BUSY DAY

It was a very cold and cloudy morning with rain dew drops making Kathe and I cold and crabby this morning. Kathy T and Jim took a long bike ride all over the park and returned in time for a hot dog lunch at Costco. Some more food shopping followed.

This afternoon they all decided to visit the Colombia Maritime Museum. It’s a big beautiful building that looks like a ship. It is located along the river downtown at the wharf. They spent several hours there learning about the history and dangers of the Columbia River. One exhibit was all about the shipwrecks at the mouth of the Columbia. There have been over 2000 shipwrecks as the waves can reach 40 in height during the severe winter storms. There were some other interesting exhibits about the U S Coast Guard and the Columbia River Bar Pilots. Some of the exciting films of Coast Guard rescues could make you sea sick as the waves were so rough. In one hall there were several boats on display which were used for fishing including a gill net boat donated by my Aunt Vicki’s family. 

After the museum closed at 5:00 there was still enough time to drive up to Astoria most famous landmark, the Astoria column. Build in 1926, it is 125 feet high and sits on Coxcomb Hill, which is 600 feet above sea level. You can see the whole city from the top. There’s a 164 step spiral staircase inside to column that leads to an observation tower. Jim says he wants to go back tomorrow and climb to the top. We shall see!