As you can see, it’s been some time since our last post! We’ve been keeping ourselves so busy exploring and better learning the ropes of full-time RV life that computer time has fallen by the wayside. We’ve been making our way north up the Oregon Coast, and as of our last post we’d just left Pacific City. Since then, a lot as happened!

So instead of trying to fill a post with all the goings-on of the last few weeks, I’ll break it down into bite-sized pieces so you don’t feel like you should get school credit for all the reading you just had to do. In the next few days, I promise to get you all caught up on what we’ve been up to, and by the time I get to our current spot in Seaside, hopefully part of the tale will include us catching a bunch of crabs! (We’re still working on that part.)

All right, so after leaving Pacific City, we made our way north, stopping along the way to take advantage of the Scenic Viewpoints that we often just drive by in the interest of time.

I also took some time at one of the viewpoints to wash and dry the sand dollars I had picked up on the beach in Pacific City. I couldn’t get the camera to capture the view in the window, but use your imagination.

Neither of us had been to Netarts before, so we drove up to check out the bay we’ve heard so much about. It did not disappoint!

Apparently it’s also a good place to get oysters.

While we were there, we stopped to have a beer at the bar right on the bay while the sun set, and planed where we were going to stay for the night. I came across a web site called overnightrvparking.com that has been a real game-changer! It’s a site where users report areas that are legal to park and stay the night. You can look at a map of the area you’ll be around, and it lists the spot to park, directions and coordinates, and any amenities such as restrooms and potable water.

Most of the places are rest stops and view points, and the site operator verifies the legality of every report that comes in, so you can be sure that you’re well within the law to stay there. I can’t tell you how much we love this site! It’s $25 a year, but for us it’s well worth the cost. Since we primarily only stay in RV parks so that we can be hooked up while Andy works, it’s so nice to pace ourselves however we like and be ensured we have a spot to park and stay the night as we make our way slowly to a destination. That night we stayed at a rest area south of Tillamook with loads of grass for Scout to run around and a little river running by. It was safe and quiet, and best of all, free! Plus we can plan ahead where we’re going to stay ahead of time, instead of driving all around looking for a spot or paying for a camp site or something.

Pardon the long-winded report there, but we’ve so appreciated the site, we hope others living a similar lifestyle will be able to benefit from it as well. (I swear I’m not getting paid for this endorsement—but now that I think about it, I should be, considering how many people I’ve told about it! Did I mention we love it?)

Anyway, the next morning, my head popped off the pillow when I realized that we were headed to Tillamook, and you know what that means. . . the Cheese Factory! When you’re doing yoga and they tell you to clear your mind and meditate on pure happiness, mine is a toothpick loaded with “squeeky cheese” samples at the Tillamook Cheese Factory. But first, we went to the Tillamook Air Museum, which is super interesting and fun to check out! Also, huge.

Do you see that little twig at the bottom? That’s Andy.

It’s a blimp hanger they built right before WWII to house blimps that were used for spotting submarines and other coastal patrol. There used to be two, but one burned down in 1992. They’ve filled the hanger with lots of old planes and cars, but even just going to see the building itself is worth the trip.

They also have a “Mini Guppy” cargo plane you can go inside. I should have said it was a Star Trek set, because that’s what it feels like and maybe you would have believed me.

After leaving the museum, we happily arrived at the Cheese Factory, where I took no pictures because my hands were full of cheese samples! We left with an actual grocery bag full of cheese. (This is the part where I explain that I really, really love cheese, but I think you’ve probably inferred as much at this point, so I’ll just move past it.)

That evening we found another viewpoint on our new favorite website, and spent a windy night on a rocky cliff overlooking a stormy ocean, which is where I’ll leave you for now.

Stay tuned for Valentine’s Day in Manzanita!