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| Pacific Ocean |
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| Columbia River |
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| Columbia River |
The late morning was covered in fog as we re-packed the car and left Longview, Washington just north of Vancouver. We were headed to Cathlamet, Washington, a small fishing village on the Columbia River near the Pacific Ocean. My friends Pastor Ken and Gloria Marple had lived there 40 years ago when they drove cross country with their small children to start a church. Ken often used this period of his life as reference in his sermons and spoke fondly of the village. The road to Cathlamet wound along the half mile wide Columbia River for 20 miles before we arrived at the small village. It's very small downtown was cute and nestled between the hill and the wide river. The main street dropped to the water level where a ferry provided service to Oregon across the river. The small marina held pleasure sailboats and a few fishing boats that were not out in the river at work. I stood and watched a gill net fishing boat drag it's long net with a yellow buoy up the river trying to snag fish.
Ken's description of the fishing village was accurate but it was apparent that things had changed considerably from 40 years ago. The village now appeared to be a combination of working fishing village and bedroom community for Longview. Newer houses and vacation homes mixed in with the older houses and buildings. Fishing nets and buoys adorned the fences and were quaint decorations and reminders that in fact this was first and foremost a fishing village.
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| Downtown Cathlamet |
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| Gill netter fishing boat |
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| Gill netter dragging it's net in the background |
Heading west along the coast, we turned right and headed inland. The road traveled through lush green evergreen forests. Occasionally logging clear cuts scarred the land and logging trucks shared the road with us.The highway rose steeply and we topped a summit that had sign boasting 735 feet above sea level. This is a far cry from the 8300 feet and above sea level we went over earlier in the week on this trip. Dropping back down to sea level we passed moss covered trees that reminded me that we were in the Pacific northwest and northern rain forests.
A stop at the beach completed our western leg of the journey and we took a few minutes to savor the moment of reaching a milestone on the trek. The Pacific Ocean rolled endless waves onto the chilly beach as we savored the moment.
A stop in South Bend Washington for lunch revealed a gem along the coast. The 101 Public House was a quirky cafe/antique/consignment shop that sported water views for dining. The staff was was wonderfully friendly and talked openly about the area. Alex was our server and saw me eyeing the vintage 1970's console record player nest to our table and proffered that I was welcome to chose a record album, from the stack that was for sale for 50 cents a piece, to play on the turntable. With Eric Clapton playing in the background, we ate our delicious burgers made from organic beef and organic rolls. The accompanying roasted potatoes and macaroni and cheese were home made and not frozen. This just added to the wonderful experience of dining at this out of the way cafe.
Our server Alex was fantastic. Her pink hair and 80's style large glasses complimented her eclectic outfit. She told us her tale of coming to the Seattle area from Florida and then to the remote South Bend area over two hours west of Olympia, Washington. Unbelievably, there is a very active local theater group that she is involved with. She invited us to a production the next night as well as a henna tattoo party tonight as well. We reluctantly explained that we were passing through the area and could not attend.
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| South Bend, Washington's Liquor/Consignment Shop |
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| (Sorry for the blurry picture) Passed this guy panhandling on the road. Appreciated his honesty. |
The road after South Bend turned east toward Olympia and our stop for the night with family outside of Seattle. We had a great night visiting with these Seattle-ites and welcomed the non hotel accommodations along with the great company. Tomorrows a day for resting from the eight days on the road and sight seeing some in Seattle.
Ken's description of the fishing village was accurate but it was apparent that things had changed considerably from 40 years ago. The village now appeared to be a combination of working fishing village and bedroom community for Longview. Newer houses and vacation homes mixed in with the older houses and buildings. Fishing nets and buoys adorned the fences and were quaint decorations and reminders that in fact this was first and foremost a fishing village.
A stop in South Bend Washington for lunch revealed a gem along the coast. The 101 Public House was a quirky cafe/antique/consignment shop that sported water views for dining. The staff was was wonderfully friendly and talked openly about the area. Alex was our server and saw me eyeing the vintage 1970's console record player nest to our table and proffered that I was welcome to chose a record album, from the stack that was for sale for 50 cents a piece, to play on the turntable. With Eric Clapton playing in the background, we ate our delicious burgers made from organic beef and organic rolls. The accompanying roasted potatoes and macaroni and cheese were home made and not frozen. This just added to the wonderful experience of dining at this out of the way cafe.
Our server Alex was fantastic. Her pink hair and 80's style large glasses complimented her eclectic outfit. She told us her tale of coming to the Seattle area from Florida and then to the remote South Bend area over two hours west of Olympia, Washington. Unbelievably, there is a very active local theater group that she is involved with. She invited us to a production the next night as well as a henna tattoo party tonight as well. We reluctantly explained that we were passing through the area and could not attend.
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