Day 4. Cannon Beach to Florence

 

Oswald West State Park

Our first stop was Oswald West State Park just south of Canon Beach. We went really early so we got a parking spot. We had fun playing with some rocks that had mussels and starfish. 

We also had fun exploring little rock caves.

Drive to Tillamook

We drove along Highway 101 and stopped by viewpoints. At one overlook, someone kindly told us that there would be fighter jets flying by to celebrate July 4th. We waited a few minutes and indeed two fighter jets flew by.

We passed a small town where people are gathering to get ready for a parade. Not too far from the crowd,  someone was kayaking in the bay enjoying peace and quiet. 

We passed three rocks named Three Graces.

Tillamook Creamery

We did a self-guided tour to see how cheese was made, and tried some sample cheese. We bought cheese curds, which was a form of cheese before being dried to become cheese. I had never had cheese curds before. They were squeaky and salty. Ethan and Claire liked those as snacks. We also bought and enjoyed ice cream.

After that, we had lunch at a McDonald's in Tillamook.

Three Capes Scenic Loop

From Tillamook, we turned to Highway 131 and drove towards the town Oceanside, and then to Cape Meares State Scenic Viewpoint. 

We walked to Cape Meares Lighthouse. I also hiked a little to see the Octopus Tree, just a tree with many branches.

The road was closed after the viewpoint, so it was not a loop. We drove back along 131 and rejoined Highway 101 to continue driving south.

Drive to Florence

At Lincoln City, there were many people gathered near the ocean waiting for the fireworks. We stopped by to take some pictures of people kayaking in the ocean.

After Yachats, we decided to drive directly to Florence without stopping because we planned visit those viewpoints the next day. However, one viewpoint of the Heceta Head Lighthouse was so beautiful that I had to stop by to take a picture.

Florence

We checked in at the Ocean Breeze Inn, two nights for $334.48. The front desk lady was super sweet. She told us that there was a WiFi outage and issued us a discount. She also told us that since it was July 4th, every hotel in the town was sold out. The hotel was basic, but nicely decorated and quiet. It was good for our stay.

Since it was July 4th, many restaurants were closed. We found Ixtapa Family Mexican Restaurant to be open. I had nice shrimp fajitas.