The Northern Oregon Coast

On our way to "Da Nort", we again traveled on 101. And along 101 is the Tillamook Cheese Factory. I am not sure if this cheese is found on shelves in the midwest, but it is definitely on all shelves in the western states. (I am munching on a cheese curd right now; my excuse is that I had to pull the bag out of the frig to check the spelling of the name...) Anyway, it was a fun stop complete with tour, sampling, and lunch in their very reasonably priced cafe. I was amazed at some of these stats!

From the big 40 chunks to the packages we see in the grocery store, the process is carefully monitored. This must be the leading employer in the area.

This must be one of the most boring jobs; seems all the person does is check to be sure each package is sealed and monitor the computer screen, probably for weight.

And this must be one of the best jobs! We all enjoyed the sampling and yes, we each bought some of the products.

When we finally made it to Seaside, we landed for a week at one of our membership parks. It was like coming home, when I made it to the hot tub on the first night and chatted with fellow travelers. "Hot Tub Talks" have taken us to many interesting places and this time, it pointed us in the direction of an Astoria museum. So we took off the next day to check out the town, which we later found out is the oldest settlement west of the Mississippi. It is named after John Astor who was instrumental in bringing trade to this area.

This picture shows some of the pilings on which the old city was built. In the background is the four mile bridge to Washington. So, instead of staying in Astoria that day, we headed further north. I mean, gosh, when you see a bridge like that, you pretty much have to cross it.

And we certainly are glad we did. When we crossed the bridge and took a left, we didn't really know where we were headed, But as it turned out, Bonnie had her X-ray eyes on that day and spotted a bear along the road!

(If you can't see the bear, it is because I wasn't quick enough with my camera and didn't get a shot.) We actually saw two black bear and the second one was the largest any of us had ever seen. When we told people about the incident later, we found out that it is very rare for bear to be in this area and so close to people.

We ended up at Cape Disappointment and it surely wasn't disappointing.

I am in awe each time I see the size of the driftwood in this part of the world. The lighthouse is on the hill on the left. Also notice the ship that is oh so small on the horizon.

In case you are wondering about the name...

When we got back to Astoria, we went down to the harbor. This is the boat we saw from Cape Disappointment. A "pilot" is being put aboard to get the ship through the Columbia River as it is a very difficult channel to navigate. A pilot boat pulls along side the ship and the man moves quickly from the boat to a rope ladder that is hanging off the side of the ship and then climbs to the top. This looked like, and is, one of the most challenging jobs around. We later found out there are only 2 dozen men who are river pilots.

The next day, we visited Astoria again and our first stop was the Astoria Maritime Museum where I found out much more about the Columbia River and "pilots".

This is an actual boat that was used early in the 1990's to transport pilots. As Mike pointed out, the rope on the side served as the bumpers. Yikes, if it is dangerous today, can you imagine what it must have been like!

If you are like me, you need a frame of reference. This is a map of the area about which I am writing. The area marked "The Bar" is what is referred to in the sign a couple of pictures back.

At one point in our self-guided tour of the museum, Mike and I glanced outside and noticed a group of boats gathering. So of course, we had to check it out. It was a memorial ceremony for the five people who lost their lives on this section of the river during the past year. One of the retired pilot boats was among the vessels that gathered. (This is actually the second time we have witnessed this kind of ocean memorial; the last was for a surfer who died in San Diego.) Note the small boat that is in back on this larger boat. The larger vessel would travel out into the ocean to meet a ship and when it was close, the smaller boat was launched with the pilot aboard. It would take "the bar pilot" to the ship. Nowadays, that is done by helicopter; this boat was retired in the 1990's.

This boat held the chaplain and here you can see a wreath of flowers that was just released. A rose was thrown out for each of those who died.

The setting from our viewpoint on the pier.

When we left the museum, we boarded the trolley and found a GREAT place for lunch. The name may not have been real appetizing but the food sure was. My crab sandwiches were excellent and Mike loved all three fish on his sampler plate.

From there we headed to the Astoria Column. This 125 foot tall column was completed in 1926 and commemorates 22 significant events in the history of this area. There are 164 steps to the top and I climbed every one of them for some amazing views of the area.

My three fellow travelers opted to stay below. Can you find them in the picture above? The picture below shows the bridge - the point way out is Cape Disappointment. I think I remember hearing that the Columbia is 12 miles wide at that point.

A view "from the top" of the rivers that feed the Columbia.

Yep, I was really at the top and this is proof!

On Sunday, we went to 10 am church and then decided to just kick back and do nothing; a good decision since we have been doing some pretty hard "touristing" lately. Today, we are taking another day off as Mike is not feeling the best. Still on our list of things to do in the area; a winery that we discovered a few years back and more beach and ...