Corps of Discovery Trip - Day 3 - May 23, 2026

 “DO YOU KNOW WHY I PULLED YOU OVER, SIR?”; SAY ‘CHEESE’!; WALKING IN THE STEPS OF THE CORPS OF DISCOVERY 

We kept the window blinds open all night since we are right on the water. That made for a very natural awakening process in the morning, while the light filtered in and the boats began their daily routine.

Today, we drove south on Highway 101 toward Tillamook. Leaving Astoria, we immediately crossed over Youngs Bay on a long low causeway with a drawbridge in the middle. From there, the road mostly hugs the coast all the way down to Tillamook. 

When I say ‘hugs’ the coast, I also mean ‘hangs’ on the coast. This very scenic stretch of road is quite spectacular in places, with panoramic views of the Pacific Ocean.

The speed limit is 55 mph for much of the road between the several towns along the way. When we reached the one called Nehalem, where the Nehalem River empties into Nehalem Bay, we slowed for the downtown section and then began to leave town.

Suddenly, the rear view mirror lit up with bright flashing blue and white lights. I obediently pulled over to the right to let the law enforcement vehicle pass me in order to attend to whatever emergency lay up ahead on the road.

As I did so, the police car followed and stopped behind us. The officer walked up to our passenger side window, where he was greeted by the cheerfully smiling face of Karen. As I handed him my driver license, he leaned in and asked me if I knew why he had pulled us over. I honestly had no clue, so I told him I didn’t. He said there was a 30 mph speed limit in town, and he clocked me at 42 mph.

He asked where we’d come from and what our plans entailed. Karen explained that we were on Day 3 of a three to four week road trip. He said he’d really not want to give us a speeding ticket on Day 3, so he was going to just issue a warning (what might have happened had this been Day 33?), once he ran our information through the system. Whew!

Needless to say, I was the most observant driver out there for the remainder of the day. Speaking of observation, we couldn’t help but notice one of the premier eateries in Rockaway Beach. The Pronto Pup not only dishes up tasty hot dogs, but also provides top quality  interactive entertainment for those who are waiting to be served.

Near Garibaldi, there is a vintage railway, a cherry stand, and beautiful lagoon views.

All along the highways the past two days, rhododendrons have been in full bloom. Many of the plants have been enormous, and are quite striking in their colors, which range from pinks to reds to purples.

The Tillamook Creamery was packed with Memorial Day tourists today, and we added to their number. After a quick self-guided tour, some souvenirs, and some snacks for later, we jumped  into the car to drive back to Astoria.

Our plan was to stop at Ecola State Park to walk on one of the few trails where you can hike the same route that Lewis and Clark did in the winter of 1805-1806. Near Indian Beach the trail winds through an old growth Sitka Spruce forest above the flat sandy  beach below.

The tourist materials I read before our trip simply described it as a short hike of about 2.5 miles. That’s why Karen agreed to go on this ‘walk’. After our picnic lunch of Tillamook goodies, we grabbed our hiking poles and took off.

The forest is super lush and green, with dense groups of ferns and  other rainforest species to go along with the towering spruce trees. Due to the recent rain and misty conditions, however, the trail was muddy and slippery. Oh, and also quite steep in many places!

Karen took it all in stride (some strides easier than others), and did a great job on a challenging little hike! She stuck with it, as she clambered over fallen trees and side-stepped numerous trail hazards. It was our own Corps of Discovery walk!

We made it back safely, and drove into Astoria in time for dinner and sunset.

NEXT: Fort Clatsop and a day in Astoria 

Corps of Discovery Trip - Day 2 - May 22, 2026

 SUNSHINE START, SCOTCH BROOM SCENERY, SLUGGISH STROLL, SPA SUNSET 

It was a beautiful sunny morning when we left Everett and sailed down I-5 through downtown Seattle with hardly any heavy traffic. When we got to the State capital city of Olympia, we turned onto Highway 8 toward the west coast.

This two lane road took us through Satsop, site of a never-completed nuclear power plant, whose horizon is dominated by two enormous smokestacks (picture the Three Mile Island or China Syndrome type) high on a hill. We followed the Chehalis River along a lush and boggy valley as it flowed toward Grays Harbor. And, the sun disappeared. It got cold, breezy and a little misty.

The highway was lined with various wildflowers, including a quite colorful invasive shrub known as Scotch Broom. Apparently, it was introduced in the 19th century to help control erosion. Now, they can’t get rid of it as it continues to spread.

