The Thin Blue Ride - Part 1 - Day 18

Ft. Stevens State Park: 0 Miles (RV)

Ride Report: 5 miles, 144 total miles, 8.2 mph avg, 140 calories, 105 ft. climbing.  Before the reader breaks out laughing at these numbers I might interject that we (yes, Susan rode too!) basically toodled to the beach twice on a bike/pedestrian path.  Speed was not a possibility in this environment...

What a great day.  First thing up, go to the beach and do the ceremonial tire dip thing.  For the uninitiated, when one commences the Trans-Am, one dips one's tire in the Pacific.  Then upon arrival on the East Coast one repeats the process, except this time its the front tire in the Atlantic.  It is, after all, a coast to coast ride.  And should I be fortunate enough to be able to complete it, I want photographic proof baby.  So - the way I figure it, I'm already half way done.  All I need now is the picture at the other end.  Oh yes, the boys got into an argument about who would get to go to the beach.  I eventually settled the matter by taking them both.  This, of course, occasioned two separate trips to the beach and back.  Then they were reduced to arguing about who got to go first.  (sigh)  At least they're just arguing and there have been no fisticuffs yet.  Hold your breath... 

This one is me and the Sequoia.  It didn't go as smoothly as I had planned.  Note that I have no shoes.  That's because I didn't want to be riding with them wet tomorrow.  However, believing that I  was initially too close to the water to set them down, I backed up.  This while holding onto the stem, which means I was at the front end of the bike.  I was in essence, backing a trailer on the beach.  If you've never backed a trailer, just know that the rear end doesn't always go where one might expect - as was the case in this instance.  Soon I found myself tangled in the rear tire of the bike while walking backwards.  Once that happens, there is only one place to do - down.  So I unceremoniously fell over the bike and wallowed about on the sand like someone who didn't know what they were doing.  Dressed in black spandex and a white(ish) jersey I consider myself fortunate that some passerby didn't mistake me for a sleek and graceful beached Orca and attempt to roll me into the sea.

Things went much better with the Tarmac.  We took our picture and left.

This, dear readers, is Susan and I posing in front of the wreck of the Peter Iredale.  According to the info board I read (park services love these things), it was a British sailing vessel that ran aground in 1906.  I didn't know sailing vessels were made of steel, but live and learn...

Once the obligatory beach pics were done it was back to The Rig where I had to take a shower to get all the sand off me and then we were off on the scooter to explore.  The first place we went was the North end of Ft. Scott State Park.  There is an observation point there at the mouth of the Columbia River.

We were fortunate enough that a freighter was inbound to the Port of Astoria while we were there.  I think this pic is cool.  Beach grasses, beach, river, freighter and mountains in the background as an added bonus.  We also saw this freighter later...

The Corps of Engineers was kind enough to build an observation platform a bit further South in the Park so we took the opportunity to climb it and were rewarded with this view.  Note the mountains in the distance.

Once done exploring the State Park we decided to go check out one of the many coastal artillery batteries located around the Columbia River Delta.  On the way there, we ran into these two.  Elk here are as "wild" as they are at the Grand Canyon.  Which is to say they're tame.  These two tried to hit us up for a donation after we took the pic.  Panhandling elk - what's next?  Fees to get into National Parks? 

So - the first of the coastal artillery batteries was installed during the Civil War.  They were then added to and modified until they were abandoned after WWII.  This is Susan and I standing in front of a WWII era 5 inch gun.  While it was interesting and I have lots of pictures of big guns, the reader will recall that I already went down this road when we were in Lawton, OK during the Texas Test Flight series of blog posts.  In deference to my daughter Kelsy, who apparently finds military history boring, I shall refrain from posting a bunch of pics of artillery pieces.  I hope she's happy with herself, raining on everyone else's parade.  Just know that if I hear from enough readers (one) I'll post the rest of em...

So, next up on the hit parade was a trip to Ft. Clatsop.  It's a reconstruction of the log blockade where Lewis and Clark overwintered before heading back East with the Corps of Discovery to report on their findings.

However, when we arrived we realized that we had forgotten our National Park Pass and weren't allowed entry.  But, being a believer in the notion that one should avail oneself of learning opportunities wherever one finds them, I submit this pic.  The reader will recall seeing pics of tsunami warning signs in past posts.  Note that this sign is different.  Now I know where they make em.  They're assembled at Ft. Clatsop by a team of four employees.  That this is only a temporary assembly area indicates a larger facility elsewhere.  Maybe in area 51.  I've yet to determine how their distribution network operates.

  Next it was off to see the Astoria Tower.  Its really pretty remarkable: 164 steps to the top (Susan and I counted em) with views to die for.  Some of which follow below.

Susan and I with the tower as a backdrop.  Note the paintings and verbiage on the tower.  It starts at the bottom with the Lewis and Clark expedition and works its way thru Oregon history as one works up the tower.

Susan and I at the top of the tower.  Note all the anchored freighters in the background.  The one from the earlier pic is there now.  The reader should also note Susan's hair - it was WINDY.  So much so that when Susan bumped her clip on sunglasses trying to control her hair for another pic later, the sunglasses were "Gone With The Wind" - right over the edge of the tower.  A group of three eagle eyed youngsters saw where they landed and we later recovered them - undamaged.  They sell some quality clip-on sunglasses at Wal-Mart, eh?   

While the freighter is probably the reader's focus in this pic, the real action is the big building with the curved roof in the foreground.  That's the Columbia Maritime Museum from whence I shall depart on the Trans-Am route in the morning.  

Another view from the top of the Astoria Tower.  This is Mount Saint Helens - some 80(ish) miles away.

And this is Mount Rainier (also snow capped).  Its kinda hazy, but its there in the center of the pic.  I think it was something like 160 miles away.

Then it was down to the Maritime Museum so Susan could get in a shot with the big anchor.  The official start line of the Trans-Am.

Then it was off to dinner at the Columbia Roadhouse in Chinook, Wa.  The reader will note that this is our 7th state.  No pics of the state line sign this time tho.  It was somewhere out on the three mile long bridge that takes one over the Columbia and into Washington.  What with Susan being on the back of the scooter at the time and me driving, pulling out the i-phone for a pic didn't seem prudent.

And after dinner - dessert.  Susan obliged me half of the cake, but I had to fight for my half of the ice cream.  I thought it unusual, but right after finishing dessert, Susan said something about going over to the gift shop which was on the other half of the restaurant.  OK.  And when she came back she had bought these for me...

Does the reader think they make my butt look big?  They had a pair in red.  Maybe that would be better...

Till next time.