Weekend trip to Astoria

Looking out at the wide Columbia River headed towards the Pacific Ocean

A few weeks back me and some friends headed to Astoria out on the Oregon coast to explore and get some history.  Such a fun, eclectic and interesting town, which was founded as the primary settlement for a fur enterprise by John Jacob Astor.  This was to be the NYC of the west coast, the major port where business flowed through.  A recent booked entitled Astoria, by Peter Stark, details the two expeditions (land and sea) that set out to conquer and begin the business here.  It was a rough voyage by both parties and they couldn't make a go of it.  The War of 1812 had something to do with that as well.  Definitely a great read, full of adventure, history, comedy and life in the early 1800s.  Think you had a rough day?  Think again.

Anyways, we stayed at the Norblad Hostel, a classy spot right in the heart of town, most likely a former brothel as that was the type of town this used to be.  Perfect location for exploring the town from the cafes, to the breweries, to the local trolley.  That's right, we went on a trolley tour, a historical trolley tour, serving bloody mary's.  Can't beat that.

From the canning industry, to the logging industry to the filming industry (The Goonies, Kindergarten Cop), this town has been lots of things.  As they like to tell you, one thing they aren't, is quaint.  They prefer the rough and tumble approach, and seem to get along just fine with that.  It's a great town for a weekend visit, with great fish and chips, steady microbreweries all around (try Buoy Beer!) and a fun vibe all around.  Live it up!

Bridge over the Columbia, with Washington 4 miles away on the other side

Best fish and chips in Astoria, hands down.

View from the Astoria Column (130+ stairs high)

Gorge-ous

Well, the pun above has been well used, but man, is the Columbia Gorge gorgeous.  Simply amazing.  Lots of natural beauty out there, just over a half hour away.  Can't pass up mountain views, good hikes, sharp hills coming down to the huge Columbia.  Although there was a large forest fire last year that caused lots of trail closures, there are still some great hikes available, and my dad and I headed there early Saturday morning.  Portland is an outdoorsy town, so when we got to the trailhead before 9am, there were just 2 parking spots left.  Booted up, we started the incline, working our way up through switchbacks for the next 1.5 miles, to our first viewpoint:

From there, we soon reached a plateau and then another awesome viewpoint, with complimentary wildflowers in full bloom.  Can't beat that:

Here are some other good shots from the day, perfect for an early summer day where the sun was out, and the temperature was perfect in the trees.  Great to get out and move those legs, with my dad and I doing around 8.5 miles, full of good movement and sunny vibes.

Awesome trail!

Columbia Gorge on the drive

Mount Hood shining through on the drive