I actually think this is a pretty good photo:
My original plan had been to stop briefly at Tillamook Cheese Factory, get some free samples of cheese, and get back on the road. These plans were changed when I arrived and found throngs of people. I was pretty excited to hear that Clinton was going to speak. So I went on the tour, such as it was, impersonated Homer Simpson by gorging on free cheese and holding up the line, and then did buy some ice cream while waiting for his arrival. I did not stay for the entire talk because I did not want to deal with the traffic mess when I got out, but I listened to the first half of his speech, in which he revealed his great knowledge of local concerns--not so convincing--and discussed Hillary's policies, which I have to say I agreed with--health care, taxes, etc. It was interesting listening to people in the audience discussing her; they all said the same thing--like her politics generally but do not like her personality. Yeah, well we know what happens when you pick your president based on who would make a good drinking buddy. Honestly I'm not a huge Hillary fan, but she knows what she is talking about policy wise. I think she would make a good president. And I worry that Obama's inexperience is going to get us in trouble if he wins, though I will definitely vote for him. So yeah, this political rally was a nice bonus to the trip. Clinton did seem tired though. Hope he got to eat some cheese and or ice cream...Also, I did not understand the security at this event. They had a security check until Clinton got there, then I was able to enter the area where he was speaking with no security check. Now, I am not a security threat--really--but if I had been, it would have been super easy to sneak in there. I just didn't understand why they seemed to be doing such a great job then just let us go wherever we wanted. Oh well, I'm sure they were keeping an eye on me.
I'm staying in a bed and breakfast in Astoria for the next three nights. I like Astoria; it does not have the touristy feel that Newport, Cannon Beach, and Seaside had. There are some local museums to check out and some Lewis and Clark stuff to be seen. These next two days should still be relaxing; I begin the drive back on Thursday, though I'm planning on a day or two at Mesa Verde National Park. Besides Clinton and Tillamook, I visited Cape Meares which had another lighthouse, and a bunch of scenic viewpoints.
Slideshow of today's pics:
So yeah, over the weekend I saw seals, tidepools, and lighthouses. It was really awesome. Here are a couple of cool tidepool shots. It was very rocky and slippery, but I managed not to trip and make a fool of myself:
Yaquina Head Lighthouse:
Seals:
Seals hanging out in downtown Newport (I recommend eating at Local Ocean Seafoods)
Some good graffiti:
Sunset on beach. The waves were really wild, but the pictures do not quite capture it, at least in this size. On my computer they are better.
1 comment:
mmmmm....free cheese.....
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