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!!