Heading up towards Washington we felt that we would be terrible road trippers if we left Oregon without a stop on its spectacular coast. Our last opportunity before crossing the border was the port town of Astoria. We found the perfect State Park (Oregon has quite a few great State Parks with RV hookups), Fort Stevens, just across the bridge from Astoria. What made it great you ask? Two things. The first was the feeling of being swaddled in trees in our own little nook in the forest and the second was that we were within throwing distance of the Pacific Ocean.
We soon found out we were a little quick to be giddy about our perfect spot. What we neglected to consider was one simple equation:
(Trees x 10) + humidity = billions of bugs and blood sucking mosquitos
Once we settled in, we realized we couldn’t even sit outside in our chairs without being eaten alive! So, to avoid the turf war with the bug overlords, we spent most of our time exploring Astoria. We found there were plenty of things to do that didn’t require a shower of bug spray or the burning of citronella candles. Like…
Lunch with a view.
Or channeling our inner children and launching balsam wood airplanes off of the tippy top of the Astoria column.
Do keep in mind that if you are not an actual child, you absolutely will need to give yourself 15 minutes or so to recover from dragging your burning legs and scream lungs up the dizzying circular 164 step staircase.
It is quite high and you will likely feel the urge, like Gary did, to grasp the railing while throwing your glider off the edge.
This view of not only Astoria, but also the state of Washington across the longest continuous truss bridge North America, is worth the climb.
We also spent time at the beach. Were we found hundred year old shipwrecks.
And perfect sand dollars.
Wait, you aren’t here for all of that nonsense. No, you are here for the story about the drive into the Pacific Ocean. Okay, you have been patient enough. Read on friends…
Best thing we did?
One of the cool things you can do in Fort Stevens State Park is drive on the beach. I knew the moment we decided to do this I was going to love and hate it, especially with Gary driving.
As we slowly pulled onto the beach and Gary drove down the sand beside the waves it was all very relaxing…the calm before the storm.
The minute we saw a couple of other cars doing donuts on the beach, I knew the storm was brewing and I’d better hold on with everything I had. A few dozen donuts later, Gary thought it would be fun to drive IN the water, albeit the very shallow water. You know, the tiny waves you stick your toes into as it gently rolls towards you.
As we were riding along I was hanging on and praying under my breath, but Gary was driving with a huge smile on his face. I do realize that some of you (mom) are reading this thinking that you would be doing the same praying if I was driving down a regular street with you in the car, but seriously, this was the OCEAN.
There could be a problem when your weather app says you are in the Pacific Ocean and you are in a truck instead of a boat.
You know how when you are walking in the shallow waves and all of the sudden that one wave sneaks up on you? You run backwards with a yelp so the water doesn’t splash up above your ankles. That is exactly what happened, but in our case it was splashing up the tires and onto the doors. I freaked out and yelled at Gary to get out of the water, so he starts to turn out. That’s when–KABLAM!–we hit a giant dip that was hidden under the water and went flying General Lee style. Luckily we were able to get out onto the packed sand quickly and stop to assess things. We were a bit shaken up, but the truck was fine. However, we noticed we only had three bike tires. We realized one flew out of the bed of the truck and into the ocean. Gary quickly ran to grab it and barely got there before it was lost at sea.
This was by far the scariest thing that we have done during this entire trip. Gary probably would have preferred to hike Angel’s Landing with me instead of this. Thank goodness the flying bike tire was worst that happened!
Best thing we ate?
When we arrived in Astoria the first thing we wanted to do was go out for great seafood. When we were Yelping to find something, Bowpicker came up with a million positive reviews, but it just was a fish and chips “boat” stand. We were thinking oysters or mussels not fish and chips. So, we ended up at a nice-ish place on the water that shall remain nameless, but it was just okay. Which left us annoyed that we spent money on it at all. Out of disappointment, we gave up on seafood at this stop.
The next day as we explored the town we saw a massive line formed at Bowpicker. Well, anywhere you go that has a line out the door is a place that should definitely be on the radar. We realized our mistake right away and hopped in that line.
We waited in fear as we read the scare tactic sign posted that claimed they were only open until they sold out. Luckily we made the cut and it is likely the anticipation of waiting in line that made our basket of meaty, battered and fried albacore tuna even tastier. They say they do one thing and do it well and they aren’t lying. So for $11 bucks we shared the best meal we had in Astoria.
What we learned?
There is a certain amount of calculated risk that creates a fun, exciting experience. The key word in that sentence is calculated. When you are using your only vehicle that also tows your house, risk = crazy. So, moving forward we will save risky moves for fun hikes like Angel’s Landing or for lottery tickets.
Next Stop: The Emerald City