TERRIBLE TILLY

June 7, 2013

We're now in northern portion of the Oregon coast.  The drive from the central coast up to the Canon Beach area took us through scenic coastal vistas with off shore rock formations and crashing waves.  The highway cut inland a bit where there are open valleys with lovely little farms with dairy cows and sheep.  We went through the town of Tillamook which is notorious for cheese manufacturing.  Once we made it to our RV park and set up, we took a short drive to to Ecola State Park.  The park has a beautiful wide beach and is also has the closest view of the Tillamook Rock Lighthouse.   It is perched on top of a basalt rock about 2 miles off shore.  The lighthouse was built in 1881 and was dubbed "terrible Tilly" because of the wild waves and storms it endures.  The lighthouse is now privately owned and is now a columbarium (a storage place for the ashes of the diseased).   My picture is a little grainy, but it was misting and the lighthouse is a long way out there.  

Tillamook Rock Lighthouse

While we were standing on a bluff looking at the lighthouse, two bald eagles flew over.  I managed a quick picture of one of them.  Pretty cool though to see these majestic birds.  We'll definitely go back to the area tomorrow to see if we can spot them again and also try to get a picture of the puffins that nest off shore.

Bald Eagle

On the drive to get to the beach, we had to wind our way through a very beautiful forest of spruce trees covered in moss.  The picture doesn't do it justice.  It was very surreal and looked like a set from a movie rather than real life.

Ecola State Park