Astoria, OR, and Tacoma, WA

Leaving Newport, OR, July 31st, we followed the coast north as planned.  Gosh, it was bumper to bumper again at every little town!  Just RVs, cars, and people everywhere!  I guess that is just how it is up here in the summertime on the Pacific Coast.  Every single state park, and private parks,  all had signs out that said “full…..full…..full……full”.  Good thing we hadn’t planned on stopping before reaching Astoria, OR.  Along the way, we passed right by the Tillamook Cheese factory.  We had to stop again!  It was packed and most everyone was sitting outside eating Tillamook ice cream!  We did, too!  We both got Mountain Huckleberry.  It was SOO…… good that we bought some to take with us.  Of course we bought cheese as well.  We both love huckleberry ice cream and you can only get it during a short season in the northwest.   So whenever we are up this way, we go on a hunt for the stuff. 

There were a few nice overlooks along the coast, but most were overgrown and not as many views as I would have liked.  But this is about the 3rd time we have done the coast of CA and OR, so that was alright.  Lots of pretty blue ocean and blue sky!

   

We only stayed one night at Rilea Military Campground in Astoria.   Established in 1927, Camp Rilea Armed Forces Training Center is the Oregon National Guards premier war-fighter training center, regional emergency response center and force projection platform for Oregon Soldiers and Airmen.   We had been there before but this time we had to take an overflow site on the grass with water and electric.  Even at that, we could only stay for the one night because of a police skills rally that was going on for the next week.  

We stopped in Astoria in 2008 when we followed the Lewis and Clark Trail.  What a fun trip that was!  The city was named after the American investor John Jacob Astor.  His American Fur Company founded Fort Astoria at the site in 1811. The Lewis and Clark Expedition spent the winter of 1805–1806 at Fort Clatsop, a small log structure south and west of modern-day Astoria. The expedition had hoped a ship would come by to take them back east, but instead endured a torturous winter of rain and cold, then returned east the way they came. Today the fort has been recreated and is now a historical park.  Astoria is not a big town.  For the second time, we ate at Dooger’s Restaurant and had another great meal of Cod fish and chips.  

If we had been able to stay longer, we were going to revisit Cape Disappointment, across the Columbia River in Washington.    Cape Disappointment is located at the extreme southwestern corner of Washington State on the north side of the Columbia River bar.  The cape may have been named in November 1805 by a member of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, which had recently succeeded in reaching the Pacific, when he found no ships in the vicinity, according to the journal of the expedition as recited in documentaries.  There is a superb Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center at the cape (a second one of the same caliber is in Great Falls, MT).  A trail takes you to the lighthouse as seen below, which offers pretty views of the shoreline and you can see the center from there.    

  

Friday, we decided to head to McCord AFB in Tacoma, WA, and decide what our next destination might be.  That is the joy of life on wheels-You just go where you want!  We stayed 2 nights back in the woods across from the airfield.  We got the last sight, so we didn’t have to boondock, which would have been okay for that short stay.   At least it was nice and cool in the shade.  Many folks leave their RV in the boon-docking area while they go on a cruise out of Seattle. 

Oh, my gosh, for many miles before even getting close to Tacoma, traffic was lined up bumper to bumper and stop and go.  We have never seen traffic like that anywhere!  Ridiculous!  It was in the south bound lanes leaving Tacoma.  Lots of RVs in that mess.  Surely everyone wasn’t deserting Tacoma for the weekend!  It was pretty heavy heading north but not like heading south.  From the interstate you could get glimpses of Mt. Rainier with still a little snow left on top.  Then on Sat. when we went to town, as we passed over the interstate, it was still the same way!  Something must have been going on, like possibly lots of construction, or is the reputation for traffic the norm?  Sure glad we didn’t need to use the interstate!   Tacoma adopted its name after the nearby Mount Rainier, originally called Mount Tahoma.  It is known as the "City of Destiny" because the area was chosen to be the western terminus of the Northern Pacific Railroad  in the late 19th century. The decision of the railroad was influenced by Tacoma's neighboring deep-water harbor.  By connecting the bay with the railroad Tacoma's motto became "When rails meet sails." Today, Commencement Bay serves the Port of Tacoma, a center of international trade on the Pacific Coast and Washington state's largest port.  There are also huge lumber mills along the river.  Not very pretty when you cross from Oregon and see all that industry right on the water.