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OUR COAST
Jonathan Williams Editor Our Coast Magazine
TAKE A WALK IN THE COAST’S WONDERS
N
ature heals us. Its calming embrace amid the coronavirus pandemic has been a welcome balm. And on the North Coast, it is never far. In a year as relentless as 2020, I found myself more drawn to the outdoors. To the steep, winding South Slough Trail at Lewis and Clark National Historical Park, with the wind rustling through the tall grass as insects sang in the summer sun. To Manzanita’s quiet beaches in autumn and winter. And to Coffenbury Lake’s quiet trail, albeit with the periodic splash of ducks crashing into the water. The riches of the coast’s landscape seem more remarkable. More alive. I noticed everyday occurrences more: The sound of birds’ wings whirling overhead, the hoot of an owl calling out at night. Living here, it’s easy to take for granted. As the American writer Willa Cather once wrote of nature in her novel “O Pioneers!,” “We come and go, but the land is always here. And the people who love it and understand it are the people who own it — for a little while.” In this year’s magazine, Our Coast’s 10th, you’ll find a dynamic mix of features, some pandemic-focused, others on history and culture. There’s even a pullout panoramic image to bring the coast’s landscape into your home. Visual journalist Hailey Hoffman spent nearly a year capturing photographs for the magazine. In an interactive story, she shot a photo essay complete with a soundtrack where you can experience the sounds of our region — crashing waves, barking sea lions, fog horns and more — from wherever you are. The pandemic’s impact across sectors is also reflected in Our Coast’s pages. Hoffman took portraits and talked to restaurateurs from Long Beach, Washington, to Manzanita on making it through COVID-19 and handling changing virus restrictions while adapting from in-person to to-go meals. Coast Weekend editor Alyssa Evans talked to creatives about how they weathered the pandemic and their plans as the arts reemerge. And writer M.J. Cody reports on what innkeepers are most looking forward to as guests return to Astoria’s historic bed and breakfasts.
The magazine also takes a closer look at changes on the coast. Journalist Katie Frankowicz reported on recently regained land by the Clatsop-Nehalem Confederated Tribes in south Clatsop County and what that means for the tribes’ future. She also shows how the Waldorf Hotel, also known as the Merwyn, after decades left derelict and at one point considered for demolition, became affordable housing in downtown Astoria. Further south, journalist Nicole Bales reports on Manzanita’s rise in tourism as more people — including “Saturday Night Live” star Aidy Bryant — continue to discover it.
In this year’s magazine, Our Coast’s 10th, you’ll find a dynamic mix of features, some pandemic-focused, others on history and culture. There’s even a pullout panoramic image to bring the coast’s landscape into your home. There are also a smattering of stories ready to help you enjoy the coast year-round. In August, the Prom in Seaside celebrates a century as one of the coast’s most iconic walking paths. For those seeking a mystery, Our Coast has a guide to geocaching. And if you’re looking to bring the coast’s aesthetic to your home, Coast River Business Journal editor Emily Lindblom talked to interior designers for inspiration and tips. There are also guides to iconic parks, like Oswald West, Ecola and Cape Disappointment, as well as a story on how to safely go stormwatching when the dazzlingly dangerous king tides return each winter. Of course you can’t do any or all of this without food. Our Coast has highlighted the baking boom happening across the region, with new bakeries popping up and others expanding. There’s also a guide to the coast’s food trucks and international cuisine — from places like Japan, Bosnia, India, Vietnam, Thailand, Mexico and China — to name a few. If you feel like eating in, longtime food writer David Campiche has coastal-themed recipes for any season. As the coast continues to come back from the ravages of the pandemic, take pride in the people and places that make this region so singular. Notice the little things. You’ll be glad you did.
our coast
Feature Stories DO & SEE
Number 10 • 2021 • DiscoverOurCoast.com PUBLISHER Kari Borgen EDITOR Jonathan Williams CONTRIBUTING EDITOR Alyssa Evans PHOTOGRAPHER Hailey Hoffman
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DESIGN DIRECTOR/LAYOUT John D. Bruijn CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Nicole Bales David Campiche M.J. Cody Alyssa Evans Katie Frankowicz Morgan Grindy Hailey Hoffman Katherine Lacaze Emily Lindblom Malia Riggs Jonathan Williams ADVERTISING SALES MANAGER Sarah Silver ADVERTISING SALES Lisa Cadonau Heather Jenson Andrew Renwick
Sights and sounds of Our Coast
An interactive photo essay. Sounds at DiscoverOurCoast.com accompany the photos.
EAT & DRINK
42
World cuisine on Our Coast International flavors are readily available on the North Coast.
LIVE & STAY
70
Past perfect
Astoria’s plentiful historic bed & breakfast inns.
COASTAL LIFE
HISTORY & HERITAGE
GET CONNECTED Interact with us and the community at DiscoverOurCoast.com FOLLOW US facebook.com/ourcoast twitter.com/ourcoast instagram.com/ourcoast EMAIL TO US editor@discoverourcoast.com WRITE TO US P.O. Box 210 Astoria, OR 97103 VISIT US ONLINE DiscoverOurCoast.com offers all the content of Our Coast Magazine and more. Discover all the wonderful attractions, lively entertainment, and local quirks of the Columbia-Pacific region. FIND BACK ISSUES Read up on back issues of Our Coast Magazine at DiscoverOurCoast.com Our Coast is published annually by The Astorian and Chinook Observer. Copyright © 2021 Our Coast. All rights reserved.
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Columbia River Bar Pilots Assisting ships across a very dangerous passageway.
Many types of birds call the North Coast home, making it a birdwatcher’s dream.
DO & SEE
HISTORY & HERITAGE
Our Picks................................................................................10 A day at the park.............................................................. 12 Arts improvised............................................................... 20 Geocaching for hidden treasures..........................26
Our Picks.............................................................................. 90 Historic housing................................................................98 Tribes secure land in county...................................104 The Prom at 100.............................................................. 110
EAT & DRINK
COASTAL LIFE
Our Picks..............................................................................40 Food carts on the North Coast.............................. 50 To-go, pickup or in-person........................................56 Baking boom......................................................................62
Delights of the garden and sea..............................118 My Coast..............................................................................122 Our Coast 10th anniversary panorama..............131
DailyAstorian.com • ChinookObserver.com
LIVE & STAY
EO Media Group
Our Picks...............................................................................66 Majestic tides......................................................................76 Manzanita’s rise................................................................ 80 Coastal infusion............................................................... 84
COVER PHOTO A kite surfer rides the waves at Fort Stevens State Park.
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Birdwatching on Our Coast
+ AREA MAPS Astoria/Warrenton....................................................... 126 Long Beach Peninsula.................................................127 Seaside/Gearhart........................................................... 128 Cannon Beach & beyond.......................................... 129
OUR COAST MAGAZINE
CONTRIBUTORS
HAILEY HOFFMAN Hailey is the staff photographer at The Astorian. When she’s not working, she’s probably taking photos of sunsets, the beaches or the mountains.
JONATHAN WILLIAMS
KATHERINE LACAZE
Jonathan is the editor of Our Coast and associate editor of The Astorian. He is a native of Astoria. He has edited and contributed to Coast Weekend as well as other regional and national publications. He enjoys reading, swimming, running and experiencing the local arts scene in his spare time.
Katherine is a longtime contributor to Our Coast and is a frequent freelancer for the Seaside Signal, The Astorian and Coast Weekend. She enjoys exploring the many topics of the coast from arts and culture to environmental conservation and tourism.
MALIA RIGGS Malia is a McMinnvillebased journalist and photographer. She is a graduate of Linfield College and enjoys writing about the outdoors, sports, food and drink and Pacific Northwest life.
EMILY LINDBLOM
NICOLE BALES Nicole covers cops, courts, county government and Warrenton at The Astorian. She enjoys exploring hiking trails and beaches and eating at the many great restaurants on the coast.
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Our Coast Magazine 2021
Emily is the editor of Coast River Business Journal. She frequently contributes to The Astorian and designs pages for Coast Weekend and Seaside Signal. Emily is passionate about telling the stories of people and places in the Pacific Northwest and loves investigating environmental issues and highlighting the wonders of the region’s forests and coastline. She has a background in community reporting and a master’s degree in multimedia journalism and enjoys hiking and surfing in her free time.
DiscoverOurCoast.com
MORGAN GRINDY Morgan was the University of Oregon Snowden intern at The Astorian in summer 2020. She is a graduate of Oregon State University. She has served as editor-in-chief of Beaver’s Digest, a student lifestyle magazine at the university.
KATIE FRANKOWICZ Katie covers education, the environment and Cannon Beach at The Astorian. She moved to the coast over a decade ago and will probably never leave.
ALYSSA EVANS
NANCY McCARTHY
Alyssa is editor of Coast Weekend and The Astorian’s Weekend Break section. Before that, she was a reporter for the Chinook Observer, where she covered city government and education. You can usually find her hiking a local trail, getting a veggie burger downtown or hosting a late-night radio show.
Nancy’s journalism career spans 50 years, with the best portion of those years working on the North Oregon Coast. She is a former editor of the Cannon Beach Gazette and Seaside Signal and covered south Clatsop County for The Daily Astorian for seven years. McCarthy serves as a city councilor on the Cannon Beach City Council.
M.J. CODY M.J. Cody is a freelance writer for The Astorian and Coast Weekend. She is a longtime contributor to Our Coast. Cody’s travel column, “Sleeping Around the Northwest,” appeared in the Sunday Oregonian for more than a decade.
DAVID CAMPICHE
JOHN BRUIJN John is the production director at The Astorian and has been with EO Media Group for over 20 years. He has designed every issue of Our Coast and does layout and design on several EOMG special sections annually.
