Astoria

Our drive up to Astoria was another beautiful one, as Highway 101 continued to be in mostly excellent repair, and reward us with beautiful views of the Oregon coast:


We drove through Tillamook and stopped to check out the cheese factory. So, apparently, did hundreds of others. It was unacceptably crowded, so we elbowed our way to the factory viewing windows, skipped the stoopid long lines for ice cream, snagged a bag of curds and block of cheddar for the road, and got the havarti out of there...

...arriving at Fort Stevens state park, a massive campground of nearly 500 sites. Somehow, though, most of the sites, including ours, were private and quiet, just the way we like it.

It was just a short drive over to Astoria, the oldest permanent American settlement west of the Rockies, situated on the south shore at the mouth of the mighty Columbia River. The sand bar at the mouth of the river, combined with the wind-driven swells of the Pacific meeting the ceaseless flow of the river has been the ruin of thousands of ships, and is thus dubbed Graveyard of the Pacific. Ships navigating this bar, even in this day of GPS & Radar, must have a Pilot aboard while crossing the bar. These pilots climb aboard from specially made pilot boats, boats that can blast through the chop and surf of the bar to pull alongside moving freight ships. Here is one of the smaller, river pilot boats at dock in Astoria harbor:


It's a beautiful town with a real main street and downtown that caters to residents, not having given in to tourist gift shops and name brand boutiques. Up on the hillside gorgeous Victorian homes look out over the river:


A great view of the town, harbor, river and surrounding landscape can be had by ascending the Astoria Column:



Nancy didn't like the look of the metal spiral staircase in the column:


A really great Maritime Museum provided several hours of educational entertainment, and right across the street from there sat the Bowpicker, a takout fish and chips place that is awesome! They only use fresh albacore tuna, and fry it to order in a thin crispy batter. Served with steak fries and the best tartar sauce I've had, it's fish and chips at its very best!



Fishing boats are built tough here:


Back at Fort Stevens, we enjoyed their miles of paved bike trails...


...riding down to the beach where the wreck of the Peter Iredale protrudes from the sand:


Light reflects off of the flat wet sand:


Happy Toby:


The south jetty at the river mouth separates the angry Pacific from the river channel:


Foxgloves are a common sight along the Oregon coast:


So, it was a really nice stay in the Astoria area. This is one of several places that we'd like to return to get to know better, perhaps even live there for a while (if we can stand the copious rainfall). Our next stop will be very different - we'll be at a private park in a suburb of Portland, checking out that city and the Columbia River Gorge. Hopefully some good mountain biking too.

Oregon Coast: Reedsport & Depoe Bay

Onward and northward...a change of pace from last week for sure: this week we slipped effortlessly back into a leisurely schedule of slow mornings, Nancy working while I bike or do chores, then some exploration in the afternoons, dinner, a movie and early to bed. Our driving, too, has been moderate over the last week, as we moved up the Oregon coast just a hundred miles or so at a time.

Our first stop was at Tugman State Park, just south of Reedsport. This was a super nice park: large sites, electric and water, and dense foliage separating sites resulting in one of the most private places we've camped. Oregon state parks generally seem to be among the best we've seen. Many of our states could stand a lesson from Oregon in this regard. This particular park was situated a couple of miles inland, separated from the Pacific by the Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area. Thankfully only a few of the campers at Tugman were among the thousands of ATV enthusiasts who flock to the dunes to tear around on quads. We saw other campgrounds in the area which were crowded with ATVs, and I can only imagine the resulting constancy of noise and stench from these machines. Anyway, we were camped near Eel Lake, popular for fishing, kayaking and swimming. There was a nice forest trail partway around the lake which I enjoyed biking on. We explored the local area and braved the high winds and blowing sand for some time on the beach:




Up the coast, driving on a beautiful stretch of highway 101, we passed by gorgeous coastline overlooks, including this one at Heceta Head Lighthouse:


Our next stop was in Depoe Bay, a little fishing port/tourist/beach town. The campground butts right up to the miles-long beach, great for dog walks and just sitting & enjoying the ceaseless roaring of the surf:


Depoe Bay harbor claims to be the world's smallest:


We watched several gray whales spouting just off shore from town. Then we stopped at a state park where we walked out onto a bluff to enjoy the best whale viewing experience of our lives: a young gray whale was feeding practically below our feet in the clear waters at the foot of the bluff. We could see it swimming, see it approach the surface to breath, watch it arch it's back and flex it's flukes to dive again. It was awesome! Unfortunately, my $%&@#ing Lumix camera's display chose this time to go out, so I couldn't tell where I was aiming or how much to zoom. So, I missed out on getting some great closeups. This is the best that I got, which at least gives a sense of the visibility and clarity that we had:


Another little adventure was my kayaking-in-the-surf episode. I'd been eyeing the surf right off of the beach here, and was hankering to repeat the fun I'd had back in the Carolina's. So, I got suited up in my wetsuit, the water being 55 or 60 degrees cool, and dragged the Frenzy down to the water. Just getting out there proved to be a challenge. My first attempt to escape the shore-break bowled me over and spit me back up onto the beach. Then I waited for what seemed like forever for a lull, and finally finding one, paddled out past the breakers. There I enjoyed riding the rollers, feeling like a duck as each wave lifted me high as it passed beneath. Then I began to look for some steeper waves to ride. I found one, but it wasn't really steep enough to surf. Moving closer, I found myself in front of the first of a set of extra large waves:


This one was bigger than I'd wanted, and I attempted to paddle out of its way, but I was too far in, and saw with horror that it was a split break, with me in the middle! I turned to shore and accelerated, hoping to ride it out, but it ate me whole. It rolled me over and buried me! The boat was pushed to shore and I was left to endure the remainder of the set of waves, each of which had their way with me as I struggled to the beach. I crawled out on shore while Nancy retrieved the boat from the wash and snapped a few photos to show me in case I ever suggested that I'd like to do that again... So, that ended that, and no harm done other than a bruised ego. You can be sure that when I venture into the surf again it'll be only into the tamest little "kiddie" waves that I can find!

Family Reunion in Brookings

When we drove back to the coast we were just two of a convergence of family headed for Brookings, Oregon. Nancy's sister Diane lives there, so it was the perfect place for family to come together during our trip. Lillian and Mike were the first to join us, as chronicled in the Crater Lake post. Derik and Scott, along with Brittany and Kristin flew in to Crescent City CA, and Diane's daughter Taylor and son Devon drove down from the Portland area. Her other daughter, Samantha, also lives in Brookings with her fiance Sean. Diane lives with her man Steve and his brother Mark. Add in Steve's daughters Heather and Stephanie, and Diane's friend Lois and her fiance Brad, and you'll find a crowd of nineteen! Quite a crew!

Our week together was fun filled. We had fantastic weather, and engaged in activities including beachcombing, hiking, campfires, cooking, shopping, karaoke, cave exploring, and swimming. Way too much to describe in detail, so here is a photographic sampling that should convey a sense of the experience!

Oh, and would you believe that we picked up Scott, Derik, Kristin and Brittany at the airport with Gigantor with the Whale in tow? I wonder if that's ever been done before...


Kristin and Brittany splash in the Pacific Ocean for the first time:


Whaleshead emerging in the fog, washed in morning sunlight:


Diane and Steve:


Steve and Mark are karaoke fans, so we all paraded down to the 101 Club not once, but twice during our stay! Those readers who know me will know that that brings my lifetime karaoke experience up to three. Before this there was just one other time back in the day, bumbling through "Ebony and Ivory" with my friend Jeff...it was ugly... Here Taylor and Samantha entertain us with a duet:


Lois leads the girls in dance:


Mike & Lillian dance while Diane and Steve sing a duet:


Derik and Brittany on the rocks at Harris Beach:


Campfire on Harris beach:


Devon is Lord of Fire:


The wave-pounded coastline:


Kristin, Scott, Brittany and Derik at Indian Sands:


Derik glissades the dunes at Indian Sands:


Scott takes control of the kitchen, preparing delicious chicken piccatta:


Relaxing in the hot tub after an eventful day:


Scott and Kristin in Oregon Caves:


Amazing Oregon Coast:


Kristin and Brittany sporting matching Oregon Coast sweatshirts at the pool tables in Wild River Pizza:


Breakfast at Whaleshead:


Derik paddles the beautiful waters of the Chetco River:


The stately old growth redwoods at Jedediah Smith Redwood Park:


Hiking in the redwoods:


A demonstration of girth:


Stunningly beautiful Secret Beach:


Oregon coast sunset:


Goodbye for now!:


A huge THANK YOU! to Diane, Steve and Mark for hosting all of us at their house in Brookings. We took their place by storm - a veritable home invasion - and I know how disruptive and exhausting that can be. They took it in stride, kept everyone in food and in drink, were excellent hosts, and for this we are immensely grateful!