Partly Sunny, breezy, clear, 45 degrees. Staying next to the Columbia is cooler. Still no rain which is strange for this damp climate. Vegetation is lush and Donn tells us plantings have to be monitored or they will take over, all foliage. The rhododendrons are many colors and grow into huge bushes and trees. They are in full bloom along with small roses and azaleas.
Miles local trips
Travel time minimal
with local sightseeing
Day 7 of our
road trip to Alaska. Astoria reminds us of other port towns where the houses
cling to the sides of hills. Streets
remind us of San Francisco. The Hilton
Hampton Inn is very nice. The room is a
large suite with a balcony overlooking the river. We get the grand view of container ships and
fishing boats as well as historic Pier 39 and it’s long wooden plank
entrance. We have a nice breakfast
included with the room. We take a short
walk along the water to see where the noisy sea lions are hanging out. They have found an empty pier and it is
loaded with huge males who were not able
to mate with the females who have gone to California to birth. Sea lions are ferocious and aggressive and
noisy. They can be here for a time
period and then all of a sudden they’re gone to be noisy elsewhere. Along the walk we see cormorants seagulls,
ducks, and white migrating pelicans. Hotel has nice amenities, pool, whirlpool,
and exercise room. Breakfast was okay, no
yogurt.
Donn and
Dory pick us up at 10AM for a day tour.
We start off by walking the wooden plank driveway to Pier 30 across the water from our hotel. It has been several iterations of fish
canning facility, finally closed in 1980 when it was Bumble Bee. They have keep the building intact but
subdivided it into small commercial spaces.
A wine place, Rogue Brewery Pub, fresh seafood sales, a canning history
museum and others including a very cute Coffee Girl with all coffee drinks and
lots of fresh bakery; sit inside or on the outdoor deck with views.
Next was Astoria’s Maritime Museum that records all historic activities including famous boats, ship wrecks etc. An historic Lighthouse Boat sits outside. Until lighthouses were built this ship sailed around the mouth of the Columbia, guiding oceangoing ships into harbors. A river cruise ship is parked outside and passengers are disembarking for the museum and downtown activities. These are small ships but the larger cruise ships also dock and when the tourist season begins the town is very active with shops and restaurants. They have strived to keep the downtown’s historic flavor; they only allow one franchise restaurant, Mc Donald’s. We went to lunch at Bridgewater Bistro, a refurbished cannery with a large wall of windows over looking the water. Chuck got clams and mussels chowder; Pat got cup of Hungarian mushroom soup and shared fish and chips. We then drove a bit south to Fort Stevens State Park the road in is lined with solid yellow of bloomed gorse bushes. We walked out to the wide beach and saw the remnants of an old shipwreck, (the Peter Iredale shipwreck). The surf was high. Drove up to the Astoria Column that sits at the highest point above the city (15k population). A 125-foot column with pictures and history of the discovery of Astoria and first navigation of the Columbia by John Gray via sailing around the Cape of Good Hope funding by Mr. Astor and Lewis and Clark who came by land funded by President Jefferson. Astoria is named after Astor. The views from the grounds are incredible looking over the Columbia, distant coastline, mountains, other rivers and over Astoria. There are steep spiral stairs leading to the top of the column, we opt not to take them. Then we drive over the Astoria-Meglar Bridge that crosses a very wide section of the Columbia and lands in Washington state; the main span is the longest continuous truss in US. We stop briefly at Fort Columbia, a WWII gunnery installation to guard the northwest coast. It has lovely barracks and other buildings. We drive back over the 4.1 mile Meglar Bridge to Oregon. We went to Fort George Brewery Pub downtown Astoria, located in a block of historic buildings. Pat at salad with fried local oysters and Chuck had burger. All enjoyed.
Dory and
Donn dropped us off at 9PM at hotel.
What a great day of partly sunny, cool sightseeing. We have seen a lot of Astoria and area and
will have fond memories. They have been
great hosts and we are grateful for their sharing favorite spots.
Meeting them
for breakfast at local Pig and Pancake and the leave for Kent, WA to see Betty
and Al.
The Bad Boy
Sea Lions are having their usual cacophony of complaints, trying to out bark
each other. The air is cool off the
river. There is a quarter moon shining
down.
Nighty Night.