David was born in the elevator of Cook County Hospital in 1948. Poet, potter and innkeeper, his interest in clay and food and the written word have propelled him into the arts like a camel pursuing water. He has written for The Astorian for nearly 20 years, still throws pottery several times a week and loves to cook. He and his wife, Laurie Anderson, ran the historic Shelburne Inn for 40 years and still own the bed and breakfast, China Beach Retreat, in Ilwaco, Washington. He is a self-professed progressive.
DiscoverOurCoast.com
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R IT'S OTU H 100 YEAR!
M U E S U M E E R F MARSH’S
ree! f e r a s e l i d sm n a s h g d lau n a n e t t orgo f Come see our e r a s e l b u o A place where tr oddities! Including: A Few Quotes From some of Our Visitors You gotta’ see J a k e the alligator man!
“1 of 10 great places for monstrous encounters” – USA Today
“A truly fun place to browse and shop, with something bizarre around every corner. Outstanding music box and vintage arcade collection. Something for everyone.” – People Magazine “Marsh’s Free Museum is a world class side show” – Tacoma Tribune
Join Jake’s Fan Club at: www.marshsfreemuseum.com So interesting some people never leave!
“Scientists’ call bizarre creature the missing link.” – Weekly World News “Going to Marsh’s Free Museum is a bit like watching Ben Hur. Every time you do you see something new.”
• Jake– The Alligator Man • Shrunken Head • 8 Legged Lamb • 2 Headed Calf • 1 Eyed Lamb • Vintage Arcade Items • Wild Animal Mounts • Large Music Box Collection
–Daily Astorian
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Our Coast Magazine 2021
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DO & SEE
OUR PICKS
CANNON BEACH
LONG BEACH
Cannon Beach Escape Room
Clark’s Tree
By Katherine Lacaze
By Alyssa Evans
Cannon Beach is world-renowned for its natural beauty, local dining, shopping scene and outdoor activities. But for those rainy days, The Cannon Beach Escape Room offers a different kind of indoor attraction. Located at 248 N. Spruce St., the escape room opened in 2017 to give families, couples and other small groups something fun and offbeat to do. Groups can have between two to 10 players who get locked in a room where they have an hour to solve a variety of puzzles using hints and clues found within the space. If they’re successful, they find the key to escape. The escape room is operating two rooms, each with a distinct theme. The easier of the two, “Escape from Camp Haystack,” is a camp-themed challenge where you are trapped in the camp director’s cabin for trying to pull a prank and have to escape without getting in trouble. Pirate lovers will be drawn to the more challenging room, “Escape from One-Eyed Jack,” where you are locked in the captain’s quarters and scheduled to walk the plank at dawn — unless you can follow the clues left behind by a rogue pirate and find a way out. Filled with intrigue and mental stimulation, the escape room is goodold fashioned fun. This activity is appropriate for both adults and children, although parents and guardians are encouraged to use discretion for kids younger than 8 who might be scared by the pirate theme.
The natural beauty surrounding the Discovery Trail is eye-catching on its own. But the addition of some public art pieces scattered along the trail have made it truly breathtaking. Clark’s Tree is one of the best kept secrets of the Long Beach Peninsula. Ironically, if you walk about 30 minutes north of the Bolstad Avenue beach approach, the tall tree is impossible to miss. The tree is a life-size replica of the one Capt. William Clark reportedly carved while the Corps of Discovery traveled throughout the West. Like its predecessor, the tree, which is actually a bronze sculpture, includes the carved message “Capt. William Clark November 19, 1805. By Land. U States 1804 & 1805.” The sculpture was created by artist Stanley Wanlass and was installed in 2003. The original tree lived until about 1900, before it was cut down by a road crew. The walk to Clark’s Tree is about an hour round-trip. To get the best view of the tree, start your journey from the Bolstad Avenue beach approach and head north. Along the way, you’ll wind along the dunes, with views of the Pacific Ocean ranging in and out of view, depending on how high up you are.
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Our Coast Magazine 2021
Artistry. Outdoors. Adventures. Pastimes. SEASIDE
WESTPORT
High Life Adventure Park
Oscar B.
By Hailey Hoffman
By Emily Lindblom
If you’ve driven down U.S. Highway 101 through Seaside, a colossal birdhouse-like wood structure with a suspended kayak, large oak barrels and a seemingly-endless net of hanging ropes has likely caught your eye. The High Life Adventure Park aerial challenge course is the North Coast’s premiere challenge course for all ages and abilities. Visitors get to shimmy their way across tightropes, swing on hanging logs and free fall from 40 feet in the air, all while safely harnessed to the structure. The course offers 30 platforms and more than 50 challenges for participants to explore. Owners Dave and Lancey Larson opened the challenge course in March 2020 as a sister facility to the well-established High Life Adventures zipline tours in Warrenton. In January 2018, the duo bought the land where the challenge course sits today and used the logs milled from the location to build the course. When you arrive, a trained professional gears you up with a safety harness and helmet and runs over procedures to ensure a safe adventure. Next, you pick one of three levels, with difficulty increasing as you move up. The ground level features tightropes, a giant spider web and swinging stumps that are just around a foot off the ground, making it perfect for children and less confident participants. The second level sits at 20 feet and the third at 40 feet with obstacles to challenge more daring climbers.
Drivers, pedestrians and cyclists can all take in scenic views while riding on the last operating ferry on the lower Columbia River. The Oscar B., run by Wahkiakum County, transports people every day between 5 a.m. and 10:15 p.m., departing from Puget Island, Washington, on the hour and from Westport on the quarter hour, every hour. The ferry service began in 1925. The Oscar B. is named after Oscar Bergseng, the full-time skipper of the ferry service for 17 years starting in 1948. He helped Wahkiakum County take on the ferry operation in 1962 and continued as manager until he died in 1985. Rain or shine, passengers take the 12-minute, 1.5 mile ferry ride to travel. On a drizzly Sunday afternoon earlier this year, several cars drove onto the boat from the Westport dock. Once the ferry began chugging through the water, John Bodaly, Renee Smith and her grandchild, Bella Smith, got out of their car to check out the scenery. “We come here as often as we can,” Bodaly said. “We love it.” Renee Smith added that they came just for the ferry ride so they could be on the river, see the views and surrounding tree-covered hills on either side. “I bring all my grandkids to go on the ferry,” she said. Muriel and Greg Prestegard were taking the ferry back home to Puget Island after a weekend trip to the Oregon Coast. The two take the ferry a couple times each month and said they prefer it over driving on the Washington state side of the river to get to Astoria. “It’s nicer to take the ferry,” Muriel Prestegard said. “It’s more convenient,” added Greg Prestegard, who has lived on Puget Island and taken the ferry all his life. “It’s a nice, relaxing ride.”
DiscoverOurCoast.com
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DO & SEE
A Day at the Park
The North Coast and Long Beach Peninsula offer hikes, history and spectacular views Words: Alyssa Evans • Images: Hailey Hoffman
The North Coast and the Long Beach Peninsula in Washington state are known for their scenic beauty, outdoor recreation and seemingly endless history. Many parks are available to visit for day or camping trips. Some have been the backdrop of movies. Others are home to shipwrecks and areas once traversed by Lewis and Clark. All are worth a visit. Next time you have a day to spare, consider heading to one of these parks.
A surfer walks on the beach near dusk at Oswald West State Park.
DO & SEE
ARCH CAPE
Oswald West State Park Scenic trails through vibrant forests lead to remarkable views of the North Coast
No matter the time of year, if you drive along U.S. Highway 101 through Oswald West State Park, you’re guaranteed to see parking lots full of outdoor enthusiasts. The hype is well deserved — the park includes scenic trails through vibrant forests leading to remarkable views of the North Coast with a beach for tide pool viewing and surfing. The park is named after former Gov. Oswald West, who helped set aside about 400 miles of Oregon shoreline for the public. The park was created between 1931 and 1976 through a series of land purchases and donations. However, the area’s history goes back hundreds of years. The park features an abundance of great hiking trails. When deciding where you want to trek, keep in mind when sunset is — the later in the day, the harder it is to navigate Oswald’s trails. Cape Falcon and Neah-Kah-Nie Mountain are two of the most popular spots to hike inside Oswald West. Both spots feature moderate hikes but can easily become difficult to navigate if it has recently rained. If you decide to brave the trails post-rainfall, opt for waterproof hiking boots instead of tennis shoes. Hikes in these areas include the Cape Falcon trail and Neah-Kah-Nie Mountain Loop Hike. Either make for a spectacular day hike. Short Sand Beach is another popular spot inside the park. Getting to the beach requires a short walk from the park’s main parking lot. Once there, you can watch surfers (or join in), picnic and explore some of the coast. On each end of the beach are tide pools and small caves. Walk to the north end of the beach to see Blumenthal Falls, a waterfall that connects to the Pacific Ocean.
CANNON BEACH
Ecola State Park An abundance of picturesque sights and trails perfect for hikers, picnickers and photographers Ecola State Park features an abundance of sights and trails that are so picturesque you may find yourself feeling as if you’re in a movie. Fittingly, the park’s scenery has been featured as a backdrop to films like “The Goonies,” “Twilight,” “Kindergarten Cop” and “Point Break.” The park was established in the 1930s and 1940s after land purchases. It operates as day-use only, so it’s best to be selective about which trails and activities you want to explore per trip. There are a handful of trails to hike in the park. Each is a moderate hike; experienced hikers may find the trails easy but those who aren’t used to changing elevations and sometimes muddy trails should exercise caution. On the north end of the park is the Tillamook Head Trail and the Clatsop Loop Trail. Tillamook Head takes hikers through about 12 miles of old-growth forests featuring Sitka spruce. Clatsop Loop is a much easier hike, lasting about 2.5 miles. The two trails run parallel to each other for a while, so if you’re short on time, Clatsop Loop may work better. Clatsop Loop also connects to Bald Mountain, which is a great spot to take photos. The park’s other main trails are Indian Beach Trail and Crescent Beach Trail. Indian Beach is slightly longer, at 2.1 miles, versus Crescent Beach’s 1.2 mile distance. Both trails lead hikers downhill toward the beach. Indian Beach is a fairly popular choice among hikers. The sandy beach is popular for picnickers, surfers and photographers. Crescent Beach is also a favorite and makes for great wave watching, although the small beach is unreachable during high tides. The park’s main parking lot also offers space for a picnic. There are a few short walking trails in this area that are worth a visit and won’t take more than five minutes. Here, you can see waves crash on Indian and Crescent beaches. You can also see Tillamook Rock Lighthouse in the distance.
