Our Travel Blog
While heading from the coast to the high desert we spent a few days exploring the Columbia River Gorge. We really didn’t know anything of the gorge other than it was the place to be for kite surfers! Come to find out it’s primarily known for the waterfalls. We had a fun, full day hiking into the various falls. We even dunked our heads in one to cool off from the hike in; just the head, too many around for a real dip!
My Grandfather liked to go for “drives”. Kids in the back, adults in the front and off we’d go (an era before car seats and seatbelts). Up and over, around and about, this way and that through the hill country of northern New Jersey and Pennsylvania we went. Today, driving the Old Columbia Gorge Highway in Oregon reminded me of those trips, the twisty road, the old concrete bridges and guardrails, and the beautiful scenery. I think my Grandfather might have been traveling with us in the backseat enjoying the “drive”.
Ape Cave, one of the longest lava tube caves in North America snakes its way under Mt. Saint Helens. Local legend says the name is based upon a 1924 incident between local miners and a family of Bigfoot. Flashlights in hand, down we go into the belly of the beast!
Majestic
Tragic
Awe Inspiring
And in the immortal words of Colonel Henry Blake, “BOOM”.
Fort Columbia…ready to guard the mouth of the Columbia River since 1904!
Astoria Column has a long, and fun, tradition of kids launching balsa gliders from the top of the tower.
The gliders can be purchased in the gift shop, which can sell as many as 600 gliders on a busy summer day. The shop will even assemble them to order for waiting customers. While most of the gliders slowly spiral down around the tower to be retrieved by their owners or reflown, some have been found as far as 6 miles away. The tower chose balsa gliders because of their biodegradable construction, and the money helps support the maintenance of the tower.
I wish I had brought more than 1 up with me, but for a moment I was a kid again!
The Astoria Column on the hillside overlooking Astoria, Oregon and the Columbia River was erected in 1926. It was the 12th and final historical marker Ralph Budd of the Great Northern Railroad commissioned across the country. Mr. Budd had a great interest in learning and history and wanted travelers to realize that every corner of America had something interesting and historical to share.
The Astoria Column, original called The Astor Column because of John Astor’s original establishment of a trading post there, is 125 ft tall and can be climbed by visitors via a 164 step spiral staircase, the 360 degree view from the top makes the steps worth while. The outside of the column is decorated with hand painted murals that depict 14 significant events in Oregon’s history, such as John Astor’s original trading post and the Lewis & Clark expedition.
Tidbit: The book Astoria by Peter Stark is a great read that tells the story of John Astor’s attempt to create a trading monopoly on the west coast.
As we began our travels last spring, our northwest path continually put us on the trail of Lewis & Clark. After several weeks of following their footsteps and stopping to read the many interpretive boards in the many little parks, we decided if we were going to be traveling with them, we needed to learn more. We downloaded Undaunted Courage by Steven Ambrose and were transported back in time as we travelled across the country.
We thought we parted ways in Montana, but 7 months later we find ourselves at Fort Clatsop, the end of the Lewis & Clark trail on the Pacific Ocean in northern Oregon. The small party spent 3 very wet and hungry months at this small outpost before starting their journey back east.
Walking around Seaside, OR, we passed a doorway with a big sign stating ‘Fascination Parlor Inside’! Fascination? Never heard of it. Lets check it out!
Go back to 1918, Coney Island NY, and Fascination is born! A combo of Skee-ball and Bingo, up to 50 people compete against each other to get their ball into 5 holes in a row. Each game costs a quarter and lasts about a minute.
75 years ago Fascination Parlors could be found in almost any seaside town with an arcade, but now with the old-line amusement parks dying off, the Fascination Parlors are going with them. Today, there are only a handful left as the parts to keep them running are hard to find.
We were lucky today as there were only 6 or 8 other players in the Fascination Parlor, so our odds of winning were much higher. 5 across wins you a ticket to be traded in for a fair type souvenir. We won 4 tickets and gave them to a couple of little kids with their grandparents. It was fun to play a bit of history, and we won!
Fort Stevens, just outside Astoria, Oregon, was first built to protect towns on the Columbia River during the Civil War from Confederate gunboats, it was actually finished after the Confederate Army surrendered. The fort continued to expand and grow in the following years. During WWI, a number of the gun emplacements were shifted to France. During WWII, it was the site of the first attack on the US continent when a Japanese submarine tried to shell the fort.
We spent the afternoon walking the grounds, learning the history of the fort, and exploring the bunkers & gun installations. An interesting day immersed in cool history, but a little creepy.
