2008 – Week 8

Tuesday, June 17, 2008:
Cloudy sky this morning, but it is expected to clear later on. Interesting, when we listened to NOAA weather this morning, the rainfall for northwest Oregon and southwest Washington is below normal for the year. We will stay at Champoeg for another night and try to get organized for Portland tomorrow. We spent the morning getting organized and calling all the places in Portland we would like to visit in the hopes that they could give us some help in parking in the city or in parking lots serving the rapid transit system. We were lots less than successful and have decided to go the End of the Oregon Trail Interpretive Center in Oregon City. It is south east of Portland and maybe we’ll get better info there. We relocated our camping spot so as to get away from all the kids and the hard rock lovers. It is more open and the smoke isn’t as strong. It got to be 2:00pm, and Susie and I rode our bikes to the historic Butteville General Store for a late lunch and milkshake. After lunch we decided to ride around the remainder of the park and learned that the Willamette River floods severely about every 30 years. The park campgrounds are covered to a depth of 8-10 feet. The town of Champoeg fell victim to these floods in 1861, and we saw a sign on the pavilion that replaced the Hudson Bay Company warehouse. The ground at the pavilion is about 35 feet above the river and the sign is placed on the building 15 feet above that. This would make to flood water 50 feet above normal. Seems incredible, but that what the information is. On the bike ride to the pavilion I went over a severe bump, and the bolt holding the seat to the support rod broke leaving me with not support. I was able to continue the ride, but only by standing on the pedals for the last 4 miles. We returned to the campsite, talked to some of the neighbors, met some dogs, had dinner and worked on some projects. The sunset was beautiful, and the temperatures started to fall.

Wednesday, June 18, 2008:
Another nice morning, and we left the campsite at 10:30am. We stopped at the Visitor Center to double-check the height the height of the flood and found that it was really 55 feet above the normal low level of the river. We stopped at Camping World to get some stuff and then moved on to Oregon City, the officially designated of the Oregon Trail. The “End of the Oregon Trail Interpretive Center” is located on the original land grant of George Abernethy, the first Governor of the Oregon Country in a portion known as Abernethy Green. It was a bit shocking to read that 10% of the people who set out on the Oregon Trail died, many of them women and children. Self-inflicted, but not deliberate, gun shot wounds were a primary cause of death for the men. One brief story: the wagons did not have any springs and so it was uncomfortable to ride inside, but in one case, a baby was put in the wagon for a bit and when they stopped for a rest, the baby could not be found. The family walked back down the trail and found the baby sitting in the middle of the trail. It had bounced out and was not injured. We spent about 3 hours in the Center and then headed north to RV Park at the north side of Portland near the Columbia River. Of course it was rush hour, and the trip took a long time. Portland is a city of bridges as it is bounded on the north by the Columbia and split down the center by the north flowing Willamette River (the same one we had just camped by the previous 2 nights). Center City is located on the west side of the Willamette. We think we found out how to take the rapid transit (TRI-MET) into Center City, but will fine-tune that when we reach the RV Park. Success, there is a big Park and Ride near the RV Park, and we’ll park the RV there and take the TRI-MET. We washed clothes but not all as there were not enough washing machines. Tomorrow we’ll finish the job.


