DAY 3 - Northwest Coast Tour

 It was a crisp, sunny day as we left Portland headed down the coast to Newport, OR.   We made several stops along the way, with the first at Cannon Beach.  It was so exhilarating as I had time to walk the beach and I loved wading in the Pacific Ocean, but it was bone-chilling cold!   http://www.cannon-beach.net/cbhaystack.html

From there we went to the Tillamook Cheese Factory for a brief tour and cheese tasting.  This is one of the top 10 tourist attractions in Oregon, so during the summer months it gets between three to five thousands visitors a day!   That was shocking to me as it's not that large.  I tried some of their world famous ice-cream which was great.   http://www.tillamook.com/

Later in the day we stopped at the Depoe Bay and Whale Watching Museum and Center.   I was disappointed that we didn't see any whales even though there had been 8 sightings that morning.  But then a little further down the coast we took the old highway 101, on the Otter Crest Loop and saw several whales. http://visittheoregoncoast.com/cities/depoe-bay/

Our last stop before arriving at the Elizabeth Inn was the Yaquina Light House.  I found the exhibits in the Interpretive Museum there quite informative and enjoyed learning about the struggle to build it in that remote area. http://www.yaquinalights.org/

The picturesque Elizabeth Inn is located right on the Ocean with breathtaking views from most rooms.   We have a spacious, ocean view room with a fireplace.  With free salmon chowder at 5 pm every afternoon and fresh baked cookies every evening at 8 pm, I can overlook the fact that they have only one elevator.   That's the only negative  - you could wait several minutes for the elevator!  http://www.elizabethstreetinn.com/