Overview:

Whether you’re looking for fantastic objet d’art or a new handle for your shovel, you’ll find it AND everything else you didn’t know you were looking for in this section of the North Coast. Books, furniture, Art Deco lamps, vintage jewelry, tools, fishing equipment, kitchen ware, and a lot more await the savvy searcher on this jaunt through the world’s largest garage sale.

Breakfast:

Let’s start off with a hearty breakfast at the Cow Belle Café, just 5 miles North on Hwy 101 in the center of Rockaway Beach on your right. They have this country-fried steak and gravy bowl that is not to be missed!

Having fed that need, let’s start our hunt! Room By Room is about ¼ mile South of the Cow Belle. They’ve recently switched over to all vintage jewelry of every sort imaginable.

The Little White House Antiques is just a block South of the Cow Belle. Lots of period antiques and furniture.

Next we come to Trash & Treasures, right next to the Cow Belle. It’s exactly what the name implies. You make the decisions which is which.

A block North of that is the Frugal Crow. Lots of old stuff that is actually useful adorns the shelves of this little shop.

Then make a right on Nehalem and go 3 blocks where you’ll find Wheeler Station Antiques, kind of an antique mall with very reasonable prices.

Lunch:

Go back to Hwy 101 and head about a mile North to Karla’s Smoke House to grab some snacks. Her smoked tuna and black cod is the best smoked fish you’ll ever eat.  Keep going North for another 8 miles and you’ll be in Wheeler, home of two of the most varied antique houses on the North Coast.

To call the other Wheeler Station Antiques an antique mall is a vast understatement. Each cubicle you walk into has something different from a different era. You will spend a LOT of time in this one.

Then right across the street is Old Wheeler Antiques, a former gas station that is home to the best collection of Art Deco lamps & decorations you’ll ever see. Truly amazing!

By this time you’ll be ready to head for home. Come back South on Hwy 101 to Garibaldi and explore both of our treasure marts, Antiques By the Bay and Hidden Treasures, both on the left side of the street about 2 blocks apart.

Hidden Treasures has an eclectic collection of everything from slightly used paperback books to real antique furniture, all at very reasonable prices. AND the 2 cutest dogs you’ve ever seen!

Dinner:

About time for some sustenance before you head for the barn. Right in the middle of Garibaldi you’ll find the Garibaldi Pub & Eatery. Really good chowder, the best burgers around, and some of the nicest people you’ll ever meet.

Time to head back to the Harborview and fortunately, you’re only about 3 blocks away!

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Overview:

What could be better than a day chasing the flora & fauna that abounds in the pools left behind by the tide? Starfish, crab, hermit crabs, snails, sea anemone, and much more await the stealthy stalker, as well as a short tour of our section of the Coast and some darn fine eats along the way!

Breakfast:

Let’s start off with breakfast at Irish’s Mooring Café, right across the street from the Harborview. Whether it’s fresh pastries & coffee or a delicious home-made corned beef hash, they are a great way to begin your day.

A few words of warning:

1. Remember the tide will come back in and you can get stranded quickly.
2. Waves are unpredictable! Please, use caution when turning your back to the ocean.
3. Wet algae-covered rocks are extremely slippery. Watch your step!
4. Regulations for collecting marine animals may change from time to time. Consult the Oregon Dept. of Fish and Wildlife Sport Fishing Regulations for the most current information.
5. Be kind: Although the animals may seem to be very rugged, many are sensitive to disturbance so if you pick anything up, please put it back how you found it.

Now, we’ll run North on Hwy 101 less than 2 miles to Barview. Turn left at the Barview Jetty Store and go straight over the railroad tracks for about 150 yards to a small parking area. Just inside the jetty is a large area of tide pools that are easy to get to and teeming with life.

Next, we’ll go back to Hwy 101 and head North some more.  About half an hour up the Coast you’ll come to Oswald West State Park. It’s a short hike of under a mile in to the beautiful secluded beach. These tidepools are known for the abundance of colorful starfish.

Lunch:

Having worked up an appetite by now, go just 10 miles North on 101 to Cannon Beach for a fabulous lunch at the Lazy Susan Café. Turn off 101 on Sunset Blvd., turn right onto Hemlock and it’s downtown across from the Coaster Theater. Bring cash because that’s all they accept. Try the gingerbread waffles, great anytime of the day.

