Traveling with a van load of boys is no picnic, but at least bathroom breaks are easy! We also discovered, in addition to complimentary gas pumping, that Oregon also offers a plethora of coffee huts (imagine drive up stands dotting parking lots in every town). 
Does anyone love GOONIES as much as me? The town of Astoria looked familiar on approach and the name rang a bell.....I confirmed via Google that it was, in fact, the town where the movie was filmed. Aaaahhhhhh!!!!! We drove through the town and I managed not to throw myself out of the vehicle for love of the place.
We stopped at Cannon Beach just outside of town. Recognize this rock? It’s the beach from the end of the movie when the kids and parents are reunited.
John was more interested in the beach wildlife. Sand crabs were everywhere and John managed to catch one!
After a picnic and play on the beach it was back in the van for more winding roads and breathtaking views. It was a day filled with surprises—and the next was happening upon the creamery that makes our favorite cheese and ice cream! Tillamook offered a great factory tour complete with cheese sampling, store, and ice cream stand. The pressure of picking a flavor of ice cream was overwhelming, and I grew more nervous as we approached the front of the line. I settled on mocha almond fudge, which did not disappoint (first world problems, I know😬).
The factory tour started with a section on the dairy cows that provide milk for the Tillamook products. All the milk is produced in Tillamook County, Oregon.
They showed a new device (a cow Fitbit) used by farmers to track a cow’s daily activity. They also featured an automated scratching machine and padded barn stalls (Big eye roll from this Iowa girl!). “Cow comfort” became a running joke as we passed cow-filled pastures for the rest of the afternoon 😂.
We arrived in Newport, OR and our Best Western hotel on the beach. The pool was great fun and the beach filled with dunes. We were tired of the car, so opted for dinner at the hotel restaurant. The deck and view of the ocean were fabulous! Darin and the boys had a wrestling match on the beach after dinner. They arrived back at the room with sand in every nook and cranny. Even a shower didn’t do the trick and the morning revealed beds full of sand 😳.
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