I wrote about some hikes my friend Denise and I did on a short road trip to the Oregon Coast in December like the Sand Dunes, Cape Kiwanda and Drift Creek, but I haven’t shared too much about our road trip itself. One of the most memorable stops was Boondocking at the Blue Heron Cheese Company!
We didn’t have a plan other than to get as far as we could driving south down Highway 101 until we ran out of daylight. We left Seaside with sights on Tillamook, if only because it was the largest town before Newport. It was dark by the time we got to the home of cheese, and my friend Denise takes out her phone and pulls up the app Boondocking. Haven’t heard of it? Yeah, me neither. If you click through to the Search page on the website, you will find a link to the iPhone app so you can take the information with you on the road. After consulting the app and not feeling too comfortable in the Tillamook Cheese Factory parking lot, we opted to boondock at the Blue Heron Cheese Company.
Pulling into their lot just down the road, we joined a large RV for the night. A Sprinter parked next to us later, another set of weary and frugal travelers. We changed into pajamas and settled in for the night having stopped to use the bathroom before getting here.
We woke up in the morning, but not too early. Watching the sun come up, the farm life beckoned through the fogged up windows characteristic of sleeping in the back of your vehicle. There were roosters crooning to the slow lightening of the sky and the we are able to the business more clearly.
You never know what you might find when the sun comes up when you pull into a parking lot in the middle of the night. Who knew we were sharing the yard with a gaggle of barnyard animals? And who doesn’t love a John Deer tractor? Especially one that looks like it’s got a steam engine pushing it along.
The fact that the store doesn’t open until 8am was our excuse to sleep in a bit, or at least lay in our warm sleeping bags and be lazy relax. As soon as they turned on the OPEN sign, we were ready to head inside and use the bathroom see what they had to offer.
They have a cute little greeter as you walk up to the front…he wasn’t very chatty, though.
The staff were just getting things going as we walked in, they have a coffee stand and deli in addition to selling the expected cheese and horde oeuvres. I must admit, I made a beeline for the facilities first. I love places that have cute little details, like this door handle.
They had the standard assortment of sodas and juices but I was happy to find at least an option of kombucha. It seems to be easier and easier to find. There were some fun whole food snacks and if you are into cheese, they folks behind the counter will let you sample their wares.
There were also a few good choices among the old fashioned stick gum and leftover Christmas candy. I like little shops like this because they often sell specialty items that make fun souvenirs or gifts for upcoming birthdays.
My favorite were these fun sea salts from the Jacobsen Salt Company out of Oregon. Can you imagine caramels with the Vanilla Bean one? Yum!! I almost bought a spicy one for the bf, but I can still order it online if it gets down to birthday time and I haven’t found something better.
And for you wine lovers, the store also has plenty of vino AND a wine bar.
As for us, we sat at one of the wooden tables in their large eating area and I brought in my muffins, sliced apples and nut butter and enjoyed a kombucha and a smoky Brie from the store. We plotted out some day hikes we would encounter as we traveled further down the coast.
On our way out, we said goodbye to our new feathered friends and agreed it was a fun little place to stop if you have had more than your share of the more trafficked Tillamook Cheese Factory.
You can find the Blue Heron at:
Blue Heron French Cheese Company
2001 Blue Heron Drive
Tillamook, Oregon 97141
They are open 7 days a week and year round!
Summer Hours: 8am to 7pm (by Memorial Day)
Summer Hours: 8am to 8pm (by July 4th)
Winter Hours: 8am to 6pm
You can read more about our trip on Do You Talk To Strangers?, Pelican Pub & Brewery, Drift Creek Falls, Sand Lake Estuary and Cape Kiwanda!
Thank you so much for stopping by Must Hike Must Eat!
If you need some healthy eating inspiration start here:..
Need some eating out suggestions when friends want to stop after a hike? I have a Pacific Northwest Eating Guide here.
Want to know where Must Hike Must Eat has been last? Check out the latest trip reports:
Find out what’s been happening outside the blog:
The Must Hike Must Eat Newsletter keeps folks up-to-date on events both on and off the blog.
If you have a question you don’t want to post in the comments, you can ask them here:
Discover more from Must Hike Must Eat
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.