Passing Ships

We went on another great escape this weekend...trying to outrun our crazy lives before it all catches up with us as we realize that we are exhausted. At sunrise, we grabbed our coats and camera and slipped out of the house before our work and worries could convince us to stay. We jumped in the 'wagon and headed to the beach. Alex navigated us through the fall leaves on an amazing scenic route through the mountains (that's what they call their hills here in Oregon)--across the river--around an island--over beautiful bridges--and on to the beach (Long Beach, WA). It was a great day.

Nothing that is can pause or stay; The moon will wax, the moon will wane, The mist and cloud will turn to rain, The rain to mist and cloud again, Tomorrow be today.

--Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Instead of using the main bridges that cross the Columbia River, we went through the mountains to Clatskanie, Oregon and took the ferry across to Puget Island. While on the ferry, we had to stop and wait for these ships to pass. The Sternwheeler ("The Empress of the North") was coming in from the ocean--she is from Juneau, Alaska! The other ship ("Keystone State") looks less impressive in the pictures--but in life it was impossibly large. The ferry dropped us of on Puget Island--an rather large island in the Columbia river. We drove around the perimeter and dreamed about life suspended on an island--then took the bridge from the other side to Cathlamet Washington.

Destination: Long Beach, WA. It was ridiculously warm and wonderful for being the week of Halloween. We walked on the beach with no coats and it was great! There wasn't too much to do (it certainly wasn't warm enough to play IN the water...and Long Beach is too flat for tide pools), so we played a little and then went back to the main street to bum the stores.






We stopped by Marsh's Free Museum--an eclectic collection of taxidermy, antiques, seashells, peepshows from the late 1800s, nickelodeons (player pianos and music boxes from sternwheelers and circuses), shrunken heads, and Jake the Alligator man (seriously--look him up!). We spent some time saying hello to the residents there:
























We headed back home on the main roads--trying to keep a few miles ahead of our sleepiness--and watched the sunset over the wide mouth of the Columbia river...trying to imagine what it was like for Lewis and Clark to choose on which side of the river they would winter.