ASTORIA

Astoria, OR, sits at the mouth of the Columbia River, and is the oldest permanent community west of the Mississippi River. The photo of Patty and I was taken on a hill above Astoria, using my handy dandy, flexible tripod, which I curled around one of the roof rails on the jeep. Truly a spectacular view of Astoria, the river, and the bridge that takes Hwy 101 from Oregon to Washington.

Earlier in the day, we stopped at Fort Clatsop National Historical Park, the place where Lewis & Clark spent the winter of 1805/1806. At the visitor center, we watched a video of the Lewis & Clark Expedition, then checked out the fort and living quarters that has been recreated by the park service. We had visited Fort Clatsop about 8 years ago, and it's always amazing when you get a chance to see, or experience how people existed, 200 years ago.

Next was the Maritime Museum in Astoria. If you like history, this is a really great museum, complete with a decommissioned, 44 foot Coast Guard, lifesaving boat. The display of this boat is at about a 45 degree angle, as if it's being tossed in the waves, and the crew is attempting to rescue a person in the water. Very well done! Outside, a lighthouse ship is moored next to the museum, and it's open for self guided tours.

These two attractions took up most of the afternoon, except Patty found one thrift store in downtown Astoria that she had to check out. As we were leaving Astoria, the Carnival Cruise Ship Splendor was docking near the big bridge. Reminded us of our years in Skagway, when we would see big cruise ships come and go every day. We both miss that little town in Alaska, and are planning a return trip within the next few years.