The Mighty Columbia River

Astoria in Oregon lies on the south side of the river which separates the Beaver State from Washington State. Astoria was covered in fog, the Evergreen State was sunny as we drove across the tidal river. 

It was as though the gods had understood they had gone too far and were finally ready to let up on us poor sun-seekers. 

Our first task was to drive to the town of Chinook where, the Internet assured us we could find Washington State Discover passes for sale. $30 buys a year’s worth of unlimited access to state parks. We bought gas and with our pass on our dashboard we felt welcomed to this final state on our journey north. We aren’t going to Canada this trip and from here we will drive east to see the Presidential heads in South Dakota.  

We headed back toward the bridge to spend the night at a nearby rest area. The evening was lovely lit up by glowing sunshine. 

Dismal Nitch does not sound terribly appealing but it is highly rated on iOverlander and is said to be frequently filled with travelers pausing on their journeys. We were glad to find plenty of room and we backed into an eight hour spot overlooking the river. First class accommodations! 

The evening was cool with an even colder wind blowing up the river but we determined to enjoy the view while we had a snack. Rest areas are not the right place to put up outside chairs and tables for picnics; they are for travelers to rest in. 

There is a bit of history here concerning Lewis and Clark whose expedition is memorialized in several different monuments and parks. 

The Corps of Discovery got as far as a little cove just above the rest area on November 10th 1805 and were forced to stop and wait a week as they could make no further progress to the goal they had just barely glimpsed: the mighty Pacific Ocean. 

One of the occupants of the rest area spotted what appeared to be an overturned boat drifting in the river and a 911 call got the coastguard out to see what was going on. It turned out to be a piece of styrofoam dock broken loose but they swiftly scooped it up and removed it. 

We buttoned up the van after I walked Rusty and settled in for some cider and dinner treats from Oregon: soup and meat scones with a cookie all from the excellent bakery in Tillamook. And then the moon rose…

…so we pulled out our cameras layne and I and endeavored to capture the moment. 

The next morning broke sunny and clear on our side of the river with heavy cloud cover smothering Astoria on the Oregon side. 

It was time to go and as we headed inland toward I-5 we passed the Nitch where Lewis and Clark took cover from the storm. Not a great picture but snapped in passing. 

It was a lovely day and we wound along the countryside sometimes near and sometimes far from the mighty river. A perfect drive with very little traffic. 

There was a free dump station we took advantage of in passing and I wish more states offered these simple facilities to the many recreational vehicles on the roads. 

It was as pleasant to drive as it looks. 

We stopped for lunch, a home made Turkey wrap with hot tea and fresh Oregon cherries for dessert. And a side helping of ocean going freighters past our stopping place. 

It was a lovely spot shaded and a short walk from the edge of the cliff overlooking the river. 

This freighter below is a car carrier probably bringing new imports across the Pacific. This is the type of ship we plan to load our Promaster van onto for the brief passage from Panama to Colombia next Spring. $3500 for a two hundred mile sail around the Darien Gap…

A home made memorial marker under the trees: 

The pleasure of the van is that ability to stop pretty much anywhere and be at home, even if just for an hour to eat and take a break from driving. 

Our destination was to meet friends we first met sailing in Southern Mexico 23 years ago. Moochdocking is the plan for the next few days. 

I am proud to say I won our first game of Mexican Tyrian however unfortunately Anna I were drawn in equal first place which was annoying but we thrashed Layne and Ian into third and fourth place so that was compensation enough. 

Clamming, walking, doing laundry, drinking beer and reminiscing and remembering transiting the Panama Canal together. 

I think we should be able to enjoy this reunion. 

An Oregon State Of Mind

I get the feeling that it takes a bit more than passing through, to absorb the angles and irritations that make living in the Beaver State so enticing. Because it is a state that attracts immigrants and tourists. I’m not sure I get it but the failing is all mine. 

Take Tillamook, home to the cheese factory, a desirable town not too fancy but pretty and just twenty minutes from the ocean. Not that you’d know as there isn’t a lick of ocean living to be seen here. But the sky? Gray and heavy and somber like a cold November day. 

