Off-beat Winter Vacation

Best Things Nearby:
Beautiful glass "floats" are 'planted' all over 7 gorgeous miles of beach. It is great incentive to wander the beach on a blustery day. There is also a good-sized Factory Outlet Mall that is a fun outing for those so inclined. One of our favorite day trips was a magnificent drive north to the Tillamook Cheese Factory. We took a self-guided tour and had the opportunity to taste different cheeses as well. They have a small restaurant and a gift shop.In addition, they have an ice cream shop (of course, they make their own) that has all the traditional flavors and MANY really unusual flavors. Try a few! I don't recommend the licorice ice cream - it tastes like Nyquil.

Best Things About the Resort:
It was really low key. Nothing too fancy, but every unit has a balcony which looks out over a gorgeous beach. Quite comfortable and the managers are soooo polite/helpful.

Resort Experience:
We had a one-bedroom unit that was quite roomy and was fully equipped. The bed was unusually comfortable for a place not billed as a 4-star hotel!

Living Room/dining area was large and included plenty of seating, a large wall unit filled with books and lots of storage. Bathroom seemed recently renovated - really nice! Within a day or so, we felt quite 'at home'. Didn't feel much like returning to our normal lives.

• Unit Type: 1 Bedroom
• Activities: Not Available
• Amenities: Very Good
• Unit Satisfaction: Excellent
• Family Friendliness: Excellent
• Service: Very Good

As you drive South from Lincoln City, the rugged coastline draws your attention from the road frequently. It is a good thing that there are MANY turnouts - I'm sure this keeps the number of accidents WAY down. ;-)

Soon, you round a bend and can see a small village coming up on your left and lots of cars pulled over to the right. There are gobs of people milling around, so you pull over to see what everyone is looking at and... suddenly this HUGE geyser of sea water shoots straight into the air! Everyone gasps and points and the cameras are snapping picture after picture hoping to catch just the right moment. Depoe Bay is known for its water spouts. They are a natural phenomenon which I cannot explain but there are plenty of locals ready to do so. We had a blast! Our 14-year old can't wait to return to see them again!

Tillamook County is a very heterogeneous locale. As we began our drive, we ascended into the mountains covered with old-growth forestation. Then the road leveled off a bit and we were surrounded by what must be a low-lying plain during the summer months - it looked like a shallow lake populated by hundreds of birds. Soon we were in 'cow country'. Cattle could be seen on both sides of Hwy. 101 grazing lazily in beautiful pastures.

We arrived in the Historic town of Tillamook close to noontime. There were many historic buildings and such but we were on a mission -- CHEESE! You see, we are definitely a family of cheese-lovers and the Tillamook County Creamery Association factory is just north of town. The factory offers a very interesting self guided tour and at the end all visitors are rewarded with tastes of several types of cheese. After we nibbled, we shopped a bit in the gift shop and then ordered lunch at the cafe (on the premises). My husband was thrilled that they offered his favorite lunch - a bowl of tomato soup with a grilled (Tillamook) cheese sandwich!