Escape...

[godfry n. glad]

Back in from a short vacation...or holiday, I believe the Brits call them. The SO and I went to the beach, via a job for her in a town mid-way to the beach from Puddle City.

We stayed in a hotel in a small town on the Columbia River called Cathlamet. It was just down the road from Skamakawa, both are in Wahkiacum County. She did her inspection thang on their school complex and we headed on down to the shore for a couple of days away from the big city.

Our room in Long Beach was subpar, but passable. The weather, however, was a huge surprise. We managed to be at the beach, in mid-October, when it was dry and sunny. We got walks on the boardwalk. We crawled the tacky stores and ate well. We visited two lighthouses and an interpretive center (museum) for the history of a major exploratory program by the European Americans; this was the destination point of the Lewis & Clark expedition. We went to the Cranberrian Fair in Ilwaco, as the peninsula upon which we were staying was a major production center for cranberries and the cranberry harvest had just finished. There were lots of cranberry bogs, as well as oyster beds. The side of the peninsula away from the ocean was Willapa Bay, which, I'm told, is one of the premier sites for edible oysters.

The town were we staying, Long Beach, is something of a local vacationer attraction, thanks to public access to what they call "the longest beach in the world", which is a nice sand beach about...oh...fifteen miles long. Of course, swimming in the Pacific Ocean in these parts is for penguins, not humans. I personally think it nucking futz. Hypothermia can be induced in a few short minutes. The winds are nice and the kites were in prolific display.

We finished it off with a drive up along the coast, enjoying the small towns and driving across the south of the Olympic peninsula,through the temperate rain forest to the small town of Centralia, where we stayed over night in one of the McMenamin brothers' brewpub hotels. It knew a former life as both a men's "retirement" hotel and a brothel. The entrepeneurs have acquired the Olympic Club, a former men's club (bar, billiards and smoking lounge with a big potbellied steel stove in the middle of the room). This has all been cleaned up (a bit), outfitted with a cafe kitchen, which specializes in hot sandwiches and pub fare, along with their signature brewpub beers, brewed on the premises. Attached to a meeting hall space that now has a movie screen and is filled with overstuffed chairs and end tables, and patrons bring their beers in and watch second run movies. We saw Transformers as part of our stay at the hotel.

The best place name I came home with was Dismal Nitch, a locale just east of the north end of the Astoria bridge, on the Washington side of the mouth of the Columbia River. It was so named by Lewis and Clark, who spent five days trapped there in a winter storm. Lovely weather we can have in these parts. Of course, as far as names go, I'm still charmed by the Skoocumchuck River that flows through Centralia.

I came home with a new teeshirt and two new hats, a handbook to the night sky, and six new coffee mugs. I stopped in at the outlet mall in Centralia and stocked up on two new pair of trousers, too.

It was a nice getaway.

It felt nice being a tourist again.

You done any lately? Getaways...not tourists!

[trientalis]

Does Florence count?:wink:

[seebs]

Not in quite a while. Earlier this year, I think, or maybe last year, we went up to a resort on the North Shore (of Lake Superior). Now we have a house, which is taking up all our time and money.

[Ensign Steve]

I just returned from an extra-long four-day weekend of driving clear across beautiful georgia and alabama and doing some serious relaxing and chilling out.

[Zehava]

Of course, as far as names go, I'm still charmed by the Skoocumchuck River that flows through Centralia.

I'm sure godfry knows where Skookumchuck (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skookumchuck) comes from, but in case anyone else in interested.

Perhaps not so surprising is the number of Chinook Jargon Placenames (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Chinook_Jargon_placenames)

[godfry n. glad]

Does Florence count?:wink:

Sure...

Your going to Florence is rather like my going to Long Beach. Did you visit Nye Beach the Dunes (Nye Beach is in Newport, not Florence)?

Or...

do...

you...

mean...

that Eye-taleean place?

[godfry n. glad]

I just returned from an extra-long four-day weekend of driving clear across beautiful georgia and alabama and doing some serious relaxing and chilling out.

That sounds an interesting road trip. I hear it's damned dry in those parts. Folks just 'preciate your coming an' pissin' in their fields, from what I hear. Did you drive all the time, or take in a roadside attraction or two and stay in flophouse motels?

[godfry n. glad]

Of course, as far as names go, I'm still charmed by the Skoocumchuck River that flows through Centralia.

