Chinook, WA - State # 13

Lincoln, OR - Chinook, WA
5/28/24

Miles Traveled   107
Trip Total          4871
Travel Time       3:20

States visited: FL, GA, AL, MS, LA, TX, NM, AZ, UT, NV, CA, OR, Washington

For such a short drive it took forever.  It was a rainy dreary drive.  With the wet slick roads, I slowed down a little bit more than normal.  If the weather was not enough to slow us down, there was an accident that added 30 minutes to our drive.  The end of our drive was the Astoria-Megler Bridge between  over the Columbia River between Oregon and Washington.  The approach to the bridge is a 1/2 mile long 360 degree turn rising 200 feet, and is the craziest bridge approach I have ever been on.  It was really fun driving the motorhome over it!

When we arrived at our campground, RV Park At The Bridge, we all had our doubts that we would fit in any of the sites.  When we book our sites they sent us directions and the most important one was "Pull off onto the shoulder of the road (Highway 101) and disconnect your car."  They were not kidding, there was absolutely no room in the park to unhook. Until we actually backed into our site I was not really sure we would fit but we did.  It was another RV Park that was mostly permanent residents with a few transient sites.  The other very big downside was our site was 8 feet from the highway.  Road noise the entire time we were there. Fortunately this is just a one night stop.  While the RV Park lacked a lot of things, one thing it did not lack was a view.  Yes we were 8 feet from the highway, but we were also only 100 feet from the Columbia River with our windshield facing it.

After getting the RV's setup we headed out to see the Columbia River Maritime Museum.  The museum explores the history and travel of the Columbia River from the days of dugout canoes, through the days of sailing vessels and upto modern travel.  It tells of the perils of crossing the Columbia River Bar, one of the most dangerous passages of the world.  The Columbia River Bar is formed and ever changing by the sand and silt carried by the river, and dumped at the mouth of the river.  The museum has an exhibit dedicated to the Coast Guard and the rescues the do on the river.  The Columbia River Bar is where the Coast Guard holds their National Motor Lifeboat School, training on the 47' lifeboats.  Swells average 18-20 feet and waves over 40 feet are not uncommon.  

As we were leaving the museum, I glanced at a capstan in the lobby and noticed it said Delaware River.  Looking closely at it was made in Chester PA in 1870, and was recovered from a wreck in the Columbia River.  Another interesting artifact on display was a piece of the Exxon Valdez hull.   (At the time the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill was the largest oil spill in the USA)

Our next stop will be Copalis RV Park in the Olympic National Park.