DO & SEE HAMMOND
Fort Stevens State Park
Explore the park’s history, trails and wildlife — all in one day Constructed during the 1800s and first used as a military base in the 1860s during the Civil War, Fort Stevens State Park was actively used until the end of World War II. Today, the park features military batteries, a shipwreck and several historical artifacts. While Fort Stevens was active during multiple wars, its battle history is short. In 1942, the fort was attacked by a Japanese submarine — making Fort Stevens the only site of a World War II attack on a mainland U.S. military base. Fort Stevens is one of the country’s largest state parks, yet much of the park can be explored in a day. If you’re interested in seeing the bulk of the park’s military batteries and artifacts, head to the park’s main entrance. From there, you’ll be within walking distance of most of the park’s historical grounds where you can view cannons, artillery and wildlife — if you’re lucky, you may even come across an owl or elk. The park’s visitor center is also located there. If you happen to come by the park while the center is closed, consider listening to the park’s audio tour (bit.ly/3mdxA4K) while you walk around — this way, you can learn about the park’s history at your own pace. This part of the park includes a
handful of trails, picnic spots and a 9-hole disc golf course. If you venture to the other park entrance, you’ll find yourself on Jetty Road, which takes you to the other sites of Fort Stevens. Along this road, there are a few places you can stop to visit. First up is Battery Russell, a military battery that was used from 1904 to 1944. Near the entrance to the battery, you can access a road that takes you to Coffenbury Lake, located by the park’s campgrounds. It features swimming options and a walking trail. Another road in this area takes you to the Wreck of the Peter Iredale, a four-masted ship that ran aground near Fort Stevens on Oct. 25, 1906. If you continue along the main road, you’ll come across four more points worth stopping at: areas A, B, C and D. Area A and Area B are great spots for beach walking and for viewing the Pacific Ocean. Area C is a good (but sometimes dangerous) spot for wave watching, as it features an observation tower that overlooks the ocean and the mouth of the Columbia River. Area D is a quieter spot that can make for great wildlife viewing along Trestle Bay and the river. These areas are accessible by vehicle. You can also generally connect from spot to spot by walking or cycling along the park’s many trails.
ASTORIA
Lewis and Clark National Historical Park Where history and nature converge
Lewis and Clark National Historical Park features a bevy of history and areas to explore. During the winter of 1805 and 1806, the largest structure in Clatsop County was a log fort housing Capt. Meriweather Lewis, Capt. William Clark and the Corps of Discovery. The corp’s winter quarters at Fort Clatsop are available to visit. The park’s visitor center also includes details about the legacy of the Corps of Discovery and their time in the Pacific Northwest. An audio walking tour of the park is available on the park’s website, nps.gov/lewi. Visitors can also traverse the trails Lewis and Clark once walked. The 6.5-mile (13.5 mile down and back) Fort to Sea Trail from Fort Clatsop to Sunset Beach is an unsung gem of breathtaking beauty. A sense of adventure is all around as you journey through vast swaths of Sitka spruce, over streams and ferns and open fields before arriving at the golden grass leading to the beach. The park’s Kwis Kwis and South Slough trails are also worth exploring. These feature diverse terrain and picturesque views. The Netul Landing trail snakes along the Lewis and Clark River and features many info boxes along the way explaining the area’s history. Netul Landing also includes a canoe launch and guided kayak tours in the summer. Other sites to see related to the Corps of Discovery include the Salt Works exhibit in Seaside (on Lewis and Clark Way, near the Seaside Prom) and the Dismal Nitch rest area on the Washington state side of the Columbia River, just east of the Astoria Bridge.
MALIA RIGGS PHOTO
DO & SEE
ILWACO
Cape Disappointment State Park Spanning over 2,000 acres along the Columbia River, the park is a popular destination for campers, hikers, cyclists and stormwatchers In 1775, Spanish explorer Bruno de Heceta named a portion of what would become Ilwaco, Washington, “Bahia de La Asuncion” — which translates to Bay of the Assumption. Thirteen years later, British trader John Meares proclaimed the area Cape Disappointment, his dominant emotion at the time after not finding a large bay. Over the past few centuries, many visitors have explored Cape Disappointment, including the Corps of Discovery during the Lewis and Clark Expedition. Today, Cape Disappointment State Park spans over 2,000 acres along the Columbia River. The park is a popular destination for campers, hikers, cyclists and stormwatchers. Head over to the park by driving along North Head Road, which takes you from the north to south end of the park. You can’t go wrong if you head into the park through a different entrance but if you start from the north, you’ll have an easier time accessing
multiple viewpoints. Along the drive, toward your right, you’ll see a viewpoint turnoff — park here to see a picturesque view of the coast, including thousands of trees, miles of beaches and the Pacific Ocean. From here, there are several other spots to explore. Keep heading along this road, and you’ll find several worthwhile places to park your car and head out for a walk. Popular spots worth visiting include Beards Hollow, which makes for fantastic beachcombing and tide pool viewing; and Waikiki Beach, a popular place to stormwatch and picnic. There are several trails worth hiking inside the park as well. North Head Lighthouse and Cape Disappointment Lighthouse are both reachable via short hikes. The Discovery Trail goes through the outskirts of the park, including stops at both lighthouses, Battery Harvey Allen and the Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center. These spots are also accessible through shorter hikes.
LONG BEACH
Willapa National Wildlife Refuge The refuge provides a bevy of wildlife and birdwatching options Willapa National Wildlife Refuge is the place to go for birdwatchers. President Franklin D. Roosevelt established the refuge in Washington state in 1937 as an effort to protect migrating birds and their habitats. Roosevelt’s efforts proved worthwhile: more than 200 species visit the refuge each year, including dozens of shorebirds. The refuge isn’t home to just birds, though — elk, salmon, river otters, black bears, black-tailed deer, porcupine and racoons are among other species that inhabit the refuge. Many of the normally landlocked animals live on Long Island, a large island in the refuge. The island is known for
LYNETTE RAE McADAMS PHOTO
its wildlife and 900-plus-year-old western red cedar trees, hiking trails and camping options. The island is only reachable by boat, making it a popular destination for kayakers and canoers. The refuge operates a barge that takes visitors to the island. Most people travel to Long Island off U.S. Highway 101. This portion of the refuge is also home to the refuge’s art trail, a short walk which features public art and sculptures depicting wildlife and Pacific Northwest history. The refuge isn’t limited to its location off Highway 101, though. It takes up much of the Long Beach Peninsula’s northern
tip. To explore the refuge on the peninsula, head to the refuge’s headquarters on 67th Place off Sandridge Road. After visiting the headquarters, keep heading north to the refuge’s other spots: the Tarlatt Unit and Leadbetter Unit. Tarlatt Unit is great for wildlife viewing. Reach this spot via 95th Place or 85th Place from Sandridge Road. Leadbetter is also great for wildlife viewing, and is known for its birdwatching spots. It also has its own state park, Leadbetter Point State Park, which features a handful of walking trails — head here by traveling north to Stackpole Road.
DO & SEE
ARTS
I M P R O V I S E D Amid the pandemic, the North Coast adapts — and charts a return to the stage Words: Alyssa Evans • Images: Hailey Hoffman
Painter Jill McVarish and writer Chris Minnick in Astoria. McVarish is the owner of McVarish Gallery.
August Watters plays his mandolin from his upstairs window in Astoria.
As curtains closed, computer screens seemingly turned on. For the first time in decades, the North Coast experienced a shutdown of the arts community as the coronavirus pandemic closed — or seriously altered — the local culture scene.
S
ince then, the arts community has adapted to fluctuating health guidelines. Some venues have stayed closed altogether. Others have found ways to host virtual or physicallydistanced gatherings. This spring, the North Coast Chorale held in-person concerts at the Charlene Larsen Center for the Performing Arts — the center’s first live event in over a year. The Liberty Theatre hosted local favorite indie band Blind Pilot for virtual concerts. And this summer, Astor Street Opry Company will host its renowned
“Shanghaied in Astoria” musical while the Coaster Theatre will hold outdoor performances of two plays. Yet no arts group on the North Coast has gone unchanged. Many, if not most, musicians, artists, art galleries, theaters and other venues have seen shifts in revenue as a response to forced closures and canceled events. Fundraisers, grants, loans and second jobs have helped keep afloat many organizations and creatives. While some arts organizations have closed or become accessible mainly online, many are still around, working to make it possible to share art in person again.
DiscoverOurCoast.com
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The beginning From the Long Beach Peninsula to Manzanita, communities on the North Coast were left scrambling when the governors of Oregon and Washington state announced statewide closures in March 2020 to slow the spread of the virus. In Manzanita, based on suggestions from volunteers who work full-time as health professionals, leaders at the Hoffman Center for the Arts decided to immediately shut down the center, its art gallery and pottery studio, said Mary Roberts, the center’s board president. “They very strongly suggested we close immediately. We did close completely, around mid-March, when everyone was still like ‘What does this mean?’ Many of us didn’t understand what this was going to take,” Roberts said. “There was that quiet period where we were like ‘OK, is this going to be over in three weeks?’” Up north, theater groups were about to open a variety of shows. The Peninsula Players were ready to celebrate the opening night of “A Bag Full of Miracles.” Peninsula Association of Performing Artists closed its run of “Almost, Maine” midway through the season. The Ten Fifteen Theater’s production of “The Weir” was canceled. Astor Street Opry Company’s live shows were put on hiatus, too.
