Astoria

Monday, October 1st
South Pacific Day 2
ms Westerdam
Astoria, Oregon
Arriving: 12:00 PM
Departing: 8:00 PM
Clear Skies - 66 Degrees

As one person put it upon hearing of our itinerary, "Well, clearly Astoria is the highlight of the trip!"

Not so much, but not so bad.

Lewis and Clark made camp for the winter here early in November of 1805. It rained every day but twelve until April of 1806. We drove through Astoria this winter, on a bleak and blustery February day on the heels of the last lowland snowfall of the year. We didn't even stop.

In 1811, the American Fur Company established trading posts along the lower stretch of the Columbia River, this one named for its founder, John Jacob Astor. It is the oldest American settlement West of the Rockies. Scheduled for arrival in Astoria at noon, it was a beautiful late morning cruise around Cape Disappointment and into the mouth of the Columbia River, the "Graveyard of the Pacific."

The Columbia River runs 1,243 miles from British Columbia to the Pacific, the fourth largest river by volume in the United States, and the largest to empty into the pacific. The Columbia drains an area the size of France, parts of seven states and one province. Fourteen dams block the flow of the river, unfortunately, the Dam Ship doesn't offer any Dam Tours. In the immortal words of the late, great Woody Guthrie in the official folk song of the State of Washington, "Roll On Columbia, Roll On"

Westerdam docked at the Port of Astoria just downriver from the long and low 4.2 mile Astoria-Megler Bridge that crosses the Columbia linking Washington and Oregon.

Ted and Tres walked a mile and a half along the Riverwalk from the port into town. The train makes this run as well, but it's more folly than trolley. Main Street Downtown Astoria is Commercial Street, and also Highway 30, the Columbia River Highway. Traffic is thick, if not swift, but the architecture dates from the 1920s and has retained its small town charm.

We walked and shopped. Ted and Tres stopped for lunch at the Fort George Brewery, well-crafted beer, burgers, and house-made sausage. Nancy bought a smoking-hot dress for formal night that zips up the front from top to bottom and bottom to top. It leaves nothing to chance and even less to the imagination. Go Nancy!!!

Next Stop: San Diego