On to Astoria

Some Background

We are in the midst of transitioning from a career of hard work to one of retirement. We started our family late as I obtained speciality training in Endocrinology , and the kids have come and gone, now we think they are at least semi-launched.

Donovan was born in 1984, and has been blind from birth. He has lived at home up until a 2 months ago. Correction, he is a highly decorated Paralympic swimmer and has lived away at 4 Paralympic Games , and various training camps. He also spent 9 months in Colorado, as I jokingly describe learning to be a "blind guy". He now owns his own condo in the Kitsalano area of Vancouver within a few blocks of Buntain Insurance where he has a successful insurance practise.

Hamish, our second born, left home at 16. He was a successful graduate of United World College in Li Po Chin, Hong Kong, where he obtained his International Bachalauriete.He went on to Dartmouth College in New Hampshire and is in his final term in screen writing at UCLA.

Catherine, the baby , went to Dalhousie in Nova Scotia, and after a short hiatus is now and the University of Alberta , in Edmonton.

We started on the road to LA to visit Hamish and for the first time to be tourists in that city. The theme of the drive down was to be bridges . We did quite well the first few days and although my photos do not do the justice, there are some unifying themes.

March 9, 2015.

We left almost on schedule a little delayed as some paperwork for Hamish's next term had to be attended to. The border crossing was a short wait, the build-up and delay culminating in questions about the food in our cargo!

After Seattle, we made our way to the coast with our first night to be in Astoria. I had wanted to cross the the Mengler-Astoria Bridge, which we did in the mid afternoon.

The bridge was started in 1962, completed in 1966 and is about 4 miles in length, it cost 24 million dollars.It is of cantilever construction which was the state of the art of the day. If these images are familiar ( especially if you are a Montrealer), it is exactly the same construction technique as the Champlain bridge ( constructed in 1958).

There was construction on the bridge which lead to alternating traffic, and I pondered that if regular maintenance had been properly executed in Montreal we would not be on the hook for replacing the Champlain Bridge!

Some pictures of a magnificent structure:

The expanse looking back to Washington State.

All patience as I wait for the alternating traffic to clear

The view of the super structure from our window.

All steel and cement















In 1922 most of Astoria was constructed on a pier, this changed dramatically after the 1922 fire. Our hotel, the Cannery Pier was as well built on a pier after the original burned. It is beautifully constructed, dog friendly with a funky lobby. We walked down the tram line, which runs in summer, past fish docks and offices. The barking sea lions were a novel attraction for Ginn.

We had a wonderful dinner in a totally renovated ship building structure with the original floors back to the 1860's. The day had been a long one, a welcome rest with a shorter drive to Yachats in the morning.