SPOILER – No bike riding in this post!! Feels like forever since I journaled after leaving Hood River, OR. Quick re-cap on the roadie trip, so these memories don’t fall through the cracks… sorry for the snorey bore, but gotta jot stuff down since my brain’s a sieve:
Astoria, OR (5/28/19 ish)
- After leaving John’s House, we had a gorgeous drive along the Columbia River Gorge. Reached the Pacific Ocean and climbed to the top of the Astoria Column with Lucy and Molly while Angela waited below (claustrophobia and all that). Carried Molly most of the way up and down. Feel the burn. Reminded me of climbing the spiral staircase up the Leaning Tower of Pisa (which I hear you now have to book at least 16 days in advanced). Anyhoo… great views of the town.
Yet another gratuitous group selfieze
- We didn’t chuck any wooden airplanes off the viewing deck, but watched some other kids get their jollies. FYI, they sell the little airplanes at the gift shop, and it’s totally legit to throw them off the top… I guess nobody’s been hit by one and sued yet…
- Frolicked in the grass – Winning.
This could be my favorite snap of the whole trip. Pure happiness.
- Super fun watching a family of Indian tourists taking a series of those cheesy “creative” forced perspective photos of the Column. You know, the ones where you look like King Kong doing randomness with said landmark…
Wanna have some fun? Google “forced perspective leaning tower of pisa”
- Dinner at Buoy Beer Company. It’s on the water, and is in a re-purposed Bumble Bee tuna cannery. Pretty awesome chowder and they had a couple great small batch sours on tap – boom!
If you’re in Astoria, definitely hit up Buoy if you get the chance. Great food and beer.
- Back to the hotel room to watch Goonies with the girls!!! When I met Angela, she had a nice Toyota Tacoma with a Goonies sticker on the back window. Fast forward 15+ years, and that truck is now my daily driver with over 220k miles on it. The Goonies sticker is faded and shredded but still there. So yeah, Angela has Goonies in her bloodstream and it’s now in our girls DNA!! The next morning, we went to the “Goonies House” and the “Goonies Museum”. So much good!!!
View off the docks in Astoria
Out front of the Goonies Museum aka the Clatsop County Jail
Filming of The Goonies in 1985
Spending some time in the Goonies Jail
Sad face.
After Astoria, we crossed the bridge and it was a beautiful drive up the 101 to Sequim, WA before catching the ferry in Port Angeles to Victoria, BC.
Sunset shell grabbing mission on the beach of the Sequim, WA / Salish Sea.
The girls were amazed when we drove the car on the ferry. I forgot how fun this was! Haven’t been to Victoria since The Buried Life… Secretly, I was craving some Timmy Ho’s. I know, right?
Nothing like some Timbits to get ya going!
On the ferry to Victoria, BC
Boom. Victoria, BC – such a gem. So interesting how this tiny island is the capital of British Columbia, even though everyone seems to think Vancouver is. Study up on Wikipedia… Anyhoo…
Sunset stroll along the harbor by the Fairmont Empress Hotel
Butchart Gardens. Checked it off Angela’s bucket list. Amazing as ever. Yeah, yeah, it’s a bunch of flowers, grass and gardens. But it’s REALLY REALLY good flowers, grass, and gardens.
Some nice employee took this family pic
The Japanese Gardens were a favorite of ours
Syncronized ice cream eating World Champs
Okee dokes – now this fun little jaunt won’t get lost in time and I can sit with my grand kids and read this blog some day and laugh at the ice cream eaters like it was yesterday.
Saw this dude while driving through Van… forehead distance from windshield award
After Victoria, we took another ferry to Vancouver, and made our way up to Squamish and Whistler for some SWWWWEEETTT mountain biking… which will be my next journal entry hoot!! 🙂
Alan's Mountain Biking Adventures 