Checking out the local sites

We liked it!

 We are packing up to move to our next Oregon State Park. Volunteering as hosts at Fort Stevens State Park and having a month to savor the area has been better than we had hoped. April is a quiet time of year in the campground until Friday afternoons. The families roll in. People look so happy to be here and can't wait to start their campfires. Even though our hours are 4-8pm, we open the wood shed if they ask. The kids are always so excited to start a fire and roast a marshmallow. The dads look proud as they haul away their bundle of wood.

One evening, we heard a knock at our door. A couple had locked themselves out of their cabin. Mike was walking with them to the visitors center to get the master key when I remembered that the rangers were still on duty. I called the ranger's station and asked them to let them in. Things are pretty quiet here in the evening. If not, call the ranger.

Warrenton Waterfront Path

The Warrenton Waterfront Trail near where the Columbia River empties into the Pacific Ocean in northwestern Oregon makes for an easy and interesting bike ride along the water.

The trail has views of the Astoria-Megler Bridge, the large ships passing underneath it, and the pilot boats and helicopters guiding them through this treacherous stretch of the Columbia.

For a longer, more challenging ride, we would head to the hilly Lewis and Clark Road between Astoria and Gerhart near Seaside through the green countryside.

Warrenton Park Lighthouse Museum with a huge whale spear at the end of the path.

High Gravity Ziplining

Our stop at High Gravity Ziplining in Astoria had a great restaurant and fire pit. We were getting hungry and some great chili and beer bread was is order before jumping back on our bikes.

 This zip tour starts at a treehouse, travels across multiple zip lines, traverses a sky bridge, zips high over a beautiful valley.We watched a family as they zipped across the lake, dipping the 10 year old boy into the water as he neared the end.

Since ziplining in Costa Rica and Hawaii on much larger ziplines in the past, we opted out on this one.

Heading to Washington for the day

We took the 4 mile bridge across the Columbia River to checkout Cape Disappointment Lighthouse and State Park that we could see across the river.

Yep, we are walking up there.

We climbed the path to the lighthouse which also had a Coast guard lookout. The lookout door happened to be ajar. As I walked to see what was inside, a seamen was also walking up to the open door, being a gentleman he stepped back to let us through first and then invited

us to go in (since it looked like we were going in anyway). He explained that they were monitoring a crew practicing rescue activities and let us look through the telescope. We visited a bit then They thanked Mike for his service in the Air Force and he thanked them for theirs. They shut the Authorized Personnel only door behind us as we left. Oops, it all worked out.

Cape Disappointment Lighthouse

It is estimated that 2000 ships and hundreds of lives have been lost along the stretch of the coast from Oregon to British Columbia.

The local herd of elk around the campground making their morning rounds.

Riding some singletrack

The paved paths are quite nice to walk or ride our bikes on. But the single track through the woods is great. We were checking out a trail through the forest and were having such a great time as we reached the road and turned around to go back in, there was a sign posted stating the area was closed for forest cutting. Once again, we were in a restricted area. Fortunately, no tree fell as we passed through the area. We took the road in the direction that we thought home was and made it back. Oops, it worked out again.

Our walks and bike rides each day were real treats.

Easter clam hunting

We learned the ins and outs of razor clamming. Each person must carry their own bag with a limit of 15. The metal diggers are better than PVC and can be rented for $10 a tide at the KOA across the street. These fellows are looking for the divot in the sand showing where the clams are tunneling down at low tide.

Razor clams,  I am thinking chowder.

You have to be fast to get the buggers. They extend their diggers and pull themselves deeper into the sand.

Lots of people coming and going on the beach at a negative low tide.

Astoria

The Astoria Riverwalk is the best way to get a feel for the city. We started exploring at the Port of Astoria with hundreds of ships from all over the world walking along under the Astoria-Megler Bridge, while watching river otters swim and glide.

 This  bridge across the Columbia River connects Astoria in Oregon and Point Ellice in Washington located about 14 miles from the mouth of the Columbia River.

 Standing 600 feet above sea level, the Astoria Column offers a spectacular view of the city, the Columbia River and Young’s Bay. A hand-painted frieze that spirals around the column and would be 500 feet if unwound.

The visitor's center has balsa wood gliders for visitors to purchase and send sailing from the top of the column in the breeze.  Kids were timing their flights, while the glider would float and turn, at over a minute before going down the stairs to recover their gliders and back up and do it again.

One time up was probably more than enough for a few adults. At one point, I thought a person might need CPR before they got to the top.

164 steps to the top.

View from the top.

Goonies Tour

From Kindergarten Cop to Short Circuit, Oregon’s North Coast has been host to a number of  80s and 90s films, but only one has gained cult status: The Goonies, A group of young misfits who call themselves The Goonies discover an ancient map and set out on a quest to find a legendary pirate's long-lost treasure. A favorite of my kids growing up and as we are finding out, many others of a certain age. We made the rounds to see some of the sights and signs along Astoria's streets.

  

This is for you, Krista.

Back at the Fort, I am not sure is this fellow is a determined fisherman or just crazy.  Another fisherman on the South Jetty can't be seen here because of the splash of the waves.

Watching kids in the outdoors is a hoot. Little kids without many restrictions riding their bikes for hours must go to bed pretty tired at night. We watched two 14 year old girls spend an entire day on their bike and skateboard towing each other with a rope even as the sun was setting.

Not sure how we would like volunteer hosting, we are so glad we gave it a shot. Starting in a slower off season as "Wood Hosts" was a good introduction. We are trying out positions in different Oregon State Parks this summer and can definitely see ourselves doing this for some time in the future, allowing us to take in the area a little at a time while contributing a little bit.. The "bennies" of a campsite aren't bad either. Who knew there were so many different types of hosting?

