TILLAMOOK CHEESE

True to the preplan, as soon as we went empty at the Fred Meyer DC in Clackamas, we were instructed to drop our trailer and check in with shipping for a team load headed to Phoenix. Finding the correct trailer, scaling to make sure we were legal, we took off south awaiting where to meet up with the team that would be delivering this load. Minutes later, the beep of the computer told us to head to the Pilot Truck Stop in Rice Hill, OR which was about 150 miles away.

Three hours later we found the other drivers waiting for us and quickly exchanged paperwork and trailers. We now had in our possession a trailer loaded with bananas which didn't need to be delivered until the 28th. We were told to take the trailer to a drop yard in Troutdale, OR and pick up yet another trailer of bananas that needed to be delivered Sunday Morning. Ever the dutiful employees, we drove back the same 150 miles we had just traveled and switched trailers once again. With our new load of bananas, we headed to the TA Truck stop, and called it a day.

Like Deja Vu, we deliver the bananas to Fred Meyer on Sunday morning, hoping that we were not slated to be the banana delivery King and Queen once again, put in our empty call and sit back and wait. A mere 5 minutes later we were happy to see that we would be going to Tillamook, OR to pick up 40,000 pounds of cheese on Monday morning. With a day of layover pay given to us, we decided to drive the 90 miles there on Sunday and take our chances with finding a place to stay.

We couldn't have made a better decision! Our previous scenic drive on Friday, paled in comparison to the beauty we saw on our drive into Tillamook on a tiny two lane road. I was heartbroken at the many photo opportunities that I saw along the way, that I would not be able to partake in. Big trucks don't stop quickly and need a large area to park, so I'll have to put this route down in my book as a road to take in a car sometime in the future.Arriving at the cheese plant, we saw that there was ample parking for our rig and that the plant was right next door to their large tourist center. We checked in at shipping to let them know we where there early and that we would be spending the night there, and then hot footed it over for some cheese tasting. Who am I kidding? More importantly, they have their own ice cream parlor there and after picking up two different cheeses, a summer sausage, and some french bread, we did what every sane person would do........we ate desert first!

It was the freshest ice cream, outside of home made, that I have had in a long time, scooped into a freshly baked, right before our eyes, waffle cone. YUM YUM After enjoying our desert, we made our way back to the truck to enjoy the rest of our bounty. We were quite content after that and settled in for the night watching the World Series and playing on our laptops.

We were hoping this morning to be loaded early as our appointment wasn't until 10am. Craig had checked in with them again at 7am and they said they would probably be ready for us in an hour or so. The "or so" was more correct, and by 10am we were loaded and scaled and ready to enjoy the beauty again on that little two lane road.

Presently, we are traveling south on Interstate 5 with the hopes of finally getting to a Wal Mart in Anderson, CA later tonight and then making our home in Corning. If all goes well, Craig will be dropping me off at my Mom's house for a few days tomorrow afternoon, while he delivers the cheese into Mira Loma, CA late Wednesday morning and then makes a run up north before coming back down and picking me up. That should allow me time to spend my favorite holiday, Halloween, at my Mom's, but right now it's time for lunch. We are going to enjoy some more of that cheese and summer sausage. Too bad we didn't have a freezer on board the truck, cause you know I would have bought some ice cream to take with us as well!