Astoria Column ~

The first day of a brand new year & it was Totally Stellar!  As gorgeous a day - as last nights sunset had been.  Jentry, Ben, Skyla & Josie met us at the hotel, to take the lead for the uphill journey through the older residential area's of town.  At the crest of the highest hill, sits the Column.

Astoria Column~

Dedicated July 22, 1926, the Column sits atop 600 ft. Coxcomb Hill.  125 ft. tall, with a circular stairway of 164 steps.  The view from the top is panoramic to say the least.   Skyla led the way with Ben spotting her from behind.

Ben & Skyla~

It had been since May of 1987 - when we'd shown my parents the Oregon Coast for the first time - that we'd visited the column & climbed the steps.

Dad & Mom on the right~

As you can tell from the photos, thirty plus years apart, the Column needed the restoration that the Friends of Astoria Column made happen in 2015.

Dad & Mom on the staircase~

Mom was ten years younger than I am now...  There's not a day that goes by, I don't miss them...  It was quite a moment for me, to think of our last visit. Mom & Dad with their Grandchildren, our daughters - Jentry was just ten.  Now, we were enjoying the same historic landmark with Jentry's children, our Grandchildren.

View of the dome~

It gets lighter on the steps & suddenly you look up to see sky, rather than another round of stairs!

View NW- of the mouth of the Columbia.  Bridge to the Washington side~

Once out on the observation deck at the top, the views take your breath away.  It's hard to absorb the scale of the Columbia until you see it from this vantage point, with the blue of the Pacific on the horizon.

SW, across the tidal flats~

The bridge above is 101, the Oregon Coast Highway, that heads south past Ft. Stevens & on to the beaches.  Every direction you look, are more of the fantastic views of the Pacific Northwest.  There's just nowhere like it on a sunshine day!  As we used to say; one good day would make up for a week of gray clouds & rain.

NW along the south side of the river~

The only distraction was the cell phone tower above, cluttering the views to the NW.

Mt. Saint Helens

Josie did not want to make the climb, so Jentry stayed below with her.  I could just pick out her blue dress on the lawn below!

The little blue spot to the left :-)

With the zoom though - I could see Ms. Josie!  Looking like a little flower in the middle of all that green grass!

Josie, our youngest Grandkid!

A few more photos & we were headed back down.  Even with the sunshine, the wind made it very brisk on that platform!  It was way easier than going up!

Ben, Skyla, Grammy & Papa

Yes, it was bright up there!

Bronze relief map~

The bronze relief map is really an incredible piece of art in & of itself!  But it was the Column's art that really drew my attention!  For the first time I was able to actually see the fantastic mural that winds it way around.

"The White Man Came."

That last sentence really says it all.  The end of a way of life for the native tribes & the start of a new era of development.  With that development came the timber industry - stripping the ancient old growth forests that had stood thousands of years.   Only a few tiny remnants remain.

The way West!

Butch & Ben making a statement :-)

Skyla flying her airplane~

The little gift shop building was full of souvenirs & trinkets.  The balsa wood airplanes were great!  People were sending them off the top of the Column, Josie was catching all she could!  With the nice breeze, they were making huge, looping flights around the park!

Astoria - Megler Bridge

What a super place to visit.  Put it on your itinerary for your next trip to OR.

Josie getting ready to fly her plane!

Time to head for town, even on a cold day - there's always a place that sells ice cream!

This was the last day with our Wright Grandkids :-(  It just didn't seem possible, the days had gone by so fast...  Ben, eighteen in a few days... Skyla & Josie growing by leaps & bounds...  It was so hard to say our goodbye's...