Heading Back from Astoria

     The up side to hotels on the Oregon coast is that they don't usually need air conditioning. Our room was on the ground floor but the setting sun shined in our window and the room got pretty warm. We left the windows open and slept that way overnight. That was all well and good until the guys in the room next to us decided to get up and go fishing at 5:00 am!! They had their boat parked in one spot and their big diesel pickup truck in another, both outside our window. The guys decided to dump and refill their ice chest and took about 30 minutes banging and clattering around to hook up their boat. Finally they left but we were pretty much awake by then. Arrrggghhh!!!

      As you can see from the photo above, some pretty big ships navigate the Columbia River. There were four of the tanker vessels tied up to mooring buoys in the channel. I found out that they were waiting on their slip to become available in Portland. The city of Astoria allows them to tie up free of charge while they wait. It was fun to watch these big ships swing around as the river currents and tides changed.

     We drove across the Astoria Megler Bridge and went into Washington state. Here we found a promontory where Lewis & Clark had been but had turned back because of winds and rough waters.

     We went out (via a short hiking trail) to this lighthouse at Cape Disappointment. It was manned by a Coast Guard seaman who watched the mouth of the Columbia for vessels in trouble or hazards in the shipping channel.

     Along the way is the Coast Guard station that is tasked with rescues of mariners in trouble in this area. I read that they perform an average of 400 rescues per year! Think about it, that's more than one per day!

Just one little cove along the trail

     Upon returning, we just drove along the docks and saw this big ship loading up logs. It amazed us the amount of trees on just this ship. We assume it is headed to Portland for processing at a lumber mill.

     We saw these and couldn't resist a picture. These are public trash bins along the main street in Astoria. Each one looked like a different fish can. Cute!

     For the Goonies fans out there:  here is Haystack rock on Cannon Beach. If you've seen the movie, you know the scene.

     On the drive home, we passed a clam farm and restaurant. These are mounds of clam shells that will be processed and serve as breeding bedding for future generations. That's a lot of clams!!

Visiting Astoria

     Astoria is the oldest American settlement west of the Rockies, offering more points of historical interest than any other place on the Oregon coast. The northern boundary of the city runs along the southern bank of the Columbia River. Just across the river is the state of Washington. You can get there by driving across the Astoria Megler Bridge (part of which is pictured above). The bridge itself is over four miles long and is the longest continuous three span, through truss bridge in the world. Construction began in 1962 and completed in 1966. Prior to this, the coast highway, Highway 101, terminated in Astoria. With the completion of the bridge, 101 now runs unbroken between the Mexican and the Canadian borders!

Looking towards Washington State

     While driving around Astoria, some things may seem familiar and you don't know why. Well, surprisingly enough, several movies have been filmed in and around Astoria. Kindergarten Cop and Free Willy among them. The cult classic Goonies shot many scenes here. We didn't get to see it on this visit but the Oregon Film Museum is located in downtown and it highlights many of the films that have been shot here.

The bridge to the cannery

     We stayed the evening in a nice hotel overlooking the harbor and got up early the next morning to continue our sightseeing. First stop was a former fish cannery. Up until just recently, Bumble Bee Tuna was canned here. To get to the cannery you drove across what looked like a boardwalk. Two way traffic was questionable. The cannery museum was free and self guided. While not immaculately organized or laid out, it was still a very interesting view of the life of the cannery and its workers.

The machine that puts the tuna into a can

A canning station with a photo of how it was used

     From the Cannery we went to the Columbia River Maritime Museum. This is listed by several trip organizations as the #1 thing to do/see in Astoria. It is a remarkable museum. Exhibits highlight all manner of fishing and maritime use of the Columbia River.

     There is a wing dedicated to the Coast Guard Rough Water Rescue teams. This rescue boat is perched at a frightening angle. What makes it even more scary is that this is the usual angle this boat is forced to navigate through. Waves toss it about and the crew has to remain onboard and accomplish a rescue of seamen in trouble. Looks to me like it could be a good ride for Disney!!

     This display was great. Not sure if you can zoom in on the 10 things that are good/bad luck but some of them are:
     - Never leave the hatch covers upside down
     - The boat's bottom paint is better if applied by the light of the full moon
     - Cans of food, or anything else, must be stored with labels right side up to keep the boat from capsizing. Upside down cans also throw off the compass
     - Never cook pea soup on a vessel, it brings on storms
     - Never whistle onboard as it calls up the wind
     - Rabbits or pigs should never be mentioned, it is bad luck
     - It's bad luck to leave on a fishing trip on a Friday
By the way, the fish in the picture is a record 83 lb. Chinook Salmon caught in 1936.