Thursday, June 19, 2008:
Up for showers and preparation for the trip into town to visit the Oregon Historical Museum and the Portland Museum of Art. After a bit of fumbling at the ticket kiosk and help from a local (I don’t think we’ve run into any unhelpful people yet) we got on the TRI-MET and headed into town. We noticed that instead of “Seniors” or “Senior Citizens”, the term “Honored Citizens” is used. I’m one, but Susie is not (she will be in August). The trip was nice and the facilities very clean. We were surprised that the parking area at the Expo Center on the Columbia River was not as full as we would have expected. We tried to orient the RV so Daisy would be in the shade, but there are trees at the perimeter only so we could only do our best (she was fine at the end of the day). The trip to downtown was informative as we passed by Chinatown and the Industrial Section. The terracotta in the old sections was attractive and in good shape. The Rouse Company had a project in Portland, and I remember that there was a requirement that terracotta be used on certain parts of the new buildings so as to match the old. I am not sure that is happening now as we saw what looked like new buildings without any terracotta anyplace. We started to go to the Art Museum, but were overwhelmed by a busload of Honored Citizens (much more honored than Susie or I) and decided to go to the Historical Museum first. I am glad we did as it was terrific, and I could relate to the exhibits about the establishment of Oregon and the interaction with the Native Americans. We spent about 3 hours there, went to lunch at Higgins and then off to the Art Museum. I should mention that there is a park 1 block wide by about 6 blocks long with very old trees and statues that is between the Historical Museum and the Art Museum. It made for a very pleasant walking space as we walked from the TRI-MET to the museums. The Art Museum had a number of exhibits, some of which were interesting and some of which I didn’t have a clue. The most interesting was a glass exhibit by Klaus Moje. The product was great, but when I learned his technique, I’m not sure that it took as much effort as I originally thought. There was a special Native American exhibit that focused on the different lifestyles of Native Americans from the Andes to the Artic Circle. I can tell you without any hesitation that the samples of pottery and baskets were great. We left the Art Museum, went to Starbucks for something cool and boarded the TRI-MET to return to Daisy. We threw the ball for a long time and went to Safeway to restock the RV. We worked on our blogs and Susie’s picture drawings then checked in to the credit card and banking sites to see how bad the damage has been. Time to go to bed!



Friday, June 20, 2008:
We decided to go to the Oregon Zoo and the adjacent Japanese Garden and The International Rose test Garden. The Zoo was good, but it seemed that we were unable to see many of the animals. Either it was too hot and the middle of the day, or some have been moved because of new construction. Anyway, it had been a long time since I have been to a zoo so it was fun. I suspect that some of the disappointment is that we have seen many of these animals in the wild over the last 5 years. There were lots of school kids, and they were having a ball. That made it worth it. We had lunch consisting of a hot dog and root-beer float.
We took a ride on the narrow gauge train known as the “The Washington Park and Zoo Railroad”. The locomotives were smaller versions of real life locomotives, including an experimental all-aluminum locomotive we saw in the Green Bay (WI) National Railroad Museum. The full size version lasted about 2 years before it was determined that aluminum was not a durable as steel. The ride took about 15 minutes and was a good rest for out feet. The International Rose Test Garden was unbelievable, even for a non-gardener like me. There are more than 550 varieties, and most were blooming. There must be something special about the climate in Portland that allows roses to flourish. Everywhere we looked, there were beautiful roses.
We don’t seem to have the same quality or quantity in Maryland. Susie took numerous pictures. We then walked the Japanese Garden that is, according to a Japanese Ambassador, the best outside of Japan. We took the train back and hopped on the TRI-MET and returned to Daisy. It was a long day, and I think it will be a few days before my feet recover. We returned to the RV Park and washed the rest of our dirty clothes. We are headed to Mount St Helens tomorrow. Time to get back to nature; enough concrete and asphalt.