Touring the Clatsop area

Seeing the Sights

Oregon's unusually rainy season causing flooding and landslides has been missing us at Fort Stevens and hanging south of us. Most of our first two weeks were dry except short periods of mist or rain in the mornings. This gave us plenty of time to get out and enjoy our walks and bike rides. People don't worry about the rain here. They just make sure their clothes are adequate. Waterproof boots are a good things, tennis shoes not so much.

We have explored some interesting places on our plentiful time off and learn a thing or two along the way.

Columbia River Maritime Museum

Stories of the legendary Columbia River Bar, one of the most dangerous passages in the world, are in the Columbia River Maritime Museum.  We learned about the extreme forces at work along the Columbia River Bar with waves that can exceed 40 feet in height during the most severe winter storms.

Our volunteer Oregon State Park Pass provides us free admission to several museums even if it is a private museum like the Columbia River Maritime Museum.

We had never heard of a lighthouse ship until we boarded the Columbia which is part of the museum but on the river.

In 1892 the Columbia River Lightship Station became the first active lightship on the west coast. A wooden-hulled vessel housed two coal-fired boilers, which produced steam for a twelve-inch fog whistle. Three oil lamp lenses, used to alert vessels at night, topped the ship's two masts. The ship had no engine for propulsion, but had sails in case the anchor chain, which held the vessel at a position roughly five miles west of the Columbia River's mouth, broke.

As we boarded the Lightship, the docent happened to be retired from the Coast Guard. We visited with him about his service and the ship. He talked a bit about the jetties and their effect on the river and shipping.

The Coast Guard has a strong presence with ships based in Astoria. The helicopters that we hear combing the beaches are in Warrenton on this side of the bridge from Astoria. 

Two years after being ripped away by the Japanese tsunami of 2011, this 20 foot fishing boat floated upright from the Japanese island of Honshu to the Long Beach Peninsula in Washington. The owner of the 20-foot boat was contacted and said he did not want the vessel to be returned. Instead, he donated the boat to the Columbia River Maritime Museum.

We like to watch from the riverwalk or a restaurant as the tugboats guided the barges up the river. Astoria and Longview only have one port each, leaving the barges lined up on the river awaiting their turn to load or unload. Often we can see 10-12 within view anchored.

Blue Scorcher Bakery and Café turned out to be a favorite for us when we ventured into Astoria. But the food trucks have some amazing looking food that we will have to try next time we return to town.

Riding 20 miles on the backroads on our bikes through the farm land was a great way to spend a morning.

It is good to have warm bike clothes on damp mornings.

Fort Clatsop

Fort Clatsop was the winter encampment for Lewis and Clark's Unit in 1806. Daily costumed programs and activities are scheduled during the summer months. We enjoyed the quiet morning as we walked around the fort replica and museum before anyone else arrived.

The river trail was a nice 2 mile walk along the river as we watched the river otters and water fowl.

Netul River

Salt Works

It doesn't take long as we drive into Seaside to understand that it is a frequently visited tourist town. The long boardwalk along the ocean is beautiful. But the narrow streets make driving in our big truck tricky. Parking and walking through the downtown is a best bet. I can't imagine how busy it must be in the summer.

While in Seaside, we made a 15 minute stop at the mini National Park Salt Works, short but an important part of the Lewis and Clark history.

Much of the Lewis and Clark Corps' stay on the North Coast was spent securing food for the winter and provisions for the trip home. By the time they reached the lower Columbia River region, they had run out of valuable salt for seasoning food and preserving meat.

Meat preservation was a matter of life or death for the Corps. Spoiled elk meat could make the Corps sick, and without meat for the return home, weakened with hunger.

To make salt, the Corps had to find rocks to build a furnace, wood to burn, ocean water to boil, fresh water to drink and game animals. Nearby rivers weren't salty enough, but a site 15 miles southwest of Fort Clatsop proved perfect. 

Five men traveled to the beach site, built the camp and set five kettles to boiling, 24 hours a day, to produce salt, 3 ½ bushels or about 28 gallons of "Excellent, fine, strong & white" salt.

South Jetty

One of our hikes was along the South Jetty where the Columbia River and Pacific Ocean meet. It was a calm day and the waves were still pretty choppy. In the distance, we could see the ships heading out to sea. No whales today.

Our campsite is behind a hill a mile from the beach is surrounded by trees and bushes which cuts down on the wind. We can hear the rough surf and wind on the ocean from our home when it is windy. A father told us that the wind on the beach was so strong that he had to hang onto his son so he wouldn't blow away.

In our staff meetings, (yes, we have meetings but they provide cheesecake) they keep reminding us about tsunamis and what we do if we feel an earthquake. Head for the hills. The tsunami alarm in Warrenton is a horn on the top of a truck that also sounds its horn when the local high school football team scores a touch down. But no one was sure if that is still protocol since the guy that drives it may have died.  hmmmm. Maybe a guy with a lantern on a horse or elk is the new alarm. We will go with feel an earthquake, run.

The host ranger arranged for us to arrive March 28th and provided us with a campsite so we could rest up before beginning our duties, another unexpected benefit. Our time at Fort Stevens is passing quickly as we near our halfway point. We are glad we jumped in and gave this volunteering a shot. Starting in the slow season was a good idea also. The weekends get busy but that's not a bad thing. By Sunday afternoon, we are back to just a few campers scattered about. I am sure that is going to change soon with the Crab and Wine Festival in Astoria at the end of April. We have been warned.