Astoria, to Cape Disappointment, back to Astoria
Astoria, Oregon - Monday, May 2. 2pm.
After doing some sightseeing down under the bridge in Astoria this morning we drove across the bridge to Washington. There we drove out to Cape Disappointment on the very mouth of the Columbia River.
Cape Disappointment was given its name by English explorer John Meares who was looking for the mouth of the Columbia River in 1788 and failed to find it. The weather was bad so he turned his ship around a few miles short of seeing the Columbia, the largest river of the pacific northwest region of the US and Canada. The mighty Columbia remained uncharted by European settlers for another 4 years, when George Vancouver found it.
At the point of Cape Disappointment are a lighthouse and a major Coast Guard operation. The mouth of the Columbia is dubbed "The Graveyard of the Pacific" for its treacherous currents that slam ships into sandbars, conditions that can change in matters of minutes, and frequent fog throughout the year that makes everything even harder to see, even for skilled sailors. In fact it's so treacherous that the first time they tried to build a lighthouse there, the ship carrying the materials to build the lighthouse sank.
After visiting the cape we drove back across the bridge to Astoria. Partly that was to do more sightseeing and partly because it was the fastest route home. Even though we'll later cross back into Washington and then back into Oregon once more. Again, fastest route home.
In Astoria for the second time today we ate lunch at a local brewery, browsed a few shops downtown, and then visited the Astoria Column. It's a 125 foot tall tower built in a city park atop a hill overlooking the town.
The column was built in the 1920s by the Great Northern Railway and Vincent Astor, great-grandson of America's first tycoon, John Jacob Astor. The murals wrapping around the column commemorate the history of the city and the Astor family in developing the Pacific Northwest.
Inside the tower is a spiral staircase of 164 steps climbing to the observation deck at the top. From the top I could see Mt. Hood and even Mt. Rainier, some 170 miles away.
Continued in next blog: one final visit, then home.
After doing some sightseeing down under the bridge in Astoria this morning we drove across the bridge to Washington. There we drove out to Cape Disappointment on the very mouth of the Columbia River.
Cape Disappointment was given its name by English explorer John Meares who was looking for the mouth of the Columbia River in 1788 and failed to find it. The weather was bad so he turned his ship around a few miles short of seeing the Columbia, the largest river of the pacific northwest region of the US and Canada. The mighty Columbia remained uncharted by European settlers for another 4 years, when George Vancouver found it.
At the point of Cape Disappointment are a lighthouse and a major Coast Guard operation. The mouth of the Columbia is dubbed "The Graveyard of the Pacific" for its treacherous currents that slam ships into sandbars, conditions that can change in matters of minutes, and frequent fog throughout the year that makes everything even harder to see, even for skilled sailors. In fact it's so treacherous that the first time they tried to build a lighthouse there, the ship carrying the materials to build the lighthouse sank.
After visiting the cape we drove back across the bridge to Astoria. Partly that was to do more sightseeing and partly because it was the fastest route home. Even though we'll later cross back into Washington and then back into Oregon once more. Again, fastest route home.
In Astoria for the second time today we ate lunch at a local brewery, browsed a few shops downtown, and then visited the Astoria Column. It's a 125 foot tall tower built in a city park atop a hill overlooking the town.
The column was built in the 1920s by the Great Northern Railway and Vincent Astor, great-grandson of America's first tycoon, John Jacob Astor. The murals wrapping around the column commemorate the history of the city and the Astor family in developing the Pacific Northwest.
Inside the tower is a spiral staircase of 164 steps climbing to the observation deck at the top. From the top I could see Mt. Hood and even Mt. Rainier, some 170 miles away.
Continued in next blog: one final visit, then home.