Kristine B.'s Profile

I was pleasantly surprised by what a nice presentation the Vancouver Land Bridge had.  I was skeptical, it seemed like it would be just a basic overpass and a bit of a waste of money.  However, we parked at the overflow at Who Song and Larry's and walked under the railroad bridge to get to the entrance of the project.

We were greeted by a neato arch with oars and nice wood and stone.  Then we started up the path and found really interesting pavement, nice on our feet for walking.  I had to read each sign and information piece along the way, and it would be fun to come back when some of the native plants were actually showing.  There were seats and edges on the way up for if you need a rest along the way.  And then when we got to the top of the overpass, there were really cute seats with metal carvings and a lot of indian words.

After getting to the top, there is still a bit to see - walk further and it's close to the Evergreen airport and planes actually land very close to where you stand!

We'll definitely go back.

You can't go near Tillamook without visiting the Cheese Factory!  

I've always enjoyed seeing conveyer belts and how things are made/processed, so the self-guided tour has always been a favorite - we always try to figure out what cheese they are working on at the time.  This last trip, all 3 conveyer belts in the main window were working at once.  Even if you've been here before, going on the self-guided tour is a fun way to start out your visit.

Next, go down the stairs and stand in line for cheese samples.  Even if you have to wait, there are cool pictures in the hallway and a bunch of historical info about things like Tillamook's start, and the TIllamook Burn, and pretty shadow boxes about the cheese factory's start.  The cheese samples always include squeaky cheese (cheese curds - don't knock it until you've tried it) as well as other varieties.

Then you might feel like buying cheese or other Tillamook products.  It's so much fun to see what you might NOT have in your grocery store!  The specialty section of local and Northwest food-makers on the right side is also worth looking through carefully, with everything from jams and syrups to soups and dips and even pre-packaged fudge.  These things make great gifts for further away friends and family.

On your way out, there's a food area.  If you don't have time for lunch, you should make time for a scoop of their famous ice cream.  It's exciting to try flavors you can't normally get in the store.

There's another gifts shop on the other side of the entry way, but it's a little more ordinary.  We don't stop there every time.

All-in-all, a great way to spend a few hours of your trip to the beach, you won't be disappointed!

We visited this yarn shop on our vacation, and had the pleasure of meeting the owner and operator.  She not only sells a wide variety of yarn, she also dyes her own handpainted yarn.  She was helpful and attentive but let us shop and feel the yarn as much as we wanted.  

I purchased one of her special handdyes (Merino, Superwash), and she offered to wind it into a ball - this was a fun experience to get to watch her run the swift/ball winder as I hadn't seen it before!

I'm excited to knit up my "souvenir" yarn, and I'd enjoy coming in here on a future trip, as well as shopping on the website.

When we were little, we always pointed out Lil Sambo's on our trips to the beach and stopped on occasion.  I remember it having a nice waiting area.  

I returned as an adult and things didn't look the same.  I found that the building burned and was rebuilt in 2001!

We enjoy the breakfast here.  It's a nice place for traditional pancakes, eggs, omelets, and of course, French toast.  

They get awful busy, and sometimes the orders aren't completely as requested, but they are quick at fixing mistakes, and it really is a landmark place to visit even still!

This is my favorite place to get Salt Water Taffy.  They have a wide selection of flavors that keeps the old favorites and adds a few new here and there throughout the years.  Even though there are other shops on the Depot Bay strip, this one has always been the most friendly and given us the nicest quality of taffy.  Highly recommended!

This is always a fun place to come when visiting the beach.  We've picked up sweatshirts/jackets on several trips when we've left ours at home mid-august when it's hot at home but not at the beach!

I particularly enjoy the cooking stores, the book store, and the selection of clothing stores has grown since we first came.  It's nice to come first thing when they open - it's less crowded mid-week as well.

A great destination for Thai food in Lincoln City.  We went for a late lunch/early dinner, and had great service and good food.

I enjoyed one of the dishes with peanut sauce, and they had no problem adjusting it so I could have the sauce on the side.  The vegetables were cooked nicely and the sauce was delicious.  My husband enjoyed one of the many vegetarian options.  The spring rolls which came with the meal were very nicely done, too.

We also tried the Thai Iced Tea (mine with bubbles), which was very nice.

We definitely will return here again.

This has become our favorite treat at the beach.  Superb italian food, with a nice setting and very friendly staff.  

We planned on this location for another anniversary trip, and were very pleased with our choice.  I had the Chicken Fettucini Alfredo, and it was perfect.  The smell of the garlic bread greats you as you arrive, and it tastes just as good as it smells.  My husband had the Manicotti and it had a delicious filling.  The presentation of the dishes is very nice as well.

We enjoyed Italian sodas with our meal, and they were nice sized and good either with or without the cream.  There's a nice dessert menu, but we've always been too full to enjoy it!

We've been here twice now, and although the food was ok the first time, our second trip was less than wonderful.  The food wasn't outstanding.  I asked for a substitution from Pork Fried Rice to Chicken Fried Rice on one of the combos and was told that would be an additional $2, which seems quite excessive to me.  The steamed vegetables that were touted to be on the lighter side were still swimming in a sauce.  The waitstaff weren't particularly friendly, either.

We had high hopes on our second trip that it would be a good Chinese destination for our vacation, but it certainly is not somewhere we will look forward to again after this experience.

Wonderful place.  We took a chance after staying in the same place each trip, and we are so glad we did.  This was absolutely a relaxing destination.  The rooms were beautifully put together, and we had a view of not only the ocean, but the lake on the other side, too.  We stayed in a parlor suite which made for a great  way to eat breakfast and lunch in the room and eat nicer at dinner.  

The staff here was very friendly and welcoming.  We used the parlor for a game of scrabble - they had several other boards down there, a library of dvds to rent, and books as well.  Although the wine hour wasn't a specific draw for us, I did enjoy some with our game.

Take advantage of the wonderful continental breakfast if you go, and the turn down service is also a very pampering option, even if you've slept in the bed mid-afternoon for a vacation-nap!

Don't worry about this not being directly on the beach, you are still so close, and there's a path right down the D River to get there easily.  But stay as high as you can in the hotel to get the best views!

I hope we get a chance to come back here again :)  It's worth every penny!