Great expectations (and small disappointments)

One thing I forgot to mention in my last post: The weather was gorgeous and I wanted to keep the window of our room open.

But I couldn't.

The cows. 

They smell.

Maybe it was the direction of the breeze, but the odour was pungent and continuous.

We started our morning on Saturday by perusing some flea markets and shops in downtown Tillamook. It's a quiet, quaint little town without the kitschy tourist traps that often accompany beach venues. We worked up an appetite even though we kept our dollars in our pockets, so we found a little restaurant that served clam chowder and it was delicious.

The clam chowder.

Not the restaurant.

Usually, when we go on a weekend adventure, we like to do a good-sized hike in the forest. I sabotaged any such plans ahead of time by incurring a stress injury in my left foot. 

Running was suddenly not my friend and, rather than a visit to the doctor and possibly end up wearing an orthopedic boot, I opted for a pronounced limp in order to not bend my foot.

Yeah, that worked like a charm. Suddenly, my whole body hurt! But I was determined to make the best of it so I toted along my hiking poles and my cane, saved from the days of the broken leg.

With our plans tempered by my limitations, we chose some easy walks for our Saturday itinerary. The first one was to Oregon's largest Sitka Spruce. It can be accessed along the Three Capes Scenic Route, so off we set. 

The smell of cows was in the air.

Ahh!

The tree is located near the entrance to Cape Meares State Scenic Viewpoint. Hiking poles in hand, we set off along the soft trail.

The woods were in fine form.

I am a great fan of ferns, as you will see, especially in their embryonic stage.

No photograph can do this tree justice. It towers above the rest and those branches that you see about halfway up the tree are as big as trees themselves.

Also in this state park is Cape Meares lighthouse. At 38 feet in height, it is the state's shortest lighthouse.

I dunno....that's probably the flimsiest claim to fame I've heard in a long time! 

It is also a wildlife refuge and bird enthusiasts were everywhere. 

They were a little too fervent even for Jeff!

We followed the trail, which was luckily punctuated with many benches for resting sore bodies (namely, mine!) along the top of the cliffs.

And so we came to the Octopus Tree.

We took a little break after all this excitement and paid a visit to the Tillamook Cheese Factory. Not to do the tour, but to use our coupons for a free ice cream cone.

No visit to Oregon can be complete without paying homage to all things milk-related at the Cheese Factory.

Feeling somewhat refreshed, we soldiered onward to Munson Creek Falls. It lies a few miles south of Tillamook and the brochures promised an easy hike of half-a-mile to the base of the falls and a more strenuous hike to the top. I figured I still had half-a-mile in me, so off we set.

It was a nice stroll and I was feeling pretty perky, although Jeff laughed every time I stopped to take a photo.

This tantalizing glimpse of the waterfall did not prepare us for what was to come.

The trail was closed off and this was as far as we could go.

One of the hazards of hiking in the forests of Oregon in spring is the trees that fell in winter storms. Trails are often closed until later in summer when they can be cleared of debris.

I was seriously ticked. If they could go to the trouble of barricading the trail, you would think they could erect a sign announcing that fact at the beginning of the trail! 

Sheesh!

And did I try to get around the barricade?

You know I did!

It was the big old tree across the trail just beyond it that stopped me!

So back we traipsed.

It was a pleasant walk, but without fulfilling the expectation of the rushing waterfall.

If you want to see a photo of this 266-foot, spectacular waterfall, go here. 

We stopped at the Blue Heron French Cheese company (are we sensing a theme here?) to see if we could nab a bite to eat, as the afternoon was waning. Just our luck, it closed as we pulled in. So we wandered around, admiring the motley assortment of animals and vintage vehicles that adorn the property.

We never quite figured out the purpose of this one.

Here's a sight for sore eyes: a London double-decker in the outskirts of Tillamook.

Right about then, I was done. 

We picked up a Subway sandwich for Jeff for dinner and spent a relaxing evening in our room.

On Sunday, we stopped at the Tillamook Forest Centre on the way home.

But that is a story for tomorrow.

Expect more fern fotos.

What became of my foot? you ask.

Why, how kind of you to care!

I have babied it for a month now and it is healing. I've started running small distances, very gingerly, and it seems to be holding up. I have high hopes for my future.