GOING NORTH

June 12, 2013

Ordinal at Haceta Head Lighthouse

Today was a travel day.  We didn't do any sight-seeing except for what was out the window along the road.  We traveled from Astoria, Oregon eastward along the Columbia River until we reached Rainier.  We crossed the river and headed north into Washington.  This was the first time we've been on an interstate since we left southern California.  We picked up the 101 highway again just outside of Olympia.  From there it was a beautiful drive along the Hood Canal which is an inlet from Puget Sound.  We ended up in a town called Sequim.   Sequim is located at the foot of the mountains that make up Olympic National Park.  We plan to spend a week here and we will explore the surrounding area.  We plan to take a ferry to the San Juan Islands where we're told you can see the orca whales off shore.  We'll check out a couple more lighthouses and possibly go over to Vancouver Island, Canada.   And for those of us who read the Twilight book series, Forks is just down the road a bit.  I'll have to drive through and see if I spot any vampires.

CANNON BEACH

June 11, 2013

Today we drove to Cannon Beach about 15 miles south of where we are staying.  We had photographed the beach from a distant bluff in Ecola park, but we wanted to get up close and see if we could spot the elusive puffins who nest on the iconic Haystack Rock for which Cannon Beach is famous.  Hillary enjoyed exploring the beach and tidal pools with us.   There are hundreds of birds who nest on the rock, including gulls, murre, cormorant and, of course, puffin.  

Steve and Hillary at Haystack Rock, Cannon Beach, Oregon

We saw lots of puffin, but they actually nest high up on the west side of the rock which is difficult to get to unless  there is a very low tide.  However, there were plenty of them flitting and flying around the rock.  I managed to get several photos of them in flight.  They are not graceful fliers and it's easy to spot them.  They don't glide or soar like a gull.  They like to swoop down to the water and scoop up little fish in their beaks to take back to their nests.

Puffin at Cannon Beach

The tide pools at the base of Haystack Rock are loaded with all types of sea life, including star fish, mussels, anemone and other things I don't know the name of.   We explored the tide pools for a while and photographed the birds around the rock.  We would have enjoyed staying there much longer, but it suddenly began to pour rain and since we had our good cameras with us, we needed to get back to our dry car.   In the afternoon we took a drive to an eagle sanctuary and wildlife refuge but were only able to spot one juvenile eagle.  When they're young, they don't yet have the white head feathers that make them such awesome looking birds.    But we have had a few bald eagle sightings along the way.

Starfish in tidal pool, Cannon Beach

Tomorrow we leave this area and head up north into Washington.  We will be staying in the puget sound area of Washington.  It will be a new area to explore.

LEWIS AND CLARK: THE ORIGINAL TRAVEL BLOGGERS

June 10, 2013    

Fort Clatsop

We started the morning by visiting the Lewis and Clark National Park.  This park is on the Oregon side of the Columbia River and is the site of the fort they built to spend the winter of 1905-06 before they began their trip back to the east.  Nothing of the original fort exists and this is the recreation of the fort based on the drawings and description in Lewis and Clark's journals.  The name "Clatsop" was given to the fort by the explorers to honor the local Indian tribe they befriended who reside in the area.  The tribe was integral to the explorers' survival that winter.   Being here and learning more about Lewis and Clark's exploration and their documentation of the northwest territories has been very impressive.  

House of Capt Flavel

We then headed back into the town of Astoria to check out the Queen Anne style Victorian house of Capt. George Flavel who was the original river pilot commissioned by the state to guide ships into and up the Columbia River.  He was also the town's first millionaire.  We toured the inside of the home which is fully furnished and restored to the period of the late 1800's.   This was Capt. Flavel's retirement home.

River Walk Trolley

In the afternoon we strolled along the 4 mile river walk linked by docks and boardwalks.  There is a cute trolley that will take you on the 4 mile stretch but we enjoyed the walk.  There are lots of cool places to eat and shops along the way, but this is also an active area for fishing and shipping, so it's not gentrified  (YET).  There is a Maritime Memorial Park along the way.  We also watched a huge ship slowly make it's way up river.  We also watched fishermen coming in with their catch (big sturgeon) and we watched a ship being loaded with thousands of big logs.  I wondered where the ship was destined.

Steve at the jail (AKA:  Film museum)

 We also checked out the local county jail.  It's not a place someone would normally go on their vacation, but this one has been turned into a film museum.  Inside the "jail" are displays of the films made in Oregon and some made in Astoria (Goonies, Free Willy, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest).  There are interactive exhibits with green screen technology and you can actually make your own little movie and e-mail it to yourself.   There was a family there while we were and they were having an absolute blast.

This is a picture of the Astoria-Megler bridge that crosses over the Columbia River to Washington.  The bridge is 4.1 miles long.  I wish I had the statistic on the height.  It's VERY high on the Oregon end as that is where the shipping traffic goes under.  I don't know when it was built, but there is a lot of renovation going on right now.   There still so much more to explore in this area.  What will we do tomorrow?

Astoria-Megler BridgeI

YOU CAN NEVER HAVE TOO MANY LIGHTHOUSES

June 9, 2013

Today we crossed the Astoria-Megler Bridge (the 4.1 mile long bridge is very impressive) over the Columbia River to explore the area known as Cape Disappointment State Park in Washington State.   There are two lighthouses in the park as well as the Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center.  This lighthouse known as North Head still has a functioning light operated by the Coast Guard, but the lighthouse now belongs to the State of Washington Park Service.  This lighthouse has stood at the entrance of the Columbia River since 1898.  The lighthouse stands on a point 190 feet above the entrance of the Columbia River.  The area is known as the graveyard of the Pacific due to the multitude of shipwrecks in the area.    

