Although I’m happiest as a warm weather girl, I can get into fall and one of my traditions is getting pumpkins to put on my front stoop! Rather than go the grocery-store route we decided to visit our first pumpkin patch this year! And we did it right – we visited Roloff Farms in Helvetia, Oregon just about a 30 minute drive from Portland.

This farm is a bit famous, as the family that owns it are the stars of the TLC reality show “Little People Big World“. I have only seen a few episodes of this show but the Roloffs seem like a hardworking, loving, and fun family – and we were lucky enough to see them in person and take a tour of their farm.

Admission to the farm is free, but parking is a small fee. You can also pay to take one or both of the tractor ride tours around their property. Pumpkins are 35 cents a pound.

We took both the tours and they were guided by close friends of the family. One of the tours was driven by Zach Roloff himself:

Here’s Matt Roloff (in the red):

and Amy Roloff (middle of photo, black vest white shirt… lots of people lined up to meet the supermom):

Yes they were filming that day. As a former video major in college, camera crews and equipment always interest me so I was just as fascinated with the production as everything else going on. The Roloff property is a-maz-ing. Those are some lucky kids. I mean for the twin boys’ birthday one year their dad got them a life-sized pirate ship to play on.

They also have an absurdly-detailed Wild West village, a full castle, numerous forts, sand volleyball court, regulation size soccer field, heated pool, and who knows what else. And not all of these were bought on their reality show royalties either. It was inspiring and visually exhausting to see all the vision and work put forth. It’s a place you would never need to leave, their own little world. Here’s just a few photos from the tour:

Bridge to Nowhere

Oh right, the whole reason we came. Pumpkins!

Our friend Andrew:

I found a good one!

Roloff Farm is only open to the public during the month of October each year, so make your plans to visit!

After we visited the Tillamook Cheese Factory Tour we drove through the little mainstreet of Tillamook – lots of cute storefronts and restaurants – before heading toward the coast and Cape Meares, about a 20 minute drive. The drive, however, is gorgeous. The winding coastal road reveals views of  the bay, cliffs, rocks, farms, and beaches. So pretty!

Our destination, Cape Meares, is both a park and a light house. Admission to both is free.

The light house is no longer working.. apparently nowadays with GPS they aren’t really needed anymore. But we got to walk around the giant lamp and admire the craftsmanship. A guide explained how it was ordered from France and shipped across the seas for months, and craned above the cliffs to where it is now. Wow!

There is a gift shop in the base of the light house with knick knacks. But the best part of Cape Meares is the scenery overlooking Tillamook Bay.

Closeby is a path to what they call the “Octopus Tree” – a remarkable multi-trunked Sitka Spruce with a trunk circumference of about 50 feet. It is quite large in person.

After the park we had to head back to Portland, but there are other things to do in & near Tillamook – notably an air museum which looks fascinating. If I went back I would definitely spend time walking around the town also, or check out one of the beaches.

Last Month Peter and I took a day trip to Tillamook, Oregon. It’s a town on the coast, but what it may be best known for is the Tillamook Cheese Factory. You can buy Tillamook Cheese at any Portland grocery store, although there are some things that can only be bought in person at the factory – most notably their squeaky cheese curds! You may recall my poutine obsession so it should be no surprise that I am curd fan. I bought three bags to bring home! We also got a brick of sharp cheddar and some jalapeno pepperjack which actually meets my standards for pepperjack cheese – I like it HOT!

The tour is self-guided and pretty brief, but interesting. I would not recommend making the trek out to Tillamook just for the cheese factory. You would probably be a bit disappointed. However there is plenty to see in Tillamook in addition to the factory so plan a day around it. Here’s photos from the factory:

Outside Entrance:

Big cheese hunks come from who knows where and go into this room to be cut and packaged into smaller bricks. I was surprised how much human interaction is involved with the process – I thought factories were all but robots nowadays. It’s kinda refreshing.

Here’s a quick video of the room – it happens very fast!

On the wall in the tour I spotted this sweet photo of who I assume is/was the owner:

Guess what else Tillamook makes? ICE CREAM!

Yay Tillamook! Not sure how I got stuck being the cow…

Tomorrow I’ll post about what else we did in Tillamook.

A great little video showing all the great things about Portland:

Of course there’s no homeless people or rain or strip clubs in this video, of which Portland has many… but a nice video nonetheless :)

Summer is officially over, according to the calendar. Having arrived as it began, I can see why Portlanders love this season. It was a beautiful one and I think it only rained maybe a half-dozen times. But the fall and winter rains are on their way in the coming weeks.

Sorry to be so quiet lately. Not much to report. We have been sticking around the house a whole lot. And I admit I have been feeling homesick for St. Louis. Not the city so much as the feeling of familiarity, and gatherings with friends. I know it will come to me here, it is just going to take time. I am already less reliant on my google maps  everytime I leave the house, so that’s nice.

Last week Peter and I took a day trip to Tillamook, another coastal town which was a completely different flavor from Cannon Beach. I will share photos soon as I pull them off the camera.

At the end of this week Peter and I are traveling to St. Louis for a wedding, then to Baltimore to visit family/friends, then to Boston/New Hampshire for another wedding. It’s all very exciting except for the part where we have to board our dog, Lucy, for 12 days. We found a place that I know will take good care of her but regardless I am quite torn up about leaving her. In St. Louis we were close enough to my family to leave Lucy with them on extended leaves, but we don’t have that luxury here. Sigh!

Sorry to be so glum. I do love Portland as much as ever. I went to pick up Thai food on Alberta street last night and stumbled upon some sort of street fair they were having, and I was completely charmed. It lifted my spirits. It’s the little things.