Astoria is a vibrant port city on the Columbia River, where it meets the Pacific Ocean. We've passed through the area on several occasions, but haven't spent much time exploring other than stopping for lunch a few times. It's definitely a place we hope to visit while camping at nearby Fort Stevens State Park.
Beautiful flowers outside Fort George Brewery and Public House. I think we may have found the name for our trailer while standing here waiting for our table...
As we were waiting for our name to be called, one of our neighbors from Lincoln walked up the street toward us! What a great surprise to see John! (He and his wife have a dog named Belle and she and Annie were the best of friends.) It truly is a small world.
Happy travelers.
Katherine and John with the two former Lincolnites. I've always thought John and Rod look like brothers.
Ahhh. I love the beer at Fort George Brewery. I had the Cavatica Stout, which was delicious.
They have a great menu and it's always difficult to make a decision. This time, I decided to try something I've never had. (I usually get fish tacos or fish & chips.)
Shrimp N' Grits! It was love at first bite. It was such an amazing meal that I decided to search for a recipe as soon as I got home. (I've since made it twice and it's a winner!)
Another shot of one of the huge container ships on the Columbia River.
And now we head south toward Tillamook. I think this was taken somewhere near Cannon Beach.
I love all the haystacks in the water off the coast of Oregon and Washington. We didn't have anything like these in Southern California.
Boondocking at the Blue Heron French Cheese Company in Tillamook, Oregon. It looks crowded from the angle of the pictures, but there was really plenty of space between RVs. There were only three of us, but there's also space in an upper field which had a few tent campers.
This was a great place to stop for the night. The Blue Heron allows for one night of dispersed camping, but when you go inside to register with Harvest Hosts, it's almost impossible to walk out without buying something. I think we bought a bottle of wine, some crackers, jam and a cute hand towel. Suffice it to say, our "free" night wound up costing us closer to $75.
Our morning view. Not only does the Blue Heron sell food, wine and specialty gifts, but it also has a petting zoo and antique farm equipment. Pretty cool place. You can learn more about it here.
We made it back safely to our storage facility, just a few miles south of our home. After five nights of "pull-thru" campsites, this was a test of patience. I have never backed up a trailer or boat, but I was pretty confident that, with Rod's guidance, I wouldn't have too much trouble. Well, I didn't hit that Scamp on the right, nor did I drive off that cliff behind us, but I was definitely ready for a glass of wine when we got home.
August 6-7, 2017
Astoria and Tillamook, Oregon (boondocking at the Blue Heron French Cheese Company)
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