Saturday, June 21, 2008:
We left the RV Park at 9:45am and headed north on I-5 to Mount St Helens (MSH). A few stops on the way slowed us down a bit, but we arrived at a Welcome Center run by the State of Washington. We listened to a talk by a Ranger and then a movie before walking through the exhibit space. The first statement by the Ranger was today was the 9th clear day of the year. Hmmmm! Everything at this Welcome Center was first rate. We at lunch in the parking lot and ten headed to the Washington Seacrest State Park to see if they had space for us tonight, always a bit dicey on a Saturday night. When the head Ranger noticed we were from Maryland as he was, a space opened up. We’re set for the night. We immediately headed east on WA405 towards MSH, a driving trip of about 45 miles. I noticed a sign on the roadside asking everyone to be careful, as there were bikes on the road. What an understatement! This was a 100-mile ride up to and back from MSH. Traveling east, the road rose from 500 feet to 4,000 feet and there was a wind from the west of about 25 mph. We were about halfway to MSH when we noticed several cars pulled off to the side and people trying to get the cars to slow down and be careful. We pulled off and went to see if we could help and found that a bike rider had crashed on his way back from the turn point911 had been called, but we were there about 20 minutes before assistance arrived. Susie and I helped direct traffic, the best we could do. There were conflicting reports, but we believe that the rider was air med-evac’d to a hospital. We continued to head east to MSH and started noticing signs in the woods on the north side of the road stating when the areas had been planted, fertilized, etc. Tree farming here is really agriculture with clear-cutting of the areas and then planting seedlings that will grow for 30+ years before being harvested. Then cycle then restarts. It dawned on us, that all the areas had been planted post-1980, the year MSH erupted. As we closed on MSH, we were able to see the river valleys that had been filled with the rock and volcanic ash from the MSH eruption. The volcanic ash is still visible as if it had happened last week. As we neared the top viewing point, we had a terrific view of MSH from the north side.
What looked like steam turned out to be blowing volcanic ash, a fact we confirmed by finding the grit in our mouths and eyes. It is impossible to fully describe what we saw, but we both agreed that remembering the articles in the newspapers and other media did not do justice to the force of the eruption and the damage to the surrounding landscape. Within the space defined as the Mount St Helens Volcanic Monument, the decision was made to leave everything as is except for a new road and some visitor facilities. Outside the limits of the Monument, it is different. The Visitor Center at the Johnson Ridge Viewpoint Volcanic Observatory has a film that explains the causes and the sequence of the MSH eruption. It is on wide screen and must be seen. We went to the top of Johnson Ridge to get more pictures before leaving to return to the SP. MSH is the youngest volcano in the Cascade Mountains and has been the most active over the last 4,000 years. It last erupted in 1857 and was witnessed by travelers on the Oregon Trail.
A few brief facts about the MSH eruption. It took less than 1 minute from the first puff of steam to the full blown eruption; 1,300+ feet and 0.67 cubic miles of total volume of mountain disappeared in less than a minute; the eruption was unusual in that it was a lateral rather than vertical explosion; airborne rocks traveled at 700 mph at the time of the eruption; trees in the quadrant from NW to NE of MSM were knocked flat; the Columbia River was closed to shipping traffic for more than a week as the volcanic material and logs reduced the depth to less than needed; it took the airborne ash about a month to circle the earth; the debris avalanche covered 14 miles of river valley to an average depth of 150 feet; we saw trees buried under 3-4 feet of ash that have been exposed as erosion continues; there is another magma dome growing with the crater; a sediment control dam was completed in 1989 to stop the sediment from flowing further west; a bumper sticker saying “Don’t come to Washington, we’re bringing it to you”. Susie and I both believe that this is the biggest natural disaster we have seen in all our travels. It is much more real than we understood from the media.


Sunday, June 22, 2008:
A slow morning, as we planned to travel only to Astoria OR where the Columbia River empties into the Pacific Ocean. The fast running Columbia collides with the Pacific and if there is a strong wind from the west, it can be a very dangerous place. This is the place where Lewis and Clark spent the miserable winter of 1805-1806 before heading back east to St Louis MO. Before we left I talked with a gentleman who was thinking of not going as close as he could to Mount St Helens before he left the area. I think I changed his mind. We then headed west on the Washington side of the Columbia River before crossing the Columbia River by bridge and ferry (a bit of a surprise that) from Cathlamet WA to Westport OR. From Westport we continued west, stopping at an eagle sanctuary where we saw 2 bald eagles. They are busy hunting this time of the year as their young have not yet fledged. Continuing on to Astoria OR, we stopped in a hardware store to get a bolt to repair my bicycle seat. We then went to the Columbia River Maritime Museum. We were late getting there and so we will go back tomorrow to finish the exhibits including a tour of the lightship Columbia that was anchored off the Columbia River inlet. As we drove to Fort Stevens State Park (bounded by the Pacific Ocean on the west and the Columbia River on the north and east with 500 campsites) for the night, we passed a store that advertised dog self-washing (just like a car wash?). Daisy needs a bath, and she’ll get it tomorrow when we go back into Astoria to complete the Maritime Museum. There are several places of interest in the area that we need to see. We are still having house battery problems. It will not charge when we are driving. There is a switch that might be bad, and we’ll go to a RV repair shop to see if they can fix the problem. We have noticed that the trees all have moss on them and the temperature is far below normal for this time of the year. It is very unusual to wear short-sleeves and shorts during the day.