Sparrow Dance Co. held a series of free, outdoor performances last summer.
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Actors rehearse ‘Play On!’ in early 2020. The play was canceled shortly after due to the coronavirus pandemic.
In Cannon Beach, the Coaster Theatre Playhouse was about to open its second show of the year, “Play On!” “As many were, we were monitoring the news and predictions of what was to come. On March 13, 2020, which was a Friday the 13th — you’ve gotta love it — which was supposed to be the opening night of that show, we decided to postpone that show in the optimistic hope that we’d be able to open it up again soon,” said Jenni Tronier, the theater’s marketing and operations director.
As restrictions increased in Clatsop County and nearby areas, postponing became canceling. “As things progressed, we decided to cancel our spring 2020 show … We were in full-on hope that we’d be able to get something on stage. As 2020 has, it just never let up,” Tronier said. “At that point, we like many arts organizations were frantically writing grant applications for anything that came available.” Like most local organizations, fundraisers, grants and loans have helped the theater pay necessary bills. The Charlene Larsen Center for the Performing Arts also closed down in spring 2020. The 225-seat venue provides rehearsal and performance space for visiting and local music and theater groups. Partners for the PAC is an arts coalition that runs the center. The center’s executive director, Bereniece Jones-Centeno and Charlene Larsen, the group’s president, focused their efforts during the pandemic on renovating the venue to be safer. Plexiglas panels for the box office; touchless hand sanitizers; touchless toilets, urinals and sinks; and social distancing foot markers are among the center’s additions. “We are addressing all of these safety issues for the public so they feel comfortable coming back,” Larsen said. “All of that of course hinges on vaccinations — the future of performing arts, how we perform in the future. (We’re looking at) what it looks like for singers to wear a mask; what it looks like for the flute player to put her flute through a hole in her mask and play; what it looks like for the horn players and for all of us who sit down and perform and play together.”
An empty Commercial Street in downtown Astoria after the initial coronavirus restrictions were announced by the state in March 2020.
Gathering together, separately The Hoffman Center was one of the first local organizations to host online events. “We were going to have a celebration for Manzanita Day but pivoted to have a professor teach this class on Zoom,” Roberts said. “Volunteers really dug in and tried to understand what that means. You have to buy software. You have to understand how to manage that software. You have to control and assist people to teach. It’s a completely different thing than teaching in a classroom.” The center has adapted many of its programs to run as virtual workshops instead of in-person workshops. In some cases, the center has had students participate from across the country, Roberts said. Other organizations have also followed suit. Fort George Brewery, Lewis and Clark National Historical Park and Lower Nehalem Watershed Council have all hosted regular virtual lectures. Musicians have also offered virtual concerts periodically. For months, the Sou’wester Historic Lodge has hosted a virtual concert every Saturday. Fort George has also occasionally hosted local musicians like The Hackles. The Peninsula Arts Center, located in Long Beach, Washington, has also pivoted to virtual events, like its neighbor, the Sou’wester. Peninsula Arts Center owners Bill and Sue Svendsen have hosted dozens of virtual open mic nights so local performers can connect with each other. “It’s primarily the regulars from the open mic … We’ve been able to keep our music community a little bit together and engaged,” Sue Svendsen said.
We’ve been able to keep our music community a little bit together and engaged.
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DO & SEE Last summer, when state regulations allowed, the couple hosted an outdoor concert. Like others, they’ve used their extra time working on a pre-scheduled remodel of the building. “Prior to COVID, we were doing professional concerts where we brought touring musicians from places like Seattle and Portland,” Sue Svendsen said. “We were doing open mics, providing rehearsal space for artists, hosting classes. Most of the ticket price or all of the ticket price went to the artist. We sustained ourselves off the beer and wine sales — that went to zero with COVID.” In November, the Liberty Theatre hosted a virtual gala fundraiser, featuring Horse Feathers and other regionally-acclaimed musicians as well as Pacific Northwest native and Metropolitan Opera soprano Angela Meade. The theater raised $175,000, most of which went to theater expenses, said Jennifer Crockett, the theater’s executive director. “People overwhelmingly want to make sure that their theater is OK,” Crockett said. The theater also hosted a small number of in-person movie showings, which were limited to 50 people maximum in the theater. During the pandemic the Columbia River Symphony hosted an online prerecorded concert in December made up of the orchestra as well as other local ensembles playing holiday music. That same month, the Coaster Theatre also made waves with a virtual event of its own when the theater hosted a radio rendition of Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol.” The show featured local actors and writers as well as creators from around the country. “Because we were doing this on Zoom, they were all able to participate in this, which was really cool. We had people join us from coast to coast,” Tronier said. “There were people who had never heard of the theater, had never heard of Cannon Beach, who joined us as readers.”
What’s next? Looking forward, many organizations are tentatively planning events but doing so in a way that will make them easy to adapt, in case the events can’t happen in person. “The key is probably going to be small casts,” Tronier said. “We’re also looking at shows that have streaming rights available because not all plays have streaming rights available. It gives us some flexibility in case we wouldn’t be able to open up the theater.” The Charlene Larsen Center for the Performing Arts plans to host online and indoor performances. Partners for the PAC is working on creating videos of performances, dubbed the “Larsen Center Vignettes” to share on the center’s website and social media accounts. “We’ve never had such a thing happen at the PAC. Anything we’ve had has been because someone showed up and took a video. We figured, ‘Golly, let’s create a space for people to perform, put the videos up and say ‘Look, we’re still alive,’” Jones-Centeno said. “It’s very organic.” Crockett said events later in the year at the Liberty are expected to be held in-person. “All of our plans for summer and fall are ‘It needs to be easy to walk away from.’ We won’t be flying musicians across the country. The music scene will become a lot more local,” Crockett said. “We’re being mindful not only of mandates and restrictions placed on us but what the community is feeling.” The Liberty plans to host all of its scheduled performers whose shows were postponed because of the pandemic. The theater will start filming in-person events once they happen again. 24
Our Coast Magazine 2021
The Liberty Theatre saw renovations to its entrance in 2020.
“I think we’ll pull through, Crockett said. “I know now to film everything for future shows in case we want to broadcast them; in case anything like this ever happens again.”
Looking forward, many organizations are planning events in a way that will make them easy to adapt, in case the events can’t happen in person. Similarly, organizations like the Hoffman Center plan to continue hosting virtual workshops, even after in-person gatherings are safe again. The center plans to host in-person events starting in July. “While we’ve been able to offer courses online, there’s no way around the fact that you can’t replace business with Zoom … We just have to be flexible and not get attached,” Roberts said.
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Hidden treasures,
DISCOVERED
Geocaching offers a glimpse at the North Coast’s wonders Words: Alyssa Evan • Images: Hailey Hoffman he sun peeked through the clouds on a calm summer morning. Downtown Astoria was surprisingly quiet. Few people walked along the sidewalks. Heading out of my apartment, I wondered whether to head toward the Astoria Riverwalk or stroll by the many downtown shops. After a quick deliberation, I started walking east, feeling nervous. This wouldn’t be an ordinary walk — I was on the hunt for treasure. As I walked, I kept glancing at my phone’s screen. Acting as a modern treasure map, Geocaching, an app, directed me to a treasure marker just a couple minutes away. A few blocks over, off 12th and Duane streets, people at the Astoria Sunday Market maneuvered their goods into bags and backseats. I looked around, checking to make sure I wasn’t in anyone’s way on the sidewalk. No one was within a block of me. Feeling slightly relieved, I took a couple minutes to ease into my surroundings. Checking the app, I read a description of the hidden treasure. “There is no need to leave the sidewalk … This is near a sign commemorating Clark Gable’s first acting job. It was in a theatre that was this location before it burned down in the Great Astoria Fire of 1922,” the description read. After quickly reading the sign about Gable, famously known for his role in the 1939 classic, “Gone With The Wind,” I looked around the area to see if anywhere stood out as a good hiding spot. After a few minutes of no success, I took a second look at the app, reread the description, followed by a second clue: “Totally tubular.” This was the missing hint I needed. Soon enough, in a hidden nook, I found what I was looking for — a micro cache.
Geocaching is a game of socially distanced treasure hunting. The premise of the activity is simple: people find caches — or treasures — hidden by other people. The game is essentially a wide-scale version of hide and seek for adults.
DO & SEE
What is geocaching?
Geocache team ‘Sharpy Squad’ left a Polaroid image from 2019 in a bag for other geocachers to see.
Some geocaches feature small rolls of paper where people write their names, nicknames or initials when they find them.
Geocaching is a game of socially distanced treasure hunting. The premise of the activity is simple: people find caches — or treasures — hidden by other people. The game is essentially a wide-scale version of hide and seek for adults. Geocaching started in 2000 after an Oregon resident hid a cache, according to a New York Times interview with Bryan Roth, co-founder and president of Geocaching HQ. People have hid caches throughout the U.S. and abroad in the more than 20 years since the game began. In 2020, the Geocaching app’s sign-ups increased by 70%. The North Coast isn’t a stranger to the activity. More than 100 caches are hidden between Raymond, Washington, and Manzanita — many of which are located in historical and scenic spots. In 2020, many coastal caches were found by local residents and visitors. Astoria resident Gene Hankins is an avid geocacher on the North Coast who has hidden several caches for others to find — including the Gable cache. Hankins said he found all of the North Coast’s caches within about a year and a half. He spends his free time driving to other towns like Vernonia to find other caches. “I keep going out and finding geocaches. I have to go a long ways out because I’ve found everything around here,” Hankins said. Hankins learned about geocaching after a friend brought him along for a hunt in McMinnville. The pair found what’s called a lamp post cache, a small piece of metal or plastic that connects to a lamp post. “After that I went and created a name and all that on the geocaching website. About a month later I found my next one. Since then, it’s been pretty steady,” Hankins said. “I got my GPS because back then, they didn’t have the apps on the phone. I would load up the locations one by one. I still use it.” Hankins’ geocaching adventures have introduced him to new friends and places. He’s met people by geocaching on his own and by attending cache events — specially curated get-togethers for geocachers to meet each other and search for caches. “I get to see new places I never would have gone. There are a lot of places I never would have known about without geocaching,” Hankins said.
