THROUGH THE COASTAL MOUNTAINS TO ASTORIA, OREGON
September 13th and 14th
Maia wanted us to see the historic city of Astoria, located at the mouth of the Columbia River where it empties into the Pacific. Even though it can be just a day trip, she wanted to make it an overnight journey. The extra time that gave us to see the sites was definitely worth staying over.
Billed as "the most popular stop on the way to and from the Oregon coast," is a fascinating restaurant named Camp 18 after the milepost where it is located. Everything about the building and its features is gigantic; an example being the 85 foot, 25 ton ridge pole that extends the length of the building. It is the largest known such beam in the United States. Virtually all the lumber used in the building was cut in the owner's own saw mill nearby. Our stop here was for Maia to show us the unusual restaurant and for us to sample their specialty desserts.
Soon we were back on the road to finish our journey to Oregon's northernmost city, Astoria, on the banks of the awesome Columbia River. Highlights of our time in Astoria included a ride on a 1913 waterfront trolley where volunteer motormen and conductors provided a personalized interpretation of the history of the region.
The towering Astoria Bridge, which carries traffic between Oregon and Washington state, is over four miles in length. The bridge's main span, which is 1,232 feet long, is the longest continuous truss in the world.
Along the way we had excellent views of seagulls, cormorants and sea lions. In a marina with numerous slips, the sea lions filled every pier and anywhere else that there was a place to lie down. The funniest sight was of those lying on the dock beside the "RESEARCH" boat. Their incessant barking could be heard along the entire waterfront.
We took time to enjoy seeing some artifacts, housed in a small museum, that were preserved from the period when many fish canneries lined the waterfront. The Bumble Bee Seafoods cannery used to be in this building where Dick and Maia are standing.
Rising majestically from the highest hill in Astoria is a unique monument known as the Astoria Column. Erected in 1926, it commemorates the discovery, exploration and settlement of the Pacific Northwest. The exterior is adorned with murals depicting scenes from Oregon history, the most famous being the explorations of Lewis and Clark. Thomas Jefferson had enlisted them to find a river passage to the Pacific Ocean, which they pursued from May,1804, to November,1805, in a journey filled with many trials and hardships. 
It's always a rare treat to meet and carry on a conversation with someone who grew up in the area one is visiting and who can give one insights that otherwise we would never know. This happened as we stood at an observation platform near the column. A friendly 81 year old lady started sharing memories from her childhood in Astoria. Her great-grandparents came there from Finland and were among the first settlers in the town. At that time the village was built on pilings in the river. Her grandfather was a fisherman, and she can recall her grandmother peering out the window in the late afternoon to see her husband coming into the port and exclaiming, "We will have salmon tonight!"
Bar Pilots board ships and assume the navigation of the vessels in the restricted channels of the river and over the bar to and from the sea. These pilots have the highest licensing standard for entry into pilotage in the United States. A different group of pilots called River Pilots do the navigating of ships between Portland and the place east of the bar where the Bar Pilots assume or relinquish responsibility depending on whether the ships are arriving or leaving. The photos are of a river pilot boat and the navy supply ship that it had been guiding in the Columbia River.
From Astoria we wanted to spend some time at the Pacific Ocean, so we headed south to Gearhart Beach.
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