Onward To The Oregon Coast

Travel Day

• Tumwater. WA to Olympia, WA via I-5
• Olympia, WA to Lincoln City, OR via I-5, SR -8, US 12, SR 107, US 101

I left Tumwater this morning, desperate to find some beauty in the area. Fortunately Olympia does not disappoint. The Capitol Building is a wonderful piece of monumental architecture. The grounds are beautifully kept. The whole setting reminds me of a college campus, all thoughtful and serene. They even call it the Capitol Campus.

This is the Washington State Supreme Court building, or at least I think it is. I get confused with all the Grecian Revival buildings around.

I know for sure that this is the Governor's Mansion. It's different than everything else. The flowers are blooming, the trees are in full leaf, the grass is rich and green. It looks wonderful!

This is the view from the back of the legislature, where they have the legislative offices. That's Puget Sound out there in the distance, with Capital Lake in the foreground.

After Olympia, I headed west, through the Olympic Forest, towards the ocean. It's a coastal rain forest here, thick with trees, constantly damp, and rich in timber.

Here is what that forest looks like close up. I grew up with this thick woods; there's no such thing as a pleasant stroll here. The moss clings to the trees, the underbrush is thick with ferns and brambles, wood rots quickly, the forest floor is a spongy mess.

Where you find this abundance of timber, you will find logging. This is the Weyerhauser mill in a town called Raymond, WA.

And this is the Willappa Bay near an old townsite called Bruceport. This is not the ocean; that's about an hour from here.

That funny looking square is an oyster farm. There are lots of them in this area.

Somebody parked his boat funny. The water went away.

I drove to the seashore. Yes, the road goes right to the water. Yes, you can drive on the sand. Yes, I did.

I parked and looked south. This was my view.

Then I looked north. This was my view. They call it Long Beach. It is very long. It is a beach. Works for me!

I took a selfie, and took a nap, at about the same time. I slept for about 45 minutes here on the beach. The tide came it. I had to leave.

I headed south again, to where US 101 runs alongside the Columbia River. This is the same Columbia River you cross in Golden, BC and Revelstoke, BC. This is where it meets the Pacific Ocean.

That is the bridge to Astoria, OR. I have always loved the steeply rising arch of this bridge and have often wondered what it might be like to sail under it.

Instead, I drove across it, into Oregon.

My first stop along the Oregon Coast is, and almost always is, Seaside. It is a beautiful little town built on a series of sandbars with canals between them. It is also the end of the Lewis and Clark Trail. They make a big deal of Lewis and Clark here, but completely forget that it was Sacagawea who got them here. I have stayed here numerous times, almost every time I have traveled this way, but not this time.

I headed down the Oregon Coast, the weather setting in with rain, mist, and clouds. Highway 101 follows the coast for much of its run, past a great many points and bays. Sometimes it is just easier to under the point instead of around it.

There is a beach down there, plus an ocean out there, plus a coastline further out. None of it is visible thanks to the heavy layer of mist and rain which has set in for the day.

I finally got to my hotel room in Lincoln City, OR. This is the view from my balcony. I can hear to ocean's roar.

Unfortunately another hotel manager doesn't understand the relationship between placement of the shower bench and the distance to the controls. At least this one has a wand, so I can set it down, start the water, transfer to the bench, and clean myself. Tomorrow.