Nov. 15 – OR
Monday, November 21st, 2005Day 106 – Tillamook Cheese Factory! Man, was I ever excited to finally see where the cheese I grew up on in Washington was created; and get this ~ it is considered imported cheese in New York City. That just tells you how good it is 😉 Being a former cheese maker myself made it even more interesting. I worked at the WSU Creamery making Cougar Gold and other fabulous cheeses and ice cream, yum yum.
Advanced technology has changed the cheese making process into an interesting system that they call the Cheddarmaster. The Cheddarmaster is a series of conveyer belts that separate the whey and curd, and then seasons the curds. After that the mushy curds get pushed into a pressing tower where they form blocks of cheese that get vacuum-sealed and stored for aging. The old fashion way of making cheese is raking the cheese curds by hand, using a huge metal rake in a big tub, separating the whey and curd. Then we’d use oversized plastic shovels to mix the curds and seasoning, and press the cheese against the sides of the tub to form blocks that were then moved into a press and formed into long cylinders. Enough about cheese making, but what a great way to start off the trip again – or at least I think so; cheese and ice cream are my favorites!
We stayed our first night at Umpqua Lighthouse State Park south of Reedsport, Oregon. It was a really nice campground, quite manicured. This was our first night sleeping in our van and we discovered that Henry has a very comfy bottom bunk.
Oregon Coast
rolly polly lion
if I squish my face in the crack of the sofa enough I will ... 
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