On the Way~

Grandson Ben's Dad dropped him off Tue. evening to spend the night.  Ben was traveling with us as far as Astoria, where his Mom would pick him up.  He'd have a few days to visit his family, before returning north with us.  He'd brought his BMX bike, it found a place on the front of the truck!

Making the turn onto I-405

 We met up as usual, with some of our group at Clearview.  A little late leaving - it was after 9:30 by the time we were on the road & turning south.  Once on I-5 - traffic was moving & we were catching up with our friends who'd taken the express toll lanes.

Across the Columbia~!

 By 12:30 - we were on the bridge, going over the Columbia & entering Oregon!  The usual plan is for everyone to meet-up at the Astoria Safeway for last minute supplies.  Ben & Papa got the bike off the truck & Ben stretched his legs - after having to share the backseat with Nika & Rascal :-)

Ben & his bike!

 We were actually first in the long line of rigs that were soon taking all of the parking along the side of Safeway's big lot.

Are we a caravan or what?  :-)

 Deciding to get something to eat on the road, we came out to find two really cute pixie's waiting for us!  Papa recognized them as our two youngest granddaughters!

Papa with Skyla & Josie!

 Josie, her mother tells us - is a fashion diva - always in a dress & always looking for the appropriate accessories for her outfit!  Skyla - on the other hand, loves pretty dresses too - but is also more of a tom-boy :-)

Josie, Grammy & Skyla

 I had to get my photo taken with these two little beauties too :-)

On the fender of the horse trailer :-(

 Skyla wanted up to see Farah, next Butch lifted Josie up - but obviously - that was the wrong thing to do!  Ms. Josie wanted nothing to do with being on the fender, or being so close to Farah!  Papa made amends & we ended the too short visit with kisses & smiles all around!

Setting up camp~

 It was just 3 p.m. when we pulled into the park!  Sunshine & a light breeze - just perfect!  Over the last few years, we've had really good weather all in all.  Sometimes cold, maybe a Lot of wind, even both one year - but never rain... 

Farah under her new cover~

 After looking at the long-range forecast - Janelle recommended that we purchase covers.  Costco got in a shipment just in time & we bought them out!  Really easy to put up & the 13x13 size fit perfectly inside the corral.

Rascal~

I'd put dinner in the oven when we arrived - our camp was set up & soon it was time for our evening pot luck!  Time to sit, eat & catch up with our friends, some of whom we only see once a year!  We're here!

Visit to Wrights~

It was just after 6 p.m. when we left home to make the drive south to visit our youngest daughter's new home near Astoria.  Leaving late, we hoped to circumvent the worst of the southbound Friday traffic & we did!  We'd been on the road for just over four-hours when we made a turn off Hwy 30 & headed down a steep hill in the pitch black.  I'd tried to memorize the turns we'd need to take & we didn't miss a one.  Jentry was waiting out front - with a flashlight to show us where to park. 

Butch couldn't get us straight enough to make it in the pasture gate, (mailbox in the way) so since there was a nice wide, grassy shoulder - we parked there.  The stars were just amazing!  The kids live far enough out - that lights from town don't interfere.

Two little pixies greet us Sat. morning!

After a super breakfast, we packed up, all fit in the kids van & Joe took us on a tour of the beautiful  countryside that they now call home!  The waterways all lead from then return to the Columbia River.  There were some old fishing shacks & boat docks along the shoreline.

Waterways~

 From there, it was on to Fort Stevens!  It had been years since we'd visited these beaches.  As we were driving through the park, we spotted this herd of Elk, with the big Bull, so I had to get a photo!

Bull Elk & cows

It was just a short hike up the dunes to the beach~  Papa gave Josie a lift!

Papa & Josie

It's also a horse friendly beach, I might add - since we met a horsewoman heading down as we were going back up!  She said you can go at least six-miles & that there were dune trails further south.

Skyla & Ben in the surf~

It was a slightly hazy afternoon, warm though!  I was amazed at how warm the water was!  Almost tropical warm?  We played in the surf & played in the sand until the girls got cold :-)

Daddy warms Josie up & Skyla too :-)

From the beach, we drove on to Astoria.  Beautiful windows, interesting shops ~

Window shopping!

A literal plethora of Distilleries & Breweries too!

On almost every street!

Our taste trends towards the breweries of course :-)

Unique tank!

We decided to try the beer at the Fort George Brewery.  What a Great building!

Signage~

View from our table~

We enjoyed our beer, Ben & the girls - root beer!   Chips & salsa too - we were hungry after the beach!

Liberty Theater

Walking through town was fun - lots of shops, friendly shopkeepers - a place we'd always intended to visit & now had a reason to!  It was getting late, the girls were tired & we were ready to head back.  Jentry made fish & chips for dinner - how many ways can you say Yum?!  Fish is always fresher when you're on the coast!

The day ended with a big bonfire & s'mores!

Beach Trip - Day 1 - To Nehalem ~

On the road~9:45 a.m.

Several of us met-up at Clearview to caravan to Nehalem, OR.  Traffic, as per usual in the greater Seattle area - was...  traffic.  We were just behind the worst of it, so just kept moving south.

10:15 We head out onto I-5

After taking I-405, we made the turn back onto I-5.  The overcast day made for perfect driving weather.  Before long - it was time to fuel up.

Longview & logs

As many times as I've been past, I was still amazed at the stacks of logs waiting to ship out.  Stacks & stacks & stacks...  You've got to wonder how much more we can cut before it's all gone?

12:35 p.m. The bridge looked spiffy with it's new coat of paint!

There was plenty of boat traffic on the Columbia.

Columbia River

We'd hardly crossed over into OR before the clouds started burning off & the sun appeared!

 

Taking up space at the Antacortes Safeway!

 We always make a last stop at Safeway for all those items that we've forgotten, or decide that we really need before making the final leg of the trip to the campground.

3 p.m.First view of the OR coast~

Seeing those first views of the coastline always gets my heart pounding!  Sheer excitement at the though of having a few days to just kick back & enjoy our friends, our horses & the amazingly scenic Oregon coastline.

It's just a short hop from here to our camp!  Janelle always has our paperwork in order & we were through the check-in without any delays.  Each of us has a pre-designated camp spot - so we all find ours & start setting up.  Even though the sun was shining & warm, the wind was blowing & it felt cold to those of us not used to it.

3:30 p.m. Our spot for the next few days!

We'd planned a pot-luck dinner, so I stared warming the Taco Soup & Cornbread!   After dinner, it was already 8 p.m. & the tide was coming in - so I decided to walk Farah down to the beach.  (Next post!)