We arrived in Pacific City on the 20th, and after a few trials and error, finally found a nice camping site in our Thousand Trail campground. We are disconnected from the world here, no cellphone signal, no internet (in the coach, but there is WiFi at the family lodge). We love the campground though, it is quiet, nice and right next to the ocean, we can hear the waves from where we are camping, some sites even have a great view of the water.

After settling down we decided to go explore the area a little. We first went north and took the Three Capes Scenic route and ended up in Tillamook where we visited the cheese factory. The cheese didn’t impress us much, but it was hard to resist the ice cream. We then went to McMinville, to visit the Evergreen aviation museum, home of Howard Hughes impressive Spruce Goose. Made of wood, it has a wider wing span than a Boeing 747, it only flew once.

Pacific city itself is a quaint little town right next to Cape Kiwanda which offers gorgeous sunsets

Road 101 going South from Pacific City offers wonderful views of the Pacific coast line.

The old Hwy 101 offers nice surprises like this Conde B. McCullough bridge with it’s concrete arch and it’s Gothic, Tudor and Art Deco details. In 1916 Mr. McCullough started teaching engineering at Oregon Agricultural College (today Oregon State University) and in 1919 lead the state bridge program. He believed that bridges should be built efficiently, economically and aesthetically.

The Taquina Head Lighthouse, built in 1876, standing 93 feet tall on top of the cape of the same name, still working today to save the lives of seamen who navigate the treacherous waters along the coast of Oregon. It is also a good spot to watch for whales.

Near the lighthouse, at low tide, you can observe aquatic life in tiny tidal pools.

We then stopped in Depoe Bay for a little while, and watched for whales, we saw quite a few, there is a family of Grey Whales who lives in the area year round. The Devil’s punch bowl (strange formation in the rock that looks like a giant punch bowl with waves coming in and out of it) is also a good location to observe whales.

Although the temperature has not been over 62F since we arrived here, and mostly rainy, people are still flocking to the beach and actually swimming in water that is barely above freezing temperatures, while we, Floridians, walk around with jackets on.

A nice surprise for me, I had not seen Chipmunks since I was a kid, but they are abundant here, and so funny to watch. (Although technically, these are not really chipmunks, they are brown ground squirrels)

From the beach

to the mountains

Oregon offers ever changing sceneries which are sure to surprise and delight.

We were pleasantly surprised by Coeur D’Alene ID. We knew nothing about the town except that Cissy lived closed to it. Coeur D’Alene is a resort town, with lots of galleries representing local artists, nice restaurants, Pubs and little Cafés, but above all, a huge gorgeous lake right downtown.

You can access the lake from the city park beach,

or the 3300 feet boardwalk.

Activities include Para-sailing, boating, jet-skiing, kayaking, you also have a choice of cruises, including dinner cruises.

It is the perfect spot of a vacation, the temperature is mild, but not cold. It’s like being at the beach without the salt and the extreme heat. We loved it!

Unfortunately, the morning we were supposed to leave, we found out that one of our rear dual tire was defective, OUCH!

We were on our way to Santa ID to go meet Cissy today when we spotted this little diner on the side of the road. The lady who owns it serves Yak burgers, made from the meat of the Yaks she raises on her farm.

So far we tried Buffalo burgers, Indian Tacos and Carnitas during this trip, so we thought tasting a Yak Burger was in order. It was delicious.

That’s what is so much fun about traveling, you get to meet very interesting people, out of the blue. This lady started raising Yaks only 2 years ago, her partner had very bad kidney problems, he even had a kidney transplant a few years ago, which led him to search for a very lean source of protein in order to eat healthier, when he learned about Yaks, he knew he had found his answer.

Yak farm seen from the road leading to Cissy’s house.

The population of Yaks in the US today are descendants of animals imported from the Himalayas about 100 years ago, nowadays, it is impossible to get a yak from Tibet or China, not even the sperm, they won’t let anything related to Yaks get out of their country. About 10 years ago, the population of Yaks in the US was down to about 2500 specimens, some people decided to raise them on farms, and in the last five years, their population has doubled. Yaks love altitude and low temperatures, they can die of heat strokes.

Their meat is very lean, has no fat veins running through it, and is good source of low cholesterol lean proteins.

She was very passionate about her Yaks and invited us to go visit the farm after her work day was over. Of course we accepted the offer!

We went in the field and visited with Lucy, the mother of the brand new Yak twins (the first twins born on the farm). Mommie was a bit protective of her babies, so I couldn’t go pet them, but she did allow me to get close enough to take some good pictures. The twins don’t have a name yet. “Yakmom” (as I affectionately call her since I couldn’t remember her name even if my life depended on it) has a name for all of them. I asked her how she managed emotionally when she had one slaughtered, she said that the probability of having a cow slaughtered is very low, they use the bulls for meat, not the cows.

Lucy and her twins

Yaks are about 1/3 of the size of bovines, they have long silky guard hair, and two layers of undercoat, one medium length and one short. “Yakmom” combs their hair (when the cows are in the mood for it) and saves it, then sends it to Prince Edward Island to have it cleaned and spinned into yarn. The yarn is soft and reminded me of Alpaca yarn. She is also thinking about milking the cows and making soaps and lotions containing the very rich Yak milk. The only problem right now, is getting the milk. Since their herd grew, they are trying to find outlets for Yak by-products apart from their meat.

I finally was able to pet one of the cows, (we had to bribe her with a few treats)

Our visit ended with a big hug from “Yakmom”.

If you are in the mood for Yak Burgers, Smokey’s or Yak Jerky, all 90% fat free, give her a call at 208-245-1349 or go visit her in Santa Idaho. She should have some yarn available for sale in October 2007.