Tuesday, March 4, 2014

Beach Adventure

It's amazing how much ground two sisters can cover in 2 days.  :-)  My younger sister Denise's husband and son are on a trip to Antarctia, so she asked me if I wanted to make a quick jaunt to the coast, heck yes!  I started out here in Corbett, drove through an ice storm to pick up my sister in Portland.  


This is what it looked like in the gorge as I headed out, but warmed as I headed into Portland..


Such contrast.. from ice to this Witch Hazel in bloom in front of a Meriwether's, a restaurant that was too crowded for us to have lunch, so we continued towards the coast and looked for a fun place to dine.


When we got to St. Helens we veered off the highway to see what we could find in old town.. here is their very cute restored theater.


We found the Klondike Restaurant & Bar in old town.  I tried a cup of clam chowder and it was good.. had some halibut fish and home made "chips", too.  Yum.


Fortified, we headed on.. we arrived in Astoria next and headed over this bridge to Washington State where we forged on to our destination, Long Beach peninsula.  Astoria is a wonderful historic place and where all the ships enter the Columbia River.  It's bar is one of the most dangerous in the world.  The river was choppy and angry looking on this stormy day.


We arrived at our destination, Long Beach, and found our hotel and checked in.  We stayed at the Adrift Hotel.  It was interesting with an "industrial green" vibe.  Exposed ducting and electrical pipes, the room had wooden crates for side tables.. :-)


We drove out through that arch all the way to the beach, but it was so stormy and rainy I couldn't get a pleasing shot of the ocean.  On the side of the road out there were a group of seagulls who seem to be tired of the weather, too.  :-)


My sister checked Yelp for the best place to eat dinner and made reservations here at The Depot - which is an old train station.  What a cozy place to have a meal!


Now, my dear readers.... we both ordered the same thing, and may be the best dinner I've had lately.  The steak was flavorful and tender, the potatoes tender and perfectly done and the veggies were all fresh and done to perfection.
Filet Provence: Chef’s Special Cut Chargrilled prime grass fed, hormone free 7 oz Filet Mignon topped with a Truffle Scented Garlic Butter accompanied by Potato Gratin.


When the desserts were listed verbally by the hostess, and they were all specially made by the chef/owner, we had to split one.  It is chocolate Pot de Crème with Italian Amarena cherries.  If you've never had one of these cherries, you must get some.  There were 3 more cherries on the bottom of the rich chocolate pudding.  Oh my.


Denise and I went back to the hotel and watch the Academy Awards.  The next morning we packed right up and checked out.  Here is a fun "chandelier" of Edison bulbs at the front counter.  Edison bulbs are the new trend it seems.


Our DIL Kristi had recommended this bakery to us - the Cottage Bakery & Delicatessen. Oh my.  Such a huge array of items!


They had cookies of all sorts, pies, muffins, doughnuts.. it was quite amazing.


Not just maple bars, but chocolate drizzled ones and chocolate covered ones and cream filled ones!  


On our way out of town we snapped a photo of our wonderful little restaurant discovery.


We then began a day of adventuring.  We headed to Cape Disappointment State Park - a Washington park.  It was aptly named as there were two lighthouses there but it was too stormy and rainy to hike out to them so I have no photos.  WAH!  But the forest was pretty.

History
In 1788, while in search of the Columbia River, English Captain John Meares missed the passage over the river bar and named the nearby headland Cape Disappointment for his failure in finding the river. In 1792, American Captain Robert Gray successfully crossed the river bar and named the river “Columbia” after his ship, the Columbia Rediviva. Only a few years later, in 1805, the Lewis and Clark Expedition arrived at Cape Disappointment
The Cape Disappointment Lighthouse was constructed in 1856 to warn seamen of the treacherous river bar known by then as “the graveyard of the Pacific.” This is the oldest functioning lighthouse on the West Coast.


Looking out to sea, past those trees.


This is a photo of one of the lighthouses that I found on google.


We then headed back to the bridge and to Astoria, Oregon.  First stop was the Astoria column.. It's a wonderful place, high on a tall hill, overlooking the Columbia River, the bridge over the river, the town and countryside.  The history of Oregon starts at the bottom and spirals around to the top.  


