across the Salmon River estuary. In the distance are Cape Foulweather and Lincoln City's Devils Lake. Then the path steepens and climbs to an upper viewpoint, the recommended turnaround spot.
Cascade Head information:
Cascade Head is the tip of a 300-mile-long Columbia River basalt lava flow that erupted near Idaho about 15 million years ago and puddled up at the seashore here. The panoramic bluff-top wildflower meadows were threatened by commercial development in the 1960s, but fans of the wild headland rallied to purchase the fragile area and donate it to the non-profit Nature Conservancy for preservation. Ironically, the impact of up to 10,000 nature-loving visitors a year now threatens the meadows' ecology. As a result, two of the trailheads are closed for six months of each year, pets are banned, and hikers are urged to stay on existing trails. Flower picking, hunting, camping, fires, bicycles, and dogs are banned at Cascade Head. The easy, upper trailhead to the headland meadows is closed six months of the year to protect threatened Oregon silver spot butterfly caterpillars. Even if you hike here from the lower trailhead (open all year), please stay on the trail. Even spreading out a picnic may inadvertently trample the meadow's rare checker mallows, 5-petaled pink wildflowers, or the violets that serve as food for the rare caterpillars. In summer expect white yarrow, plumes of goldenrod, tall pink foxglove, and Indian paintbrush.
Back in the car to highway 101 and head north to Neskowin Beach and Proposal Rock. Turn left into this tiny village and work your way west and south on the roads to the beach. Proposal Rock is where you are headed, be prepared to get your feet wet as a creek runs through the center of this beach. Named for a turn-of-the-century marriage proposal here, this tall, near-shore monolith at Neskowin Beach is a great place for a short walk to and around, if tide permits. Walking to the south at low tide and you will see the remains of the ghost forest. Buried until the December Storm of 2008 when unusually high winds and surf eroded the beach to uncover the long lost forest. Be smart out here, sneaker waves and the incoming tide have claimed many lives at this beach!
Head back to 101 north to Pacific City, I'll will be waiting for your return. Will you need a bottle of bubbles to celebrate a proposal? I look forward to your recap of the hikes, being an upland bird dog, I'm not allowed on preserve land.
Head out to highway 101 and turn right toward Lincoln City. About 2 miles down, turn in to the Nestucca Bay National Wildlife Refuge. The road leads you to the first, overflow parking lot and a gate. Go through the gate and follow the narrow road up the hill to the second lot. Here you can park and take the short hike on the trail up to the viewing platform near the top of the hill. Watch for songbirds in the grasses as you work your way up to the platform. Binoculars are good to have, but you will still see birds. Watch the tree groves as well for hawks resting on the outer branches. On the platform you get great views of Cape Kiwanda, Haystack Rock and the Nestucca Bay.
The next hike to the Nature Conservancy Trail in the headland meadows is further south on 101. You will drive through Neskowin and over the summit of Cascade Head. Then at the base of the hill, turn right on Three Rocks Road for 2.2 miles and turn left to the parking lot of the Savage Park boat ramp.
The lower Nature Conservancy Trail is a moderate 4.2-mile hike, gaining 1200 feet of elevation. Let’s head out, the trail crosses Three Rocks Road and traverses the woods above Savage Road. Just into the hike, ignore a side path to the left that leads to an old trail head. The main trail climbs through a forest of large, gnarled spruce to a meadow with a breathtaking view across the Salmon River estuary. In the distance are Cape Foulweather and Lincoln City's Devils Lake. Then the path steepens and climbs to an upper viewpoint, the recommended turnaround spot.
Cascade Head information:
Cascade Head is the tip of a 300-mile-long Columbia River basalt lava flow that erupted near Idaho about 15 million years ago and puddled up at the seashore here. The panoramic bluff-top wildflower meadows were threatened by commercial development in the 1960s, but fans of the wild headland rallied to purchase the fragile area and donate it to the non-profit Nature Conservancy for preservation. Ironically, the impact of up to 10,000 nature-loving visitors a year now threatens the meadows' ecology. As a result, two of the trailheads are closed for six months of each year, pets are banned, and hikers are urged to stay on existing trails. Flower picking, hunting, camping, fires, bicycles, and dogs are banned at Cascade Head. The easy, upper trailhead to the headland meadows is closed six months of the year to protect threatened Oregon silver spot butterfly caterpillars. Even if you hike here from the lower trailhead (open all year), please stay on the trail. Even spreading out a picnic may inadvertently trample the meadow's rare checker mallows, 5-petaled pink wildflowers, or the violets that serve as food for the rare caterpillars. In summer expect white yarrow, plumes of goldenrod, tall pink foxglove, and Indian paintbrush.
