Rain rain go away, should I start another day?
It’s T-1 (day) until the trip starts! And as I sit writing this in a warm hotel room, it’s raining outside, the window is shivering in the windy, and wouldn’t be described as nice. I’m definitely thinking twice about my decision to camp...
The drive up to Astoria was beautiful. I-5 was much prettier then I remembered it. At least once we got north of the Central Valley and into the Shasta wilderness area. The sun was out, the weather was beautiful, and we made excellent time. We arrived at our destination for that night pretty tired, but got dinner at “Stacy’s Covered Bridge”, (which was awesome! And recommended by the people at the hotel) then went to bed.
Apparently I’m a sucker for advertising!
The next day we finished the drive to Astoria, in the rain. And that would continue all day. (It’s still raining now) We visited lots of state parks along the coast.
Ecola State Park - It’s wicked windy, and still raining. However, the beach was beautiful!
After Ecola State Park, we visited Fort Stevens State Park, which was full of bunkers that dated back to the Civil War! We would’ve had an awesome game of hide and seek if we had more people.
Dad in front of an old shipwreck at Fort Stevens.
The Jetty that guards the entrance to the Columbia River
A gun installed at Fort Stevens for WWII
Fun fact, Fort Stevens was attacked during WWII by a Japanese submarine. Later, after the war, the captain was asked about the attack. He said had he known the guns located at the fort, he would not have attacked. However, during the attack the Fort did not have permission to return fire.
After exploring Fort Stevens State Park, Dad and I went to church. It was a very nice mass. The church was beautiful, with the side facing the Columbia river being almost all glass. At the end of mass, the priest asked if there were any visitors in attendance and both my dad and I introduced ourselves. Then, to my embarrassment, my dad told the congregation that I was biking back to SF and asked the congregation to pray for me. On the way out of church it was still raining, and Dad made a comment about the rain. The man behind us commented “what ugly weather, just glad we’re not biking to San Francisco. Smart Aleck.
After church we went to dinner at The Buoy Beer Company. Food, pretty good, decent beer, good service, but the best was the view. The restaurant was in an old cannery right on the Columbia River. We got to watch some ships go by and see some others parked waiting for a pilot.
We’re back in the hotel, watching TV and resting. Dad leaves tomorrow at 5 or 6 am, and I’ll get going around 8 or 9. I look forward to it! But hoping for better weather!!
New vest given to me by some loving (concerned) parents.
