Astoria to Garibaldi

John and Leonard - Departing Astoria

Tillamook Rock & Lighthouse

Tillamook Bar and Jetty

Cape Meares

Cape Meares Lighthouse

Our Nephew John joined us in Astoria and we departed May 12^th for Garibaldi around 11:50am with favorable Columbia River bar conditions, however, there were 5-7 foot breaking waves crashing over shallow areas outside the main channel.  We saw a sailboat in these heavy seas; the Coast Guard hailed them on the radio but no response.  We presume they realized their mistake and headed back into the main channel.  The sea was calm once outside the bar, only 2-4 foot waves – a gentle roll and pleasant cruise to Garibaldi.  We passed the communities of Seaside and Cannon Beach where our sons played as children and where I had played as a child.  It seemed strange that I was now one of those boats out at sea!  Beautiful scenic Tillamook Rock & Lighthouse is located in the same area and stood proud as we passed by.  Upon our arrival at Garibaldi, we found favorable conditions to cross the Tillamook Bar, but we did see large ocean swells rolling over the shallows and up against the jetties.  We arrived at Garibaldi around 6:15pm and tied up at the Port of Garibaldi guest dock.  We walked over to the adjacent park just in time to see the “Rail Speeders Club” displaying their rail cars and also saw vintage trains operating on the tracks – a special treat.  Since John had left his car in Garibaldi, we drove to Tillamook the next day and visited the Tillamook Air Museum.  The Museum houses war birds in one of the few remaining World War II blimp hangars in the nation – the largest wooden structures in the world.  It was definitely worth the trip just to see the building!  (1,072 feet long, a height of 192 feet, and 296 feet wide.)  We also visited the Tillamook Cheese Factory and watched the cheese making process and purchased ice cream, yogurt, and of course cheese.  The following day we visited the Garibaldi Museum, a surprisingly nice museum for such a small town.  We enjoyed the excellent displays covering early navigation, the voyages of Captain Gray, and the history of Garibaldi, an important lumber mill town of the 1920’s-30's.  Before John departed for home, we drove out to nearby Cape Meares and hiked the short paved trail to the historic Cape Meares Lighthouse, built in the late 1800’s.  Although we had some fog that day, the views were still breathtaking.

Speeder Car and Vintage Train

Tillamook Air Museum in WWII Blimp Hangar

Blimp Hangar - Wood Construction, Built 1943