     This fishing boat was used to catch abalone and sea urchins in Japan. It was caught up in the tsunami of 2011 and ended up on the Washington coast (just across the river) two years later. Using the registration, they actually found the owner. The 72 year old fisherman was glad to hear that his boat had been found but he did not want it back.

     Before GPS's and satellite navigation, mariners had to use several instruments to determine their location on the open oceans. Several of these are displayed in the museum and, in one case, a sextant is available to the museum patron to try their luck at finding their latitude. It's not as easy as it looks!!

   
     We then rode the Astoria River Front Trolley. This trolley runs back and forth along the seawall and gives you a great view of Astoria. You can ride it once or for a mere $2 you can "hop on/hop off" along any of the various stops. Surprisingly, you can bring your pets onboard also, so Misty got to ride. I say this because of something magical. As we took our seats, there was a young girl across the aisle from us who was obviously not having a good time. She was curled up and crying softly into her hat. Nothing her Mom or sister did would make her happy. As we rode along, the little girl would steal a peek at Misty. At one point Barb asked the Mom if it would be OK for Misty to come see the little girl. She said yes and Misty promptly curled up in the girl's lap and started licking her fingers. The change was remarkable and immediate! The little girl started to smile and her face brightened up like a sunbeam. By the time they got off the trolley, the little girl was happy and cheerful. Mom was relieved and appreciative and everyone on the trolley witnessed the transformation. As people got off, they would reach over and rub her head. At one point, two couples asked if they could hold her and they proceeded to take pictures. As I said in our Facebook post that day, never underestimate the power of the puppy!!

Lewis & Clark Journey Ends, Ours Begins

     For our next adventure, we decided to spend a couple of days in the Astoria area. Astoria is in the upper northwest corner of Oregon, on the coast and just across the Columbia River from Washington state.

     No trip up the Oregon coast is complete without a stop at the Tillamook Cheese headquarters. Here you can sample various cheeses (which are then available for purchase in copious quantities in the gift shop). Or you can sample a wide variety of ice cream. We bought some cheese for the road.

     We trekked further up US Highway 101 stopping first at Fort Stevens State Park. It is here that several ships have wrecked in the treacherous waters. There has also been an artillery outpost here from the Civil War until the end of WW II. One of the ships that wrecked here was the Peter Iredale. It is pictured above shortly after being beached ashore. Nowadays it looks like this...

     Almost all of the vessel has been salvaged except for this small portion of the bow. The waters here are especially dangerous because here is where the large quantity of fresh water flowing from the Columbia River meets with the ocean currents of the Pacific through a narrow opening called the Bar. The water can go from smooth and calm to 30' waves in moments and without warning. In fact, vessels that come into the river from the ocean must have a Bar Pilot on board to help navigate. After the ship clears the Bar and enters the Columbia River, then the Bar Pilot is replaced by a River Pilot who then assists in navigating upriver to Portland. The waters are so rough and unpredictable that the Coast Guard maintains a station at the mouth of the Bar just to rescue stranded vessels (which they do to the tune of 400+ per year!!). The Coast Guard also has their rough water rescue training center here.

What's left of an old artillery emplacement

     For those familiar with the travels of Lewis & Clark, you know that they reached the Pacific Ocean near here and established Fort Clatsop. They had been traveling across the country since leaving St. Louis on May 14, 1804. They spent the winter of December 1805 to March 1806 in the fort. They named it for the local Clatsop Indians whom Clark described as "close bargainers and who came to the fort almost daily to trade and to visit." As usual in the Pacific Northwest, of the 106 days that they spent in the fort, it rained all but 12 of them! Because of the humidity, the building materials of the fort have not withstood the test of time. Historians are confident that the current Fort Clatsop re-creation is located very near to the original spot, but everything you can see and visit is not original. There are many artifacts that survived their travels and many of them are on display at the Visitor's Center.

Welcome to Fort Clatsop!

Inside Lewis' & Clark's room

     While visiting the National Historical Park, we were treated to a demonstration by a Ranger in period costume. He demonstrated the proper use, and the hazards of, the Springfield flintlock rifle used by many on the expedition. It was very informative and the Ranger was quite humorous! The demonstration was capped off by the firing of a bread bullet (biodegradable and edible by the local wildlife).

Ready, Aim, Fire!

