Astoria is a small city at the northern border of Oregon, a few miles up the Columbia river. Between Sept. 7th and 10th it was “home” to us. We stayed at the West End Basin marina, at the historic district.
It would be pretentious to say we got to know Astoria. But the little we have seen, we liked.
It had been a while since we last stayed in a marina, tied to a dock. That was already a plus. The weather also helped a little, giving us one and a half dry days – one of them being actually sunny. The marina had a lot of character, with a mix of modern tourism speedboats and old, decaying cruising craft. And the city’s historic district has its charm. There’s a boardwalk, some interesting architectural elements, and a few eateries within walking distance of the marina. We even had pizza one night (boy I hadn’t eaten pizza in almost three months).
Our time there was filled with activities involving the kids. Adriana floored the throttle on homeschooling, there was an outside activity for them, and they also volunteered to wash Pesto. Our walks to the restaurants nearby via the boardwalk granted them long skateboard rides, which they loved.
And then, there was a sea lion who claimed a pier close to where we stayed, right at the entrance of the marina. And he/she greeted every boat going in and out with its characteristic noise – it was fun.
Pesto at the West End Basin marinathis sea lion claimed the dock right at the entrance, giving a loud ovation to all craft going in and outwe came as close as we dared to appreciate its size and mightthe kids volunteered to wash Pesto’s deck. After a few hundred miles, she was covered in salt, and in dire need of a rinse with fresh water. The kids also needed to let some steam out. So, all in all, it was a synergistic activityRaquel also helped me check the water level of the batteriesPaulo assessing the options on shore …… whereas back inside, Raquel has been working on her staged selfies – OMG !there was a lot of homeschooling. Adriana must have picked interesting content for the week, as the kids were very, very engaged for the most partand when school is up, so is the cafeteria …… including made-to-order pancakesthere was an interactive science activity in the form of a treasure hunt…… it included building a compass …
… and then using directions to find clues hidden at the docks, which ultimately led to an an edible treasureLater on they also used our bucket to catch some fish (which they did!)at some point, Raquel and I went out for a walk at the marinathere were some interesting craft to see, old …… and new …… in addition to some interesting images. Want to take a guess on what this is? (* answer at the very bottom of this post)there was also the traditional selfiethere was also a quick stroll with Paulowe tied Pesto at the very end of dock Bmarina office’s piles exposed at low tide. Tide variations here exceed 3 meters. At the lower levels, Pesto’s keel would gently touch the muddy bottomthe architecture around us
skateboarding along the river bank
this pretty building had an office for rent, with great views of the river. And at its back, Sahara Pizza !our stroll back from Sahara Pizza at night
Overall, we had a good time at Astoria. And then, the time came to move on. Our next destination: Newport, at the mouth of Yaquina River, in the middle of Oregon’s coast. Some 95 miles from Astoria.
There will be a post about it. Soon.
(*) —> answer to the mystery question above: this is a macro photo of the rust on the marina wall, which is made of iron sheets
