North Along the Coast - Day 2 Oct 30

Kilchis Point Reserve

Our first biding destination for day two was the Kilchis Point Reserve near Bay City.  This place has been a favorite of ours for Tillamook County for some years.  It's a wonderful interpretive trail, and we enjoyed a two and a half mile walk there.  You can see our e-Bird Observation List here.

 

The day turned out to be a mixed bag with the weather.  Although we had bright sunshine, we had a strong wind.  The trail at Kilchis Point was well protected, but as we drove north along Tillamook Bay, the wind had whipped up the water to a choppy brown surface, and the birds (except for gulls) were non existent. Our general destination for the day was Nehalem Bay State Park, and as we drove Hwy 101 north, we thought back on our many memories of more energetic days, beginning with rolling along this route on our bicycles from Canada to Mexico, and then to the years of traveling in our RV's with our miniature dashound Buster, who was always eager to explore the next trail or beach. 

Arriving at Nehalem Bay State Park, we found the campgrounds crowded, and thirty one dollars for a patch of pavement with water and electricity seemed ridiculous when we needed neither, and we knew we could park for free back at the Blue Heron French Cheese Company. So, this became our turn around point and we headed back to Tillamook.

  

Hoquarten Slough Trail

Before settling back into the parking lot at the Blue Heron French Cheese Company, we stopped to bird on the  Hoquarten Slough Trail in downtown Tillamook.  Here the sunshine was still plentiful and we were protected from the wind.  You can see our bird list here.

Instead of having dinner in our van, we decided to splurge, and at the same time show our appreciation for the free parking, by having a glass of wine (me), and dinner in the cafe. In many ways, this was the highlight of our day.  The staff are all so friendly and gracious and our Philly Cheese Steak sandwich delicious. In addition we met fellow van travelers in the bar, and traded stories. In the future trips to Tillamook County, Blue Heron French Cheese Company will probably serve as our base of operations.