To start geocaching, download a geocaching app on your phone. The Geocaching app is free to download and features dozens of free caches.
A notebook holds the names and nicknames of people who found one of the geocaches at Pier 39 in Astoria.
Where to go There are several caches to find along the coast. Astoria resident Gene Hankins recommends looking for caches along hiking trails. “I like puzzles. A lot of the caches I like doing are hiking caches: Cape Falcon, Neah-Kah-Nie,” Hankins said. “If they’re in interesting places, that’s great.” Hankins has also hidden caches in spots like Youngs River Falls and along the Discovery Trail. In Washington state, most local caches are located on the Long Beach Peninsula and along U.S. Highway 101. Breaking up geocaching by region likely will work best and The anchor by Pier 39 supposedly hides a geocache.
How to geocache To start geocaching, download a geocaching app on your phone. The Geocaching app is free to download and features dozens of free caches. Some caches in the app require a premium membership. Other geocaching apps include Cachly (costs $4.99 to download on iPhones) and c:geo (free to download on Android phones), among others. Next, create an account to track your progress. After that, you’re set to go. While the app is open, you’ll see a GPS map of your region to search around for local caches. Each cache will include hints about where it is hidden plus descriptions that detail the size and type of cache hidden. Caches differ in size, shape and type. Some caches are about the size of a dime, called micros. Others increase in size. Each cache includes a log for geocachers to sign. Larger caches often include small gifts that geocachers can take. Bring a pen in case there isn’t one at the cache site. If you’re going to visit a cache with a prize, consider bringing a prize of your own to replace the one you take. Cache descriptions and user comments detail the difficulty of finding caches. All are reachable by walking. Some are accessible by wheelchair but check cache descriptions ahead of time to be sure. Hankins recommends geocachers bring along a friend when searching for caches. He also suggests geocachers don’t give up on tough caches. “The other day, I was looking for five caches and two of them I couldn’t find. It happens to everyone. You can always sort caches on the app and look for easier ones,” Hankins said. “My basic motivation is it gets me out there doing stuff, doing hikes and just walking. That’s always good. It helps me exercise my mind and body.”
save you time. Consider staying in one area per day. Possible day trips could include heading north on the highway; heading along the highway toward Naselle; exploring the northern portion of the peninsula; and searching the southern portion of the peninsula, plus Fort Columbia State Park. Popular cache hubs on Oregon’s North Coast include the Astoria Riverwalk, Fort Stevens State Park, Gearhart, Seaside, Cannon Beach, Oswald West State Park and Manzanita. Each area features dozens of caches and could easily make for separate day trips.
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Our Coast Magazine 2021
Sights and Sounds of Our Coast A photo essay by Hailey Hoffman
Visitors and locals alike often swoon over how beautiful the landscape along the North Coast is. And rightly so — its beauty is remarkable. But we rarely talk about what it sounds like. You know the sounds: the bark of the sea lions, Fort George Brewery’s 5 o’clock whistle, the gentle rush of waves hitting the shore. To fully immerse yourself in the spirit of our coast, visit DiscoverOurCoast.com to hear the sounds as you view the photo essay. Close your eyes and open your ears. Then look at the photos. You’ll be ready to adventure. Go to DiscoverOurCoast.com to hear the Sights and Sounds of Our Coast
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Sea lions A sea lion barks from beneath the Astoria Riverwalk.
5 o’clock whistle The 5 o’clock whistle blasts steam above Astoria from the roof of Fort George Brewery.
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Waves Waves break off the shore of Indian Beach at Ecola State Park.
Foghorns Horns from ships can be heard across Astoria when the fog rolls in.
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Owl
An owl gazes from its perch on a tree branch.
CAITLIN SEYFRIED PHOTO
Helicopter A U.S. Coast Guard helicopter runs drills with the Ironwood on the Columbia River.
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Slough The tall grass ripples as water trickles through the slough at Lewis and Clark National Historical Park.
Timber A truck moves logs at the Hampton Lumber mill in Warrenton.
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Waterfall Water rushes over Youngs River Falls.
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EAT & DRINK
OUR PICKS
LONG BEACH
MANZANITA
Benson’s By The Beach
Offshore Grill & Coffee House
By Alyssa Evans
By Nicole Bales
It’s always a treat to enjoy breakfast near the beach on the Long Beach Peninsula. Drive through town and you’ll notice a few options early in the morning — including Benson’s By The Beach, a brunch restaurant located in the heart of downtown. Benson’s is a longtime favorite for locals and visitors, something you’ll surely notice if you decide to visit the restaurant. In the late morning, it’s not uncommon to see a line of people waiting to get inside. But as the saying goes, patience is a virtue — and the wait is worth it. Benson’s offers traditional breakfast items like pancakes, French toast and biscuits and gravy. Each entree is filling. A serving of pancakes can easily serve two people. And arguably best of all, just about everything on the menu costs less than $10 — making for a delicious, affordable breakfast. After you’ve gotten your breakfast fix, take a walk along Pacific Avenue, the town’s main street, then head over to the beach, which is just a few minutes away. While heading out, make sure to take a look at the small park next to Benson’s, plus some of the town’s wackier sites across the street, like the world’s largest frying pan and chopsticks, and a giant clam that will squirt out water if you pay a nickel.
Whether you are looking for a morning coffee and pastry, lunch or a seafood dinner, Offshore Grill & Coffee House in Manzanita has something for everyone. The restaurant offers a comfortable environment with shaded outdoor seating on a grassy area facing Laneda Avenue, the city’s main street. Owners Jake and Michelle Burden recently relocated the restaurant from Rockaway Beach to the space formerly held by Bread and Ocean. Just a couple of blocks from the beach, you can order a cup of coffee for your walk or order to-go for a picnic. While waiting for your order, you can browse Cloud & Leaf Bookstore and other nearby boutiques and art galleries. Offshore Grill & Coffee House uses locally-sourced products and ingredients, including oysters and clams from Willapa Bay and coffee from Sleepy Monk Coffee Roasters in Cannon Beach. Starters include Willapa Bay steamer clams served on a house-made baguette, filthy fries with crispy pork belly, Mama Lil’s pickled goat peppers, green onions, pecorino cheese and “disaster sauce.” There are a variety of sandwiches and burgers to choose from including the Offshore Burger on a pub bun and a local black cod ’poboy with Oregon Coast remoulade on a hoagie roll. Popular entrees include pan fried Willapa Bay oysters and fresh Dungeness crab cakes.
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Feasts. Eateries. Libations. Recipes. ASTORIA
TAPS Espresso Grub & Pub By Malia Riggs
With the familiar sounds of regulars laughing, pots and pans clanging in the kitchen and the perked ears of TAPS Espresso Grub & Pub’s fourlegged mascot, “Kai,” it’s impossible not to be enticed to sit down and stay a while. The pub, located near Lewis and Clark National Historical Park, is the perfect place to grab a coffee, grub or brew. Owner Tracy Simpson moved the business to this location around two years ago. It all started with breakfast burritos. “Our breakfast burritos are what people probably know us for. I used to make them for my daughters at home and now I turned it into this,” Simpson said. Even with limited seating due to COVID-19, the sounds of laughter and chatting fill the small room with a welcoming ambiance. The decor resembles the North Coast. Many items were made or gifted by regulars. Miniature log trucks and fishing boats stand above the bar. Special patches rest on the wall from various police departments, the U.S. Coast Guard and more. Kai is a favorite around TAPS. He’s been going to work with Simpson since he got him from Texas a little over 6 years ago. “He is pretty much my everything,” Simpson said. “He watches after me, he lets me know when things are going awry, he’ll just sit there and put his paw on me or jump up on me and chill me out if I need it.” The pitter patter of Kai’s paws can be heard from time to time as he gets up from his bed to greet a new customer or make his rounds for pets and spare french fries. Simpson said how fantastic it’s been getting to know the regulars. “No one could have predicted COVID, using all my savings and doing whatever to keep going, that has probably been the hardest thing to keep afloat,” Simpson said. “Let’s just get COVID out of here so we can get back to work and do what we need to do.”
ASTORIA
North Coast Food Web virtual market By Nicole Bales
Amid the coronavirus pandemic, the North Coast Food Web converted its weekly farm stand into an online marketplace. The shift was made last June, and after trial and error, the online platform ultimately generated more vendors and sales. Caitlin Seyfried, the program’s manager at the food web, said the online platform makes it easier for more vendors to participate. Customers can pay by credit card and food stamps as opposed to just cash or check. People can register on the nonprofit’s website and shop between Sunday and Tuesday. Farmers drop off their products at the food web on Thursday mornings. Volunteers pack the orders for pick-up between 3 and 6 p.m. Depending on the season, shoppers can find eggs, fruit, vegetables, mushrooms, meat, seafood, plants, prepared foods, pickled and canned products, tea, coffee and baked goods. Seyfried said there are pros and cons to the new model. People cannot talk to the farmers and interact outside. “But it’s a lot easier for the farmers because they don’t have to sit there for six hours at a market,” Seyfried said. “And it’s easier for the customers too because they can order online and know exactly what they are getting.” There has been some thought about continuing a variation of the online marketplace post-pandemic. “There’s a lot of reasons why this model works a little better for us,” Seyfried said. “And there are still questions like, next year, in 2022, will we move to a hybrid where there is online ordering but also some pop up tents outside for farmers to get both of those things? “But right now we’re just like sticking to this,” she said. “We’ve still got our hands full with figuring out exactly the best way to do it.”
