Leaving Brian in Portland to catch some more coffee and an earlier flight, I set out on one last excursion to the coast. The two-hour drive to Astoria at the mouth of the Columbia River passed through open fields and wound through dense evergreen forests. The few sections that had been logged looked quite sad in comparison.
Astoria fit my ideal for a northwest coastal town: a bit of a cool breeze, fog obscuring the tree tops, and everything centered around the water. On the hill above town, I climbed the many steps inside the Astoria Column to gain an even higher vantage point. Despite the fog, it was still and impressive view, and a perfect glider launch for the kids.
In town, I stopped by the Maritime Museum for a photo session with the various anchors, buoys, and ships on display outside. A little further down the river was an elevated lookout and a good spot to enjoy a waterfront lunch of the week’s leftovers. Even after a few days in the fridge Wildwood’s natural steak was still tender enough to be cut with a plastic knife.
West of Astoria was Fort Clatsop, the final outpost of Lewis and Clark’s journey. While the displays of the tools and goods they carried were interesting, I was disappointed with the replica fort. After recently seeing a TV show that closely followed the methods the expedition used, this replica seemed much less authentic.
Going south along the coast, several beach access points allow you to drive right onto the packed sand. Something you can’t do at the Jersey shore with your bitchin’ Camaro… More importantly, I got to dip my toes in the Pacific, which satisfies a certain urge born of the traveler/swimmer mindset collision.
Seaside, the first of the beach towns, was a tacky mess full of people, imploring me to make a hasty exit after noting its historical significance as the end of Lewis and Clark’s expedition. Cannon Beach was a little more sedate and had a bit more charm, not to mention more photographic rocks out in the water.
Continuing south finally produced the quintessential west coast views: roads sweeping around mountain sides overlooking fog-shrouded rock outcroppings in the water. With plenty of time before my red-eye flight, I pressed on to Tillamook dairy country for a dinner of local halibut crusted with local hazelnuts.
The drive back to Portland was another nice winding path through the trees, now illuminated by the golden light of the setting sun behind me. As trees gave ways to fields, a waxing moon rose from the east. I made it to Portland’s PDX airport with plenty of time to pull out the MacBook and take advantage of their free wifi to blog this final entry of the trip.
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