Sun, Sky, Surf & Friends. Adieu Astoria, OR

An eerie day with a kiss of sun. Ain't it just beautiful?

So we’ve come to the end of a FABULOUS 2-week stay at Fort Stevens State Park. Despite a few days of hard rain and another few of fog I have to say I’ve simply LOVED it here. The NW Coast has a wild personality and, much like an indulgent friend, you’ve got to give it time to speak to you before you can appreciate it’s true and inner beauty. On foggy days the coast longs for a long, lonely walk with bare feet in the sand, on rainy days it asks you to reach your face to the sky, and when you’ve talked patiently through each it’ll reward you will the burst of a glorious smile of sun and surf that flows in perfect lines of endless blue. Each moment is different and beautiful, a new melody in the language of the sea and I…love…it…all!

Alex provides a lovely silhouette on a day of perfect-weather beach

But I’ve also had some darn good company and that’s made the whole experience even better. A chance meeting almost 4 weeks ago in Eugene, OR led to a blossoming friendship and a month of good times with our now very good buddies Alex and Ellen. We followed them and they followed us and the whole thing led to a blast of a time together. Our impromptu friendship is a perfect example of the sense of community that springs up on the road. I never thought it possible before fulltiming, but there’s really a firm connection amongst RVers that creates fabulous meetings and re-meetings. All it takes is a “hello” and an open mind, and before you know it you’ve got company that feels like old family. We’ve already made plans to meet again.

A lovely PM run on Cannon Beach. The famous Haystack Rock is off in the background.

But before I get all carried away and soppy, let’s say a few words to Fort Stevens and wonderful Astoria. This little area has been a true gem of a find. Astoria is the oldest American settlement west of the Rockies and the furthest NW in Oregon, a mere bridge spitting distance across the dangerous Columbia River Bar to Washington. A cute town with a spattering of cafe’s and small shops, a lovely Sunday Farmers’ Market  and a near-perfect setting of mountains, beach, surf and sky it offers something for everyone. Amongst its many charms it has:

• Miles of unlimited beach on the coast -> ALL pet-friendly of course
• A gorgeous backdrop of rolling mountains -> I highly recommend the panoramic hike up to the 3,283-foot summit of Saddle Mountain.
• Cute Coastal towns -> Seaside and Canon Beach are both just a few miles away and great draws. Cannon Beach is especially famous for it’s off-shore rock formations.
• A selection of old Forts -> Fort Stevens State Park is the perfect spot for the military history buff.
• Some wonderful museums -> The Maritime Museum is a “must do”, but there’s a bunch of other great draws too.
• A good showing of lighthouses -> Take the short trip to Cape Disappointment for a few of the best
• An A-to-Z of Lewis and Clark -> There’s several spots dedicated to the two explorers
• And so, so much more…. 

Yours truly at the summit of Saddle Mountain

In 2 weeks we’ve barely scratched the surface of all this place has to offer, but we’ve managed to stay long enough to realize it’d be easy to spend a month and never be bored.

But sadly it’s our time to move on. From here we work our way further south on the Coast. This morning the sky has greeted us with a wonderful burst of blue, we’ve communed happily with the beach and are looking forward to a cozy drive to our next destination. We leave good friends behind and most uncertain weather ahead, but we know adventure will bring us all back together in the sun again before long.

Looking towards the sunset. Just another great day at the beach!

Thick forest on the coastal range. A hike in the mountains provides a whole, new perspective.

A panoramic seat welcomes you at the "saddle" on Saddle Mountain

View towards the coastal range from the Fort Stevens jetty

Polly ponders life and the view

Ahhhhhh...it's a glorious life!

The Graveyard of the Pacific – The Columbia River Bar, OR/WA

“Mere description can give but little idea of the terrors of the bar of the Columbia; those who have seen it have spoken of the wilderness of the ocean, and the incessant roar of the waters, representing it as one of the most fearful sights that can possibly meet the eye of the sailor”
Commander Wikes, US Navy ~1860

The Peter Iredale was wrecked in 1906.

It’s been dubbed as one of the most dangerous bar crossings in the world. Right here a fast-flowing narrow and shallow column of the Columbia River collides with the swells of the Pacific creating constantly shifting sandbars and up to 40-foot waves. Add to that one of the windiest and foggiest spots on the West (a mere 2500 hours of fog/year and up to 120 mph winds) and you’ve got yourself the mini-version of the perfect storm. It’s a mariner’s terror and in its time it’s claimed over 2,000 ships and 700 lives. In the late 1880′s a  20-year jetty-building project helped to stabilize the entrance to a single channel, but the crossing is still unpredictable and requires both constant maintenance and the aid of a highly specialized “Columbia River Bar Pilot” to complete.

Remnants of old jetties at Fort Stevens State Park

But it turns out the river has many other stories too. It’s been both elusive, fruitful and the source of a golden age of steam boats. For years explorers such as Haceta, Cook and Vancouver attempted to find the mouth of the Columbia and failed. In 1788 a fur trader (John Meares) found the bar, tried to cross but was thwarted by rough waters, eventually deciding that the river entrance did not exist. He named the area “Cape Disappointment” clearly reflecting his feelings on the matter (the cape was finally crossed in 1792).

One of several life-sized models at the fabulous Maritime Museum in Astoria

In the late 1800′s fishing became the new boom. A seemingly endless supply of salmon spawned some of the largest cannery operations in the West. Immigrants from Scandinavia joined scores of workers from China and created an industry which lasted well into the 20th century. Around the same time (1850) steamboats reached the Columbia and launched the epitome of luxury travel for the upper class.

The North Lighthouse at Cape Disappointment

These days both the canneries and the steamboats are gone, but you can still  touch the history of both sides of the river through the small town of Astoria, OR and by Cape Disappointment, WA. We spent a gorgeous (and surprisingly pretty) day by the Cape followed by a fabulous tour through the old town and Maritime Museum in Astoria (highly recommended!).

Which leads me of course to the obvious and (most interesting) last question. With all the wrecks around here, is the place haunted? Well, a local Coast Guard gave me the low-down that it may well be. A mix of sightings and a Ghost film crew have all passed through and claimed it so. We didn’t see any phantoms, but you’ll have to let me know if you do….

P.S. For those wanting to explore the WA side a little more there’s an awesome campground at  Cape Disappointment State Park with sites literally steps from the beach. Selection of full hookups too. It’s on our list for when we come back.

Let not the sea decieve you...a calm day belies undercurrents in the bay

Wild and treacherous coastline at Cape Disappointment

Cape Disappointment Lightouse...apparently haunted so they tell me

Hanging out by the Cape with Alex and Ellen on a particularly fine day