Last Day in Oregon...

After filling up on hearty cheeses in Tillamook, we headed north with some fun stops along the way.

Roadside Wanda's, in the tiny community of Nehalem (pop. 275), was one of the cutest bakeries we have visited. A carrot cake muffin and a delicious cup of coffee lured us in. We were thoroughly delighted.

A must was a stop to admire Haystack Rock, a 235 ft. sea stack in Cannon Beach.
It is the third-tallest such intertidal structure in the world. A popular tourist destination, the monolithic rock is adjacent to the beach and accessible by foot at low tide.
How appropriate that we would find ourselves here, at the Astoria Column, on our last Oregon day. "End of the trail, the start of adventure. We are at the end of some trails and the beginning of many others. Astoria, Oregon is both a gateway and the hub in a region steeped in history."
This Column allows one to envision the hardships, bravery, and awe experienced by the first people to live in this corner of the world.
Dedicated by the Great Northern Railway in 1926, it stands today as a monument to those people.
A little about the creative process: Attilio Pusterla was the artistic genius behind the 525-foot-long mural that wraps around the Astoria Column. Pusterla was an Italian immigrant known for his expertise in sgraffito, an engraving technique used by potters for centuries.
Applying the artwork proved to be an arduous process. Workers devised a mobile scaffold that encircled the Column and dangled by ropes from the viewing platform. After laying down a dark base coat, Pusterla placed the drawing over the wet plaster. He next blew colored powder into the holes poked in the outline of each figure. Lifting the drawing away from the plaster, he could see the outlines he’d made. Then he added a lighter coat of plaster, and finished the image by incising shadows and outlines.
Pusterla was a perfectionist and would destroy the previous day’s work if he found it didn’t meet his satisfaction when viewing it from the ground.
Somehow, knowing all this about the process makes me appreciate this monument even more.
After thinking about it for a while, and letting Steve go first, I climbed the 164 steps to the observation deck for a breathtaking (literally and figuratively) first view of the City of Astoria. Wow.


This is how Astoria is described on the traveloregon.com website: "This coastal city seems like it was plucked right out of a storybook. With Victorian-era homes etched into hills overlooking the Columbia River, this picturesque settlement (the oldest west of the Rockies) is a port city with Scandinavian flavor. Surrounded by forests, boasting three rivers and situated a stone’s throw away from the Pacific, Astoria is a fishing village-meets-Victoriana, chockablock with forts, museums and great local brews."
Founded in 1811, Astoria is the oldest city in the state of Oregon and was the first permanent American settlement west of the Rocky Mountains. The city is named for John Jacob Astor, an investor and entrepreneur from New York City, whose American Fur Company founded Fort Astoria at the site and established a monopoly in the fur trade in the early nineteenth century.
The grand buildings attest to its grand wealth, at one time in its early history.




The Liberty Theatre is one of the best examples of the 1920's vaudeville-motion picture palaces in the Pacific Northwest. I wish we could have seen a production here. Wow.
It is claimed that the actor Clark Gable began his career at another venue in town, the Astoria Theatre, in 1922.

How gorgeous is the façade of the Clatsop County Courthouse (1908)?
And just across the street, the U.S. Post Office and Custom House (1933) was exceptional.
Its interior was the most ornate I have seen in any post office.
I loved this building. Architect John E. Wicks designed the plans for the Astoria National Bank building in 1923. Niemi and Company completed the construction of this Classic American Renaissance building in 1924 at a cost of $100,000.00. The bank opened for business in February of 1924 and went into receivership exactly four years later. The building remained vacant for two years until the newly-chartered Bank of Astoria occupied the building. On July 13, 1937 the United States Bank of Portland bought the Bank of Astoria and occupied the building until 1973 after which the bank building was used to store costumes by the Astor Street Opry Company. What a sad history for such an exceptional building.
As of recently, it became the home of Trish Bright's Museum of Whimsy (MOW), described as "a museum like no other. Its unique collections, assembled over many years with an eye to the curious, the whimsical and the fantastic." Sadly, it seems to have closed permanently in 2019. I so would have visited MOW.

A stroll to the historic County Jail (1914-1976), now the Oregon Film Museum, put us on an unintentional Goonies tour.
In the beloved 1985 cult film The Goonies, a band of kids embark on epic odyssey to discover the long-lost treasure of the 17th century pirate One-Eyed Willy. Set in Astoria, the kids who live on the Goon Docks brave being chased by criminals all while trying to save their homes from being foreclosed and destroyed so a property developing company can build a country club. The jail, by the way, is the most recognizable location of the movie.
Stephen Spielberg was said to be inspired by the legend of the Santo Cristo de Burgos when he created the movie. The Spanish galleon set sail from the Philippines to Mexico in 1693 but never made it to its destination. The massive and completely vanished vessel, carrying precious and priceless cargo like porcelain, Chinese silk, and loads of candle making beeswax (?) was thought to be shipwrecked off the coast of Oregon.
One of the most beautiful buildings here is the Flavel House (1884), the current home of the Astoria Historical Museum. In the movie, the Goonies cycle down the hill past the museum in search of One Eyed Willie. This is where the lead character's (Mikey) father, Mr. Walsh, worked as a museum curator.
As we headed out of town, we stopped at the Walsh House. This private residence doubled as the home to Mikey (Sean Astin) and Brand Walsh (Josh Brolin). It is in the attic of this home that the group of teenage friends (self-dubbed The Goonies) find a hidden pirate treasure map that starts their adventure in hopes of saving their town. In the process of navigating the caves filled with booby traps, the gang has to escape from the family of criminals known as the Fratellis that want the treasure for their own.
Last stop on The Goonies tour was at the über adorable Astoria Coffee Co. It is at the crosswalk, opposite it, where Rosalita is seen crossing the street as the Fratellis speed past with the police in pursuit.
Okay, confession time. I really couldn't care less about The Goonies. I saw the movie when I was 23. I thought it was way over the top. That said, it was a fun catalyst of looking at Astoria through a different lens (pun intended). And as for the Astoria Coffee Co., I stopped there because it had a vending machine for bags of coffee. This was a first for me. I found that very cool and would not have discovered it if not for the film tour. Fun stuff.
Astoria has a lot going on and it is on our list of "Cities to visit again with more time".

Due to poor signage to find a campground, our day ended here in the tiny hamlet of Quincy at the 1902 Grange. For those who don't know, a Grange is a farmers' association organized in 1867. The Grange sponsors social activities, community service, and political lobbying. It provided us with a quiet campsite for our last night in the Beaver State.

posted under |

1 comments:

Anonymous said...

Steve & Denise - great trip! Enjoyed reading your history for each place you visited. I was in Astoria, Tillamook, and Cannon Beach the same week on my bike riding the Oregon coast, you may have driven by me! You both look fantastic, wishing you both the best. John Haerr

October 27, 2022 at 5:37 AM

Post a Comment

Newer Post Older Post Home
Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)

Get new Blog Posts to your inbox. Just enter name and email below.

 

We respect your email privacy

Blog Archive


Recent Comments