At the lumber town of Aberdeen (also home to the famous late grunge rocker, Kurt Cobain), we turned south on Highway 105 and hugged the west coast through the towns of Westport (we had picnic lunch at a surfers spot called Westport Light State Beach), Grayland (home to many cranberry growers - see picture of dormant cultivation bog on the corner of Turkey and Cranberry roads), and Raymond (where the Willapa River empties into Willapa Bay).

From there, we caught Highway 101 south to Cape Disappointment State Park. This headland is at the southwest corner Washington and is one of the places explored by Lewis and Clark when they reached the Pacific Ocean. We walked along a couple of trails and saw the North Head Lighthouse and some ruins of WWII-era buildings that were used as observation positions to guard the entrance to the Columbia River. I also came across a fairly good sized mollusk on one of the trails.

It was so overcast by this time, that it felt like night at 5pm. So we got back on 101 south to Astoria, OR. This meant we had to cross the Columbia River. The Megler Bridge is 4 miles long and is a spectacular way to travel across the water.

The Cannery Pier Hotel and Spa will be our home for the next few nights. We are at the base of the Megler Bridge on a pier overlooking the entrance to the Columbia River. From our room we can watch large container ships sailing by in both directions.

NEXT: Down to Tillamook and Back

Corps of Discovery Trip - Day 1 - May 21, 2026

 BABY IT’S DARK OUTSIDE; DIALING UP NOSTALGIA; TIGER ROLLS 

Lewis and Clark often began their daily activities well before dawn. So, why not us, too? Our ride share driver picked us up at 4:30am for an early morning flight to Seattle, with a brief stop in San Francisco.

Our first discovery today was the small museum in the United Airlines terminal at SFO that celebrates the history of the telephone. The beginning of the 20th century saw a very rapid growth in phone development and usage that was only outdone by the explosion in technology advances in the early 21st century. In between, there were some interesting and quirky innovations. For example, what else can make a fashion statement like , “I’m the hippest person in the early 1970’s”, than a black leather telephone purse?

Meanwhile, Karen relaxed in one of the faux mid-century modern bucket chairs while waiting for our connecting flight.

Once we got to Seattle we picked up our rental car and slogged our way through the afternoon downtown traffic (our version of Lewis and Clark paddling and towing their boats upstream on the Missouri River?) up to Everett.

Adam, Amy, Finnigan and Forrest were supposed to meet us for dinner. However, Vespa the dog suddenly took ill and Amy took her to the vet for an exam). So, it was boys night out at the local sushi restaurant. We had a great time catching up on all the latest happenings up in the Pacific Northwest. We’re sorry we missed you, Amy!

Next: Astoria, OR

CORPS OF DISCOVERY TRIP - Preliminary Thoughts - May 20, 2026

Two hundred and twenty years ago a weary band of explorers, known as The Corps of Discovery led by Meriwether Lewis and William Clark, left their winter camp near today’s city of Astoria, Oregon on their return journey to what is now known as St. Louis, Missouri. Their trip had started in St. Louis two years earlier, in 1804, when they headed west in search of an all-water route to the Pacific Ocean. After a grueling trek to the west coast, they spent an uncomfortable winter of 1805 near Astoria. In the early spring of 1806 they headed east to get back home.

Fast forward to the spring of 2026, and you’ll soon find Karen and me following in the footsteps of Lewis and Clark. We plan to start in Astoria and travel eastward through the Columbia River Gorge, up and over the Lolo Pass through Idaho and Montana to the headwaters of the Missouri River. We’ll also do some other exploring of our own along the way, and top it off with a return visit to Jeff and Joanna’s home in Victor, Montana. When we last visited them in February of 2025, the temperature was minus 20 degrees F. We’re looking forward to green grass and flowers this time!

In the meantime, we’ll finish packing our bags and fly to Seattle to pick up our rental car.

NEXT: Dinner in Everett, WA

LONE MOUNTAIN RANCH - WRAP UP - Feb 8 through 12, 2025

 OUT OF THE MOUNTAINS, INTO THE FROZEN BANANA BELT

Friday night Karen got a text message from the ranch staff asking us to leave the bathroom sink and shower faucets open slightly for the entire night. This was due to expected single digit temperatures overnight.

As predicted, it was cold that night. In the morning, after Karen had her coffee, we bundled up for the walk to breakfast and then checked out of our cabin. The snow vehicle picked up Karen and our luggage and headed down to the Outpost to wait for our shuttle bus.

