Astoria, Columbia River Maritime Museum

What a surprise we had yesterday.  Weather was supposed to be rainy so we decided to do 'indoor' things - like drive to Astoria and go to the Columbia River Maritime Museum. Had to drive back over the Astoria Megler bridge, 4 miles of elevated roadway over the Columbia, where you can see vista views of the River and activities on it.  Like - bazillion fishing boats.  And I do mean bazillion.  Freighters anchored just east of the bridge, waiting to go up river to Portland to load - looked like they floated above the water.  And lots of vehicles going over the bridge.  If you get nervous about heights, this bridge is not for you.  Tide was in and with that, no sand bars.  On our way home later in the day the tide was rushing out and the sand bars were noticeable.

Freighters anchored out waiting to go to Portland

So many fishing boats!

We both had a huge WOW for this museum, built right on the water's edge, which explained the history of the river and people who lived(s) on it, the fishing industry, the Coast Guard's role in saving lives, how the Coast Guard trains their people to manage the treacherous waters of the ocean and the Columbia River combining.  How freighter traffic moves into the entrance of the river (must have a Pilot on board and the Pilot maneuvers the boat in), another Pilot for the sand bars, explanation of why this area is called "The Graveyard of the Pacific" due to thousands of shipwrecks and lives lost.  The whole shebang.  What an interesting place.  Movies showing how the storms batter the entrance, movies about the Pilot's job, movies about Coast Guard rescues, and on and on.  A gem of a museum.  A must see for anyone who wants to know about this river.

Map of some shipwrecks

Snapshot of movie - waves get 40 feet high!

After visiting the museum and taking some outdoor photos (Lightship Columbia was there docked and you could tour that), we decided to go to Astoria Column, a tower built that you can climb to the top and view 360 degrees of the area.  On a clear day you can see miles out into the Pacific.  We could make out the Cape Disappointment Lighthouse, the Netul River and rough area where Fort Clatsop is located, see way up the river towards Portland, just a gorgeous view.  On the column is etched pictures of the history of the area.  Pretty cool.

Astoria Column

Abandoned Cannery- bridge/freighter in background

After the Column we drove back down into town and stopped at the boat launch and walked around.  We saw one of the original canneries (there were 52 at one time) still standing out on stilts - abandoned.  Can't imagine the working conditions there.  We could hear sea lions barking and walked towards the commercial pier and saw/heard them.  Noisy things.  And the weight of them broke the docks. Took a picture of a couple who had just came back from a day out fishing - the woman's salmon is about 18 pounds and the man's is about 15.  Good eats!

Look close on docks - CA Sea Lions

Catch of the Day 

Tide going out - sand bar showing

Driving back over the bridge you could see the sand bar coming into view, most of the fishing boats had called it a day, the fog rolling back in.  Learned alot about the River and decided that we would never venture out past the ocean IF we ever boated here.  No way.