Day 6, Oysters and Ice Cream

Propane is used for heating and cooking. It also heats the hot water and runs the refrigerator. On our big trip, we somehow managed to refill the tank well before we were in danger of running out. Lately, we haven't quite kept track of when we'd filled it last. That, and the fact that we've had some pretty chilly nights, caused us to run out of gas for the first time. Luckily, we have an electric space heater and we were staying at a campsite with water and electricity. Still, having propane makes hot water for coffee possible. So Denis made a trip to the local Ace early.

Today was a moving day. We had another nice walk on the Beachside beach before heading up the road. 

Dumping the tanks is another task required when RVing. The campground we were staying at didn't have a sanitation station but one of the state parks up the road does, so we headed there. But, so did many other RVs about the same time. Instead, we decided to try out the free dump at the Chamber of Commerce in Newport. We pulled up with no waiting and were back on the road in no time. For our RV friends, sanidumps.com is a good URL to put in your bookmarks.

Along the road, we noticed whole hillsides that were clear-cut. Others were filled with stumps and young trees. Some had signs stating the year the trees were replanted. Clearcutting is the dominant method of logging in Oregon. This practice is used on privately held land and also in state forests. This is a hotly debated practice. I remember a lot of press around this issue a few years ago. I don't know what the right answer is but I will say that I felt a little sad looking at the de-treed hillsides.

Our next campground is at Cape Lookout, about 20 miles from Tillamook. It is on the coast, with a broad beach. The weather is chilly and damp, but walking along the beach is scenic and calming.

The Oregon coast has many oyster farms. One is only a few miles from the campground. We thought it would be fun to have fresh oysters for lunch. Nevor only sells oysters by the dozen, unopened. This meant that Denis needed to practice his oyster-shucking skills for us to have lunch. He did a great job. The oysters were good but definitely briny.

We drove into Tillamook. We haven't made an ice cream stop on this trip yet so we headed to the Tillamook Creamery. Even on a late, chilly Friday afternoon, there were lots of cars in the parking lot. There is a self-guided tour but we headed directly to the ice cream. I'm not sure the ice cream flavors or quality was any different than you might get when you buy the Tillamook ice cream in the grocery store, but it definitely hit the spot.