It was clear and cold as we rode along the Gallatin River down out of the mountains and north toward the Bozeman Airport. At one point, we passed a hardy group of people standing in the river in waders doing some fly fishing. This was an activity Karen had been interested in doing when we were first planning the trip. After seeing those folks through the bus window, she said she was glad she decided not to go fishing this week.

It was 8 degrees when we got to the airport. It was even colder inside the parking structure when we went to get into our rental car. They had washed the car shortly before we got it and the doors had already frozen shut. Our glasses had fogged/frozen and it was nearly impossible to see anything in the dim light of the parking garage. We finally got the doors open and loaded our luggage. Then, we sat in the car for about 15 or 20 minutes hoping the engine would warm up enough to get the heater going. We never had these issues come up on our trips to Maui!

Out on the road, we headed west on I-90 for the 200 mile trip to Missoula Airport. For as far as we could see, there was a blanket of snow covering everything. The landscape remained this way for the remainder of our trip.

The interstate takes you up into the Deerlodge National Forest near the city of Butte. Beautiful snowy cliffs lined the highway as we gained elevation. 

Later, the road drops down toward Anaconda, where you can see an enormous towering structure off in the distance to the west. This is the site of the old Anaconda Copper Company smelting smokestack. It was operational for most of the early part of the 20th century and is now a State Park. This thing is taller than the Washington Monument. We didn’t get a snapshot, but there are good pictures on the internet.

It was getting near dusk when we pulled into Missoula Airport. The place looked deserted. The car rental office is, basically, a beefed up tent out in the parking lot. When we walked over to the terminal building, we were the only persons in it. I guess there aren’t many flights scheduled on Saturday nights around here. We’ve never had this happen before at LAX.

My brother and sister-in-law (Jeff and Joanna) met us at the airport to take us to their house for the next few days. They moved from Grass Valley, CA to Victor, MT a couple years ago and this was our first trip to see their new home.

Victor is in the Bitterroot Valley. The Bitterroot River flows north through the valley, which is bordered on the west by the Bitterroot Mountains and to the east by the Sapphire Mountains. This region is often called the ‘banana belt’ of Montana because of its relatively warmer climate, when compared to the rest of the state. For this week, at least, the only bananas around here were going to be of the frozen variety. The forecast was for steadily declining temperatures all week.

The drive south down Highway 93 was beautiful. Everything was covered in cold and dry powdery snow. When we got to the house, Joanna fed us some great homemade stew along with Jeff’s home baked sourdough bread - we were still living the resort lifestyle!

We stayed indoors on Sunday to rest and to watch the Superbowl game. On Monday we took a drive up to Stevensville and through the Lee Metcalf National Wildlife Refuge. During the warmer months, this flood plain along the Bitterroot River is teeming with migrating birds and other wildlife. On this day, with single digit temperatures and a cool breeze, there were just a few deer out for a stroll.

Back at the house we had outstanding views of the snow covered mountains from the warm comfort of the living room. We got in some good competitive card games in the evening.

On Tuesday we drove south to Darby for brunch at the historic 406 Saloon/Big Cat Cafe. Then we checked out a local sporting goods shop.

From there, we continued south on Highway 93 past the Chief Joseph Ranch - better known as the Dutton Ranch in the popular T.V. show, ‘Yellowstone’.

We drove as far south as Sula, where Jeff and Joanna have camped in their R.V. It is quite scenic at this time of year, but it’s definitely not camping weather.

On the way back north we passed through the town of Hamilton. There we saw another, but much smaller smokestack along the road. At about 150 feet tall (as opposed to the more than 500 feet of the Anaconda stack), it was built in the early 20th century to service a sugar beet factory that went bankrupt before it could open. As a local newspaper put it: “What was once meant to stand as a beacon to progress now stands as an icon to unrealized dreams.”  Hey, I’m not just blowing smoke - now, no more talk about smokestacks!

Jeff and I took a little hike from his house over to the Bitterroot River about a quarter mile through the deep snow. It was so cold and dry that the snow had the consistency of sugar. My toes had the consistency of little kernels of frozen corn.

The temperature continued to drop and by Tuesday night it was going to be minus 12 degrees. We had a nice fire, a great dinner and more fun playing cards that night. The next day, we flew back home to the first temperatures above freezing we had experienced in more than a week. The next morning, Jeff sent us a screenshot of his home weather station showing the morning temperature in his yard: minus 20 degrees!

Our stay in Victor was a great way to finish off a wonderful winter trip. Many thanks to Jeff and Joanna for their hospitality. We look forward to returning when the  grass turns green and the Montana flowers bloom.