Look Who Likes to Play in the Dirt

North Coast Part 2

Everytime we drive through Astoria, we talk about going through the Maritime Museum. For this trip, it was the top of the list. We learned a lot of things we didn’t know, but our focus was on the Columbia River Bar Pilots and the Coast Guard.The Lightship Columbia is moored behind the museum. It was the last of the four lightships that were anchored off Clatsop Spit at the mouth of the Columbia River between 1872 and 1966 in lieu of a lighthouse. We drove out to Hammond to check on a place Dave had been told about for crabbing. We didn’t find anyone crabbing, but we did see the Columbia River Bar Pilots' new pilot boat, the Columbia. As you know, we, I, like to take pictures at sunset. We drove up to the Astoria Column, but with the thick cloud cover, all we really had was dusk.Several ships had come in that day and were moored on the river below.When it got dark, we went down to the river to the viewing area, but it started to rain so we put away our toys and went to dinner.We also found a place where you can drive out and see the ships close up in the East Mooring Basin where they wait for a Columbia River Pilot to take them upstream.One of the ships, Pan Leader, was leaving about the time we were going to have lunch. By the time we got to Longview, she had just gone under the Lewis and Clark Bridge. We stopped in Kalama to watch the sunset and just before we left, the Pan Leader passed us by.We watched her status on the River Pilot website and Friday night found her moored at a grain elevator by the Rose Garden.There's still a lot to see in this small river town. I'm sure we'll go for another visit sometime.

North Coast Part 1

It seems like forever since our last post, but it's really only been a week. We took a little out of town break the first weekend of spring. It was supposed to rain in Portland the whole weekend, so we thought it might be fun to spend the weekend on the coast watching storms roll in.We normally go to the central coast--Lincoln City, Newport--but a few weeks ago we took a day trip to Long Beach and Astoria and decided we needed to go back and spend some time exploring the area.
Our previous trip was when we stumbled upon the shipwrecked Peter Iredale. Earlier in the day we hiked to the North Head and Cape Disappointment lighthouses. There was no one at North Head but us. We had the whole place to ourselves.Cape Disappointment was quite the flurry of activity. When we got to the point, we came face to face with the Coast Guard coordinating rescue swimmer training (a la "The Guardian").Dave quickly became engaged in a conversation regarding the authenticity of the movie. As with any movie, some things were pretty accurate and others were Hollywood. They talked at length about how difficult it is to do rescues in caves, such as the ones below where we were standing. They chattered on and I took pictures of the lighthouse.Last weekend was nice, but those sporadic spring showers followed us most of the time we were there. We revisited the Peter Iredale and drove back to Cape Disappointment, but most of our time was spent watching the ships coming in from the bar. Let me sort through some pictures and I'll get to that in Part 2.

Happy First Day of Spring!

Out-of-Town Blazer Fans

So it's been a busy week. Brad and Mel came to visit for a few days last weekend.We gave them plane tickets out of Boise for their birthdays and let them use our Blazer tickets for the weekend. Brad was thrilled, because the Lakers were in town on Monday. It's always a party at the Rose Garden Arena, so I think they both had a good time.We picked up extra tickets for Ashley and Scott for the Saturday night game against Minnesotaand then the six of us went to Buffalo Wild Wings after the game. It was a late night for old folks on the eve of the switch back to Daylight Savings Time. (I was dragging all week.)
Like at any professional sporting event, they have sponsor giveaways at every game. They get close to our section frequently, but never hit it. We let Brad and Mel pick the seats they wanted out of the six (since the seats were in three different sections) and they ended up with a free pizza from Pizza Hut and an oil change a piece. You can count on one hand the number of games we've missed this year and we've never won anything.
Getting extra Laker tickets was much more challenging and expensive than picking up tickets for the Minnesota game, so we resigned ourselves to sending Brad and Mel and staying home and watching the game on TV.Just as we were coming across the bridge from dropping them off at the Max Station, a nice guy that sits in our section called and said he had three extra tickets if we wanted them. Scott had class Monday night, so we swung by and got Ashley and headed back to Portland. (I don't know if she ever finished that cheesecake was working on when we called.)
Just as we were leaving the Will Call window, we got a text from Brad and Mel that the game ball delivery was coming through our section and to hurry.We sit high in the upper bowl, so if we didn't hurry, we could potentially miss our only opportunity to participate in this festivity all season. Clearly Ashley was excited to get her hands on the game ball.They were the lucky charms last weekend. Sponsor giveaways, ball delivery, and two Blazer victories. We enjoyed having them here and look forward to them coming again soon.

A Little Trip South

A rainy Thursday gave way to a sunny Friday, so I grabbed my gear and drove into Portland. I'm still amazed at what a difference just a few miles can make in climate. There are a few crocuses beginning to pop around Vancouver, but if I'm looking for flowers, I head to the Rose Garden.
The closest thing I found to roses was this Rambling Rose that grew along the ground almost like a weed. A couple of blooms were open, but mostly buds that just need another week or so of sunshine.One lone rhododendron had begun to bloom in a soggy corner of the garden. I love how they look like fabric folded in creamy velvet just before they open.Miniature daffodils threaten to pop open anyday,but my favorites were the crocuses. Their colors were so rich in the sunlight and they were in an chest level planter and I didn't have to stand on my head to take their pictures.
After a little snow this weekend, the sun is supposed to come back out for the rest of the week. Hopefully we'll see more color popping out in Vancouver.

A Little Reminder

I don't know about where you are, but where I am it is pouring, and I do mean POURING, down rain. I need a shot of spring. Just a little reminder of what these early spring showers will bring.

The Graveyard of the Pacific

The stretch of coast from Tillamook Bay, Oregon to the tip of Vancouver Island is often referred to as the “Graveyard of the Pacific.” In the dark, early morning hours of October 25, 1906, the captain of the Peter Iredale sighted the Tillamook Rock Lighthouse and altered his ship’s course in preparation to enter the mouth of the Columbia River in a thick mist and rising tide.A heavy squall from the northwest grounded the ship just off modern day Clatsop Spit where high seas and wind drove the ship ashore. A lifeboat was dispatched and successfully rescued the entire crew of 27, including 2 stowaways.
A couple of weeks ago we took a drive to the coast (surprised?) to enjoy a sunny winter day. We were looking for some photo opportunities we missed last fall when we began to run out of daylight.While we were in search of a location to take pictures of an impending sunset, we, like the Peter Iredale, unexpectedly found this spot on the beach where the ship is imbedded in the sand. We had heard for years of a shipwreck still visible in the sand, but had never taken the time to look for it.If you look closely you can see the bases that held the masts upright.
We took several pictures of the sunset and the shipwreck, but soon the tide began to come in and once again return the wreck to it’s watery grave.