Here is one section, I didn't want to over burden you by showing you more sections, but if you're interested you can read all the history of the images HERE.


You can climb all the way to the top and come out to view the surroundings even further.


Also on the site of the column is this concrete replica of an Indian burial canoe, which was erected in 1961 as a memorial to Chief Comcomly of the Chinook tribe.


To the left of the canoe is a wonderful view looking up the Columbia River -- pardon the poor clarity of the photo.. but this is Oregon, you know.  :-)


As we descended Coxcomb Hill we drove through the neighborhoods to see the wonderful historic Victorian era homes.  Ohhh how I wish I could buy this house and fix it up.  And this is the BACK side!  The front overlooks the Columbia River.  It has many beautiful stained glass windows.  It makes me sick to see a home like this being allowed by it's owners to disintegrate to the point it needs to be razed.


Now this house is loved.


Here is a great river pilot boat on display in the parking lot of the Maritime Museum.  The bar in the river is so dangerous that each boat needs to be escorted in or out by a boat like this.


We then departed Astoria and headed across the bridge over the river and headed south to Seaside where we drove down main street to the "turnaround" at the "prom" (promenade, a walkway all along the beach in this town.  There is a great bronze sculpture of Lewis & Clark who led the Journey of Discovery.  To learn more about the trek, click HERE.


We decided to have a nice lunch in Cannon Beach as we'd had small breakfasts.  We got a nice window booth at the Wayfarer restaurant.  It was raining so the photo of Haystack Rock didn't turn out too good.  :-)


Then, amazingly, it dried out a bit on the window and we got this shot of a lovely green rock.


The ocean is beautiful at this moment.


I almost did not show you my lunch because it's obviously not on the healthy side.. but we had a salad first and I brought a lot of it home.. but it was soooo good.  HUGE beer batter prawns which were delicious.  


After we left the restaurant I got this shot that is not through a window.  Pretty, huh?


We then headed downtown Cannon Beach which is a super fun town full of art galleries, specialty shops, antique shops, bistros, pubs, cafes, etc.  We jaunted through this antique shop but I was good and did not buy the barley twist oak antique candlesticks that I've been wanting for 30 years.  We then went to the bakery there so I could bring home some Florentine cookies for the kids and a loaf of haystack bread and a maple bar for Dayle.


We had a nice dry drive home, lots of chatting and we made a HUGE loop if you follow that on the map at the top.  After I dropped off my sister I plunged into the traffic at just 10 minutes until 5 pm.  I amazingly made it through fairly easy, yay~  While I was at a slowdown on the Marquam Bridge I snapped this shot of my beloved downtown Portland.


Well.. if you've made it to the bottom of this epistle, you get a gold star.  I hope you enjoyed coming along on our little trip!!  ((hugs)), Teresa :-) 

24 comments:

  1. Oh I loved your post! The pictures are awesome (as always). It is always so much fun to tag along with you on these adventures because you always go to the coolest places. :)

    ((hugs)) sweet friend.

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  2. I very much enjoyed this trip with you Teresa and those meals oh my lol

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  3. I get a gold star and enjoyed every minute of it!! Great pictures of everything, including the food. Maple is my favorite also...just in case you ever wonder what to get ME at a bakery like that. Ha-ha. The lighthouse, the ocean, the land, the fog...I love it all! Can't wait to see it for myself, and I will! ;) What a great trip! Thanks for sharing.

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  4. Hi Teresa I really enjoyed the trip thanks for sharing. Hugs Anne x

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  5. I love reading your posts. This one made me especially home sick! Being from Kelso, Washington I spent all of my summers at long beach and lots of time in portland. Thanks for giving me this wonderful piece of home!

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  6. That sounds like a perfect trip to me. I love the shot with the large rock on the beach. The person in the red jacket looks so small in comparison.