I'm sure godfry knows where Skookumchuck (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skookumchuck) comes from, but in case anyone else in interested.

Perhaps not so surprising is the number of Chinook Jargon Placenames (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Chinook_Jargon_placenames)

Heh...well, I vaguely remembered it meant something, but not exactly what.

Further north, near Hoquiam, there's an inland town goes by the name Humptulips. I, of course, pictured it as a village of very ardent bulb farmers, but it comes to mean something like "whitewater" or "rough water" in the local lexicon. The other way from Hoquiam is a favorite town of my buddy, Deadfred Walking...Tokeland. Yessir...Tokeland, Washington. It's right on the coast.

[Ensign Steve]

That sounds an interesting road trip. I hear it's damned dry in those parts. Folks just 'preciate your coming an' pissin' in their fields, from what I hear. Did you drive all the time, or take in a roadside attraction or two and stay in flophouse motels?

Quite dry. I didn't even use the air conditioner on the trip out (needed it for the trip back, though, as it was 87 degrees). I opened up the sun roof once I got off the interstate and close to the beach. It was absurdly refreshing. I drove straight thru, it's about 7 hours each way, and flopped at LadyShea's house.

[Pinecone]

When I read the title of this this thread I was afraid the chickens got out! Glad to see it was you Godfry was the one that flew the coop for a while!

[trientalis]

Buon giorno!

The planes and airports were annoying but the city is wonderful. The view from the top of the Duomo was stunning and worth the agony of slogging up the narrow steps with a bag of books (I'm not kidding about the books).

The food was as delicious as they say; so was the wine of which we drank a fair amount.

I love the Pacific Northwest but I'm missing Florence a little bit.

[Dingfod]

inland wave and I are planning to go to War Eagle Mill in Arkansas for their annual fall festival Friday, all day, just the two of us, no kids, no dogs, no horses, and sadly, no motorcycles.

[godfry n. glad]

inland wave and I are planning to go to War Eagle Mill in Arkansas for their annual fall festival Friday, all day, just the two of us, no kids, no dogs, no horses, and sadly, no motorcycles.

Oooo...What happens at the War Eagle Mill annual fall festival?

[Dingfod]

I'm not sure what happens there. I've been to War Eagle Mill, but not during their annual fall festival.

Link (http://www.beaverlake.com/wareagle/wareagle.htm)

[godfry n. glad]

Northwest of Puddle City, across the mighty Columbia River are a series of small river towns. Cathlamet is one. We stayed there one night.

Here's the view south of the Columbia from the north shore waterfront in Cathlamet:

http://www.freethought-forum.com/forum/gallery/files/7/0/cathcolumbiawboat.JPG

It is, of course, complete with fisherman.

Turning 90 degrees from that to get a pix of how the river is a working river:

http://www.freethought-forum.com/forum/gallery/files/7/0/cathcolumbiatugs.JPG

A short drive out of town, to Long Island, and I ran across this scene:

http://www.freethought-forum.com/forum/gallery/files/7/0/camelscratch.JPG

It's her pet camel...a Bactrian...by the name of Camellia. Camellia was getting carrots and apples the first time I drove by. By the time I'd turned around and gotten back to take the pix, all the treats were gone. The lady did get the cutest snuggle hug for her thoughtfulness, though, and she introduced me to Camellia.

[godfry n. glad]

On down the river to North Head and Cape Disappointment, we took in some of the local scenery.

The Keeper's home at North Head Lighthouse.

http://www.freethought-forum.com/forum/gallery/files/7/0/northheadlghthousekeepershome.JPG

The Assistant Keeper's home at North Head Lighthouse.

http://www.freethought-forum.com/forum/gallery/files/7/0/northheadlghthouseasstkeepershome.JPG

They, along with the now non-functioning lighthouse, are part of the state park. The Keeper and Assistant Keeper houses are rented out to small groups.

