What a view!

Well it’s that time of the year when the Loaf Love Tour comes to the beautiful state of California. This is our last state on the tour, and our first time being in the Pacific time zone. After being in Arizona, Texas, Colorado, and Utah the last six months, I must admit that it feels good to be this close to Oregon. It was an interesting road trip to get here: I bought $20 worth of snacks (I devoured them all, of course) and all the lanes on the freeway were closed because of construction, which led to hours of sitting in traffic and we arrived to 100+ degree temperatures in Sacramento. Other than that, the trip was uneventful.

Our three month trip through California will bring us to several different cities, including Sacramento, San Francisco, L.A., Orange County, and San Diego. I’m looking forward to San Francisco the most, not just because it’ll be a break in the 100+ heat the Loaf Love Tour has been experience for months now, but mostly because we’ll get a chance to breathe in the salty air of the Pacific Ocean again. It’s not quite the salty cow smell of Tillamook, but it’ll do. I can picture it now: driving the Loafster across the Golden Gate Bridge, my hair blowing in the wind while music plays on the radio (okay, you probably know our Yums don’t have radios, but maybe I can convince another Brand Ambassador to sing for me?). Perfection.

Mountain and Central time zones have been great. I hope you’re ready for us California. Check out where we’ll be on the tour schedule.

As always, stay cheesy!
Dandy Andy

By Andrea

Brand Ambassador Noelle and me with a stingray!

Saturday was a great day for everyone wearing orange in Long Beach, California. The Loaf Love Tour visited the Aquarium of the Pacific, and we were met by Tillamook fans showing off our favorite color. The first 100 people wearing orange were happy to receive free admission to the aquarium (and lots of tasty cheese samples, of course!). The day was perfect: we had beautiful weather and a gorgeous view of the lighthouse atop the hill at Shoreline Park.  The masts from a schooner in the harbor towered amongst the palm trees and reminded me of the Morning Star of Tillamook, the schooner that graces all of our cheese labels and the front of our Baby Loaf buses.  I truly “loaf” our sailing vessel, as it reminds us of the history and tradition of Tillamook and it makes me think of fond memories I have sailing tall ships prior to driving short buses on the Loaf Love Tour!
 
Meanwhile, inside the aquarium, Loafy was a splash with families, schools of students, and schools of fish. Loafy even made a new friend with a stingray, and I took my photo with it!
 
As the day progressed, the orange outfits were replaced with masks, beads, face paint, and outrageous costumes. The Mardi Gras celebration was beginning, and we had lots of “Loaf” buttons to add to the outfits! The Mardi Gras parade started at the Aquarium, and Loafy brought lots of smiles and energy to the festivities. Meanwhile, I used up most of my energy attempting to run ahead to catch Loafy on film and video. This was quite the task because Loafy was surrounded with many excited Loafy lovers!
 

I hope sharks don't eat cheese...

As the sun was dropping over the water, we shared our last conversations of the day with new and old Tillamook fans. What a perfect beginning to our time in Orange County and L.A. We are looking forward to the next 2 1/2 months in this area and to reporting back with more stories from the road…  

-Andrea, Loaf Love Tour Brand Ambassador

By Andrea