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EAT & DRINK
World Cuisine O N
O U R
C O A S T
Images by Hailey Hoffman
When you think of the tastes of the coast, fish and chips, chowder and hardy meals might come to mind. But there are also a bounty of flavors from cultures across the globe. You’ll find a sea of cuisines from places like Japan, Bosnia, Italy, India, Vietnam, Thailand, Mexico and China. Our Coast rounded up some of the region’s best restaurants to satisfy and surprise your pallet’s tastes.
Nekst
By Hailey Hoffman
175 14th St. Suite 100, Astoria • 503-298-0838 • nekstevent.com Beef pho featuring a flavorful broth with rice noodles, sprouts and chili paste. (photo on facing page)
After closing down Baked Alaska at the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, Chris and Jennifer Holen opened Nekst in September. The couple offered a menu of globally-inspired breakfast and brunch dishes. Chris cooked while Jennifer and their daughter, Ana, served plates of tacos, Loco Moco and Chinese-style udon noodles. In November, Chris made a special of Vietnamese pho. It was an immediate hit with locals. “I made enough for like 10,” Chris said. “We put it on Instagram and it was gone in 45 minutes.” Pho is now the main meal at Nekst. Customers can come for a hot bowl of noodles and flavorful broth with beef, chicken or tofu. Each dish is topped with sprouts, greens and chili pastes
for those who enjoy the extra heat. Nekst makes it ready to order and eat straight away, or customers can take a to-go pho kit to build at home to eat fresh later. They also serve the popular Vietnamese sandwich: the bánh mì. They come filled with beef, chicken or tofu and pickled carrots, radishes, cucumbers, green chiles and cilantro on a short baguette fresh-baked by Chris. In the future, Chris plans to continue with his Chef Outta Water project, where he goes to new countries to learn about their food. He hopes to host pop-up specials in Nekst to serve the community the food he learned to make abroad. “This is not just our business or way to make money,” Chris said. “This is our new lifestyle.”
El Catrin Mexican Cuisine
By Alyssa Evans
19 N. U.S. Highway 101, Warrenton • 503-861-0369 • elcatrinmexicanrestaurant.com Owner Librado Perez opened El Catrin Mexican Cuisine in Warrenton in 2017. The restaurant is family-owned and operated, with Perez’s daughter, wife and other family members regularly working. Located just off the New Youngs Bay Bridge, at first glance, the restaurant seems like a typical business located inside a quiet strip mall. But once inside, it’s clear there’s more than meets the eye. The restaurant is spacious, offering customers a variety of seating options including couches, dining tables and a bar. The space’s design is a mix of modern and Americana styles, creating a trendy yet welcoming atmosphere for Pork taco served with lime and verde sauce. customers to enjoy. And best of all, the smell of freshly made meals wafts throughout the space. Perez and his staff pride themselves on making health-conscious meals and drinks, all of which can easily be adapted for customers’ dietary needs. The restaurant’s menu features a multitude of traditional house-made Mexican dishes, including tacos, burritos, tamales, quesadillas, nachos, empanadas, enchiladas, pollo a la crema and huevos rancheros. The menu isn’t limited to those dishes, however, and features about a dozen more meal options, including the restaurant’s popular soups, which are a favorite for many locals during the fall and winter. The restaurant also features a full drink menu, including margaritas.
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EAT & DRINK
Būsu
By Emily Lindblom
275 11th St., Astoria • instagram.com/busu_astoria Būsu has been serving up Japanese street food from a walk-up window in downtown Astoria since 2018. Using locally-sourced ingredients, Būsu’s menu often rotates depending on the day. Customers can check out the day’s offerings at busu_astoria on Instagram. Two dishes on the menu are yakisoba and okonomiyaki. The yakisoba features stir-fried noodles with onions, cabbage, carrots, a flavorful sauce and a choice of shrimp, pork belly or tofu. The okonomiyaki, advertised as a Japanese pancake, is soft and fluffy. It’s served with a variety of vegetables, a rich sauce that is at the same time sweet and savory and a choice of protein as well. Both dishes are topped with a Japanese seasoning called furikake, green onions and bonito flakes, which are made of dried fish. These large servings seem to be at least enough for two meals per dish, and leftovers reheat well the next day. Other menu items include udon noodles, a teriyaki bowl and miso soup, along with a side pickle mix of kimchi and turmeric cauliflower. Customers can pick up their takeout containers from Būsu’s 11th Street window and enjoy them at home or have a picnic at a nearby bench overlooking the Columbia River on a sunny day.
EMILY LINDBLOM PHOTO
Yakisoba with tofu featuring stir fried noodles with vegetables, a flavorful sauce topped with a furikake seasoning, green onions and bonito flakes.
Drina Daisy
By Emily Lindblom
915 Commercial St., Astoria • 503-338-2912 • drinadaisy.com
Zeljanica is a pita filled with spinach, farm cheese, mozzarella and eggs wrapped in jufka.
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Named for the Drina River in Bosnia, Drina Daisy is the place to go for Bosnian cuisine on the North Coast. Originally from Sarajevo, Bosnia, chef Fordinka Kanlic co-owns the restaurant with her husband, Ken Bendickson. Vegetarians and carnivores alike will find an array of dishes to choose from. One is called the sarma, a dish made with cabbage leaves stuffed with risotto, beef and a mix of spices, which is also available in a vegetarian version as the sarma sa povrcem loaded with vegetables. Drina Daisy’s savory pitas, which translates to “pies,” are made with layers of filo dough folded and baked with different ingredients. The zeljanica pita is a vegetarian option with spinach, farm cheese, mozzarella and eggs, while the jagnjetina na rostilju is made with a rotisserie roasted lamb with Mediterranean spices. Entrees come with bread, salads, pickled or cooked vegetables and a mix of fresh fruit. All entrees are gluten-free except for the pitas. As the menu states, presentation of the dishes may vary depending on availability and mood, but the Mediterranean and Eastern European tastes and textures are consistent.
Caprese salad with slices of mozzarella and tomato on a bed of greens with balsamic vinegar. Each meal comes with a side of bread, olive oil and balsamic vinegar for dipping.
Fulio’s Italian & Mediterranean Cuisine By Alyssa Evans
1149 Commercial St., Astoria • 503-325-9001 facebook.com/Fulios Fulio’s Italian & Mediterranean Cuisine is one of the region’s most popular Italian restaurants. It offers visitors an intimate and welcoming dining experience, appropriate for small groups and couples. The restaurant is located in the heart of downtown Astoria off Commercial Street. Fulio’s primarily features appetizers, soups, salads, pasta entrees, meat entrees, desserts and cocktails. Most dishes are made vegetarian but include options to add meatballs, sausage, chicken or shrimp. All entrees come with a complimentary side of bread and oil to dip. Entree portions are well-sized and are generally large enough to leave customers with leftovers for the next day. Featured dishes include many classic Italian favorites like spaghetti, fettuccine alfredo and ravioli. The restaurant also features special coastal favorites, including crab pesto linguine, salmon alfredo and Mediterranean fish tacos, among others. The restaurant’s appetizers include options like grilled vegetables and antipasta. A rotating soup of the day is offered, as well as a handful of salads. Fulio’s dessert menu includes delicious treats like tiramisu, chocolate torte, lemon cheesecake, bread pudding and spumoni sundaes.
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EAT & DRINK
Nisa’s Thai Kitchen
By Alyssa Evans
575 E. Harbor Drive, Warrenton • 503-861-5645 • facebook.com/nisasthaifood Drive through downtown Warrenton and you’re likely to see a small white building with a parking lot full of patrons carrying take-out bags to their cars. Inside the building, a small, friendly staff bustles to complete orders. Nisa’s Thai Kitchen is located just outside of downtown Warrenton and the Warrenton Marina. It’s one of the city’s most popular restaurants and has been the winner of Coast Weekend’s “Best Thai Food” award for several years. Nisa’s features a large menu, full of tasty appetizers and entrees to enjoy either inside the restaurant or at home. Featured appetizers include dumplings, wontons, spring rolls, potstickers and Thai coconut shrimp, among a handful of other options. Soups and salads are also available. Entrees include curry, pad thai, stir fry and yakisoba. Many dishes can be made vegetarian or vegan. The flavorful dishes range in spice. A few are especially spicy, like crispy basil lamb, eggplant stir fry and pineapple curry. Most dishes include options to add vegetables or proteins including tofu, chicken, beef, pork or seafood. Portions are made large enough to share with someone else or to have leftovers for the following day.
Vegetarian pad thai includes stir-fried rice noodles with peanuts, broccoli, carrots and sprouts.
Golden Star
By Hailey Hoffman
599 Bond St., Astoria • 503-325-6260 • bit.ly/3oeMOYM
In small towns and big cities, it’s easy to find a delicious local Chinese restaurant to quench cravings of kung pao chicken or sweet and sour pork. In Astoria, if you’re craving Northern Cantonese American cuisine, specifically, your best spot to stop is Golden Star off of Bond Street in Astoria. Customers can find Chinese restaurant staples, like spring rolls, General Tso’s chicken and Mongolian beef. Golden Star also has a special, the Star Special Chow Yuk, which features fresh shrimp, chicken, ham, mushrooms, pea pods and other fresh vegetables with a bowl of steamed rice. From 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., customers can snag a plate of lo mein, packed with a variety of vegetables and topped with chicken and beef. For dinner, customers can order combination platters, such as moo goo gai pan, with sweet and sour chicken, barbecued pork and pork fried rice with egg flower or hot and sour soup on the side. Golden Star also has options for families and groups, like the gold dinner, which comes with barbecue pork, egg rolls, shrimp and other food options for larger groups. Vegetable lo mein featuring broccoli, carrots and onions and other vegetables on a bed of egg noodles.
