Astoria, Oregon: I decided you need to start your day with a little Leo. Who doesn't need a little Leo to brighten their morning? Little Dude is on a beach vacation, styling his little surfer shorts. Look at all those teeth! And smiling - always smiling.
Now, get out there and have a great day!
After this bright start to our morning, DT and I jogged around the RV park (and the adjacent golf course), worked for a bit and then headed into town for lunch at the best restaurant in Astoria, Oregon.
Yep, the best restaurant in Astoria is in an old boat washed-up in a parking lot across the road from the Maritime Museum. It is called the Bowpicker (as in the bow of a ship, not the decoration on top of a gift) and they have only one thing on their menu - fresh caught, never-frozen, local albacore tuna fish and chips. 3 or 5-piece. It is the best albacore fish and chips you will ever eat. Meaty. Not greasy. Crispy. Perfect.
Again, we split the five-piece (which you can clearly see are 6 pieces). $10. The entire time we were there (eating on a picnic table in the parking lot - because we are classy) there was someone in line. People from across the ocean and across the river. Crazy busy place. Don't miss lunch at the Bowpicker if you are in Astoria. They open around 11a and stay open until they run out of fish. Closed Tuesdays.
After lunch we needed a walk, so spent some time on the main drag downtown, looking through shops. We loved Astoria Vintage Hardware, a mish-mash of old door knobs, ancient typewriters, antique office furnishings and a strange assortment of industrial-sized urinals. Vintage Hardware is housed in the old art deco Astor Hotel building, which has the distinct feature of being where Ed Parsons invented cable TV in 1948. The stuff you learn while traveling in small-town America.
Astoria Vintage Hardware
Dinner was a bit of a mixed bag. We decided to try the Silver Salmon after looking over the place and their menu on our shopping excursion this afternoon... plus, we had heard/read good things about the restaurant. The dining room has gorgeous murals of salmon, hand-painted on some-sort of grass cloth. We were disappointed to learn after taking a seat in a very plush private booth, the Silver Salmon Grille in Astoria, Oregonserves farmed salmon... unless you asked for local wild-caught and pay a $6 up-charge. Seriously? Why? As an Oregonian, I am embarrassed this place serves farmed salmon from the opposite coast. The restaurant is two blocks from the Columbia River and a few miles from the Pacific Ocean. I wonder how many tourists are fooled by this farmed-fish scenario. Our waiter confessed it is "not required to state fish is farmed on the menu". Kudos! DT suggests most people don't care. I suggest more people should. Dear Reader, I do care for our local fisherman and I am here to take care of you when you decide to visit My Great State and spend your hard-earned money on your holiday.
We had to wait so long for our cocktails, DT decided to draw a little simulated martini for me via the provided crayons/butcher paper.Though this is our last evening in Astoria, I am not going to let this crappy dining experience (I paid the six bucks for sure) dampen my honest enthusiasm for this lovely little Oregon town. That said, Silver Salmon Grille: not recommended... though when that martini finally arrived, it was divine.
You may also like: In 2009 we hiked the Fort to Sea Trail - the 7 mile trail Lewis & Clark used from Fort Clatsop to the Pacific. Many, many, many photos.
Until my next update, I remain, your wild-caught correspondent.
Contest has ended!
How tall (in feet) is the Haystack Rock at Cape Kiwanda in Pacific City?
The "correct" answer is 327 feet...
but all answers within a few feet of 327 were accepted.
The winner - selected by random generator is:
BARBARA H.
Barbara has been notified and we are awaiting her address & home town.
Barbara will receive:
A LOVELY OREGON GIFT ASSORTMENT!
Jacobsen Oregon Sea Salt
Pacific Hazelnut Farms Roasted Salted Hazelnuts
Columbia Empire Farms Seedless Marionberry Preserves
Willamette Valley Mustards Stone Ground Mustard
Josephson's Fancy Albacore Tuna (7.5 oz tin)
Josephson's Smoked Chinook Salmon (3.25 oz tin)
+ a SUPER COOL SURPRISE!!!
plus more!
RV Park: Lewis & Clark Golf & RV Park. What's not to love? Huge sites with lawn and picnic tables, with views over a golf course! Quiet and friendly. Pull-in sites for motorhomes and back-in sites for 5th wheels. 30/50 amp, full service. Bathhouse, free wifi, rental cabins. Cash or check only. We are paying $41 per night.