Tent Camping on the Oregon Coast #9

CAPE MEARES & TILLAMOOK AIR MUSEUM

On Monday morning, the rain had let up to a mist, so we spread a cloth on the picnic table and had a feast. We had stopped at Fred Meyer in Tillamook the day before and had bought stuff we shouldn’t’ve. But after a week of instant oatmeal, it sure was yummy! Then we drove up to the point that separates the ocean from the entrance to Tillamook Bay and walked down the trail to the Cape Meares Lighthouse. The “Friends of the Lighthouse” had a gift shop inside, and I squashed pennies, bought a pin for my hiking stick, and paid $1.00 for a stamp in my book.

Back at the parking lot we found the trail to “The Octopus tree.” It felt eerie with the tree’s big limbs reaching out and the mist hovering all around.

Then we found the trail to the biggest sitka spruce in Oregon. Dale felt that he hadn’t ought to try the trail, so he stayed in the car, and I set out alone. It was a beautiful trail among the huge spruce trees. Many of the old huge trees were fallen and their root balls laid on the earth as big as cabins. Although I was alone on the path, I didn’t have an uneasy feeling like I had had back at Fort Clatsup. I felt quite protected, actually – like I was among friends. The big tree was easy to spot, at one time it must have towered mightily over the forest. Lightening had taken off the top 1/4 of the tree – but still, it was King of the forest. A sign nearby said that the tree was thought to be at least 800 years old, it towered to 144 feet, and its trunk was 15 feet in diameter. Granted there are much bigger trees in the Redwood Forest, but this tree was gentler, and I was alone with it in the quiet forest, and I had the opportunity to have a one on one conversation with it.

We spent the rest of the afternoon at the Tillamook Air Museum – something that Dale was eager to do. I couldn’t believe the hugeness of the hangar this museum was housed in! It was built during World War II to house the blimps that were used to guard the coast. The building held 8 blimps – each 252 feet long! Because all the steel, and aluminum was being used for war machinery and ships, the dome for this hangar was built with a zillion boards. Can you believe such a huge building that stored helium blimps would be made of wood? The hangar is 1,072 feet long, 192 feet high (15 stories) and 296 feet wide! I was studying the huge 120 foot, 30 ton doors when I noticed between the roof and the top of the door – 130 feet up – was a basketball hoop!
Dale was in heaven ogling all the wonderful old airplanes. I felt relieved that the only thing he bought was a hat! Me? I squashed pennies and got my book stamped.