Destination: Nehalem Bay State Park, OR
Today was what we label as a travel day. Even though we don't need to rush from our campsite, usually an 11:00 am checkout, we left Mt. St. Helens RV Park in the fog hoping to find sunshine further south. It was 8ºC foggy with light rain this morning and eventually got to 15ºC in the afternoon.
We took our time to prepare for our trip as it was only a 2 hour drive over 103 miles. We left at 9:45 am and headed south on I-5 until we got to exit 40 and #4 to Longview. We met many logging trucks on the two lane highway and then crossed over the Columbia River on Lewis and Clark Bridge. Now in Oregon we headed west on #30, the road was hilly and it got to an elevation of 656 ft. Near Westport.
This travel day was planned to have some site seeing built into as neither of us had spent any time along the coast. At noon we arrived at Astoria at the mouth of the Columbia River.
Astoria is the oldest American city west of the Missouri River. We stopped there to enjoy the sunny day and walk along the river banks. There were many freighters on the river that carried cargo from all over the world.
We pulled into an empty parking lot in front of the Columbia River Maritime Museum as they we closed for the season. We talked to a gentleman who gave us information about the area. He walks his Jack Russel when the vacuum cleaner is started at home.
We pulled into an empty parking lot in front of the Columbia River Maritime Museum as they we closed for the season. We talked to a gentleman who gave us information about the area. He walks his Jack Russel when the vacuum cleaner is started at home.
The area here in Astoria is under transition . The old railway station is being renovated to become the local rail head quarters of a street car that, in the summer time, will run along the river taking tourist passengers from one end of town to the other.
Back on the road again, we took #101 and headed south along the Oregon Coast. At Fort Clatsop we found the place where Lewis and Clark ended their surveying trip back in the early 1800s. Their encampment is marked as a National Memorial. Lewis and Clark stayed three miserable months to prepared for the return trip east.They boiled sea water to make salt to cure meat for their trip.
In Seaside further south, is a beautiful place with homes along the beach. There are many State Parks on this coast line and we arrived at Manzanita and Nehalem Bay State Park at 1:30 pm and found a good site for $20.00 a night. We booked for four nights. After we set up we grabbed a bite to eat and then at 3:00 pm went for a walk. We walked around the campground, took our self-registration to the drop box. And then walked to the beach.
Nehalem Bay Shore lies on a sand spit with two inviting sides-a picturesque, recreation-rich bay on one side and a long, sandy ocean beach with scenic Neahkanie Mountain in the background on the other side. www.oregonstateparks.org
The beach goes for miles and the waves of the Pacific Ocean were high. At first I thought the tide was coming in but as we stayed we saw that it was going out. We sat listening to the sound and enjoyed the warm sun as it was getting lower in western sky. Randal took many pictures as we waited for it to set. Time was 4:45 pm. The wind got cooler as we returned to the trailer. On the sign that leads to the Pacific Beach has a notice of what to do if there is a Tsunami in this area.
It was a beautiful day and we feel so good to be here and travelling like we are. We celebrated with a glass of wine and a game of scrabble. Lorraine won.
November 15, Thursday
Location: Nehalem Bay SP - 4ºC and sunny in the morning and warmed up to 12ºC in the afternoon, it was welcomed!
We are without an internet so we have to rely on other adventures. The walk around the Campground took us along the bike/walking path past the amphitheater and a beach on Nehalem Bay. The tide looked like it just went out, leaving sea weeds and patterns in the fine sand. Many large old tree drift wood and stumps were piled on the beach bank. It was awesome to see.
After breakfast we drove into Manzanita, looked for the library. We were told that the library has a free WiFi connection even when closed. So we could check our emails and FaceBook sites. That being done we drove down the main street and parked close to the beach. We walked again on the beach with the Pacific Ocean wave pounding on the beach.
After about and hour on the beach we headed back into Manzanita and stopped at the grocery store. It was an older building and was filled with all sorts of things as well as fresh organic vegetables and fruit. We asked the owner about the tide times and he referred us to their local news paper, “North Coast Citizen”. High tide was at 12:55 pm. only minutes away. So off we want to walk on the beach again and watched the tide come in. It be 8.76 feet above the “mean lower low water”. Now this is the first time I have heard of this term!
We stopped into an small ice cream/coffee shop and bought a fruit smoothie before we left Manzanita to visit Wheeler, south on #101 through Nelalem. Wheeler is a small village on the Nelalem River. We saw a couple of fisherman going out and a kayaker. We stopped at a bar and restaurant called “Tsunami” for fish chowder and egg rolls.
November 16, Friday
It was 4ºC and raining early this morning but had stopped off and on all day. It was 12ºC high this afternoon.
Randal had turned on the TV Oregon Public Broadcast with a program with a senior lady doing chair exerciser. As it was raining we joined her and did the exercises as best we could. It was energizing. Later when the rain stopped, we did our daily walk along the beach towards Manzanita and back. It turned out to be a 7km walk. I measured it on the pedometer I wore. The waves were much higher and noisier. Randal captured some spays and good heights.
At 1:44 pm we went to the beach to see the tide come in. The wind come up more so the waves were much higher. The rest of the afternoon was a game of scrabble and a movie.
November 17, Saturday
It was 12ºC raining and very windy this morning. It did not get much higher than that, in fact the temperature went down to 7ºC and rained most of the day. The wind went down only for a while.
Our adventure walk on the beach dressed as rain-proof as possible. The sands were wind-blown and smooth. The wind was coming out of the SE and drifting the fine sand. We walked south, the opposite from yesterday's walk. Of course the rain really came down and by the time we got back to the trailer we were soaked! We striped as soon as we got inside, in the kitchen. We always bring in the fine sand, so sweeping was necessary.
We went down town Manzanita to the library to check our emails and face book messages.
We dropped into J. Scott Wilson Fine Art Studio and Gallery. He paints contemporary, simplistic art of local environment. www.jscottwilson.com
Until next time remember to "Discover It and Live It"
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