On our way out of Astoria, we drove by the house featured in the movie Short Circuit (Stephanie's house). The Goonies house is also in Astoria, but the current owners really dislike folks taking photos so they have "No Trespassing" signs up and threats to call the police. A photo isn't worth that!
A short drive away was the Lewis and Clark National Historical Park which is the site of a rebuilt Fort Clatsop. The Corps of Discovery arrived in the area in November 1805 and by the end of the year, the party had constructed the fort which they wintered in until they began their return journey to St. Louis in March 1806. The current structure is the third incarnation, the first having decayed due to the climate and the second being lost to fire in 2005. After visiting the fort, we journeyed down a path to the area where the party put in their canoes.
Leaving the fort, we headed southwest to Sunset Beach. This was yet another location on which you just drive out onto the beach, park, and then get out and walk around. This beach was sandy and flat so the waves looked as if they were coming straight at you. We then headed further south to Seaside to get lunch.
Our next stop was Cannon Beach where the Haystack Rock and the Needles are located. Goonies fans will recognize this feature from the beginning of the movie. The beach was full of folks and dogs out enjoying the sun and heavy wind coming in from the Pacific. Carolyn is at home at the beach. In fact, I've never seen her move as fast as she did when we parked here! Off she went!
We backtracked a bit to get up to Highway 26 which took us into the Portland metro area. We timed it just perfectly and arrived shortly after 4:00 when the peak rush hour hit (sigh). We were in traffic for about 90 minutes as we traversed the city from west to east. We did have great views of Mt. St. Helens and Mt. Hood, however. Once we hit Troutdale, we exited and got onto the Historic Columbia River Highway, the first planned scenic highway in America. We soon arrived at Crown Point and the Vista House. The views of the Columbia River Gorge from here were stunning. The sun was in the perfect location too to add some shadows to the hills and valleys.
Unfortunately much of the Columbia Highway is closed due to the 2017 Eagle Creek fire which raged through the area, burning more than 48,000 acres. The evidence remains all around on the Oregon side of the river. Trees are black and brown from the river level all the way up to the highest points. The good news is that there are signs of regrowth, even on some of the trees that got crispy last fall. The fire was started by a teenager playing with fireworks in the forest.
After backtracking slightly, we got onto I-84 and headed to Multnomah Falls. This is THE iconic waterfall for Oregon as it's a tiered 627 foot impressive water feature. It can even be seen from the Washington side of the river. The Corps of Discovery also noted its existence in 1805. Nearby is the Multnomah Falls Lodge which was constructed in 1925. It was saved from the Eagle Creek fire thanks to countless firefighters and volunteers. The falls were gorgeous and our timing was just perfect as the sun was getting low in the sky. The two tiers with a footbridge spanning the middle add to the beauty.
Our final destination was Hood River, where we had a great dinner and fell fast asleep. Tomorrow is our last travel day as we'll be heading back to Seattle, but by now you KNOW the route will be an interesting one!
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