Good Bye, Lewis and Clark

Our three-week stay at the Lewis and Clark Golf and RV Park is ending; tomorrow morning we leave for Netarts Bay RV Park located about 60 miles south of Astoria, Oregon.  The Lewis and Clark Golf and RV Park was just what we were hoping for when we arrived on June 1, 2010; quiet, safe, and a beautiful view.

 

The golf course was, well, it needed to be developed a bit more (but remember, it only costs $10 to play!).  Normally, it takes a groundskeeper and several employees to mow and maintain the greens at a golf course. If you throw in a small RV park, add another couple helpers to mow, weed and keep the place clean. Only two dedicated owners at the Lewis and Clark Golf and RV Park maintain the bucolic golf course view and the tidy, level lots for your RV. They are particular about the care and feeding of this place and it shows. This determined couple are trying to build their golf course and RV Park into a thriving business.

The land was formerly their farm and they have now converted it into a “Big Rig” friendly RV Park with a central location in the northwest tip of Oregon State. The park is slowly building with a thoughtful and quality approach; adding restroom/shower facilities, on-location Laundromat, and a small store. No, all the special amenities such as a pool, hot tub, and clubhouse aren’t found here; but instead you get a quiet, clean, safe and beautiful location to relax, and a convenient launching pad to explore all the interesting sights, activities, and great restaurants in the area.  If you read our blog from June 1 through June 19, you can get an idea of the things to do and see--only some unseasonable rain held us back for a few days.

Our PC Gnome says "keep on truckin'".

The Astoria Column

"The Astoria Column is the final, crowning monument in a series of 12 historical markers erected in the early 1900's between St. Paul, Minnesota and Astoria, Oregon."  The brochure doesn't mention the location of the other markers, but it sounds interesting doesn't it?

The weather report showed today as the last sunny day for a while, so it was time to see and climb to the top of "The Astoria Column".  The location is at the highest point in Astoria--without going to the top of the column you can see for miles.  The column is narrow and the spiral staircase inside has a banister on one side only.  A little scary when you meet someone coming down--not to mention it makes you dizzy walking around and around.  My picture doesn't clearly show the art on the outside, but 12 events are depicted that occurred in the region--mostly the Lewis and Clark expedition.

The view is spectacular, but let me tell you we didn't dwell too long on top.  The viewing platform is small, and it was filling up with too many people. 

But, you can see forever, can't you?  Look east down the Columbia River gorge, look west out to the ocean, north to Washington State and the picture to the right shows south into Oregon.  If I wasn't so darn nervous up so high, I would have relaxed and enjoyed it more.

You've Got Mail

Modern nomads can have a few extra challenges, especially with mail delivery.  Fortunately, there are a number of mail forwarding services that are very flexible about when and where they forward your mail.  We chose the Escapees Mail Service out of Livingston, Texas.  You establish your new mailing address with them, call them when you want your mail and have it sent to your location's post office (your name, c/o general delivery, and town).  Cool, huh?  We stopped by the Astoria post office today to verify they accept general delivery, they do.

Based on a friend's recommendation (thanks, Kathy), we had lunch today at the Ship Inn on the waterfront just off of 3rd street.  The best fish and chips.  The breading on the fish was light and crispy; the fish cooked to perfection.  Every seat in the restaurant has a view of the Columbia River, the Astoria bridge,the deep green forest on the Washington State side of the river, and the fishing boats waiting to hook onto the "big one".

Yesterday and today was rainy and a bit windy, but tomorrow the weather gets better and predicted to be sunny and perfect next week.   Looking forward to a hike on Saturday, golf next week, and a number of outdoor activities before we leave the area.

To Market, To Market

Astoria, Oregon has a Farmers' Market every Sunday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. taking up three blocks downtown. It not only includes seasonal fruit and vegetables, but fresh fish, oysters, crab. They also have a large food court, a live band, and craft booths. It is a little early in the season for the fruits and vegetables, but we found a wine tasting booth, Nehalem Bay Winery. Nehalem Bay Winery only sells from their winery, website shipping, and the Astoria Farmers' Market. It has been in existence since 1974, and their wine is really pretty good. We bought two bottles of chardonnay. Mike negotiated a "senior citizen discount" price for the two (hey, we're on a fixed income now!).

