A few weeks ago my husband and I spent a couple of days at the Oregon Coast. The weather proved wet and blustery, so we didn’t spend much time on the beach, but we nevertheless enjoyed this quieter time of year and the brisk air. From our base in Seaside we drove up one morning to Astoria to explore this town at the mouth of the Columbia River. Film fans may know that The Goonies and Kindergarten Cop were filmed there, and the hills and steep streets are lined with wonderful old Victorian homes that feature in those movies. There’s plenty more to see there, and we decided to explore a bit without any defined itinerary.

Approaching Astoria along U.S. 101 from the south, we spied a large cruise ship docked at a pier. It turned out to be Holland America Line’s ms Nieuw Amsterdam, in port for the afternoon on its way from the summer season in Alaska south through the Panama Canal for a winter in the Caribbean. It just so happens, this is the ship Harry and I will be sailing on in just a few months! We decided to make our first stop a visit to the Astoria Column, planning to get a jump on all the cruise passengers at this popular spot.

The Astoria Column sits atop the 600-foot-high Coxcomb Hill, offering magnificent views over Youngs River and Bay to the south;   the Columbia River north and east; the Coast Range; and the Columbia River Bar, the soaring 4.1-mile-long Astoria-Megler Bridge to Washington, and the Pacific Ocean beyond to the west.

The 125-foot-tall column, modeled after  Trajan’s Column in Rome, features a hand-painted spiral frieze over 500 feet in length depicting historic scenes of the region.   Having just celebrated its 90th anniversary, the Column’s most recent restoration last year brought the artwork back to good-as-new quality, impressive considering the gale-force winds and driving rains it is exposed to on this coastal hilltop. After a trip up the interior spiral staircase to the top to enjoy the panoramic views, we headed back down to sea level for further explorations.

On the eastern edge of town along the banks of the Columbia we stopped in at historic Pier 39. Reached by crossing a long, wooden, one-lane approach over the water, the pier housed the 135-year-old Hanthorn Cannery, home to Bumble Bee Seafoods until 1981,   and now hosts several small businesses. Starting in 1895, this site processed salmon, tuna and other seafood; and free, walk-through exhibits provided an interesting overview of this vital part of the Pacific Northwest economy. We wandered around canning line machinery, boats, nets and photos and documents before stepping inside the Rogue Ales Public House for lunch. Enjoying bowls of rich, thick, savory chowder; salad; and a brew each, we watched through the windows as massive freighters followed the tide beneath the bridge and out towards the Pacific. Afterwards, we stepped outside to observe a noisy crowd of sea lions (banes to salmon and fishermen) hauled out on a nearby jetty

before making our way back downtown.

The center of Astoria offers a host of boutiques, restaurants, pubs and a beautifully restored vaudeville-era theater (tours offered). We bypassed the Columbia River Maritime Museum, figuring it would be crowded with schoolkids and cruise guests on this weekday afternoon. It’s a beautiful-looking building set right on the waterfront, and a scan of its website tells me it deserves several hours to take in the exhibits, films and demonstrations it offers. A good excuse to return on our next trip to the northern Oregon coast!

— Patty Vanikiotis, associate editor/copy editor