Oregon Coast Road Trip

This past weekend, I headed down the Oregon coast to the small town of Warrenton, Oregon where I spent a large portion of my childhood growing up. Warrenton has a population of approximately 5000 people and is situated between Astoria and Seaside, Oregon, which are separated by less than 20 miles. I spent a lot of time between these three cities growing up and is the reason I am writing this blog. I hope I can share with you a little history and beauty of these old American towns.

Before moving to Warrenton, my family lived in Astoria until about my first grade year in elementary school. Situated near the mouth of the Columbia River, Astoria, Oregon is a town slightly larger than Warrenton, with a population of approximately 10,000, its history dates back 200 years. The town was named after the famous American investor (and first American millionaire) John Jacob Astor. His American Fur Company founded Fort Astoria in 1810. Astoria, Warrenton, and Seaside’s economies have long been centered on fishing, fish processing, and lumber. Astoria still feels like an old American town today, and is the reason why a countless number of Hollywood movies have been shot there over the years, including Kindergarten Cop, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III, Free Willy, Short Circuit and of course Goonies. While in Astoria, I stopped by the old Astoria County Jail, which is now an Oregon Film Museum. The location was used in the opening scene in the 1985 movie, Goonies.

From Astoria, Warrenton can be reached by crossing the Highway 101 bridge. Warrenton is where I completed elementary school, junior high school and 1 year of high school before my family moved to Seattle, Washington. I have a lot of fond memories growing up in this small town, and it was nice to visit all the familiar places after all these years. Warrenton is most famous for Fort Stevens State Park, which was the primary military defense installation for the Oregon coast. The fort served for 84 years, beginning with the Civil War and closing at the end of World War II. In addition, not too far way is the Peter Iredale shipwreck from October 25, 1906 (which happens to be my birthday and no I’m not over 100). The wreckage is still visible, making it a popular tourist attraction as one of the most accessible shipwrecks from the Graveyard of the Pacific.

And last but not least, Seaside, Oregon is another small town not too far away and is famous for the Lewis and Clark Turnaround. The Turnaround at Seaside, Oregon is designed as the official end of the Lewis and Clark Trail. A bronze statue of Lewis and Clark stands facing the Pacific Ocean at the west end of Broadway at the Turnaround on the center of the Prom. The monument commemorates the 18 month, 4,000 mile journey from Saint Louis to the Oregon Coast the two American pioneers trailblazed.  Check out my pictures below!

Note:  For a look at all the pictures I took, see my Oregon Coast 2010 Album