We paused to buy pastries and coffee to break up the drive and of course this is where you come to eat first rate food grown locally and organic and all that. My Danish was none of that, I think but it was delicious as was the coffee. 

Across the way it looked like a scene from a Tolkien story. Retirement in Tillamook looks okay if you can stand the brisk August winter! Twenty years in Key West says many things about me but fear of sunshine is not one of them. I love sunshine. 

Rusty likes the cool air and the friendly locals who stop to make a fuss of him. 

We went past the Tillamook cheese factory and tourist trap, but it was packed with vast lines and not a mask in sight. It was the same story at another roadside factory so as much as I love cheese, we passed. It is tedious remaining Covid cautious but we are not dropping our guard. Our friends in Seattle are getting tested prior to our arrival. It’s how we go. 

Rusty fell in love in Tillamook. They circled each other and then it was all wagging tails. The other guy had to go back to work which was a shame as he shared my stupid sense of humor as we watched our dogs circling and wagging tails before they had to leave to go back to work. Rusty was bereft. He circled the building into which they disappeared and I had to cheer him up with a special treat and some tummy rubbing. I never saw that coming: Rusty liking another dog. 

They have peculiar parking rules in Oregon. I have no idea how you identify a resident’s parked car. Or an employee. I guess we are safe with a Florida tag, neither a resident or any employee be. 

Layne got stuck in the soap shop named for the owner’s rescue bull, saved from a painful death when she luckily was there to take him in. How do I know this? Because Skye owns a VW van but finds it too cramped and is converting a school bus into a spacious home. Instant connection. 

We talked about heat and humidity and insects and the long gray summers in Tillamook induced by changes in the climate that is increasing summer rain and cloudiness. Forty years of gray overcast is forcing Skye to contemplate a move to Portugal in search of sunshine. The lucky cow may find himself emigrating too as he enjoys robust good health. Race horses travel was Skye’s rationale so why not a rescue bull? Lucky bear indeed. 

The drive up Highway 101 is wearing us down. The wind mercifully is absent so 63 degrees isn’t as cold as it might be. 

But the fog is real and hangs low. “I could see how beautiful this might be with sunshine,” Layne said at one point after we had listened to John Grisham for a while in a long line of cars, residents probably, doubtless driving home to hot toddies and summer fireplaces designed to cheer you up in this bizarre climate. 

The beauty is dramatic and there are lots of pull outs to see the latest state of the waves. Gas is around $4:60 to five bucks a gallon and you’d think people would be staying home given the fuss about gas prices this summer. But Oregon is busy with crowds of people packing the parking lots and sidewalks. Come with reservations or be prepared to wild camp if you can. 

We stopped at a rest area just south of Tillamook Tuesday night. That place too was busy with cars coming and going. We had salad and a deconstructed burrito for dinner and woke to a wet landscape as though it had rained overnight. 

It was a lovely spot for a walk. And the attendant was hanging out nearby chatting with a bicycle tourist who broke out a guitar and started singing. He actually had a good voice. We told him we enjoyed it, which we did, and he glowed. 

Oregon the enigma. Great people, terrible weather, nice roads and extraordinary scenery, great food and if all this isn’t enough they offer legal euthanasia. They really do follow the beat of their own drummer! 

Some pictures: 

This place reminds me of pictures I’ve seen of Alaska. 

Dispersed forest camping is not obviously available along the coast. 

One of a number of identical fruit stands. Good fruit even though it’s a chain! 

An indented coastline with rivers and lagoons produces many bridges. 

Logging, fishing, and tourism keep Oregon healthy.  

Hot public showers in Salmon Harbor Marina.  

Fish and chips. Delicious cod in Coos Bay. 

Pick up some Covid with your cheese. Yes I’m grumpy about skipping it. 

A stretch of Highway 101 reduced from freeway to country road and as lovely as you’d imagine. 

Garibaldi, below.  The Italian revolutionary was respected around the world.