Day 2
We
were late getting going on Saturday. It was already 8:30 am when we
headed out for breakfast. Both days we ate at Laurie's Homestead
Breakfast House. It was busy when we arrived and there were folks
waiting outside to get in when we left. Lots of food to fuel the day.
We next headed north. The Long Beach Peninsula is some 32 miles long.
It takes some time to drive all the way to the top. Of course, a trip
with Kim will always have a few stops along the way. We first stopped
in Oysterville. A town which harvested a lot of oysters starting some
160 years ago. After the native oysters were harvested to near
extinction a Japanese variety replaced them. A number of buildings from
before the Civil War are still standing. We stopped to see the old
church first. It was been kept up in fine condition. Next came a walk
up the road to see several of the old homes. After that we stopped at
Oysterville Sea Farms. Kim and Jon made purchases in the shop and I
enjoyed the sunshine from the deck. It was still just about freezing.
We planned a little hiking for the trip and our next stop was Leadbetter State Park at the northern tip of the peninsula. The shady side of the parking lot was white with frost. Gloves, hat, and heavy jacket once again. There are two lots and several loop trails. We chose to hike from the far east side of the peninsula to the beach on the west side. It would be about 2.8 miles round trip. We hiked about half way where we met a group heading back out. They ran into deep muck and decided not to go any farther. After some heavy rain this month we knew that might be a problem. Rather than fight the mud we turned around too. Much of the park is a National Wildlife Refuge. There is plenty more for me to see on a return visit. Back near the start we took the northern loop and in just a few hundred feet the trail dumped us out on the beach. The beach is narrow but it provided us with a good view of Willapa Bay.
Next we drove back south down the peninsula. We decided to head for Oregon. I have not been to Astoria as an adult though with the family trips I'm sure I visited as a small child. It was probably before the bridge across the Columbia was built in 1966. The bridge is just over four miles long. By the time it reaches the ocean the Columbia River is huge. We drove into Astoria and started looking for the Column. I had not heard of it but Kim had visited on an earlier trip. The Column is a 125' tall tower which was one of eleven built between St. Paul, MN and Astoria.It sits atop a hill right above the city. The view from the parking lot is impressive and from the top even better.
The Column was built in 1926. The spiral staircase inside the Column consists of 164 steps. With ascenders passing descenders on the narrow steps it seems like a lot more. From the top we could see the Columbia and Astoria below, Mts. Adams and Hood to the east, and more peaks to the south. It is quite a viewpoint. A stiff breeze made it frigid on top even with the sunshine. After our visit we headed west through Warrenton to Fort Stevens State Park. It sits on a peninsula at the mouth of the Columbia on the south side. There are a number of beaches with parking along the way. We drove to the end where we found windsurfers in wetsuits and a few parasailors. The road curves to the east at the tip and the forested peninsula blocks the setting sun. We drove back to where we had beach access on the Pacific Ocean side.
The short trail ended with a climb up a grassy dune then a steep drop down to the beach. We had good views from the top of the dune. There were only a couple cars in the lot and few folks on the beach. We did see a number more cars driving along the beach. Heading south we watched as the low sun dropped to and below the horizon. A second night of great color. It would have been better if there were a few clouds but even with the clear sky the colors were good. Unlike in Washington, the Oregon park stayed open until 10:00 pm. We had lots of time to watch the sunset after dusk. The day ended with the drive back to Long Beach for another fish dinner. Locally caught rock cod was excellent. We had just part of Sunday left before we had to head back to Seattle. We packed a lot into our one full day on the coast.
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We planned a little hiking for the trip and our next stop was Leadbetter State Park at the northern tip of the peninsula. The shady side of the parking lot was white with frost. Gloves, hat, and heavy jacket once again. There are two lots and several loop trails. We chose to hike from the far east side of the peninsula to the beach on the west side. It would be about 2.8 miles round trip. We hiked about half way where we met a group heading back out. They ran into deep muck and decided not to go any farther. After some heavy rain this month we knew that might be a problem. Rather than fight the mud we turned around too. Much of the park is a National Wildlife Refuge. There is plenty more for me to see on a return visit. Back near the start we took the northern loop and in just a few hundred feet the trail dumped us out on the beach. The beach is narrow but it provided us with a good view of Willapa Bay.
Next we drove back south down the peninsula. We decided to head for Oregon. I have not been to Astoria as an adult though with the family trips I'm sure I visited as a small child. It was probably before the bridge across the Columbia was built in 1966. The bridge is just over four miles long. By the time it reaches the ocean the Columbia River is huge. We drove into Astoria and started looking for the Column. I had not heard of it but Kim had visited on an earlier trip. The Column is a 125' tall tower which was one of eleven built between St. Paul, MN and Astoria.It sits atop a hill right above the city. The view from the parking lot is impressive and from the top even better.
The Column was built in 1926. The spiral staircase inside the Column consists of 164 steps. With ascenders passing descenders on the narrow steps it seems like a lot more. From the top we could see the Columbia and Astoria below, Mts. Adams and Hood to the east, and more peaks to the south. It is quite a viewpoint. A stiff breeze made it frigid on top even with the sunshine. After our visit we headed west through Warrenton to Fort Stevens State Park. It sits on a peninsula at the mouth of the Columbia on the south side. There are a number of beaches with parking along the way. We drove to the end where we found windsurfers in wetsuits and a few parasailors. The road curves to the east at the tip and the forested peninsula blocks the setting sun. We drove back to where we had beach access on the Pacific Ocean side.
The short trail ended with a climb up a grassy dune then a steep drop down to the beach. We had good views from the top of the dune. There were only a couple cars in the lot and few folks on the beach. We did see a number more cars driving along the beach. Heading south we watched as the low sun dropped to and below the horizon. A second night of great color. It would have been better if there were a few clouds but even with the clear sky the colors were good. Unlike in Washington, the Oregon park stayed open until 10:00 pm. We had lots of time to watch the sunset after dusk. The day ended with the drive back to Long Beach for another fish dinner. Locally caught rock cod was excellent. We had just part of Sunday left before we had to head back to Seattle. We packed a lot into our one full day on the coast.
 Oysterville Map |
 Oysterville Church |
 Church Interior |
 Icy Leadbetter SP Lot |
 Leadbetter Trails Map |
 Willapa Bay View |
 Kim & Jon On Shore |
 Astoria Column |
 Ships On Columbia River |
 Downtown Astoria |
 Saddle Mountain |
 Fort Stevens Dunes |
 Looking Into Sun |
 Looking North |
 Ocean & Kim |
 Lighter Away From Sun |
 Alone On The Beach |
 Jonathan On Dune |
 Colors On Beach |
 More Waves |
 Highlighted |
 Sun Is Low |
 Footprints |
 Imperfect Reflection |
 South Jetty & Lighthouse |
 Getting Good |
 Perfect Sunset |
 Birds |
 On The Horizon |
 Going, Going... |
 Gone! |
 Beach Gnome |
 Frothy Waves |
 One More Wave Shot |
 Sand & Mountains |
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