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SEA TO SHINING SEA: Starting out from Astoria

We left Astoria at 8 a.m. Tuesday, May 14.  In the background is the bridge that connects Oregon with Washington.  Maisy Peach joined us for our parting shot. BY ROSS MCGILVRAY
dennis_forney
May 16, 2013
A pilot launched docked at the pilot station in downtown Astoria.  The mouth of the Columbia is considered one of the most treacherous pieces of water served by pilots.  It ranks right up there with the mouth of Delaware Bay. BY DENNIS FORNEY
This artist's rendering shows where Astoria's restored lightship will be docked following construction of a new wharf near the city's maritime museum.
The Astoria Column is engraved with a history of the city and the Pacific northwest.
Before we left the Cape Gazette crew gave us a fine cake to commemorate the journey.
Here's more cake detail.  You can't get too much detail about cake.
Elaine gave us good luck charms.
Jimmy gave me this book about the Lewis and Clark exploration. Tremendous book about the opening of the west.
Here's how Jefferson felt about knowledge.
Don promises to give me this 1950 silver quarter when we complete the trip.  Year of my birth.  Time is funny stuff isn't it?
Speaking about Thomas Jefferson, a week before we left Dan Gaffney and I talked in his studio about Sussex Outdoors, a program encouraging people to pursue happiness by spending time outdoors.

This is where we started our journey - where Lewis and Clark ended their epic exploration during the Jefferson presidency.  Jefferson valued knowledge.  See photo below.

Astoria is a lot like Lewes. They have a sister ship to the Lightship Overfalls, Coast Guard, pilots station, big water meeting bigger water, lots of maritime history.  Cruise ships stop there unloading throngs of passengers who enjoy the town's shops, restaurants, Fort George Brew Pub and more.

Towering above the city is the Column of Astoria, a tribute to Astoria's history and the man for whom the town is named:  John Jacob Astor. After Jefferson's Louisiana Purchase and Lewis and Clark's explorations, Astor launched a fur-trading enterprise here where the mighty Columbia River empties into the Pacific.

Here are some more photos from the days prior to our departure and from Astoria.  We landed in Portland where in 1869 some Rodney sisters from Lewes founded a girls' school.  We visited the school in its present iteration.  I'll write about that in my Barefootin' column in the May 24 edition of the Cape Gazette.

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