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Wednesday, September 27
Today is Astoria, OR.
Due to rough seas and other factors, we docked almost two hours later than scheduled. The pilot had to be helicoptered aboard instead of coming out in the pilot boat. He was lowered by rope to the pool area.
All three photos above show the Astoria Bridge, which, at 4.1 miles long contains the longest continuous three-span through-truss in the world. The photo on the left shows our approach into Astoria with the ship's helipad in the foreground and one end of the Astoria Bridge in the background. The other two photos show the Astoria Bridge from our balcony with one showing more of the sheer length of the bridge.
Our tour wasn't due to start until 1:45, so we had a lazy morning aboard. I had breakfast in the Main Dining room. Carl couldn't find me, so he ate at the Oceanview Cafe.
Lunch was also at the Oceanview Cafe. We finally went ashore and found that our tour had been delayed so that the earlier version could get back.
The photo on the left shows Kelly and I on the pier with our ship to one side and the Astoria Bridge in the background.
The photo on the right shows a pile of fishing buoys piled on the dock.
So, we walked towards town and saw some of the shore buildings and the Astoria Bridge.
The photo on the left shows our ship in the background and a marina of smaller boats in the foreground. The center photo shows a fish artwork with the Cannery Pier Hotel and Spa in the background. The photo on the right shows a tribute to those fishermen who worked at the cannery.
The tour was finally ready. It was okay - a bus tour of various movie locations around Astoria ending with a ride up to the highest point in the area for the Astoria Column. Then back through the very narrow, hilly streets of town for the main attraction of the tour - the Goonies house, which was one of those up there on the hillside somewhere. The guide sort of pointed from below, but there were at least three houses in that general direction that all fit his discription. Kelly says she spotted it. Several shooting sites for Goonies and Kindergarten Cop were pointed out as we drove by, as was the house that Vampira grew up in.
One of our two stops was at Fort Stevens State Park at the beach containing the wreck of the Peter Iredale. On October 25, 1906, the British sailing ship Peter Iredale ran aground on Clatsop Beach. No hands were lost, but the ship was declared a total loss. It became an famous landmark and tourist curiosity. Much of the superstructure was salvaged at the time, but this portion of the ship was left for wind, time, and tide to deal with. The center photo shows me taking a photo of the wreck. The photo on the right shows Kelly doing the same thing.
At our second (and last) stop of the tour, the bus climbed a hill behind the town itself. At the top of this hill was a structure called the Astoria Column, installed on the highest point inside the town of Astoria. The views from there were impressive. The photo on the left shows a replica of a burial canoe of a famous Chinookan chief dedicated by his descendants in 1961 to mark the 150th anniversary of Astoria. In the background is Young's Bay, an arm of the Columbia River. The center photo shows the Astoria Column, dedicated in 1926, and donated by the Great Northern Railroad to salute the early explorers and early settlers of the Astoria area. The photo on the right shows the view across the Columbia River. Washington State is on the other side. The Astoria Bridge can be seen in this photo as can some of the houses of Astoria.
The tour was okay, but the tour guide could have been much better. He needed to stay off the weed (aging hippy type) who kept forgetting how to use the microphone.
So, back to the ship for drinks and dinner in the buffet (Oceanview Cafe).
I tried two new drinks – tequila tropicale and Capricorn! We ate a bit later than normal. Then crashed for the night.