Back in the car to highway 101 and head north to Neskowin Beach and Proposal Rock. Turn left into this tiny village and work your way west and south on the roads to the beach. Proposal Rock is where you are headed, be prepared to get your feet wet as a creek runs through the center of this beach. Named for a turn-of-the-century marriage proposal here, this tall, near-shore monolith at Neskowin Beach is a great place for a short walk to and around, if tide permits. Walking to the south at low tide and you will see the remains of the ghost forest. Buried until the December Storm of 2008 when unusually high winds and surf eroded the beach to uncover the long lost forest. Be smart out here, sneaker waves and the incoming tide have claimed many lives at this beach!
Head back to 101 north to Pacific City, I'll will be waiting for your return. Will you need a bottle of bubbles to celebrate a proposal? I look forward to your recap of the hikes, being an upland bird dog, I'm not allowed on preserve land.
Saturday, February 7, 2009
Oregon's 150th birthday
You may think February 14th is a national holiday, or at least in most women's minds. It's Valentines Day, and if you didn't know that by now, you may be in some trouble. Here at The Craftsman B&B, we are already sold out. Well here is a good excuse, tell her you got too excited about celebrating Oregon's 150th birthday. So if you really blew it, I have an idea for a year of redemption. The Oregon Bed and Breakfast Guild is launching a year-long program to encourage travelers to visit all regions within our state. A birthday present for our state, if you will. It will be a sesquicentennial-tastic year!
Under the program, travelers who stay at OBBG member inns in at least 5 of the 7 regions will qualify for $150 in Lodging Gift Vouchers. Prizes will go to the first 10 travelers submitting copies of receipts for stays around the state between February 14, 2009, and February 14, 2010.
Under the program, travelers who stay at OBBG member inns in at least 5 of the 7 regions will qualify for $150 in Lodging Gift Vouchers. Prizes will go to the first 10 travelers submitting copies of receipts for stays around the state between February 14, 2009, and February 14, 2010.
The regions include: Portland Metro, Mt. Hood/the Gorge, The Coast, Willamette Valley, Central Oregon, Eastern Oregon and Southern Oregon.
"Oregon is a beautiful state, and the Guild wants to encourage those living in our state, as well as those from other states, to take advantage of Oregon 150 to visit from north to south and east to west," says Mary Pellegrini, OBBG President. "You can't really call yourself an Oregonian until you've been to Joseph, Astoria, Ashland, Hood River, Fossil, and Coos Bay . . . and, of course, Portland, Eugene, and Salem."
Visit this website to start your celebration today and be sure to ask the OBBG innkeepers about the "Explore Oregon and Win!" program. Start saving your receipts today! For more information on the sesquicentennial celebration visit www.Oregon150.org. For even more events, click here.
I love parties, year long ones are the best, so visit me here at The Craftsman B&B while you travel around the state.
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Tillamook Cheese is 100 years old
As you may know, I am not allowed in the kitchen here at The Craftsman B&B. We have 2 entries into the kitchen, a solid swinging door that leads into the dinning room and a swinging gate Mike built that leads to the back hall and pantry. This gate has copper pipes, kind of like a jail door. I like to lay in the back hall and watch what is going on in the kitchen. I especially hang out there when I smell cheese. Mike and Laura cook with a lot of cheese. We live in the best place for cheese in the country, so if I'm lucky, a piece of cheese will come flying in my direction.
Well, if you love cheese as much as I do, willing to beg for it, you should come visit me, stay the night and go to the first of many celebrations slated for 2009 as The Tillamook County Creamery Association is finally kicking off its 100th Anniversary this Friday, Feb. 6. This particular party gets started at 10 a.m., and runs through 4 p.m., at the Visitors Center in Tillamook, Oregon. Activities will include cheese sampling, photo opportunities with Tillie the Cow and other activities throughout the day.
The main attraction will be the unveiling of the new historical display and the release of limited-edition products, including the 100th Anniversary Wheel, a traditional, wax-dripped two-pound round of 3-year naturally aged vintage white cheddar nestled beautifully inside a wooden crate.
Speaking of the anniversary, the Creamery announced the winner of their first consumer ice cream naming contest. Nathan Rytting of Emporia, Kansas came up with the scrumptious suggestion of “Sweet Centennial,” and beat out hundreds of entrants to win a gift basket filled with an array of Tillamook goodies. Sweet Centennial will hit Northwest grocery store freezer aisles in Spring 2009. The anniversary ice cream flavor consists of rich vanilla ice cream swirled with brownie batter and peanut butter-filled chocolate cows. Attend Friday's kick-off event for the opportunity to sample the new flavor in addition to other Tillamook products.
To find out more about Tillamook Cheese, read my post here.
So if you do attend any of the events at The Creamery this year, I expect, out of the kindness of your heart, a sample of the cheese, I love cheese!
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Three Capes Scenic Loop
When you come to Pacific City on the Oregon Coast and stay at The Craftsman B&B and are looking for a good day trip, we suggest a drive on the Three Capes Scenic Loop. Start right here at Cape Kiwanda State Natural Area. The dorymen launch the boats into the surf at sunrise. Most are back around 11:00 a.m. when the wind starts to pick up. Climb to the top of the dune and watch the boats landing and the surfers surfing.
