OR 2/10- Fort Clatsop and Fort Stevens

Fort Clatsop was the winter camp for Lewis and Clark and the rest of the Corps of Discovery Army unit.  This replica was built according to the original floor plan, and is almost on the exact same location.  The winter fort included a room for their interpreter, Charbonneau, and his wife Sacagawea (the Native American couple had the only room which did not include a fireplace).  

We spent some time in the interpretive center before leaving for our hike, learning about the Lewis and Clark expedition and the Oregon tribal groups that helped them.  

It wasn't mentioned in the guidebook (although I was hoping for the best) that the 6.5 mile Fort to Sea hike could be a one way mission, but after speaking with a park ranger we learned it is a common plan.  Taxis know just where to go after getting the call.  

The Fort to Sea Trail traverses woods, bogs, meadows, and pastures before leading to the beach. (Well, a mile from the beach, the name is misleading and a bit anticlimactic.)

The hike is along the route that the Discovery Corps took to the beach to make salt.

We had great weather on our hike (especially considering that when the Discovery Corps wintered at Fort Clatsop it rained for 94 of the 106 days they were there), taking us less than two and a half hours to complete.  

Within an hour we had called the taxi, reached our car, and were walking on the jetty at Fort Stevens.

The observation deck at Fort Stevens State Park has a great view of the South Jetty, and the Columbia Bar it was built to tame.  It took 27 years to complete the 6.5 mile jetty (construction concluded in 1909) which has helped to stabilize the shipping channel by trapping the shifting sand deposits at the mouth of the river.  

In 1906, the Iredale did not reach its destination of the Columbia River.

Peter Iredale encountered a sudden storm and thick mist, before running aground.  Luckily his 27 member crew all made it to safety, but the boat (everything that wasn't sold for scrap) remains in the location it was originally abandoned.  

I screamed as I grabbed one of these organisms before realizing what was actually covering the shoreline, millions of Velella velella (or by-the-wind-sailors).  Just as they appear, they are related to the Portuguese man-of-war, although they are not dangerous.  These little sailboats go where the wind is going, and often find themselves stranded on beaches to await their fate as bird food.   

We ended our day back in Astoria, at Fort George Brewery.  The brewery was named after the British settlement site of 1811. Astoria was under British rule for about five years, during this time the city was known as Fort George, named after King George III.     

The only option for a flight was a 13 beer sampler (every beer on tap), and how can you say no to that? 

We were quickly learning that Oregon breweries know how to bring in the crowds, it isn't just about the beer, but the food as well.  These veggie chili cheese fries were as good as they look.  

OR 1/10- Astoria

We flew into PDX late last night and after some shut eye in Portland we were headed to Astoria by morning, as part of a ten day Oregon trip (love Spring break).  

The Lewis and Clark bridge spans 830 meters across the Columbia river, intersecting the border of Oregon and Washington.  

The first place on our list was the best fish and chips in Astoria, at Bowpicker.  It is hard to miss the red gillnet boat in the parking lot across from the Columbia River Maritime Museum.  

The Columbia river is tidal up until the Bonneville dam, over 100 miles away. 

The sea lion population in Astoria has reached record numbers, 2,300 in fact.  That is 1,000 more than in 2014, and 2,100 more than in 2010.  

What will next year bring?

We wound up at the end of Pier 39, specifically at Rogue Ale Public House.  There was a wait for a table inside, but we were totally content enjoying our seven-beer-flights and artichoke dip outside, even if we had to yell to talk over the sea lions barking (whom I asked politely to quiet down on several occasions).    

We walked back to the maritime museum on the Riverwalk, which hugs the Columbia river.  

Admission to the Columbia River Maritime Museum includes a tour of the lightship Columbia.  Lightships are floating lighthouses used to guide mariners around reefs and narrow entrances, where traditional lighthouses cannot be placed.  The Columbia was stationed at the mouth of the Columbia River in 1892, and was the very first and last active duty lightship on the entire west coast.  

The Columbia River is the largest river in the Pacific Northwest.  It has been a source of international trading since the late 1700s.  Since that time over 2,000 ships have sunk at the Columbia River bar, and more than 700 people have lost their lives, hence its nickname the "Graveyard of the Pacific".  The US Army of Engineers has tried to do what they can to tame the river, with jetties, dredging, and locks, but it is still dangerous as silt flows from the Cascades and constantly changes the geography of the bar. 

This dive suit was used in the early 1900s to clear gillnet snags.  Gillnetting is a technique used to trap salmon as the migrate.  Their heads go through the net but the rest of the body can't fit, they can't back out because their gills get stuck in the net.  

Many Chinese immigrants worked in the canneries for very low pay and high discrimination.  

Our evening ended at Buoy Beer Company.

Today's selection of activities, food, and beer has been nothing but incredible.  

Wildest flowers at Torrey Pines State Reserve

Rain keeps many away from Torrey Pines State Reserve but I couldn't imagine a better time to go, especially in spring when the wildflowers are at their max. 

The storm over the sea shifted south as we hiked, leaving Eric and I 2,000 rain free acres to explore.

Crossing South at the Tecate Community Museum

Crossing South, a television program on KPBS, came to the Tecate Community museum on Friday. I will post a link once it airs. I am so looking forward to this positive publicity, and am happy I could help to set it up. 

Love the museum. 

Love Tecate. 

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