Monday, June 23, 2008:
Today we have planned to go to Fort Clatsop, a replica of the fort where Lewis and Clark wintered in 1805-1806, then back to Astoria to complete our visit to the Columbia River Maritime Museum, visit the Astoria Tower, stop by the bike shop to get Susie new brake pads and finally give Daisy a bath. All were accomplished successfully. When Lewis and Clark approached the Pacific Coast, it was mid-November, the weather was awful and they were on the north side of the Columbia River. They spent 15 days trying to find a place to spend the winter without success until the local Native Americans told them about the land and animals on the south side of the river. For the first and last time, the entire Corp of Discovery broke military protocol and took a vote on whether to stay on the north side or backtrack enough to be able to safely cross the river. Everyone had a vote, including York (Clark’s slave) and Sacagawea, and the decision was made to move to the south side. They did and established a fort on what is now the Lewis and Clark River that flows in Youngs Bay, a part of the Columbia River.
For a great description of the conditions over the winter, you should read “Undaunted Courage” by Ambrose. While walking through the forests around Fort Clatsop we noticed numerous big (larger than 36”in diameter) trees on the ground and wondered whether there had been a bad storm over the winter. We learned there had been a terrible storm in December 2007 with winds up to 140 mph that caused all the damage. Returning to the Columbia River Maritime Museum, we walked through the exhibits again, watched a movie about the Columbia River and its entry into the Pacific Ocean before touring the retired Lightship “Columbia”. This Lightship was moored with a 7,000-pound mushroom anchor with more than 1,000 feet of 2” chain. There are 2 sets of pilots who guide ships into the Columbia: the first across the “Bar” and the second up the river to Portland. The “Bar Pilots” (approximately 24 are licensed) control the entry to the Columbia River. It is not unexpected to have winds in excess of 70 mph during most months, but during the winter 90-100mph winds are not unusual. If they deem the conditions too horrible, the bar is closed and the ships must stay away. The movie in the Maritime Museum shows the conditions that can exist at the Bar during a storm and how the “Bar Pilots” clamber up and down the sides of the ships as the enter or leave the Columbia River. The US Coast Guard has an advanced training facility near the mouth of the Columbia River where they teach boat handling and rescue techniques. The location was selected because this area is deemed the most challenging in the country. The USCG makes in excess of 400 rescue missions each year off the mouth of the Columbia River. The next to last stop was a self-service dog washing facility in the pet store. Daisy doesn’t really like baths even though she loves to swim so she was a bit put out by this activity. The last stop was the Astoria Tower is located on the highest point in Astoria and commands a great view of the Pacific Ocean, Columbia River, Youngs Bay and the mountains. Unfortunately it was closed for repairs and we were unable to climb to the top for a full 360-degree view. The tower is dedicated to the early settlers with special emphasis on Gray (discoverer of the mouth of the Columbia River), John Jacob Astor (a fur trader), Lewis and Clark. Back at the State Park, Susie took Daisy for a walk while I worked on the bikes. During the walk, they found a lake, but Daisy wasn’t allowed to swim since she was just brand new clean. She was in a funk when they returned. I found a place to have the RV battery charging checked out, and that will happen on Wednesday. Tomorrow we plan to wander around Fort Stevens State Park. Oh by the way, just south of the SP, a Japanese submarine shelled the shoreline, one of three attacks on the US Mainland during WWII by. We tried to find the site but were unsuccessful.