Steve at the North Head Lighthouse

This is the other lighthouse on Cape Disappointment.    This was actually the first lighthouse built on the point, but mariners trying to enter the river's mouth from the ocean from the north could not clearly see this lighthouse and so another lighthouse was built.  Both lighthouses are operational to this day.  This lighthouse also has a Coast Guard observation and weather monitoring station just behind the lighthouse.  The point on which this lighthouse is built is known as the second windiest location in the U.S.  (The information I read didn't say where the windiest place was.)   But today was a gorgeous day and we enjoyed the hike required to get to this lighthouse.

Cape Disappointment Lighthouse

Lewis and Clark's trek to find the northwest passage ended in this area in 1805.  It began in the
St. Louis area and took 18 months.  Tomorrow we will go to the Lewis and Clark National Park.  The park has recreated Fort Clatsop, which is the fort Lewis and Clark built to spend the winter of 1805-1806 here before heading back to report their findings to Thomas Jefferson who commissioned their exploration of the northwest passage.

Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center

SO MUCH TO SEE AND DO

June 8, 2013

We woke up to a gloriously beautiful day.  The picture below was taken looking south toward Cannon Beach.  There was a shipwreck of an American schooner in this area years ago and canons from the ship washed ashore there.  That's where the name came from.  The area has been been in many commercials and movies.  We were also able to see the Tillamook Rock Lighthouse much better this morning.  

Canon Beach 

 We moved the RV north a bit to just outside of Astoria, Oregon.  Astoria is a beautiful little city situated on the banks of the Columbia River where the river meets the Pacific Ocean.  The city is the oldest settlement west of the Mississippi.  On the other side of the river is Washington state.  We'll be driving over the bridge you see in the picture.  The river is a very active shipping area.  However, the entrance into the river from the ocean is extremely dangerous.  Although the river is wide, there is a very narrow navigable area within the river.  Also, the waves at the entrance of the river are huge and turbulent due to the river and ocean's confluence.  Many, many ships have gone done attempting to enter the mouth of the river.   We visited the Maritime Museum today in Astoria.  It was well worth the entrance fee.  Very interesting exhibits.

Astoria, Oregon and Columbia River

The next picture is the Astoria Column.   The Astoria Column sits at the top of the hill the city is built upon.  There are 164 steps on a winding staircase inside the tower and once you reach the top, there is a platform on the outside where you can get a 360 degree view the surrounding area.  Because it was so clear today, I was able to see Mt. St. Helens.  Steve didn't go up to the platform with me because he doesn't like heights.  It was built to recognize the early settlers and explorers of the Pacific coast.

Astoria Column

 It happens that this weekend is the annual celebration of the making of the movie "Goonies" which was filmed in the town of Astoria.  This is a photo of the "Goonies" house.   There were several other movies filmed in Astoria such as One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, Animal House and Kindergarten Cop.

Goonies House

TERRIBLE TILLY

June 7, 2013

We're now in northern portion of the Oregon coast.  The drive from the central coast up to the Canon Beach area took us through scenic coastal vistas with off shore rock formations and crashing waves.  The highway cut inland a bit where there are open valleys with lovely little farms with dairy cows and sheep.  We went through the town of Tillamook which is notorious for cheese manufacturing.  Once we made it to our RV park and set up, we took a short drive to to Ecola State Park.  The park has a beautiful wide beach and is also has the closest view of the Tillamook Rock Lighthouse.   It is perched on top of a basalt rock about 2 miles off shore.  The lighthouse was built in 1881 and was dubbed "terrible Tilly" because of the wild waves and storms it endures.  The lighthouse is now privately owned and is now a columbarium (a storage place for the ashes of the diseased).   My picture is a little grainy, but it was misting and the lighthouse is a long way out there.  

Tillamook Rock Lighthouse

While we were standing on a bluff looking at the lighthouse, two bald eagles flew over.  I managed a quick picture of one of them.  Pretty cool though to see these majestic birds.  We'll definitely go back to the area tomorrow to see if we can spot them again and also try to get a picture of the puffins that nest off shore.

Bald Eagle

On the drive to get to the beach, we had to wind our way through a very beautiful forest of spruce trees covered in moss.  The picture doesn't do it justice.  It was very surreal and looked like a set from a movie rather than real life.

Ecola State Park

SEALS AND SLIDE RULES

 June 6, 2013

Yesterday on my posting, I said there were sea lions on the sand bar under the Alsea Bridge next to our RV park.  But they're not sea lions, they are seals.  Today we were able to take pictures of a few of them (we were on the bridge looking down).  You can see that there are babies nursing.  We stayed and watched for quite a while.  These mammals are so awkward on land, yet so very nimble when they're in the water.  It was so cute to watch the babies swimming with their mothers.

Nursing baby seals

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Bay Bridge Visitor's Center:  In the town of Waldford, Oregon, there is a visitors center that details the history of the many bridges along the Oregon coast.  Many of the bridges were designed by Conde McCullough back in the 1930's using the tools of the trade in the day; slide rules, pencils and straight rulers.   No computers to help design and model the bridges.  Most of the bridges utilize elegant arches in the design and many have art deco pillars at the entry and exit platforms.   They're not just utilitarian, they are very pretty and enhance the already beautiful scenery.  You can see a few of his bridges in the pictures I have previously posted.

Bridge Engineer, James McCullough's tools of the trade

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Tomorrow we move our home on wheels up the coast to Cannon Beach.  We're hoping to catch a glimpse of the puffins and bald eagles during our week there.  We're also looking forward to seeing a few more lighthouses before we move on from Oregon to Washington.