Head north out of the parking lot and follow the signs to Cape Lookout State Park. At the summit, park and take the 2.4 mile hike out to the end. You will be walking through the center of a rain forest, so make sure you have another pair of shoes, this trail does get muddy and they have placed boardwalks in the bad spots. The views are amazing, so don’t forget the camera. During whale migration, this is a great spot to watch. The beach trail from the summit is for the fittest. A switchback down to a secluded beach, getting back is the hard part.
Head north again out of the lot and follow the road around Netarts Bay. The Schooner, on the north side of the bay is a good spot for lunch, so is Rosanne’s in Oceanside, the next town on the route. In Oceanside, stop at Three Arch Rocks National Bird and Sea Lion Refuge, park and walk out on the beach, bring you binoculars to view the Tufted Puffins and Common Mures nesting on the rocks. At low tide, you can walk through a tunnel to a private beach to the north.
Out of Oceanside and left again to the last cape on the tour, Cape Meares State Scenic Viewpoint, home to Cape Meares Lighthouse and Cape Meares National Wildlife Refuge. If you only get out of the car once, do it here. An easy, wheelchair accessible path guides you down to the lighthouse that is open for tours April through October, 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. We like to walk along the fence line on the south side on the way back up. Don’t forget to see the Octopus Tree. As with the other capes, this is great for whales, birds and photos. If you get a good one, enter it in their annual contest, click here to see past winners. The forests around the Refuge include massive Sitka Spruce and Western Hemlock.
Head north out of the parking lot and follow the signs to Cape Lookout State Park. At the summit, park and take the 2.4 mile hike out to the end. You will be walking through the center of a rain forest, so make sure you have another pair of shoes, this trail does get muddy and they have placed boardwalks in the bad spots. The views are amazing, so don’t forget the camera. During whale migration, this is a great spot to watch. The beach trail from the summit is for the fittest. A switchback down to a secluded beach, getting back is the hard part.
Head north again out of the lot and follow the road around Netarts Bay. The Schooner, on the north side of the bay is a good spot for lunch, so is Rosanne’s in Oceanside, the next town on the route. In Oceanside, stop at Three Arch Rocks National Bird and Sea Lion Refuge, park and walk out on the beach, bring you binoculars to view the Tufted Puffins and Common Mures nesting on the rocks. At low tide, you can walk through a tunnel to a private beach to the north.
Out of Oceanside and left again to the last cape on the tour, Cape Meares State Scenic Viewpoint, home to Cape Meares Lighthouse and Cape Meares National Wildlife Refuge. If you only get out of the car once, do it here. An easy, wheelchair accessible path guides you down to the lighthouse that is open for tours April through October, 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. We like to walk along the fence line on the south side on the way back up. Don’t forget to see the Octopus Tree. As with the other capes, this is great for whales, birds and photos. If you get a good one, enter it in their annual contest, click here to see past winners. The forests around the Refuge include massive Sitka Spruce and Western Hemlock.
After taking all this classic Oregon Coast experience take a left on the road, down the hill to the stop sign. The scenic loop says to turn right, but we suggest you turn left into the town of Cape Meares. Follow the road until it ends. Hop out and carefully walk over all the rocks to this hidden gem. The Tillamook Bay Spit is to the North and the ocean side collects a ton of debris after the strong costal storms. The bay side is great for bird watching. During Salmon season, you will see boat after boat trying their luck to catch that 45-pound salmon.
Back track your way back on the scenic drive and follow along the edge of Tillamook Bay into the town of Tillamook. Once on Highway 101, go north if you need an ice cream cone at the Tillamook Cheese Factory. If you need more cheese, stop at the Blue Heron French Cheese Company.
Head south back on Highway 101, passing dairy farms and pastures. Look for the herd of Elk, a few fields past the Air Museum on the east side of the road. Follow 101 all the way back to Pacific City and if you timed it right, there will be cookies waiting for you here at The Craftsman B&B, Oh and I'll be waiting too.
So you want to see the Three Capes but don’t want to drive. You can hike them all. Here’s how.
Back track your way back on the scenic drive and follow along the edge of Tillamook Bay into the town of Tillamook. Once on Highway 101, go north if you need an ice cream cone at the Tillamook Cheese Factory. If you need more cheese, stop at the Blue Heron French Cheese Company.
Head south back on Highway 101, passing dairy farms and pastures. Look for the herd of Elk, a few fields past the Air Museum on the east side of the road. Follow 101 all the way back to Pacific City and if you timed it right, there will be cookies waiting for you here at The Craftsman B&B, Oh and I'll be waiting too.
So you want to see the Three Capes but don’t want to drive. You can hike them all. Here’s how.
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