Visiting the Oregon Coast

The Astoria area, end of the Lewis & Clark Trail

Astoria is the oldest American settlement west of the Rockies.  It's a place that takes visitors back to simpler times, its architecture dominated by hundreds of victorian homes clinging to steep wooded hillsides and with a revitalized 1920s era downtown; all set against a backdrop of tremendous natural beauty in the temperate rain forest at the mouth of the Columbia River.

Visitors have an opportunity to escape into an appealing, intriguing past. Unspoiled and generally uncrowded, Astoria and Warrenton nonetheless have several first-class attractions including Fort Clatsop, the Columbia River Maritime Museum, the Flavel House, Fort Stevens State Park, the Astoria Riverfront Trolley, and the Astoria Column.  The area has an extraordinary sense of place and feeling of history.

This was the end of our coastal excursion, but the enjoyment certainly didn't end here.  I've spent many weeks in this area during my Coast Guard days, so it was a joy to return.  To start our day in Astoria, we needed to purchase four new tires but after an hour at the tire shop we were back on the road.  Most of the time was spent visiting the Columbia River Maritime Museum, which shares the dockage with the US Coast Guard Cutters Alert and Steadfast; also at this dock is the old Coast Guard Lightship Columbia (see the Photo Gallery page).  We then went inside and walked around the exhibits in the museum.

Topping off the day we stopped at the Largest Spruce Tree in the continental U.S. just a few miles east of US-101 on OR-26.  After a few photos we were on our way to enjoy the evening with our daughter who lives in the Portland area.

If you ever get the chance to spend a day or week or two on the Oregon coast please do so. You'll find almost any type of activity from crabbing, fishing, sightseeing, boating or just loafing around.