Day 30: Depoe Bay and the road to Cannon Beach

There are several legends surrounding the naming of Depoe Bay, Oregon but the one most  commonly accepted (at least according to information obtained in the Whale Watching Centre) seems to be that it was  named after William Charles DePoe, a Joshua Indian, who worked at a US army supply depot in the 1850’s. He became known as Depot Charlie. The final spelling of Depoe Bay may have been a misinterpretation (Depot/Depoe) or even a correction to simplify print materials (DePoe to Depoe).

Regardless of how it officially came into being, Depoe Bay boasts the smallest harbour in the world. This was evidenced as we watched two coast guard boats navigate and negotiate the narrow harbour opening over extremely rough, bounding surf. I was getting seasick just watching. It also has the second roughest coastline surf in the US, next to the Columbia River bar.

Depoe Bay is also a famous centre for whale watching. From the Whale Watching Centre, beyond the large rocky surf, we saw the water spouts of a grey whale. A chart outside shows the average monthly sightings of whales from the centre. But, it has been a better than average year for sightings. The average for October is 58, but there had already been 101 so far this month. I guess the one we saw will make it 102.

As if wine tasting and olive tasting weren’t enough, as we made our way north along Highway 101, there it was, Tillamook, OR and the Tillamook Cheese Factory. Their cheese tasting room included curd, otherwise known as “squeaky cheese”, mild, medium, aged and super-aged, and two flavoured cheeses, pepperjack and black pepper and garlic. I’ve always understood that American cheddar isn’t as good as Canadian cheddar, which of course could be a Canadian’s opinion. But, I found it interesting that T.S. Townsend, who established the first Tillamook cheese making plant in 1894, hired Peter McIntosh, a Canadian cheese maker specializing in the cheddaring process. Tillamook cheese makers were so impressed with McIntosh’s skills and the recipe he brought with him from Canada that they still use his recipe today. And, oh yes, Tillamook makes only cheddar. Their facility includes the tasting room, of course, a store full of all their cheeses, an ice cream counter (two huge coops for $3.00), a café that offers sandwiches, burgers, chips, a fudge bar, and two gift shops. But, the most fascinating offering was the glassed in observation deck where one can view the processing plant: the holding vats on one side and the assembly line of cutting, weighing and packaging on the other. After we enjoyed our chocolate peanut butter, caramel praline, and black cherry ice cream, we left with four different cheeses and a daydream of a facility that would offer wine tasting, olive tasting and cheese tasting all under one roof. Sounds like heaven to me.

We knew we were near Cannon Beach when the “haystacks” came into view. These conical rock sentries of varying sizes are iconic on the Oregon Coast. They stand majestic and proud in the filtered sunlight and eerie and menacing in the mist.

Cannon Beach is a wood clad coastal town of heritage buildings consisting of boutiques, galleries, cafes and inns. Even on a sunny day such as today, it is delicately laced in marine mist. This only serves to nurture the beautiful gardens that abound throughout town. We found many of the hotels and inns too pricey for our budget. However, on leaving town, we came across one last inn – one of the wood clad buildings – and took a chance. The host was very friendly and the surroundings pleasant and quaint. He directed us to a small but charming ground floor room that opened onto a garden with a koi pond and small waterfall. While we having our supper at a private table outside our room, the host popped his head out of a nearby door and asked if we wanted wine glasses for our bottle of wine. I told him we were already drinking out of the coffee mugs from the room. He disgustedly shook his head and brought us two just-polished wine glasses. He declined our invitation to join us but we sat back and basked in the glow of his hospitality and the very tranquil setting. And, we were still on budget.

Until tomorrow. . . .