L
eave it to folks in the Pacific
Northwest to rebrand their
winter deluge as "storm-
watching season." Coastal gales,
once avoided, now lure visitors on
beach hikes amid the rain pellets,
followed by a salmon chowder
warm-up. Astoria adds the mighty
Columbia River's fomenting delta
to the tempest's mix. The oldest
settlement west of the Rockies,
Astoria was founded by fur trade
impresario John Jacob Astor and
celebrated its 200th birthday in 2011.
Legendary explorers Lewis and Clark holed
up inside Fort Clatsop during the winter of
1805, long before the Astoria Riverwalk
was created, an 8-km route now lined with
boutiques and cafés.
Wild Art
Artist Maya Lin created the "Confluence
Project" in Cape Disappointment State
Park (parks.wa.gov/486/Cape-Disappoint
ment) to celebrate the Lewis and Clark
bicentennial. The installation features
excerpts from the explorers' journal, plus a
functioning "Fish-Cleaning Table" inscribed
with the Chinook nation's origin story.
the tempest's teApot
Called the "Graveyard of the Pacific,"
well over 100 boats have capsized in the
Columbia River estuary where, in 1880,
200 fishermen perished in a single day. This
tale and other sagas of life at sea are
presented inside the rivetting Columbia
River Maritime Museum (crmm.org).
CoAstAl Cuisine
Astoria's "don't miss" dinner is served inside
the Bridgewater Bistro (bridgewater
bistro.com) where the Pacific Potlatch
seafood stew tastes like an epic ballad to
local cuisine. Bowpicker Fish & Chips
(bowpicker.com) and Baked Alaska
(bakedak.com) also provide satisfying
Pacific favourites.
n – Crai S. Bower
Historic
Astoria
This 200-year-old Oregon town offers history lessons
and nature walks with a side of good eats
Protect yourself anytime you make a trip
across the border. Members save 10% on
BCAA Travel Insurance bcaa.com/travel
MEMBERS SAVE
A NAturAL
HigH
Nature lovers will find
plenty of waterfront
trails inside Fort
Stevens State Park
(oregonstateparks.org),
as well as all of the
area's iconic birds at
Lewis and Clark
National Wildlife
Refuge (fws.gov/lc). The
Astoria Column, a 1926
tower standing high
above town, yields the
best views of the
picturesque coastal
harbour.
The Astoria Column (top) provides
this unparalleled harbour view.
20 bca a .cOm WiNteR 2015 Travel Oregon, (bottom) Don Frank Photography
destinations weekender
Bridgewater Bistro serves up Pacific favourites.
TIP!
BCAA Members
save on stays at the
Best Western or Hampton
Inn & Suites in Astoria,
Oregon.
bcaa.com/hotels
