Columbia River Maritime Museum

Friday 8/10/2012

On our 2nd day in WA we drove back across the Columbia River to Astoria..

Back in Oregon once again!

I needed to get some Vectra 3 D, a flea repellent for Mallery from a veterinarian. I called at least 8 veterinaries, and this one was the only one that carried this product. When I came out of the veterinarian office I heard what sounded like sea lions. Joe and I walked down to the docks that were nearby.

As we got closer to the docks, the noise became louder.

This dock was covered with sea lions.

There was very little room for any more sea lions.

Off in the distance, another dock had two sea lions sitting up and facing the sun.

We notice that the sea lions had been branded.

# 6 and #5

The docks were off limits to the public. The only people allowed on the docks, were boat slip owners. This guy was pushing his luck!

Looking in the opposite direction, we found another crowded dock.

They seemed to like to lay on top of each other, but still got grouchy at times when one of them moved in or moved the wrong way!

Note their little ears.

and large lower teeth.

"Would someone scratch my back please"? We were told that these were mostly single males that haven't found a harem yet. The marina tried transporting them away but they alway come back.

After observing the seal lions we drove to the Columbia River Maritime Museum in Astoria.

The museum cost $12 per person to get in. This is one of the coastguards 44 foot lifeboats that was retired after coming to the rescue of many boaters in peril.

In 1977 the National Transportation Safety Board declared the Columbia River bar a "specially hazardous area" It is the only river bar on the 88,533 miles of US coastline that has been given this designation.

Joe looking at a map that shows where boats and ships have been lost due to the danger of this area. Since 1792 over 2000 vessels have sunk, killing over 700 people, making this one of the most dangerous bar crossing in the world, and giving this area the name, "Graveyard of the Pacific". We spent a couple of hours viewing all the exhibits in the museum, before we left.

Outside the museum, your ticket also gives you entry into this lightboat that use to be stationed out at sea outside the bar warning seamen of the dangers. This ship would anchor for weeks with its lights warning ships coming to the harbor. It would bob like a cork for days and days. The crew often become sea sick.When seas where calm they had lots of time to fish.