Essayons in Dock

September 11, 2010

I was on my way to check out some smaller boats in the docks and beached on land on this beautiful day, but my attention was caught by something larger. Unlike when the cruise ships are in, the dock area was open to the public, and my camera couldn't resist. A U.S. Army Corps of Engineers dredge ship, Essayons is a much smaller vessel than the cargo ships we see on the river every day, however, I can tell you for sure she seems quite big enough when you get this close. The picture hardly shows the scale, but it's enough to take your breath away. (Here's a picture of her on the river - from my other blog.) I took lots of photos, and I'll probably have more coming up soon. The crew was taking trash to the dumpster, untying ropes and emptying hoses, and they said they hoped to get back underway within the hour. I wanted to watch, but I felt compelled to head over to the beach for sunset.

Here's an unexpected bit of trivia about the ship's unusual name.

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Sunset at the Peter Iredale

September 11, 2010

Toward sunset when the sky is clear enough to see the sun, people begin to gather on the beach near the wreck of the Peter Iredale. If you enlarge the top photo, you'll see a couple of tripods.

It's a nice time to watch, relax with loved ones, wade in the tidal lagoon or the waves, play with the dog, and enjoy the free show.

Last night there were few clouds, but the viewers were rewarded with a bright zig-zag across the sky.

See more Weekend Reflections from around the world.

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Sun on Sails

September 3, 2010

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Batteries Included

July 24, 2010

I think it was Jacob who asked how the trolley was powered since there are no overhead wires. The trolley carries its power supply beind it, although I couldn't tell you how it works. Electrical? I took this photo on the River Walk between 15th and 16th Streets. I also took it on one of those days when the sun was out. There is nothing outside my window at the moment to distinguish the day from any day during winter.

September 11: Dave made a comment on this blog's Facebook page and described the trolley's power source: "The trolley has a diesel powered motor that operates an electric generator mounted in the trailer. The trolley has electric motors mounted on its axles. They have an electrical cord that goes between the two. Originally the trolley took power from an overhead wire, and that's what the poles on the roof are for. Long ago Astoria used to have a trolley that ran from the Astor Court Store area, near Gray School, to Alderbrook. You can see the rails still in the streets if you know where to look."

Thanks, Dave!

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Mystery Navigation Tower

I'm sure this tower on the Washington side of the Columbia River is no mystery to many people, but I really don't know what it's used for. It looks like a lifeguard stand, but this is no swimming beach. Below the tower is a rocky drop-off to cold water filled with sturgeon, salmon, and strong currents.

The tower has something to do with navigation, and I could not tell you what that is. If you know, please leave a comment or send e-mail!

I forgot to take a close-up of the sign, so I enlarged the small one and tweaked the levels. It says:

U.S. Government Property

NO

TRESPASSING

Report Violations to:

U.S. Army Corps

of Engineers

Navigation Division

Portland District

Interestingly, on the board to the left of the sign, someone who could almost spell wrote graffiti that says, "Astoria Rescue Mision." Perhaps it's a note to the needy that help is on the other side of the bridge.

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One of Its Last Trips

March 1, 2010

The pilot boat Peacock will be taking up residence at the Maritime Museum after a career of about 32 years crossing the Columbia Bar. I've usually see it docked in East Mooring Basin, but on March 1 it was travelling down the Columbia. Here is a quote from The Daily Astorian. If the link works for you (if it doesn't, try Google with appropriate search words) there is more info in the article. Here's a summarizing sentence: "The 89-foot, self-righting vessel has been mothballed for the last 10 years after serving the Columbia River shipping industry from 1967 to 1999." The small boat next to the Peacock is the Lee H, a small tugboat.

Below are a few more links about the Peacock and the Chinook, the boat that replaced it.

. Peacock
. Peacock
. Chinook (pix and cool video)
. Chinook on this blog

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Covered Bridge

September 5, 2010

Here's a closer-up view of what's happening on the Washington side of the Astoria-Megler Bridge. You can also see how the bridge dips down much closer to the water level before it rises up toward the sky at the more famously-photographed end.

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From the Washington Side

Washington ~ September 5, 2010

This is the other end of the famous Astoria-Megler bridge, which crosses the Columbia River between Astoria (the land mass on the left) and Washington, where I'm standing. This is the same bridge with the recognizable towers seen in most of the bridge photos on this blog. The towers are there in the distance, but the bridge is 4.1 miles long, and they've become lost in the dim light. The structures you see here actually fade away to a very low rail, and the bed of the bridge lies closer to the water for much of its span, then it arcs up again near the Oregon side so cargo ships can pass beneath it. The two sections in the photo that look like boxcars or a covered bridge are only temporarily covered with sheeting so the bridge can be painted. Nearby is Dismal Nitch, part of the Lewis and Clark story. There was a fishing station (now gone) near here called Megler. The Dismal Nitch link will also tell you about Joseph Megler.

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Details of the Lamp Post

September 1, 2010

Several of you asked questions about the lamp post in front of the post office after yesterday's photo showed lines and shadows of the base. I found the parts more interesting than the sum, and I never took a photo showing the whole post. There is a lamp post on either side of the steps leading to the front doors, and the photos include both lamps.

It's not too clear, but the lamps are placed on a cement footing above ground level on either side of the staircase. The fencing in the foreground is the railing along the handicapped ramp.

. . . So, there you have it :) When I first looked at the three-legged base the other day, it reminded me of the triskelion seen everywhere in Sicily. The link will show some of the ways a triskelion is used, but when seen anthropomorphized as running legs (which is how we saw it so often in Sicily), it looks very strange.

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Lines and Claws

September 1, 2010

Patterns found in front of the post office on Commercial Street. Initially, I took the photo because I was trying to get a photo of the other-era three-footed lamp base, but the situation was wrong for details and right for shadows and patterns.

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