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Tora Sushi
By Hailey Hoffman
1197 Commercial St., Astoria and 619 Broadway St., Seaside torasushi.com In the 50 years since sushi first became popular in the United States, it’s become a staple for date nights and fancy dinners across the country. The North Coast is not alone, with three locations for the popular sushi spot, Tora Sushi, in Astoria, Seaside and Tillamook. Long-time chef and restaurateur Wilfrano Melo began training with a sushi chef at a Japanese restaurant in California in the early 1990s. After several years running Japanese, Chinese and Mexican restaurants in California and Mexico, he made the move to the Oregon Coast and opened Tora Sushi in Seaside in 2012. The other two locations quickly followed. At Tora, you can get the oh-so popular Lion King Roll and feast on spicy crab, avocado, shrimp and cream cheese rolled in rice and seaweed. It’s topped with salmon, more avocado, spicy tuna and drizzled with a sweet sauce. You can also try Melo’s favorite roll, the Heaven Roll, which is filled with tempura, asparagus and avocado with thin slices of albacore on top and covered in a homemade garlic sauce. Besides those, there are dozens of rolls to choose from, whether you’re in the mood for crab, eel or tempura-fried vegetables. Other than sushi rolls, Tora offers a range of appetizers and sides like fried calamari, salads, udon noodles and tempura fried ice cream. Customers can order combination platters and also order from the full bar, which offers sake, a traditional Japanese alcoholic beverage made from fermented rice, and Japanese beers like Kirin Ichiban and Echigo. You can also get a local brew or a classic cocktail, like a tequila sunrise. Melo attributes the success of his three restaurants to producing high-quality foods and keeping the businesses consistent. Customers know what to expect, and it’s good.
An Alaskan roll with spicy tuna, imitation crab, asparagus and topped with seared salmon and mustard dressing.
Himani Indian Cuisine
By Hailey Hoffman
Himani Indian Cuisine • 1044 Marine Drive, Astoria 503-325-8171 facebook.com/himaniindian
The appetizer platter includes a samosa, pakoras, potato bajjis, masala vada and Mysore bondas.
If you’re looking for chicken tikka masala, fresh naan or kheer for dessert, Himani Indian Cuisine is the spot to stop at. The family-owned restaurant, run by the Nakka family, has been an Astoria staple for the past decade and has an almost endless menu of delicious curries and other South Indian staples. Start your meal with potato and pea masala filled samosas or onion and spinach pakoras. Or, even better, get both, plus potato bajjis, masala vada and Mysore bondas by ordering their appetizer platter assortment. For the main event, vegetarians and vegans, rejoice! There are over a dozen vegetarian specific curries with a handful of completely vegan options. Try the Hyderabadi bagara baingan, a curry dish of eggplant and fresh tomatoes simmered in peanut, coconut, and sesame seed paste. For the meat eaters, Himani’s provides seafood specials and biryani and curries filled with lamb and chicken. The chicken vindaloo is another popular curry dish of chicken marinated in a paste of Indian spices, chilies, garlic, ginger and vinegar. For those who can’t handle a lot of heat, beware! Don’t forget to order a side of butter garlic naan or a bowl of sambar (a vegetable soup). Finish your meal with a gulab jamun – deep fried milk dumplings – or their mango mousse.
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Cannon Beach Chocolate Cafe
ORDER ONLINE! cannonbeachchocolatecafe.com
232 N. Spruce • Cannon Beach, Oregon Open 10am - 5pm Daily! • 503.436.4331
Authentic Fish & Chips Chowder Burgers
503-468-0373
Fish House SEAFOOD MARKET & RESTAURANT
262 9TH ST • ASTORIA, OREGON
Come Join Us! Bre ak
“aaaaah...” *
- typical reaction to our riverside dining area.
Monday thru Friday 7 am to 4 pm Saturday & Sunday 8 am to 4 pm
100 39th Street #2, Astoria, Oregon 503.325.6900 TheCoffeeGirl.Com 48
Our Coast Magazine 2021
•S
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Friendly services • High quality espresso Sumptuous fresh pastries Unique breakfasts and lunches
• Lunch • t s D fa
er inn
One of the most unique Cafes in the world. Located on the Columbia River in the West’s oldest cannery building; the historic Hanthorn Cannery at the end of Pier 39
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92351 Lewis and Clark Rd, Astoria
South Bay Wild Inc. is a small, family owned & operated commercial fishing vessel harvesting and marketing high quality sustainable seafood using a triple bottom line approach, working out of Astoria, Oregon.
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Ship Inn to Ship Out!
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Serving the Oregon Coast Since 1961. Breakfast Served Anytime! Or try our delicious chowder, soups, gourmet burgers and sandwiches, seafood and more. Seaside
323 Broadway 738-7234 (Open 7 Days)
Cannon Beach 223 S. Hemlock 436-2851 (7am-3pm Daily)
Astoria
146 W. Bond 325-3144 (Open 7 Days)
W PAC E CA N K SEA FRE S FORFOOD H RID TH EH E OM E!
From our kitchen to yours
BELLBUOY
OF SEASIDE
FRESH SEAFOOD MARKET 738-2722 • 800-529-2722 1800 S. Roosevelt on Hwy 101 www.bellbuoyofseaside.com
The
BUOY’S BEST
FISH HOUSE
Fresh Homemade Ice Cream & Waffle Cones made daily!
Gaetano’s is the only Italian market on the North Coast featuring housemade sausages, pastas, sauces, a full deli case of meats and cheeses, European market items, and a collection of Italian wines. We are the perfect place to visit to grab lunch before a hike, a trip to the column, a stroll along the riverwalk, or a beach trip. Our housemade pastas and lasagna are a great way to have an easy home cooked meal after your day exploring the coast. Order online for an easy pickup at www.gaetanosmarketanddeli.com.
1004 Commercial St., Astoria • 503-741-3043 @gaetanosmarketanddeli
@gaetanosmarketanddeli
Come see us in the heart of Seaside & enjoy the Best Ice Cream on the Oregon Coast! 210 Broadway St., Suite #2
HALIBUT FISH & CHIPS 503-738-6348
(across from Funland)
O UT D OO R S E AT I NG AN D BEAC HF R O N T V I E WS
TAP RO O M AND PRO DU CT IO N B RE WE RY
O PE N KITCHEN AND PATIO SEATING
We’ve got you covered on the coast. Ranging from beachfront to contemporary, come visit us at any of our three locations on the Oregon Coast, with a fourth on the way in Lincoln City! With the perfect setting, beer from the beach and expertly paired food, we’ll be sure to satisfy your every need.
P E L I C A N B R E W I N G .C O M |
BORN AT THE BEACH
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EAT & DRINK
Food Carts
ON THE NORTH COAST Words: Morgan Grindy
Food carts seem to appear almost everywhere you look up and down the North Coast. But no more so than in downtown Astoria, where a plethora of carts offer savory meals good anytime of the year. Our Coast visited a couple of the area’s food carts — some new, some well-established. This list is not exhaustive but more of a starting point to fuel your own discoveries of the culinary delights the coast holds.
The Good Bowl in Astoria features bowls filled with beans, rice, locally sourced vegetables, coleslaw, cilantro pesto and various organic cheeses. MORGAN GRINDY PHOTO
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EAT & DRINK Tres Bro’s owner and cook Yadira Lopez in Warrenton. HAILEY HOFFMAN PHOTO
Taqueria Pelayos serves burritos and other Mexican dishes. HAILEY HOFFMAN PHOTO
On Tots owners Jordan and Emily Gagnon recently moved their food cart to the courtyard outside Reach Break Brewing. EDWARD STRATTON PHOTO
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Tres Bro’s Along Main Avenue between 2nd and 3rd streets, Warrenton • facebook.com/tresbrosnica
Tres Bro’s food truck is your vehicle to authentic Nicaraguan food. Yadira Lopez, one of the truck’s owners, was born in Nicaragua and brings personality to his skills in the kitchen. Lopez opened the bright red food truck in downtown Warrenton with Josh Colby in 2019. The menu offers wraps filled with grilled mahi, grilled shrimp or seasonal local catch. The shrimp ceviche ($12) is a fresh choice made with lime-marinated shrimp, cilantro, tomato and onion, and your choice of heat, from none to habanero. Lopez and Colby emphasize fresh ingredients in their dishes. Their bowls are filled with gallo pinto, picado and queso frito and have different options for meat. Like many food trucks along the North Coast, Tres Bro’s beautifully blends their own personal flavors and traditional dishes with local ingredients like the shrimp or grilled mahi. The truck has vegetarian options and offers a long list of sides to pair with a main dish, like avocado, queso frito or pinto beans.
Guadalajara Combo 1140 Marlin Ave., Warrenton
Guadalajara Combo is the place to go if you’re in the mood for an outstanding burrito. The menu offers a variety of options from breakfast burritos with chorizo, egg, pico de gallo and jalapenos, to fish or shrimp burritos with fresh avocado and lime. Tacos, tostadas, enchiladas and quesadillas are also available. If you plan on getting one of their burritos, keep in mind you probably won’t have room for anything else.
Taqueria Pelayos 420 17th St., Astoria • 30 SE Anchor Ave., Warrenton • 1313 S. Roosevelt Drive, Seaside • facebook.com/taqueriapelayos
Taqueria Pelayos offers authentic flavors and big portions at a low cost. All three locations in Astoria, Warrenton and Seaside are run by the family who opened the first Taqueria Pelayos food truck on the North Coast. The food trucks have built up a strong reputation throughout Clatsop County for quality food. If you’re looking for traditional Mexican food like tamales, tacos or burritos, this place is the real deal. The carne asada tacos are perfectly simple with cilantro and onions, best dipped or covered in green salsa. They also have a hamburger and cheese steak sandwich. The truck is a great place to stop for breakfast. A section of the menu is dedicated to dishes with eggs, bacon, ham, steak and of course, huevos rancheros.
