Day 7 Cape Disappointment WA – Astoria OR – 60km

Our morning began with deceptively strenuous hike to the Cape Disappointment Lighthouse and our first full view of the Columbia River.  With waves often 30ft and higher the channel requires constant dredging and there were ships performing the duty while we walked to the Lighthouse.  Despite the numerous lighthouses the entry/exit to the Columbia is hazardous – Over 7000 boats and 200 large ships wrecked since 1800 – so much so that Coast Guard and Port Authority put numerous safety precautions      in place to ensure safe passage.

Our ride this morning took us along three riverside towns on the highway offering views of the water.  We came across our first tunnel which in a bizarre measure requires you to get off you bike, rack it, press a signal button which activiates a caution light only for you to enter the tunnel and ride along an extremely narrow elevated sidewalk as the traffic zips by anyway.  Longest 300m of the day…

Next conquest would be the 4.5 mile long Astoria bridge to take us into Oregon.  Despite construction and a persistent crosswind we were able to cross in good time and even look at the sea lions which play along side. 

With some sunny weather in the forecast we decided to spend the day in Astoria, dubbed ‘Little San Francisco on the Hill’.  We stopped at tourist information to get some ideas and were quickly offered to leave our bike gear at the office while we enjoy the town – good  cyclist karma -.  We came across a bike shop and poked our heads inside.  They quickly offered us a secure place for the bike so we could wander around without worry.  We are quickly seeing why Oregon in considered America’s most friendly bike state.

Highlights of the afternoon included lunch at the Columbia Café (delicious vegan cuisine), tour of the Maritime Museum, and late pm coffee stop.  An unexpected sidetrip was to a winery like no other we have seen…

Dee spotted the diliapitated purple building from the wharf ‘Shallon Winery’, ‘Wine Tours’.  Walking to the door it read.  ‘This is a winery – we make and sell wine – only.  If you would like a tour it will take a ½ hour.  If you feel you would be rushed, come back another day when you are not in a hurry.  Deciding that we definitely were not in a hurry we decided to go on tour. 

Rod was an 80 something  part-time employee (of the 4 person staff) of the 30 year old winery which specializes in yeast – added wines(?)  I won’t complicate it more than to say that Rod assured us that this was a difficult process.  Using what could best described as a collection of working antiques (plus a lab straight out of Frankenstein) from the wine industry they somehow produce 10,000 bottles of fruit (peach, blackberry, lemon) based wines including the following titles: Esther Lemon Meruigue Pie, and Chocolate – Orange (which was served in a minature ice cream cone).  While life was certainly too short to invest in a bottle, it was a enjoyable hour spent in Astoria.

We camped for the night at Fort Stevens State Park, happy that hot showers are free here.  Life is good.