Astoria Column

Of course, we had to buy some coffee for family and friends. This is the place we chose. Not being coffee drinkers ourselves, we're just trusting that anyplace that roasts their own beans is doing a good job.

Our first destination on this very busy day is Astoria Column, a fairly impressive monument to early American explorers. On the drive, we noticed some evidence of the logging industry

Finding our way through town to the monument was something of a challenge. It is at the top of a hill, requiring some winding through streets to get to.

The outside is decorated with a mural spiraling up the the tower, depicting the various explorers of America. Inside, there are 164 steps to climb to reach the observation deck at the top.

Naturally, we did make the climb. There is a plaque listing sponsors for each of the steps, from the restoration wthat was done in the 1980s.

The view is nice at the top. You have the Columbia River on the north, and various hills and mountains surrounding the hill you're on. Some people were launching paper airplanes from the deck.

The tower is in the middle of a park, so we looked around at things. In the process, we sighted a hummingbird, which performed acrobatics for our amusement. Roy also stepped on a healthy deposit of dog poop, so we had a souvenir of the visit for a while.