A Hidden Gem in McMinnville

          Today we took a day trip to the little town of McMinnville, OR. It is near Salem and made for a  scenic drive. Leaving the coastal shores you cross the mountain range and enter wine and farm country. Vineyards and fields as far as the eye can see. Then, smack dab in the middle of all this is the Evergreen Museum and Water Park. This modern complex houses impressive Aviation and Space museums along with an IMAX theater and a large indoor water park. They have golf carts that are used by the staff and to help folks navigate the complex. I need to get one like the one pictured above!!

     The complex is divided into a Space Museum and an Aviation Museum. The Space museum is well played out and a major part of the exhibit is a large timeline display detailing significant events in man's quest for space travel. Several rockets and spacecraft are on display to include a V-1 and V-2, a Titan II, a Gemini and Apollo space capsule, a Lunar Lander and the Lunar Rover. There are an impressive display of space artifacts from astronaut food to equipment and space suits. What was interesting to me was many of the artifacts on display were on loan from the Kansas Cosmosphere in Hutchinson, KS (a place I've been to many times when I lived in Wichita). Who knew that their stuff would be out here on display!?! Above is an SR-71 showing some of the payloads that it carried (most of which were classified). At the east end of the gallery there are a number of helicopters on display. Just some of them are pictured below.

     We next ventured over to the Aviation Museum. Here they have an impressive number of restored aircraft from the earliest days of aviation to the latest. In fact, on the roof of the museum is a full sized 747 with Museum markings. Outside, circling the museum are a number of aircraft on static display. But inside is the museum's prize possession. In fact, I was told that the museum was built specifically to house this piece. It is designated the Hughes Flying Boat HK-1. It is also known by its more common title: the Spruce Goose.

     To say this aircraft is massive is an understatement! We couldn't even get it all in the picture! And look how many aircraft sit in the shadow of just one wing.

     Visitors enter the cargo bay through the platform as shown in the above photo. There they have walled off the bay with plexiglass but you can still see the support structure. For an extra fee, you can take a more extensive tour and get to go up to the flight deck.

The view of the hold looking aft

     I expected a small collection of old aircraft and some space artifacts on loan from the Smithsonian in a museum that would take a couple hours maximum to tour. Who knew there was this fine and extensive a collection of Air and Space craft in the middle of Oregon???  I could have spent DAYS going through the exhibits, but I didn't have that kind of time. If you have any interest in aviation or space travel, I highly recommend this complex. For more detailed information check it out by clicking here.

     After leaving McMinnville, we decided to head to Salem and get some shopping done. We set the GPS and took off. After a short while we saw signs that led us to think that there was a ferryboat up ahead. Since we were in the middle of Oregon we were confused. Well sure enough, we rounded the corner and the only way to cross the river was by taking the ferry. It only cost a couple of dollars and we would have spent that in gas trying to find another way around. Besides, how can you pass this up? We boarded and soon continued on our way. All in all we had a great time touring and really enjoyed the day. Guess that's why we retired to this lifestyle huh ?!?

Touring Locally

     Up to now we haven't done much in the way of touring. We have just settled in to our workamping routine. We have taken several trips to the surrounding towns of Newport and Lincoln City. As you can see from the above photo, the sea lions were in town and resting up for a busy summer! Everybody is just fine until someone new wants to join in. Then the uproar begins and the barking and noise is so loud you can't hear yourself think!! In a couple week they will all be gone out to sea and these platforms will be vacant for most of the summer.

Also in Newport, there were two replica sailing ships. For varying donation amounts you could tour the vessels in port, sail the harbor, or participate in a mock battle out at sea. Unfortunately, we came down on their day off so all we got to sea was the ship moored at its berth.

     While in Lincoln City, we were walking on the beach and came upon several families that were crabbing. All were having good luck but this guy was bringing in the really nice ones. They have a wire mesh trap that they put a piece of bait in. Then they fling this trap into the bay and wait. After only a few minutes they pull the trap in and they may or may not have a crab (or two or three) in it. Size limits are in place and enforced so the smaller ones are released and the process repeats itself. In the meantime there is a boiling pot on the fire on shore and the choicest catch is served up for dinner. Talk about fresh catch of the day!!!

     After seeing a movie in town, we stopped by the Yaquina Head lighthouse. The tide was out and the tide pools were alive with marine specimens This beach is also made up of stone "cobbles". They were once volcanic rocks that have been tumbled, shaped, and polished into a variety of oval balls. When the waves flow out over them they make quite a racket, sounding like rain on a tin roof. It also makes walking on the beach tricky, kind of like walking on an assortment of ball bearings.

     Above a starfish is just above the waterline and several anemones are below. It's amazing the variety and colors that exist in these tide pools. And the neat thing is everything will be different after the next tide cycle.