Greater Houston Weekly - Top Of The Week
Kalaloch beaches are wonderful for walking
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By Jim and Jane Whitcomb
Sadly we packed our RV leaving Oregon for the Olympic Peninsula, one of the most beautiful parts of Washington. The furthermost Oregon city of Astoria ended our Oregon adventure. It was founded as a fur trading post in 1811 and was the first permanent American settlement in the Oregon Territory. It is definitely worth a stop.
Sitting on the hill overlooking the Columbia River and Astoria is the Astoria Column. It gives visitors a glimpse of the area past and present. Created by Italian artist, Attilio Puslerla, it was dedicated in 1926. The column depicts Northwest history starting with pre-European Indians, through Lewis and Clark expeditions and ends with the coming of the railroad in 1893. The best way to see the timeline is to walk counter clockwise around the column beginning at the base with the earliest history and spiral upward. Binoculars help with the higher scenes. You can climb the 164 steps to the top for a spectacular view of Astoria and the Columbia River. We preferred not to!
The Astoria-Megler Bridge connects Oregon to Washington State. The toll bridge rises 205 feet above the Columbia River. Once we crossed the 12-mile bridge we arrived in Washington. A short drive along the coast on the Washington side is Ilwaco and Cape Disappointment State Park at the mouth of the Columbia River.
The park is a former military installation that once guarded the river mouth. Also with the park are the North Head and Cape Disappointment lighthouse. The lighthouse is subject to some of the highest winds on the West Coast – up to 160 miles and was built in 1856. If you have been reading our column you know our fascination with these old lighthouses.
In the past 300 years, more that 2,000 vessels and 700 lives have been lost in the treacherous waters at the mouth of the Columbia River. The U.S. Coast Guard has its National Motor Life Boat School here. You can sometimes see them practicing their sea rescue training.
As you travel Highway 105 in Washington you can whale watch. Each year gray whales migrate to the calving grounds off Baja California, Mexico passing the Washington coast. We did not see any but there are whale watching boat trips available.
All along the coastal drive you will see cranberry bogs beside the highway. The cranberry harvest begins around Labor Day and continues on through October. To harvest the berries, the bogs are flooded, which causes the ripe berries to float to the surface where they can be mechanically harvested.
Cranberries were originally called “crane berries” by early settlers who thought the blossoms resembled crane’s heads. They are one of two Native American fruits (the other is the blueberry) grown in wetlands. The berries originated on the East Coast but were introduced to Washington in 1883 and the state now produces about four percent of the nation’s total output. Nearly all of the 130 cranberry farms in the state are family owned with an average eleven acres each.
Further up the coast is Quinault Beach Resort and Casino. It is secluded and the most luxurious resort anywhere on the Washington Coast. Unlike the other WPA lodges we have visited it is far more contemporary and privately owned. All rooms have gas fireplaces. Rates are also luxurious ranging from $90 to $350. Gambling can be more expensive!
We ended this week’s adventure on the coast at Kalaloch, which is poised on a bluff 50 feet above the Pacific Ocean. Close by is Kalaloch Lodge, an ocean front lodge that we have stayed at before with ocean views and a cluster of cabins with wood burning fireplaces. The wide sand beaches are wonderful for walking. It remains one of our favorites.
Much of the Olympic Peninsula is in private and tribal hands. Almost all has been cut at one time or another. There are massive clear cuts. Not much remains of the original old growth stands but parts of Queets, Hoh and Quinault Rivers still have some examples of what these forest used to look like. We saw a constant parade of trucks laden with heavy loads of logs from private land and reservations pass us on the highway.
Next week we will continue on our trip to the Hoh Rain Forest and more of the Olympic Peninsula.
COMMENTS
Hi, Jim and Jane, We've been reading your column on your Oregon travels in the Fort Bend Sun newspaper here in Texas.We particularly enjoyed today's story about your travels to Crater Lake and Roseburg! Funny thing is, we own five acres ourselves in Roseburg and plan to retire there in a couple of years. You mentioned that your daughter lives there. It's not often we run into anyone from Texas who has visited Roseburg, Ore! Thanks for sharing your adventure. Reading about your scenic travels in Oregon make us all the more anxious to get there for good. Happy Trails!
