Today was another big driving day, almost five hours, and again largely due to the winding road, traffic and lots of small towns. Averaging 65 kph is not my idea of driving fun!
Fortunately we were able to do most of what we had planned with no real interference from the weather.
As we approached Tillamook the country changed and became very lush grazing with lots of dairy farms. Tillamook itself is famous for its cheese factory so this was our first stop. It was interesting to see the cheese being packaged but even more interesting to try out the range of items sold in the shop. It’s a shame we couldn’t bring some samples home – I don’t think Customs would approve. We tried out some of the 38 flavours of ice cream they produce – wild huckleberry for me and Helen had the pistachio and pecan. Ice cream servings in USA are large and the price is really cheap - $2 for two huge scoops in a dish!
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| Fort Clatsop |
Our second stop was at Fort Clatsop near Astoria. A replica fort has been constructed here for the Lewis and Clark expedition. In early 1800s Lewis and Clark led a group of men to explore from the Missouri River across to the Pacific Coast and in doing so opened up the way west. Sounds a bit similar to the McDouall Stuart south to north crossing of Australia – although I think Stuart had the tougher environment to deal with. Nevertheless, Lewis and Clark are exploration heroes in the narrative of US history. The fort had a palisade (wall) but was still very small for the number of men who lived there.
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| Bridge across the Columbia River, Astoria, Oregon |
Astoria also has a landmark called the Astoria Column, which can be seen for quite a distance. It celebrates the Lewis-Clark journey and stands high on a hill overlooking the town. Helen and I decided to climb the 168 steps to the top. Unfortunately the view was spoilt by the dull weather conditions. We were however able to get an uninterrupted view of the Astoria bridge over the Columbia River.
The bridge is amazing. It’s 6.5 km long and stretches from Astoria in Oregon across the Columbia river to Washington. Just to think of a river so wide is staggering and it must have been a real engineering accomplishment back in the 1960’s when it was built.
Both Helen and I are quite tired – I think all the driving is catching up with us. I know it certainly is with me. This adds a bit to the journey time as I need to stop more often. It was quite a relief to finally arrive in Aberdeen although it was quite late in the day. Tonight we continued our seafood odyssey as we dined at a restaurant called Mallards, which was recommended by reception at our accommodation. As the name suggests, the restaurant is decorated with ducks, ducks and more ducks. Helen had trout while I chose the salmon. The food was absolutely delicious and by far and away the best meal we’ve eaten on the trip.
Aberdeen itself doesn’t have a lot to recommend it – not the sort of place I would choose to live in although about 15000 people have. That number must include the surrounding district because the town doesn’t seem that large. Like all the towns along the Oregon-Washington coast most activity seems to centre around the port and harbour. The timber industry is also a major employer because of the forests which dominate.
