The late start and the hills really took a toll on my pace today! I made it as far as Ecola State Park, and their only camping was a hike-in site with over a mile to go and no place to really leave my bike. I wasn’t crazy about that arrangement, although the park was beautiful.
Before I get ahead of myself, here are some pictures from the Maritime museum.
They had some fishing boats on display, with…. dolls? Thankfully they were not animatronic.
This is a spear used by the native people for salmon. The detail in construction is remarkable.
Check out the lashing job:
I saw this kind of thing in museums a long time ago, but now that I have some engineering education and experience, I can see and appreciate the ingenuity. See this bow for launching darts at big fish? I was in my sophomore year at RPI when I started getting the math to tell you about why this bow has cords on the front and back:
This machine looked cool- I was surprised to see something so heavy and elaborate to do what it does; it winds shuttles for weaving and repairing fishing nets.
I saw more relics, and examples of modern maritime stuff, but then it was time to finally get back on the road. I think now that I’d have made better time in the rain. It seems to work well for me to set out early, then take at least an hour lunch break to rest, digest some food, and stretch out. There was a decent climb coming out of Astoria, but I could really tell that I lost a lot more elevation than I’d just gained. I had a looooong fast coast down to the ocean. Saw these signs all over-
Saw Fort Clatsop briefly, but didn’t pay to go inside. I felt like I was running short on time, and there was some crazy traffic slowing me down. See?
That joke just barely beat “Congestion? I took my allergy pill!”
Ah….. Jokes. Speaking of jokes, my friend Agustin will get this one:
Then I made it out to the coast, and saw this beautiful scene:
And wait- what’s that in the distance? The Rock??
We took you to see Fort Clatsop, and I think one of the things that fascinated you and your sisters the most were the banana slugs. I need to go look for those pictures! Where did you end up spending the night?
So cool having your Mom follow up on you!
It is so cool that he is sharing this trip with us. I am jealous and proud of him at the same time. What an adventure. Of course, I worry about him because I am his mother and that is my job, but he is seeing such great places and meeting good people. I hope it continues to be a positive experience for everyone!
that doll’s beard has nothin on your beard.
Yeah, one of our favorite memories of you was the San Bernardino museum when you looked at the stuffed bears and deer, then looked at the dolls, and then looked at us . . . no, Bri, those were dolls, not the product of some taxidermist.