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  7. Your trip looks wonderful Teresa! I loved seeing the places you visited, and the food you ate! Yum, everything looked delicious but I think I would have to go with the prawns, holy HUGE! I'm glad you had a nice little getaway with your sister. :)

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  8. I get a gold star too! I loved your trip. Although I've been to the towns and haystack rock, I've never been to any of the restaurants or bakeries. I was drooling over your steak. Yum! And the history. Wonderful post Teresa. I wish I remembered to take pictures on my trips like you do. But...I thought the most impressive part of your trip was braving Portland five o'clock traffic!!!!! I've been in that traffic before and you definitely get a gold star yourself. :-)
    Blessings,
    Betsy

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  9. It's not "poor clarity" ... it's romantic mistiness!

    What a great trip - the food, the views, the company. That first shot of the trees is just breathtaking. :)

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  10. A great trip I enjoyed too thanks to your wonderful post, Teresa :) So many cool photos...and the ones of the Astoria Column really capture its unique artistry! Bravo! I have been getting ready for a meeting Thursday morning, a retreat this weekend and planning a trip down to CA with my sisters, after which I'm planning to attend a scrapbooking retreat in Lincoln City...a lot of Spring retreating :) xx

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  11. Looks like a fun trip, always fun with a sister. My sis and I enjoyed Seaside a couple weeks ago. Astoria is a fun town too. Lovely old houses for sure. Sorry the weather wasn't betternfor you. It's fun to see the ocean a bit on the stormy side though! Take care!

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  12. hähähä! A gold star for me. :-) I haven't been at the west coast but one day I will! :-) The ocean is beautiful as are the wooden houses.

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  13. What a fun trip! Good food, and good times, and family....such a perfect combo!
    xo Kris

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  14. What a great mini break Teresa. The name Cape Disappointment really made me smile! The ocean looks so wild but wonderful in the stormy weather. How lovely to have some time with your sister x

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  15. What a wonderful trip! Thanks for sharing it.

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  16. Oh how I loved your trip and taking us along. I used to live on Whidbey Island and Seattle for a few years and have always said I left my heart in Washington. I hope to be able to visit and explore more of Portland one day.

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  17. Love the virtual road trip with you.

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  18. Hello Teresa, OH, how I love your adventures and ALL the super photos you share. Pity is such a cold and stormy time and you was not able to get to the beach. Your Filet Provence look absolutely yummy.. I reckon you will have to swim a few more laps on pool day. LOL Thanks for sharing your trip with us all. Hugs Judy

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  19. Wow! Thank you for taking us along with you. So colourful, the houses, that little theatre, the bar. The food has made me sooo hungry though! It all looks absolutely delicious. My mouth is watering at that steak and those prawns and fries...I need to go eat as my tummy is now growling. Great post xxx

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  20. Wonderful post, thank you for taking us along on your latest adventure! I loved seeing the sights, such interesting pictures, and the atmospheric weather, and delicious food too.....mmmmm!
    Happy Thursday, Teresa!
    Helen xox

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  21. Wow Teresa, as always I feel like I was there with you...great pictures.

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  22. I love the photos of the trip and all the history. Glad you had a nice little getaway with your sister.
    Hugs,
    Meredith

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  23. Oh heavens, how do I always get so far behind when it comes to all the stuff going on here, lol. I won't comment on every picture, but they are all such fun to look at, your trip and all the history are interesting. Funny, we have a Depot too, only it is a pizza place with bar, also on the railway and an actual train stop years ago. The owners have left it pretty rugged and I don't know if I would consider it cozy, but they have some of the best pizza around. The old homes and I am with you on hating to see them deteriorate. Whether it be from lack of money or simply lack of caring, it is so sad to witness this. Fish and chips, I had to laugh. I had the same meal at Applebys on Thursday when I met with my daughter, grandson and her mil for Holden a little lunch. I love seafood.
    (((HUGS))) Susanne :)

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  24. Yea! I get a gold star too:) GREAT post Teresa! I haven't been to that area of Washington state in years--decades really. Your photos make me want to visit there again. I adore Astoria, as you know, and hate seeing historic homes destroyed/ignored also. Very sad.
    Your photos of the yummy food you've been eating are 'killing' me (LOL)...I finally broke down and ate a snack bar (although the steak dinner looks a LOT more appealing).
    Glad you made it the coast!
    Blessings, Aimee

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