After lunch, we’re heading North again just under a mile to Ecola State Park. For a $5 daily use fee, you’ll gain access to Indian Beach, some of the best tide pools on the Oregon Coast. You can also hike the Clatsop Loop Trail, walking in the footsteps of Capt. William Clark.

Dinner:

After enjoying a leisurely drive back South on Hwy 101, you’ll stop in at the Tsunami Bar & Grill in Wheeler located right down on the water’s edge. Great service, cool views of Nehalem Bay. Where else are you going to see chicken wings and Korean short ribs on the same menu?

By this time, you’re just 18 minutes from home. Head on back to the Harborview for a good night’s rest before taking on another adventure the next day.

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Breakfast:

Right across the street from the Harborview is one of the best breakfast spots on the Coast. Irish’s Mooring Café is a local friendly gathering spot that has home-made corned beef hash that is the best you’ll find. And they can also pack you up a lunch to take with you that will keep you going all day!

Then we’ll go on an adventure with the fun folks at Kayak Tillamook, a co-op owned and operated by it’s employees. The range of trips is as endless as the bodies of water around Tillamook Bay. Flatwater, whitewater, tours, treasure hunts, you name it, they do it.

You’ll want to call them ahead of time at 503-866-4808  or book a trip online at kayaktillamook.com.

The type of trip and when your tour leaves will determine when you want to head over to the starting point.

Regardless of when or where your kayaking trip is, you’ll probably have some time to sightsee either before or after your trip.

Our Top 10 things to see and do around Garibaldi lists 3 of the best museums on the Coast to go see, whatever your interests!

Right here in Garibaldi you’ll find the Garibaldi Maritime Museum. The museum is chartered to preserve the maritime heritage of the Pacific Northwest by collecting information concerning Captain Robert Gray and Captain Robert Gray’s historical vessels, the Lady Washington and the Columbia Rediviva.

Among the museum displays are models of the Columbia and Lady Washington, an eight foot tall reproduction of the Columbia’s figurehead, a half model of the Columbia showing how the ship was provisioned for the long voyage, as well as reproductions of the clothing of the seafarers and musical instruments.

And just 10 miles south in downtown Tillamook, is the Tillamook Pioneer Museum. The history of Tillamook County serves as a reminder of the diverse people who have called it home. From the Tillamook Indians to Captain Gray’s 1788 voyage into Tillamook Bay, this stretch of the north Oregon coast is a living memorial to those who came before. Tillamook County’s rich history is preserved for all to enjoy at the Tillamook County Pioneer Museum.

They offer audio tours, guest speakers, and rotating art installations so there’s always something new to explore.

And last, but not least, by any means, comes the Tillamook Air Museum just south of Tillamook on Hwy 101. As if the Museum building weren’t enough (the collection is inside a WW II blimp hangar, the world’s largest wooden structure) the air machines displayed are even more amazing!

Among the airplanes you’ll see are a P-38 Lightning, a P-51 Mustang fighter, an F-14 Tomcat, an F-4 Corsair, and a Bf-109 Messerschmitt. Many of these planes are in flying condition and on weekends, you may see them flying around overhead or even get a ride on of them!

 NEWS FLASH!!

We just found out that the Air Museum is moving to Madras! They’ll probably begin moving planes in the Spring of NEXT YEAR! If you want to see these planes, go see them NOW!

Dinner:

After your full day of boating and museums, you’ll want to enjoy a delicious dinner before crawling back into your comfortable bed at the Harborview. And right in downtown Garibaldi is a great place to stop off on your way home to our place.

The Ghost Hole Public House is about 4 blocks from the Harborview and is a fun, friendly spot where a lot of the locals go to while away the evening hours. Named after one of our most prolific fishing holes, The Ghost Hole has the best selection of local microbrews as well as the only place in town to get really good pizza.

And the BEST thing about The Ghost Hole is that it’s walking distance from the Harborview! Get some sleep because we’re off tomorrow on another fabulous adventure.

Overview:

“Hiking is an outdoor activity which consists of walking in natural environments, often in mountainous or other scenic terrain.” That being said, prepare yourselves for some SERIOUSLY natural environments and some of the most breathtaking scenery you’ll ever see, not to mention some really good food!

