September 8 - Tuesday - Nature called at 5 am but what a treat. The moon was so bright and full that we didn't even need to use our headlamps to find our way. It was beautiful but not so much that we didn't sleep for another couple of hours. It was a sunny morning as we breakfasted and visited with some of our fellow travelers before pedaling into the day.
Only 15 minutes into the ride and Doug got a flat tire and went through 2 tubes getting it fixed. That gave Donna plenty of time to take pictures of the village of Nehalem shown below.
Those are some really happy hanging baskets.
The morning was so very pleasant...rolling to flat road with no wind or a slight tailwind and not much traffic.
We pulled into Rockaway Beach in time for Breakfast #2 but just had to check this place out first. A local told us that it is the most photographed building on the Oregon Coast.........and who were we to go against a trend!
We ate at the Cow Belle Cafe, which was almost as whimsical on the inside as the Birdhouse store was on the outside. We could definitely tell that we were approaching Tillamook. Behind the counter were these words of wisdom.. "This is cow country. Watch where you step."
These bikes belong to a couple of other bikers that we were chatting with at this viewpoint. Everyone was taking advantage of the pleasant day to mosey along and we visited with other bikers at almost every stop.
You just never know where you are going to find a toilet........though this one isn't very useful for people on bicycles.
A very nice couple in a car asked if we wanted a picture of both of us so we took them up on their kind and thoughtful offer. We usually don't get many pictures that include both of us as often there isn't anyone else around.
The famous Tillamook Cheese factory. It is Tillamook Cheese's 100th anniversary this year and the place was packed even though it was mid-week. We tasted all the samples (8 total) and wanted seconds and thirds of the sharp white cheddar with garlic..........yummy!!!!
And here comes the cheese...colby jack by the looks of it.
And here it is getting sliced and shrink wrapped. Next we went back downstairs to the ice cream shop where they had every single flavor they make. What a tough choice we had to make to fill our double waffle cone lunch.
We stopped here to replace the ruined inner tube but they were fresh out of the size we needed due to the heavy bike traffic of the last few weeks.
Just a few of the contented Tillamook cows that contribute to all that cheese and ice cream.
This is the historic Tillamook World War II Balloon hanger. It is 192 feet tall and 1075 feet long so we could see it for miles. We decided that it is close enough to home that we would come back another time (more wet) to visit the museum. It was such a fine day to be riding.
This delightful young lady is Bailey. She had just finished her first day of kindergarten where she had studied the letter "A". We learned a lot about her (and her family) during our snack time at the Sand Lake store. Her aunt was tending to the store and Bailey and seemed grateful that someone was willing to listen to Bailey's quite energetic conversation.
Just in case you were wondering where to go. Since our destination for the day was Pacific City this was a welcome sign. We did not do the whole Three Capes Scenic Route but had joined it at Sand Lake and are at the top of Cape Kiwanda, which was plenty of hill this late in the day.
We stayed at Cape Kiwanda RV Resort which turned out to be a dream place for a cyclist.....free, hot showers, quiet tent area away from the road, indoor swimming pool with hot tub, first rate laundry room, free WiFi, and a well stocked camp store. Plus it was across the street from the beach and the Pelican Pub where we watched the surfers while we waited for our dinner (Donna recommends the mahi mahi tacos). 
53.1 miles today for a total of 142.6 miles
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