Next week we will continue on our trip to the Hoh Rain Forest and more of the Olympic Peninsula. Make sure to keep up with Jim and Jane’s RV trip at www.imagehouseusa.com.
Sitting on the hill overlooking the Columbia River and Astoria is the Astoria Column. It gives visitors a glimpse of the area past and present. Created by Italian artist, Attilio Puslerla, it was dedicated in 1926. The column depicts Northwest history starting with pre-European Indians, through Lewis and Clark expeditions and ends with the coming of the railroad in 1893. The best way to see the timeline is to walk counter clockwise around the column beginning at the base with the earliest history and spiral upward. Binoculars help with the higher scenes. You can climb the 164 steps to the top for a spectacular view of Astoria and the Columbia River. We preferred not to!
The Astoria-Megler Bridge connects Oregon to Washington State. The toll bridge rises 205 feet above the Columbia River. Once we crossed the 12-mile bridge we arrived in Washington. A short drive along the coast on the Washington side is Ilwaco and Cape Disappointment State Park at the mouth of the Columbia River.
The park is a former military installation that once guarded the river mouth. Also with the park are the North Head and Cape Disappointment lighthouse. The lighthouse is subject to some of the highest winds on the West Coast – up to 160 miles and was built in 1856. If you have been reading our column you know our fascination with these old lighthouses.
In the past 300 years, more that 2,000 vessels and 700 lives have been lost in the treacherous waters at the mouth of the Columbia River. The U.S. Coast Guard has its National Motor Life Boat School here. You can sometimes see them practicing their sea rescue training.
As you travel Highway 105 in Washington you can whale watch. Each year gray whales migrate to the calving grounds off Baja California, Mexico passing the Washington coast. We did not see any but there are whale watching boat trips available.
All along the coastal drive you will see cranberry bogs beside the highway. The cranberry harvest begins around Labor Day and continues on through October. To harvest the berries, the bogs are flooded, which causes the ripe berries to float to the surface where they can be mechanically harvested.
Cranberries were originally called “crane berries” by early settlers who thought the blossoms resembled crane’s heads. They are one of two Native American fruits (the other is the blueberry) grown in wetlands. The berries originated on the East Coast but were introduced to Washington in 1883 and the state now produces about four percent of the nation’s total output. Nearly all of the 130 cranberry farms in the state are family owned with an average eleven acres each.
Further up the coast is Quinault Beach Resort and Casino. It is secluded and the most luxurious resort anywhere on the Washington Coast. Unlike the other WPA lodges we have visited it is far more contemporary and privately owned. All rooms have gas fireplaces. Rates are also luxurious ranging from $90 to $350. Gambling can be more expensive!
We ended this week’s adventure on the coast at Kalaloch, which is poised on a bluff 50 feet above the Pacific Ocean. Close by is Kalaloch Lodge, an ocean front lodge that we have stayed at before with ocean views and a cluster of cabins with wood burning fireplaces. The wide sand beaches are wonderful for walking. It remains one of our favorites.
Much of the Olympic Peninsula is in private and tribal hands. Almost all has been cut at one time or another. There are massive clear cuts. Not much remains of the original old growth stands but parts of Queets, Hoh and Quinault Rivers still have some examples of what these forest used to look like. We saw a constant parade of trucks laden with heavy loads of logs from private land and reservations pass us on the highway.
Next week we will continue on our trip to the Hoh Rain Forest and more of the Olympic Peninsula.
COMMENTS
Hi, Jim and Jane, We've been reading your column on your Oregon travels in the Fort Bend Sun newspaper here in Texas.We particularly enjoyed today's story about your travels to Crater Lake and Roseburg! Funny thing is, we own five acres ourselves in Roseburg and plan to retire there in a couple of years. You mentioned that your daughter lives there. It's not often we run into anyone from Texas who has visited Roseburg, Ore! Thanks for sharing your adventure. Reading about your scenic travels in Oregon make us all the more anxious to get there for good. Happy Trails!
Next week we will continue on our trip to the Hoh Rain Forest and more of the Olympic Peninsula. Make sure to keep up with Jim and Jane’s RV trip at www.imagehouseusa.com.
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