Breakfast: 

1)  Wanda’s Café is a little family-owned and –operated place just up the road in Nehalem. Fantastic coffee, the best huevos rancheros on the Coast and some dangerously good pepper bacon will get you started the right way. Open at 8 AM, closed on Wednesdays.

2) Then we’re off to Neahkanie Mountain Trailhead. Head North on Hwy 101 about 3 miles and between milepost 41 & 42 you’ll see a brown hiker-symbol sign on the right. Turn off there and go about a half mile to the trailhead.  It’s a moderate but steep 3-mile climb to the summit, gaining 900 feet of elevation.  Neahkanie is Native American for “place of supreme deity” and you will be a believer when you get to the top.

Lunch:

3) When you’re done with Neahkanie, you’ll need to recharge and one of the best spots in the area is a little place in Manzanita called Bread & Ocean. It bills itself as a Mediterranean bakery, but it’s so much more. Sunday’s special sandwich is roast beef, smoked blue cheese butter, roasted onions on potato-rosemary-leek bread. Need I say more? Yes, I do: try the cinnamon cardamom roll!

1) Next, we’re off to Bayocean Spit, a nice little jaunt on a peninsula that keeps most of Tillamook Bay from the ocean. Head South on 101 into downtown Tillamook. Follow the signs to Cape Meares by turning right on 3^rd street. 1.7 miles out, turn right on Bayocean Rd. which runs right along the South edge of the Bay. After about 4 miles you’ll see a turnoff on the right which takes you out the dike road to a parking area about 1/3^rd of the way out on the Spit.

Head due West from the parking area and you’ll hit the beach. From there go straight North up the beach all the way to the South Jetty of the Garibaldi Bar. You can either return up the beach or take a little gravel track back through the forest to the parking area. It’s about 7.6 miles round-trip and it’s a pretty easy walk.

Dinner:

2) Head back into Tillamook after your hike, cross Hwy 101 on 3^rd St. and turn left on Pacific. Just 2 blocks up, go straight through the light into the parking lot of the Pacific, one of a few really good restaurants in Tillamook. I suggest starting off with the Rockfish Taco and moving on to the Seafood Linguine with lemon cream sauce. These chefs are really good with seafood!

After dinner, roll on back North on 101 and maybe stop off at the Ghost Hole Public House in downtown Garibaldi, one of the best selections of local microbrews around.

You’ve all heard people describe whale watching as something “majestic” and “awe-inspiring”. Well, I’ve been on whale watching trips a number of times and I like to describe it as seeing a really huge animal, often bigger than the boat you’re in,  up close and personal. In other words, AWESOME!

At full size the gray whale is about 35 to 50 feet in length and weighs 20-40 tons. It needs 65 tons of food annually to be healthy and migrate. Considering that their diet consists mainly of creatures smaller than your little finger, that’s a LOT of food!

The California gray whale, or simply, gray whale, makes a 12,000 mile roundtrip migration every year. The gray whale migrates between its summer feeding grounds in the North Pacific and Bering Sea and its winter breeding grounds in the lagoons of Baja California.

On their southbound route they are usually farther out to sea and more difficult to spot. When they head back North, they stick closer to shore.  The waters of the Baja Peninsula are the whales’ breeding and calving grounds, so when they head North, they stick closer to shore to help protect the new calves.

These mighty marine mammals filter tiny organisms from the sea through comb-like plates in their mouths called baleen.   Gray whales suck mud from the bottom of the ocean in areas of nutrient-rich cold water and filter out small crustaceans called amphipods.

There are several spots along the North Coast of Oregon from which to view the whales on either their Southbound journey in November & December or during their Northbound trip, complete with new baby whales, from mid-March through mid-June.

But if you REALLY want to get a sense of what whales are like, you have to go out in a boat and meet

D & D

them up close. Harborview Inn is putting the finishing touches on a whale watching package that is not to be missed! You can get further information by clicking HERE.

The opportunity to see one of the biggest creatures on the face of the Earth in its’ natural habitat is something you will remember for the rest of your life. It’s too cool to pass up!

Last time we talked about the cockle, the lazy man’s bay clam. Next we’ll discuss the other types of bay clams, the ones for which you have to dig. As promised, at the end of this article is the method for cleaning cockles along with my favorite recipe for them.

GAPERS

Gaper clams produce the largest clam show. Often, their necks are visible within the show, as in this picture. The best way to learn how to dig gapers is to watch someone else do it. Click HERE to watch one of the best!