The Market layout leads you down to the river walk and the Wet Dog Cafe. We stopped for lunch and had the crab cake melt and DaBomb Blonde beer (this one is for you, Barb!). The cafe overlooks the Columbia River and sturgeon fishing is now open. Several boats were fishing not too far out from the restaurant and in plain view of our table. A sturgeon was caught while we were having lunch--that doesn't happen very often. The after meal "mint" is a key lime flavor. I didn't know key lime candy existed (what a sheltered life I've led) and it was really good (this one is for you, Jerry!).

Astoria has a new Costco and we had to pick up another Tri-Tip (Classic style marinade) for the freezer. We barbequed a Costco tri-tip last night and it was to die for. So good. Is it time to eat again?

Pier 39

Pier 39 tenants include the Rogue Ale Public House, the old BumbleBee tuna cannery, a scuba shop and a number of others. We headed to the Rogue Ale pub. We heard the Kobe blue cheese meatballs were the appetizer of choice. And boy, did they get it right. Pair the meatballs with some beer samples and you've got a great meal. We conducted our own beer taste test with 1 as the lowest and 5 as the best; (1) "Mom's"-Mike/5, Terry/4, (2) "Honey-Orange"-Mike/4, Terry/3, (3) "Irish" -Mike/4, Terry/5 and (4) "JJ Juniper Ale" - Mike/4, Terry/2. Really, in the end they were all tasty.


The Astoria, Oregon trolley "Old 300" runs from Pier 39 along the river for 4 miles under the Astoria bridge. It is v.e.r.y...s.l.o.w. The slow-go did help you see all the restaurants, canneries, the Columbia River Pilot building, and condos. I think we'll be back to a few restaurants before we leave the area. Contrary the name, the "Wet Dog" smelled especially good; but so did the BBQ joint.


Twenty-five years ago, "The Goonies"(Steven Spielberg movie) was filmed in Astoria, Oregon, and is a BIG DEAL here. This weekend is the "Goonies" 25th anniversary and the town is crawling with Goonies. We considered attending the premiere of the "The Making of The Goonies" documentary" and the "The Goonies" movie both showing in the newly renovated Liberty Theater (built in 1925). But, $20/each--I don't think so (are we getting to be cheap retirees?). We'll rent the movie. I'm pretty sure we saw the movie in 1985, but a refresh is in order.


I won't bore you with our dinner picture, again; but I have to tell you the buffalo steak we grilled for dinner was the best. The meat has 76% less fat than a beef steak and cooks very fast. So tender, it melts in your mouth. Highly recommended.

Ships Ahoy!

Things do get wet here. Last night and today we experienced a fairly decent storm in Astoria, Oregon--heavy rain last night and today with wind gusts up to 40 miles per hour. It was time for some indoor activity. The Columbia River Maritime Museum was on our list; and yes, it was well worth the visit. The picture on the right shows the items taken off the shipwreck we saw on the beach yesterday. Beautiful woodwork.



(Tip: If you double-click on the photos, you'll get a bigger picture.)




The museum not only has displays and interactive movies of Coast Guard rescues, shipwrecks, fishing, Navy (you can walk on board the bridge of a WWII destroyer), barge (full-scale mock-up of the pilot house), fur trading, but huge windows overlooking the Columbia River. We were at the museum over two hours and looking outdoors occasionally we saw a constant stream of barges, fishing boats and pleasure boats--on a stormy day! There is even a cruise ship coming into Astoria on June 14.



Did I mention we're trying to hit all the spots in the U.S. listed in the book "1,000 Places To See Before You Die"? Well we are, and the Oregon Coast is on the list. Officially, the Oregon Coast begins at Astoria, Oregon (Milepost 0) and ends at Brookings, Oregon.