I think it was around August I took a trip in my new car, the Vette, to visit my family in Oregon. I really hate driving on the freeway and though at times I can enjoy it, I wanted to cruise and really experience the feeling of having a Corvette. So, I packed up my stuff and headed off. I zipped down from Seattle to Olympia and then cut across the hills to the coast.
I love the outdoors and it reminded me so much of being back in college and racing around the back roads to either visit Dan in Corvallis or jumping over the pass to Florence. This trip lead me winding through the hills of Washington and finally along the Columbia River . Once I hit Astoria, which has always been something of a magical place for me — home to many family vacations with great parks to explore and a cool community. That’s when I started snapping pictures all the way to Florence, Oregon.
I really can’t wait to do it again; I was alone this trip but would love to have a companion on the next trip to share the drive with. Plus I didn’t make to many stops, just a few places I remembered as a kid but I really would have loved to look at the battlements and so many other cool things along the way.
Here are the few pictures I took from this exhilarating and relaxing trip:
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Astoria-Megler Bridge
Astoria-Megler Bridge
The Astoria-Megler Bridge viewed from up the Columbia River on the Washington state side.
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Astoria, Oregon
Astoria, Oregon
Astoria, Oregon across the river. The Astoria Bridge is the longest "continuous truss" in the world.
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Astoria from Washington
Astoria from Washington
A wonderful view of Astoria from Washington.
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Columbia River
Columbia River
Astoria further back up the Columbia River.
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Movie Locations
Movie Locations
Some of the movies filmed in Astoria are: The Goonies, Kindergarten Cop, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III, Short Circuit, Come See the Paradise, and Free Willy I and II.
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Lewis & Clark Expedition
Lewis & Clark Expedition
Astoria marked the end of the Lewis & Clark Expedition, here they worked on their voluminous journals and prepared for their return trek to the United States in the spring.
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State Parks
State Parks
One of the biggest attractions are the state parks located here. Long since abandoned battlements dating back to the Lewis & Clark's day along with numerous beached ships that lay as a reminder to the portal the river offers.
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Higher Than You Think
Higher Than You Think
A great shot of the famous bridge which can be a bit nerve wracking driving on. The thing is huge and goes up pretty dang high!
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Nice
Nice
I ... ummm ... don't know but it is a nice picture.
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Up River
Up River
A view from Washington looking back up the Columbia River.
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Sunken Ships
Sunken Ships
In the past, the dangerous crossing of the Bar sunk more than 200 ships and over 2,000 vessels of all kinds, and the mouth of the Columbia was known as the graveyard of the Pacific.
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1,243 Miles Long!
1,243 Miles Long!
The Columbia River is 1,243 miles long and is the home of 14 damns and continues to host huge fishing opportunities that are unmatched in the Northwest.
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Hands on the Wheel
Hands on the Wheel
Ummm...That was a bit of a scary drive with my camera gently balanced on the dash and me trying to hold it steady as I drove up the bridge but ain't it a cool shot!
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Left Railing
Left Railing
Looking over edge of the Bridge at Astoria.
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Bad Driving Techniques
Bad Driving Techniques
More Astoria bridge shots.
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Right Railing
Right Railing
Wait, yet another while driving Astoria bridge shot.
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Beach Shot #1
Beach Shot #1
Another stop and another quick stroll on the beach.
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Bird Paradise
Bird Paradise
A lone rock island jutting out from the ocean.
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Beach Shot #2
Beach Shot #2
A quite beach shot.
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Waves Are Cool
Waves Are Cool
The amount of power and force hidden in a wave....
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Caves
Caves
A unique pattern of the rocks with the blown back trees and small cave.
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Incredible Trees
Incredible Trees
You can't duplicate the wonders of the Oregon coast anywhere else on the planet.
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Hillside Beach Shot (#3?)
Hillside Beach Shot (#3?)
A view of the beach from atop the hillside.
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Breathtaking Views
Breathtaking Views
Another shot from atop the bluff.
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Nature Is Perfection
Nature Is Perfection
Simply magnificent with the clouds hovering over the currently calm ocean.
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Same Spot - More Breathtaking!
Same Spot - More Breathtaking!
I could have stayed in that spot forever.
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Beach Shot #4
Beach Shot #4
I don't recall which beach this was but I do remember how much I wished someone was there to walk with as you stroll along the sandy paths.
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Beach Shot #4B
Beach Shot #4B
Different views of the beach from the previous image.
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Not Too Hot - Not Too Cold
Not Too Hot - Not Too Cold
It was such a comfortable day, not too hot and not too cold.
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To Be Alive!
To Be Alive!
Living and exploring. To be a kid again and playing in the waves.
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Lighthouse
Lighthouse
A quiet beach with the lighthouse in the back and the spray of the ocean around.
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Trees Right On The Beach
Trees Right On The Beach
One of the main reasons I enjoy the Oregon coast. The trees and high landscapes are breathless.
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Beach Shot #5
Beach Shot #5
Such a peaceful moment on the beach, the small stream feeding into the ocean.
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To Infinity and Beyond!
To Infinity and Beyond!
One must always take a shot of the ocean reaching on into infinity (or so it seems).
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Creepy Bushes
Creepy Bushes
I have no idea. It was just cool looking, the thicket of brambles at a rest area where someone had cut into.
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More Creepy Bushes
More Creepy Bushes
I loved how the branches and twigs had been twisted by the wind and gave it an eerie feel.
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Heceta Head
Heceta Head
Heceta Head Lighthouse outside Florence. One of the places that holds incredible meaning to me. It was my retreat from the tender years of 16-21 and brings back vivid memories of my youth.
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Beach Shot #6
Beach Shot #6
Random shots of remote beaches from the drive from Heceta to Florence.
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Nature At Work
Nature At Work
Another stop over, you can look down at the ocean pounding up on the rock walls.
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Stunning Rock Work
Stunning Rock Work
Another stop and the wonders of the ocean meeting land along the Oregon Coast.
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Outside Florence, Oregon
Outside Florence, Oregon
The beach outside Florence as you drop back down off the high drive along the highway.