I just got back from a 2 night trip to the coast and went to the Tillamook factory for the first time. It was insane seeing how big the bricks of cheese they produce and cut down are. Seeing just how much of a process it is, but mainly seeing how much of it is handled by machines, and how many people it takes to man the line. Not sure I’ve seen what a massive manufacturing plant like that looks like. Didn’t go to their meat area but saw a billboard that it’s home of the 2 foot meat stick. A bit down south in one of the towns I saw there’s a cafe called Double D’s. I think the two of them should collab. Weather was basically perfect. Went during the week so it was less crowded than it will be this weekend. Saw a lot of out of state license plates at the coast. Some I remember are: Lots of Idaho and Utah, and of course lots of Washington. Also saw Arkansas (Talked to them, they are on a road trip, came from Portland to the coast, first time they’ve been this far west. Have seen the ocean but not from the PNW.), British Colombia, Texas, Illinois, Minnesota, Alaska
Headed to Alsea tomorrow to take my mother down memory lane. Her and my dad were hippies living off the land when pregnant with me and went into Alsea to give birth… without a doctor even! Its beautiful coastal mountain lands and she has been begging to go reminisce. We may just loop the coast on highway one and then come out of lincoln city and back. Im looking forward to getting out of town.
Tillamook Country Smoker (meat stick home) is separate and distinct from Tillamook Cheese. Their product used to be sold at the cheese factory, but that all ended after the cheese people sued the meat people over use of Tillamook in their name in the early 2000's. Now, you need to go about 3 miles north of the cheese factory to the country Smoker outlet store (bright yellow signs, hard to miss) if you want that 2-foot meat stick.
Technically the beef jerky smoker is in Bay City, Oregon. The Kilchis River is the dividing line between Tillamook and Bay City
I think their jerky factory is separate than the cheese/dairy factory. It's up the street a bit headed towards Garibaldi and Rockaway.
Lobster valley. Love camping out there. Have a couple of sweet spots. Just got back. It was beautiful. Ill be back in a few weeks with some friends to camp for a few days. Might hunt the lobstas then.
We went to Pronto Pup in Rockaway which is cited as one of the originators of the corn dog. Completely forgettable experience. It was very crowded with tourists and the batter was not cooked all the way. Probably the worst corn dog I’ve had tbh.
Yeah supposedly the corn dog was created in Rockaway which is something I had never heard. My grandparents owned a beach house there 20 years and the whole time we never heard about corn dogs originating there until that place popped up
