Finally we arrived in Astoria. Have you heard of it before?
Lewis and Clark spent the winter of 1805-1806 near Astoria at Ft. Clatsop. It's by the mouth of the Columbia River. It was the first permanent settlement on the Pacific coast.
Lewis and Clark spent the winter of 1805-1806 near Astoria at Ft. Clatsop. It's by the mouth of the Columbia River. It was the first permanent settlement on the Pacific coast.
Astoria has been a place of film making. Free Willy, The Black Stallion, The Guardian, and Kindergarten Cop are some of the films. The Goonies (1985) is the one I'm most familiar with. Have you seen it? Here's the original trailer for the movie.
Our kids had never seen the movie before, so they didn't know what we were talking about when we told them it was filmed here. We had a map of the town that showed where the Goonie House is located, so we ventured out in the rain to find it. Easy peasy since the town is pretty small. It looks quite similar to the way it did in the movie 25+ years ago.
So glad we had our boots in the back of the car because it was WET!
Later, we rented and watched the dvd in our hotel suite during the afternoon downpour. We all recognized the house, front porch, town scenes including the city jail, and the scenes filmed down at Cannon Beach.
We spent some time at the Columbia River Maritime Museum. It was quite interesting learning about the history of the river. Did you know that the mouth of the Columbia River is one of the most dangerous in the world? Many ships have sunk over the years trying to get to and from the Pacific Ocean.
At one point in the day, the clouds lifted a bit, and we hurried up to Coxcomb Hill where the Astoria Column is located. Completed in 1926, it was constructed to salute Astoria's explorers and early settlers for their important contribution to the expansion of the United States. The beautiful artwork that encircles the column was done by an italian who specialized in sgraffito technique, carving through colored plaster. The scenes depict the area's history beginning with the indians and Lewis and Clark and ending with the railroad arriving in Astoria in the 1880s. There are 164 steps up to the top.
That's Washington State on the other side of the bridge. That's the bridge by our hotel. Notice the barges about to go under the bridge on their way out to the Pacific. When looking in the other direction, we could see beautiful, green countryside. I'm sure on a clear day we would see so much more, but we were happy that the clouds lifted a little bit for us.
We really wanted to try to get a look at the mouth of the Columbia. So even though the rain kept coming down, we drove over to Fort Stevens State Park and found the best view from the South Jetty Observation Deck. Because of the low clouds, our view was limited. But it was cool to see how the water went from normal flowing river water to more turbulent ocean water as they collided.
Ft. Stevens was a primary military defense installation from the Civil War until the closing of WW2. Now it's a 42 acre park where people picnic, camp, bike, hike, fish, and play. There are old gun batteries to explore. We weren't there at the right time of year to go into the underground command center or take a jeep ride, but we did play around on another creepy battery.
While in Astoria, we ate at Subway the first night- boring. We also ate at Bridgewater Bistro for lunch- very delicious and great ambiance. For dinner the last night, we ate breakfast foods at the coastal chain called The Pig and Pancake- yum-O and awesome waitress who impressed us with her ability to not write a single thing down.
Friday morning, we awoke, at breakfast, packed up, and said good-bye to the charm and beauty of the Oregon coast. We were homeward bound. But first, we had to make a much anticipated stop in Portland, once again. Could food be involved?
So glad we had our boots in the back of the car because it was WET!
Later, we rented and watched the dvd in our hotel suite during the afternoon downpour. We all recognized the house, front porch, town scenes including the city jail, and the scenes filmed down at Cannon Beach.
We spent some time at the Columbia River Maritime Museum. It was quite interesting learning about the history of the river. Did you know that the mouth of the Columbia River is one of the most dangerous in the world? Many ships have sunk over the years trying to get to and from the Pacific Ocean.
At one point in the day, the clouds lifted a bit, and we hurried up to Coxcomb Hill where the Astoria Column is located. Completed in 1926, it was constructed to salute Astoria's explorers and early settlers for their important contribution to the expansion of the United States. The beautiful artwork that encircles the column was done by an italian who specialized in sgraffito technique, carving through colored plaster. The scenes depict the area's history beginning with the indians and Lewis and Clark and ending with the railroad arriving in Astoria in the 1880s. There are 164 steps up to the top.
That's Washington State on the other side of the bridge. That's the bridge by our hotel. Notice the barges about to go under the bridge on their way out to the Pacific. When looking in the other direction, we could see beautiful, green countryside. I'm sure on a clear day we would see so much more, but we were happy that the clouds lifted a little bit for us.
We really wanted to try to get a look at the mouth of the Columbia. So even though the rain kept coming down, we drove over to Fort Stevens State Park and found the best view from the South Jetty Observation Deck. Because of the low clouds, our view was limited. But it was cool to see how the water went from normal flowing river water to more turbulent ocean water as they collided.
Ft. Stevens was a primary military defense installation from the Civil War until the closing of WW2. Now it's a 42 acre park where people picnic, camp, bike, hike, fish, and play. There are old gun batteries to explore. We weren't there at the right time of year to go into the underground command center or take a jeep ride, but we did play around on another creepy battery.
While in Astoria, we ate at Subway the first night- boring. We also ate at Bridgewater Bistro for lunch- very delicious and great ambiance. For dinner the last night, we ate breakfast foods at the coastal chain called The Pig and Pancake- yum-O and awesome waitress who impressed us with her ability to not write a single thing down.
Friday morning, we awoke, at breakfast, packed up, and said good-bye to the charm and beauty of the Oregon coast. We were homeward bound. But first, we had to make a much anticipated stop in Portland, once again. Could food be involved?
What a great trip! Of course you know I love the Astoria Column that the Italian created :D And how funny about the Goonies House. Who knew?
ReplyDelete