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The Columbia River has a storied reputation with boaters. "Crossing the bar" - the term used when entering the river's mouth from the sea - can be one of the most adventurous and hair-raising feats accomplished in a mariner's sailing life. The rollers passing over the sand bar that protects the entrance have dumped many a small vessels on its ear, or worse.
This day found the weather to be just what the sailer ordered, although it doesn't necessarily look like it in this photo.
The breadth of the river at its mouth has to make it one of the very largest in the U.S. - maybe the Hudson River at the port of New York is bigger or perhaps the Delaware at the entrance to its bay, but this one is mighty impressive. It is so large that there are two lighthouses that mark the location for ships at sea. We visited both of them.
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North Head is just a short walk from the parking area, and offers panoramic views of the coastline looking back to the south toward the jetty on the north side of the entrance.
Cape Disappointment - what were they disappointed about?? - is a hike through heavy woods and tall grasses with deer keeping close watch on us passers-by.
Actually, the voyager who discovered the cape was searching for a trade route into the interior (yeah, like the Columbia river) but failed to see the mouth of the river right in front of him (a REALLY foggy day?) and turned back to the north, "disappointed" that he missed what he was looking for.
On the south side of the four mile long river bridge is the town of Astoria, Oregon. The history of the area is heavily associated with Lewis and Clark. Their exploration and mapping of the west ended here at the river's mouth, and they established Fort Clatsop nearby before starting their trek back east.
At the Lewis and Clark National Historic Park, a replica of the fort has been constructed - actually, it is the second one - the first, lasting 50 years, burned down a year before the bicentennial celebration. This one was built by 700 volunteers in under a year, and is said to be more like the original.
Astoria, as its name suggests, is also closely associated with John Jacob Astor and his descendents. He founded the town as a shipping point for his fur trading business. His great-grandson had a tower erected 80 years ago to commemorate the role the town played in his family history, The 125-foot structure is now called the Astoria Column. It observation deck makes an excellent viewpoint for surveying the river traffic, like this U.S. naval vessel heading downriver.
and cheese/ice cream factories (would you believe the high schoolers here in Tillamook are called the "Cheesemakers"?)
and (maybe not so) wildlife
Actually, the voyager who discovered the cape was searching for a trade route into the interior (yeah, like the Columbia river) but failed to see the mouth of the river right in front of him (a REALLY foggy day?) and turned back to the north, "disappointed" that he missed what he was looking for.
On the south side of the four mile long river bridge is the town of Astoria, Oregon. The history of the area is heavily associated with Lewis and Clark. Their exploration and mapping of the west ended here at the river's mouth, and they established Fort Clatsop nearby before starting their trek back east.
At the Lewis and Clark National Historic Park, a replica of the fort has been constructed - actually, it is the second one - the first, lasting 50 years, burned down a year before the bicentennial celebration. This one was built by 700 volunteers in under a year, and is said to be more like the original.
Astoria, as its name suggests, is also closely associated with John Jacob Astor and his descendents. He founded the town as a shipping point for his fur trading business. His great-grandson had a tower erected 80 years ago to commemorate the role the town played in his family history, The 125-foot structure is now called the Astoria Column. It observation deck makes an excellent viewpoint for surveying the river traffic, like this U.S. naval vessel heading downriver.
Well....
Our friends, Marian and Lloyd Grandy, have spent most of their lives in British Columbia. Marian's dad was an officer in the Royal Canadian Mounted Police - yup, a Mountie. So when she found out that the RCMP Musical Ride was appearing at the provincial fair (think state fair) for the first time in more than ten years, we had to attend.
So what the heck is the RCMP Musical Ride???? Sounds like a sing-a-long you might strap yourself into. It turns out that the RCMP has a special detail of around 30 riders and their mounts (a much coveted two-year assignment) that performs intricate maneuvers in a program set to rousing music. They travel throughout Canada and the U.S. - we even heard from one of the mounties that they're scheduled to perform at the 2010 State Fair of Texas, our own hometown expo held annually in Dallas.
Hundreds of thousands of BCers attend the PNE each year. We took our place in line for tickets at the fairgrounds near downtown. We skipped the midway, but we hit all the demos and exhibits and food stands and stock barns. We even entered a sweepstakes for a new house, so who knows, we could end up living in BC next year - NOT!
We finished up with close-up seats for the "Ride" and thoroughly enjoyed watching the mounties skilled demonstration - sometimes like well organized chaos.
One of the things that makes Vancouver such a desirable city in which to live is the dedication of so much of the city's real estate to public spaces. Vancouver's location on the Pacific Ocean and two major waterways - Fraser River and Burrard Inlet - gives it miles of shoreline, much of it used for parks and park-like settings (i.e. University of British Columbia.) 
We visited Burnaby Mountain Park with wonderful views of the city and inlet below, statuary, and gardens. The park is the setting for many special events as public as concerts and as private as weddings.
Then it was on to Stanley Park on a large peninsula jutting into the inlet near downtown. It is a haven in the heart of the city encircled by a wide paved jogging/biking trail at the water's edge, with old-growth forests of huge cedars and firs, the city aquarium, yacht and rowing clubs, Native American exhibits, flower gardens, and large picnic areas.
Last winter we met many Canadians escaping conditions at home by becoming "Winter Texans" in the Rio Grande Valley. As you might imagine, all the places where American RVers go to escape the harsh winters in the north have plenty of our good friends from north of the border doing the same thing. The migration pattern is pretty consistent - I95 corridor to Florida east coast, I75 corridor to Florida west coast, I35 corridor to South Texas, and I5 corridor to Arizona/Southern California. So most of the Canadians we met were from Western Ontario, Manitoba, and Saskachewan.
Like many other modern cities in the 21st century, Vancouver has an efficient and inexpensive way for their 3.5 million citizens to get around with the centerpiece being the Skytrain, their high-speed rail system. We were able to drive into the southern edge of the metro area and ride Skytrain into the heart of downtown, seeing much of this coastal city on the way.
Vancouver is in the midst of preparations for the 2010 Winter Olympics. Road construction, venue preparation, city beautification ( they have dozens of these psychedelic eagles around downtown) all going on in hundreds of places. But the daily life of the city goes on including