North Head Lighthouse, on the north shoulder of Cape Disappointment. Placed so that ships coming from the north, who could not see the actual Cape Disappointment Lighthouse, would have to proceed south until they could see both lighthouses.

http://www.freethought-forum.com/forum/gallery/files/7/0/northheadlighthouse.JPG

A look north from the North Head. Past the rocky point is a huge, long sandy beach formed by the river unloading in a northbound current over millenia. Can't see that here, though.

http://www.freethought-forum.com/forum/gallery/files/7/0/nfrmnorthheadlighthouse.JPG

A look south, past the cape to the northern Columbia Jetty. It juts a mile plus out into the Columbia bar, constricting the river so it pushes the sand load further out and keeps the channel relatively clear.

http://www.freethought-forum.com/forum/gallery/files/7/0/northspitfromnorthheadlighthouse.JPG

Travelling south to the jetty, I got these pix of the Cape Disappointment Lighthouse.

http://www.freethought-forum.com/forum/gallery/files/7/0/capedisappointmentdist.JPG

http://www.freethought-forum.com/forum/gallery/files/7/0/capedisappointmentmid.JPG

There's a Coast Guard base just on the other side of that point with the lighthouse.

We went to the Lewis & Clark Interpretive Center, which is a stone's throw from the Cape Disappointment Lighthouse.

The puckishly named Wakiki Beach was formed by the landward side of the base of the spit. It's about 200 feet long, and back-littered with driftwood.

[godfry n. glad]

In Long Beach itself, we just bummed around, mainly. We ate a lot of seafood. We went for a walk on the boardwalk.

http://www.freethought-forum.com/forum/gallery/files/7/0/longbeachboardwalk.JPG

Lotsa beach grass on the backbeach.

http://www.freethought-forum.com/forum/gallery/files/7/0/boardwalklongbeach.JPG

We went out to the beach and walked a bit, too. Watched two. sundowns (got pix on the second).

http://www.freethought-forum.com/forum/gallery/files/7/0/sundownlngbch3.JPG

http://www.freethought-forum.com/forum/gallery/files/7/0/sundownlngbch2.JPG

[viscousmemories]

Wow, beautiful scenery.

[livius drusus]

I love that grass so much. It looks sooo wavy and fluffy.

[godfry n. glad]

On our way from Long Beach to Centralia, we stopped in South Bend, the county seat of Pacific County, in which Long Beach was located.

The county courthouse is one of the formal locales of power and they can be quite ornamental, for smallish American towns. This one had a noble panoramic view overlooking the south bend of the Willapa River. My SO thought it'd be worthwhile stopping to see if we could get in. The reason? The dome.

http://www.freethought-forum.com/forum/gallery/files/7/0/pacificcountycourthouse.JPG

Although covered with a tin outer dome now, originally the Tiffany leaded glass dome had no cover. It was Sunday, though, so we couldn't get in to see the dome in place. My SO raved over the interior dome.

We did find this drawing posted on the information kiosk in the parking lot:
http://www.freethought-forum.com/forum/gallery/files/7/0/pacificcountycourthouseinteriordrawing.JPG

This was evidently one of the leaded stained glass Pacific County roundels, now embedded in the wall of the skybridge which connects the classic old courthouse to the modern expansion annex. There are several shown in the base of the leaded glass dome in the drawing.

http://www.freethought-forum.com/forum/gallery/files/7/0/pacificcountycourthousetiffanywindow.JPG

[Deadlokd]

That is some beautiful country you have there. And buildings. Those Lighthouse keepers houses are immaculate.

[Watser?]

Cool pics godfry. That is a pretty wide river there btw, I had no idea it was that big.

[godfry n. glad]

Cool pics godfry. That is a pretty wide river there btw, I had no idea it was that big.

That's just the half of it. Literally.

What you see in the pix from Cathlamet is the north portion of the river, over as far as Puget Island, which is still in Washington. What you see just above water level is probably that portion of the river north of Puget Island; the larger portion, with the main channel, is on the far side of Puget Island. It separates Puget Island from Oregon and is served by the last remaining toll ferry between the two states.

The Columbia is a huge river, draining a major portion of the Pacific Northwest, from near Jasper, in the Canadian Rockies, and Yellowstone, in the US Rockies, clear to the Pacific, and includes major portions of Oregon, Washington, British Columbia, and Idaho, along with minor portions of Alberta, Montana and Wyoming, in its drainage system. Cathlamet is about 30 miles from the mouth (the bar) of the Columbia River, where it empties into the Pacific Ocean. Cape Disappointment is AT the bar, where once the mile plus jetty on the Washington side and the mile plus jetty on the Oregon side finish constricting the estuarial outfall, the bar is still about five miles across.

[Shelli]

Nice pics, godfry. :thumbup: