Astoria and the End of the Trail
The approach to Astoria passes Fort Clatsop, the site of Lewis & Clark's encampment (which has been recreated). Next you see one of the biggest bridges I've ever seen, the Astoria-Megler Bridge, completed in 1966, and 4 miles long, connecting Oregon and Washington over the mouth of the Columbia. On Saturday, we drove over the bridge into Washington state; it's quite an experience. Thankfully, the photos below do not show the dozens of cormorant carcasses that litter the bridge!
Astoria was founded in 1811 by John Jacob Astor (of the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel fame), as a fur-trading post. With the decline of fishing and logging and the closing of its canneries, Astoria superficially looks a bit "down at the heels." But we spent a morning driving around, and it was really a very charming city, built high into the hills, with wonderful Victorian houses, many of which were being lovingly restored.
Since it was Regatta Weekend, parts of the downtown were closed for a big parade, so it limited how much we could see. But we did visit the Astoria Column, climbing up all 164 steps to the TINY platform on top. I couldn't take it--too small and too high. I managed to stay long enough to watch Tom launch his balsam glider (sold for $1 in the gift shop for this purpose) from the top, where it cleared the trees and sailed into the Oregon coast.
Built in 1926, the column commemorates the "westward sweep of discovery and migration." The frieze that spirals up the column features historical events, in the Pacific Northwest, including Robert Gray's discovery of the Columbia River. We did not have a chance to visit the Columbia River Maritime Museum, but if I ever make it back again, that's on the to-do list.
Finally, before departing Astoria, we HAD to drive over the bridge. Crossing the Columbia River into Washington state, we headed for Cape Disappointment, the far end of the mouth of the Columbia River. On this day, it truly was a bit of a disappointment, as the parking lot was jammed full, and we could not park and go any further than the lookout point.
On the drive back to Astoria, I finally remember to get Tom to stop the car and let me take a photo of the "Tsunami" signs that we saw all up and down the coast. I particularly liked this one, because if you look at the blue arrow for the evacuation route, it's pointing straight toward the water!
Finally, on Saturday afternoon, we were tired enough to head the car back towards Portland. After passing through nice little towns like St. Helens, we finally reached downtown Portland, hoping to stay in the hotel we had used the prior week. No such luck. A big convention was in town, and about 12 hotels we checked were all filled. Plus, we heard that the bridges across the river would be closed on Sunday morning for a race. So we decided the best thing to do would be to stay at a hotel near the airport. Embassy Suites agreed. So after a dinner of pizza and beer, we turned in for a good night's rest, and were at PDX in plenty of time to return our SUV to Hertz, and go through security.