Littlenecks are simply smaller gapers and are found and harvested using the same method as for gapers.

BUTTERS AND BAYS

Butter and bay clam shows are usually described as long and narrow,

as if a  flat head screwdriver were stuck in the bay bottom.

As you saw in the video above, you want to dig AROUND the show,

not straight down on top of it. While a clam with a broken shell is still

good, it can be VERY sharp and dangerous.

Dig carefully: Think about your technique for digging clams. Many species are easily broken, causing a dangerous situation for your fingers and additional cleaning work. Many diggers prefer to dig close to the depth of the clam and then do the remaining work carefully with their hands.

As promised in the last installment, I’ll go over readying your cockles for eating and share with you my favorite recipe for Clinocardium nuttallii, or “heart cockle”, named for the sort of vague heart shape of the cockle.

First off, let’s clean the cockles. This is a lot simpler & easier than you might think, as long as you’re patient. Simply put your cockles in a big bucket of SALT water. Some people say bay water, some say FRESH water, but if I’m wanting my cockle to clean ITSELF out, why not start with fresh, salty water?

Leave the cockles alone for about 12 hours. Then dump them out, rinse them and the bucket thoroughly, then put them back in the bucket with some more fresh water. Leave them alone again and in about another 12 hours, they will have flushed out all the sand they carry. Voila, clean cockles!

For the next step, you’ll need to whisk together a little milk and an egg.  You’ll also need some cracker meal, which you can usually find near the corn meal in your local grocery. Put about ¼ inch of oil (I prefer refined canola oil) in a frying pan and heat it up to just below the smoke point (around 325 degrees).

Grab a rag or towel and get a firm grasp on your cockle. I find that a straight-blade screwdriver works pretty well for popping them open. So, pop open your cockle. Remove the top shell with a quick twist. Dredge the bottom shell with the cockle in it in the milk/egg mixture and press it down in the cracker meal. CAREFULLY place this in the oil, shell side up. In about 10 minutes, you’ll have a perfectly steamed cockle with a crisp layer of cracker meal on top. I like a few dashes of hot sauce on mine.

If you find you’re having trouble getting the cockles open, try this little trick. Put the cockles in a pan and dump boiling water over the cockles. Let them sit for about 30 seconds, then dump the hot water out. Then cover the clams with cold water. They’re not cooked, but it will make them easier to open.

©Harborview Inn & RV Park

Regardless of the weather, clamming in Tillamook Bay is a fun activity for the whole family. It can be done year-round. It just requires a little planning and the right equipment, clothing, and a little knowledge.

First, there are 5 different varieties of Bay clams. Every once in a while, a razor clam gets lost in the Bay, but they’re primarily ocean clams.

Here’s a picture of the

different varieties.

The method for collecting all but the cockles is very much the same. I’ll go over those others in my next article. This one will focus on cockles, the simplest, easiest Bay clam to collect.

A license that covers clamming and crabbing can be obtained right here in the Harborview office for just $7/year for OR residents and just $11.50 for a 3 day non-resident license.

Cockles never get more than about 4 inches deep, making them the easiest clam to harvest. You can rent a clam rake (sort of an overgrown garden fork) for $5/day in our office, too.

The Bay bottom right off the Harborview property is full of cockles. The Bay bottom is also full of ghost shrimp, which leave holes in the sand that look remarkably like those that cockles leave. These marks are called “shows” and it’s not necessary to know what a cockle show looks like, since you can’t pick it out of the thousands of ghost shrimp shows.

The solution: just keep raking. You want to try to stay away from the areas of sea grass since they’re what make this whole ecosystem work. Try raking around rocks or other imbedded objects. Directly under the 12th St. Pier is another prime spot.  You’ll feel the cockle on the end of your rake, like a rock stuck in the sand. You just rake them out and pop them in the bucket.

Cockles tend to clump together in groups, so if you find one, you’ll probably find others in close proximity.

Let’s talk clothing. As with most coastal adventures, the key is layers. Slogging around in the Bay bottom can at times be strenuous, so you want to be able remove a layer or two to get comfortable.  Rubber boots are the most sensible footwear.

Now you know everything I know about cockling (not sure that’s what you call it, but IT SOUNDS FUN).

©Harborview Inn & RV Park

NEXT INSTALLMENT: CLEANING & COOKING COCKLES