I am writing this on a Friday morning that promises a glorious weekend and a nice ending to the local Spring Brake. I stayed in bed beyond sunrise, so it was bright outside.
Recalling yesterday, I rose early and started to write the blog. I wrote for a few hours and had toast with reduced-sugar jam and coffee. At 8ish, I decided to go with my plan, got my hat and heavy coat, and boarded Air Volvo. I put the Apple laptop in the cargo hold in case I decided to stay longer and write. That did not happen.
My trip, just me and Air Volvo, took about ninety minutes, and we crossed the Cascade Mounts at the pass at 1642 feet (500M). During the fall, winter, and spring, I had the traction devices in Air Volvo (it is the law to carry them), and the heavy rain partially melted at times, but the temperature, even near the top, was never near freezing. Air Volvo uses all-weather tires and is auto-four-wheel drive. Only a few drivers were slow; most passed me above 70 (112 k) in the wind and sheets of rain. Only once did I have a moment when the water was so heavy on the roads that I had to slow down. I took 26 to 101, and that North.
The Wreck of Pete Iredale is on the beach of Fort Stevens State Park. I followed the signs and took a city-connecting tour of the local towns. Navigation would have worked better! I was just getting frustrated when I found the park entrance. I liked the tour of Warrenton as I always daydreamed about buying a small house there for weekends. The drive into the park is also not short. It is a huge park, and you must follow the signs to get to Shipwreck. I just wanted to spend a few minutes at the wreck, but I can tell you that the park is worth a visit. The beach goes on for miles and includes the jetty for the Columbia River. The wind, rain, and cold make this a face-numbing visit.
Sadly, the wreck is buried again in the sand. I missed the chance to see it with less sand. The tide was going out, and the wreck was not flooded. I have not returned in more than ten years, and the elements have visibly reduced the wreck. Still, it is a wonder and a great picture.
A pair of men drove up in their expensive EV truck, got out, took pictures, and then drove off. Other trucks ran up and down the beaches, with the wet sand working well for them. The tracks show only a small amount of sinking. I saw a parking area that is level with the beach and provides easy access. I was not going to 4×4 Air Volvo over the dunes! Doing this in the summer would be fun when the water is only freezing cold. On the list!
Note: The Columbia River includes cold glacier-fed water; thus, the deep waters are dangerously cold for swimmers. Fort Stevens waters are thus colder than the rest of the Pacific! As a point where fresh and salt mix, predictors also enjoy the area. The waters are full of life but silty and opaque. There is no real reason to swim there. I just splashed around the wreck and the shallows when I was there before.
Lunch was approaching, so I reboarded Air Volvo and found that Ensign Road connects easily to 101, and my exit was only a few minutes away. Next time, I can miss the local driving tour!
I parked my Air Volvo in Astoria near a used bookstore. I have always wanted to do a walking tour of the town. I was looking first for lunch; I had a headache. I found the local fancy hotel and, across from it, T. Paul’s Supper Club. Generally, the better a place looks, the worse and more expensive the food, except for long-existing places. I was skeptical, but people were at tables, so I gave it a chance.
The decor would fit any edgy hotel restaurant; it mixes elegance and a weird theme (it reminds me of The Graduate in NYC). However, the menu did not match the decor, with the crispy chicken salad called Boom Boom and other playful names included for other usual fare items. I wanted to stay on the light side and ordered the Boom Boom. It was terrific and included some fruit.
After paying my tab, which would be high in the Midwest, where waiters are paid $4-5 an hour (here, they get 13.50 plus tips), I headed out to find more goodies. I found a Dutch shop that also sells locally caught seafood. Better yet, they provide small coolers for free. They recycle the boxes in which they get some food. I buy frozen sturgeon and various excellent canned and smoked fish. Next, now that I have a cooler, I stop by the local butcher shop and get some inch-thick New York strips, excellently cut pork chops, and some frozen ground lamb. The two frozen items will keep everything cold.
I returned to Air Volvo and placed my box in a business-class seat instead of the cargo hold. I didn’t want the lid to get knocked off. I was parked next to a bookstore, Godfather’s Books, and found a book I had not seen before. The Shanghaiers in Portland, to me an urban legend, seems to be actually true, according to Barney Blaklock in his book The Oregon Shanghaiers; I purchased this never-before-seen book at the bookshop. I am skeptical, but Mr. Blaklock appears to cite sources. Something to learn!
With all these goodies, I headed to Josephson’s for their excellent smoked fish. I found my favorites, including smoked sturgeon, which are unavailable in a can to mail—next time. I also acquired maple wine and smoked salmon, both fresh and canned. My sister should expect some goodies in the future.
After that, I made a short visit to the Columbia River Martine Museum, where I am a member (free). I looked, as always, at some of the sailing ship models. Amazing work! I stopped by the shipwrecks, my favorite, and there I saw the other remains of the Peter Iredale.
It is a more than two-hour drive to follow the Columbia River back to just before Portland, but I love the views. Air Volvo and I headed through Astoria to connect with Highway 30 and back home. Air Volvo complained once that I was not paying attention to driving with the dreaded bells and coffee cup light on the display (I was looking out the window), but I was safe. Air Volvo said I should take a break and then drive again when I could pay attention better.
I managed to stay under 65 and did not have an unscheduled meeting with the local or state police. I mainly adhered to the lower speeds when Highway 30 passed through small towns. I took Cornelius Pass Road to cross the small Tualatin Mountains west of Portland. This brings me to the Tualatin Valley, where I reside at the Volvo Cave. The S-curves and climb are not trivial, and Air Volvo did not complain as I had both hands on the wheel and was very attentive. It was high traffic as it was approaching rush hour, and it was important to stay in one’s lane and not go over a cliff or smash into the rock sides of the pass. It is always a rush to drive in Air Volvo in the passes, and I arrived home at 4PM.
Corwin tasked me with locating propane to grill the steaks I brought. I drove for thirty more minutes to find a place open. Fred Myers had closed their propane; when they didn’t have enough gas jockeys, they stopped selling propane. Stupid to give up the revenue and frustrating for their customers. I’m not sure I understand this corporate decision process.
Finally, I filled the two tanks and drove them back to the Volvo Cave. Corwin made dinner. I could not finish my steak. I put it away for later.
Next, I painted 1/6000 ship models and read when the paint was drying. These are WWI models. The combat in the 1914-1918 system was before meaningful aircraft attacks, so the rules of tabletop play are simple: Move, Fire, and Damage. Firing torpedoes and striking mines are the only rules that are complex. I have started all my WWI models, including two Zeppelins (yes, those too are in WWI naval games). I dream of an AI to play WWI Doggers Bank but with the Goeben there (the Germans in the alternative history send the Blücher to Turkey).
You can see five that are darker; they are finished. A larger one is a model from the past that I kept in sight to keep the shades a close match. The unfinished ones are waiting to be finished on Friday. Two are repeats, but I found German ships that they closely match and will put those names on them. I paste a flag on the top (in this case, it is the German Imperial Naval Ensign) and the name on the bottom.
I went to bed early as it had been a busy day.
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