Tourist brochures want us to believe that Tillamook means "land of many waters". Though undeniably moist and verdant, with rivers, lakes, and ocean, the original word was Killamook, and probably meant people of the Nehalem. The prefix Ne refers to "place" and prefaces other geographical entities in this region. Nehalem means "place where people live or gather". Today’s Clatsop-Nehalem Confederated Tribes are descended from both; they lived around Tillamook and Nehalem Bays and often inter-married. Now mostly elders, they’re still struggling to gain federal recognition.

After first contact , it took less than 50 years for local indigenous populations to be decimated from over 2000 to less than 200. The 1850’s saw many white settlers, their cows, dairies for milk and butter, and a school. The cheeses for which the county is now famous didn’t start being produced until 1894. Concomitantly, fishing and lumbering also developed.

Tillamook County Creamery Association, "home of Tillamook cheese" was a highlight of our stay. I’ve been buying baby loaves (2 pounders) of Tillamook cheddar and pepper jack for years. The self-guiding tour was extremely informative and efficiently set up, though crowded even on a weekday. Not surprising, since many of the million plus people who visit this cheese factory do so during the summer months.

Cape Meares, with its short, spunky light house, scenic viewpoints, and wildlife refuges, topped the cheese! The surrounding forest is old growth, and nearby grows the sacred Council Tree (Octopus Tree).

Small towns in the vicinity are not without their charms. Wheeler has a wonderfully restored old hotel that’s now bed & breakfast inn upstairs, shops beneath, and antique stores. Garibaldi’s port is quite active with commercial and sport fishing and excursion boats, a maritime museum, and defunct lumber mill smokestack looming tall over the town. Nehalem’s main street is abloom with hanging baskets and pots of flowers everywhere. Rockaway Beach has seven miles of fine white-sand beach and an excursion train.

Very photogenic rock formations jut dramatically out of the ocean on this stretch of coast, among them Twin Rocks at Rockaway Beach, the Three Graces between Barview and Garibaldi, and Three Arch Rocks south of Cape Meares. Alot a full day for Three Capes Scenic Route, encompassing Cape Meares, Cape Lookout, and Cape Kiwanda. Then drive back up to Tillamook inland, through bucolic Cloverdale, Hebo, and Beaver, along the Nestucca River. ${QuickSuggestions} The Oregon Coast Mile-by-Mile Guide, published yearly by Oregon Coast Magazine, is invaluable for the coastal visitor. It lays out county by county, town by town, and as its name states, mile by mile (of 363 total miles), what there is to see and do on Oregon’s coast. The Visitor Center next to the cheese factory is well-stocked and helpful.

Beyond cheese, Tillamook has other attractions. You can’t miss seeing the Tillamook Naval Air Museum if you enter northbound on Highway 101. It’s in an old blimp hangar of vastly impressive size. Tillamook Pioneer Museum downtown contains many historical records and documents, Clatsop-Nehalem woven baskets, and pioneer displays. Latimer Quilt and Textile Center, a combination museum/living arts and research center, is housed in a restored 1930’s schoolhouse.

Beach safety is essential on the Oregon Coast. A mean rip current, "sneaker" waves and lots of driftwood create hazards too; waves can make lethal projectiles out of logs. High steep cliffs and jetties are slippery when wet and unstable even dry. We rarely even dip our toes in the water. With summer water temperatures between 50-55 degrees, hypothermia can develop quickly.${BestWay} Getting there: Driving: Tillamook is on US Highway 101, titled Oregon’s Pacific Coast Scenic Byway and All American Road (one of the 20 most scenic of the scenic 96 byways). Take highways 26 and 6 west from Portland (71 woodsy miles through Tillamook State Forest and along the Wilson River). Flying: There is a small private airport. Portland International Airport has 16 major and budget airlines and full choice of car rental options. Tillamook has no Amtrak or Greyhound service.

Getting around while there: Your own vehicle is the easiest, but Tillamook County Transportation District has busses that drive town loops and port loops between 8AM to 5PM except Sundays, $1 fare. They provide service to some coastal Tillamook towns and Portland daily, and very limited service on Sundays.

From journal Tillamook to Nehalem, Oregon Coast