Riverside Fish & Chips 35915 N. U.S. Highway 101, Nehalem • facebook.com/riversidefishnchips
Riverside Fish and Chips food cart is located behind the Nehalem Riverside Trading Co. on the Nehalem River. If riverside views and a peaceful seafood dinner are what you’re looking for, this is the place. The menu offers fish and chips, but also fresh fish tacos and grilled cheese sandwiches. The truck often has long wait times, but visitors find it to be worth the wait to try Riverside’s crunchy and delicately seasoned chips. The best part is their outdoor picnic table seating with a perfect view of the river. The trading company is an antique shop that is fun to browse while waiting for your order. Riverside is best for a sunny day or when you’re in the mood to eat outdoors, but it’s just as popular to pick-up some of their food for your coastal road trip.
Enola’s Ship Out 92351 Lewis and Clark Road, Astoria • facebook.com/ShipOutinc At Enola’s Ship Out, prepare for not only a freshly made meal, but a big one. Ship Out’s food truck is the place to stop if fried seafood is what you’re craving. The classic halibut or cod fish and chips are a fan favorite, but prawns, calamari, scallops or oysters and chips are other versions of the classic coastal dish. There are many fish and chips places to try on the North Coast, but Enola’s is one of the best. The batter is light and crispy, deep fried to the perfect shade of toasty brown. Lightly squeeze some fresh lemon juice over the top of the chips, and try some of their tartar sauce as a dip for the full experience. Owner Enola Baeten was a long-time employee of The Ship Inn on Astoria’s waterfront before it closed. Now she’s praised for her high quality and delicious seafood, from locals and visitors. The fresh food doesn’t stop when it comes to their classic All American Burger, either. Stacked high with toppings including Tillamook cheddar and wrapped together in a toasted pub bun, it’ll make your eyes feel bigger than your stomach.
Bucket Bites 490 W. Marine Drive, Astoria • facebook.com/BucketBitesAstoria Located off of Marine Drive, Bucket Bites is one of the first food trucks you’ll see on your way into Astoria, and one of the first you’ll want to try. Their tasty, hand-crimped pasties and pies are so popular they often sell out. Pasties are a traditional Cornish English food filled with meat and vegetables, wrapped in a crescent shaped pastry. Some of their staple pasties are the Uncle Oggie, filled with slow roasted beef with diced potatoes, rutabaga and onion, or the Slater, filled with a house blend of ground beef, pork and bacon, alongside diced potatoes, sharp cheddar cheese and minced caramelized onions. If you’re looking for something sweeter, the Figlandian Gardener will most likely win you over just by reading the ingredients. The dish is filled with sliced honeycrisp apples and savory fig, walnut chutney and gooey brie cheese. Other fillings you might find are cherry tomatoes and mozzarella, sweet pears and toffee, or fresh local berries. They’re also known for their Squatch Egg, a hard boiled egg wrapped in freshly ground sausage and rolled in panko, then fried until crispy. It’s served with their Bucket Sauce, a peach and jalapeno mustard.
El Azadero 490 W. Marine Drive, Astoria El Azadero is a beloved spot for Mexican food and flavor, all at an affordable price. The small street-style tacos come with a protein option of fish, beef or pork, and many customers opt to try one of each. A unique protein option they offer is lengua, which is beef tongue, that can go in a taco or a burrito. They also offer tortas, a veggie burrito and a bean and cheese burrito as meatless options.
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EAT & DRINK Sasquatch Sandwich Shop is a popular sandwich spot in Astoria. MORGAN GRINDY PHOTO
Food Carts
at ASTORIA CITY HALL
Sasquatch Sandwich Shop Also located next to Hamilton Market off Avenue U, Seaside facebook.com/Sasquatchsandwichshop Looking for a hearty sandwich? Sasquatch Sandwich Shop’s sandwiches — made from scratch — should check all your boxes. The Sasquatch Reuben has rave reviews and packs a punch with every bite of pastrami, Swiss cheese and pickled cabbage. Russian dressing and their homemade toasted marble rye bread are the finishing touches. Their pillow-soft homemade bread is what makes every sandwich on the menu a big hit. Curried chicken, prosciutto or crispy pork belly are features of their many unique options. Every sandwich comes with a side of spicy kimchi slaw, pickled cucumber salad or macaroni salad.
Surf 2 Soul facebook.com/Surf2Souloregon Despite being in a coastal town, Surf 2 Soul doesn’t shy away from the heart and flavor of southern food. What’s better than cornmeal-breaded shrimp atop creamy, cheesy grits, or some perfectly crispy fried chicken dunked in gravy? Their shrimp ‘poboy and salmon crab cake roll sandwiches welcome fresh seafood options to the menu. The mac and cheese is garnished with green onion to add a mild, fresh crunch. Surf 2 Soul’s creamy, cheesy meals are the remedy for the end of a long day or a nagging craving for comfort food.
Roll and Bowl facebook.com/rollandbowl Handmade sushi rolls and steaming bowls of ramen are made with love at Roll and Bowl. Shiitake mushrooms and fresh vegetables float around in Hojicha tea broth, made fresh daily, in their miso mushroom ramen bowl. For a complete flavor palette, add some house made kimchi or seaweed salad to your meal. The albacore tataki nigiri sushi comes laid over rice and brushed with white shoyu soy sauce. For a protein-free option try the tsukemono handroll, filled with an assortment of pickled vegetables. Delicious Japanese flavors swirl together at Roll and Bowl in their ramen, sushi and poke.
Good Bowl facebook.com/goodbowlz A good bowl of fresh, simple ingredients is exactly what you’ll find at this food truck. The bowls have beans, rice, locally sourced vegetables, coleslaw, cilantro pesto and various organic cheeses. The food truck offer tacos with a choice of chicken or veggies, and a side of rice, beans and cheese. The menu changes throughout the year. In cooler months the food truck serve soups and stuffed baked potatoes. They also have vegan options.
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Food Carts
at REACH BREAK BREWING COURTYARD
On Tots
Mai Tong Thai Food
facebook.com/ontots On Tots, located in the courtyard next to Reach Break Brewing, is one of the newest food carts in Astoria. Emily and Jordan Gagnon, a young couple from Astoria and Ridgefield, Washington, took over the established food cart serving seasoned Tater Tots with various entrees and toppings. The couple introduced themselves to Astoria last year, setting up shop twice in the parking lot outside Buoy Beer Co.’s beer hall at the former Video Horizons. When they took over the food cart, they inherited a route of festivals to serve and put a down payment in August to join a massive new food cart pod in southeast Portland. The couple traveled to events from Renaissance festivals to book fairs. Last Christmas season, they took up residence at the Oregon Zoo during ZooLights. But when the coronavirus pandemic canceled public gatherings, and the new pod was held up, the Gagnons instead moved On Tots to Astoria. “During these crazy times we’re living in right now, to have a true community for support is definitely going to be really awesome,” Jordan Gagnon said. — Edward Stratton
facebook.com/maitongthaifood A wide selection of Thai favorites, from stir fry and garden wraps to fresh shrimp salad and pad see ew, are what makes Mai Tong Thai Food a favorite place to stop in Astoria. Parked outside Reach Break Brewing, the food truck is in one of Astoria’s best outdoor eating areas. Fresh, local ingredients go into every dish, and all main dishes are glutenfree. Sweet basil and fiery chili sauce make for a vibrant, fresh Thai flavor in the spicy basil stir fry, the perfect dish for a warm day. Make sure to complete your meal with a traditional Thai iced tea or their seasonal sweet sticky rice with mango.
Mai Tong Thai Food owner Sopa Burns in Astoria. MORGAN GRINDY PHOTO
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EAT & DRINK
portraits in a pandemic
to-go, pickup or in-person? North Coast restaurants adapt to COVID-19
T
Words & Images by Hailey Hoffman
he coronavirus pandemic changed how many restaurants do business on the North Coast. Handling surges of tourists, issues in supply chains and amending menus ill-equipped for takeout are just a few of the obstacles they faced. But eateries forged on. They pivoted to togo meals and added outdoor seating. Some even created contactless
delivery services. Our Coast talked to restaurateurs from Manzanita to Long Beach, Washington, on what this past year was like and how they adapted.
Frite & Scoop astoria
The one-stop ice cream and french fries shop along the Astoria Riverwalk has always been a popular spot for tourists and locals alike, especially during the summer. Owners Kevin and Lisa Malcolm rely on a steady stream of tourists during spring break and into the late summer and early fall. But last year, the tourist season was abated in the spring by the coronavirus pandemic, a crucial time for the business. Frite & Scoop banded together with other local shops — Būsu, Idlewild Biscuits and Bakes, Blue Scorcher Bakery & Cafe and Good to Go — to create a curbside pickup and contactless delivery service in Astoria. Through an online link, anyone could receive fresh hot frites and a pint of creamy ice cream on their doorstep an hour later. “It was so stressful, because all of a sudden, our business model entirely changed,” Kevin said. “We had to shift our brains, and it was stressful, and it was exhausting.” As virus cases dipped and restrictions loosened, Frite & Scoop reopened to a more steady flow of tourists in the summer. “When we were scared of tourists, they all came,” Lisa said. “We needed them to survive but we were scared that they were even here. It was a really double-edged sword.” The ice cream shop rehired their usual batch of local teenagers and faced the hordes of tourists looking for a reprieve from a stressful few months. With that came a summer of stressful customer service. “The teenagers we have are amazing,” Lisa said. “We had 16-year-olds telling grown people, ‘Hi, welcome! Can you please put your mask over your nose, please?’”
Fultano’s Pizza astoria
Fultano’s, like most pizza parlors, had the structure going into the pandemic for a to-go and delivery-only business. At the beginning, Fultano’s had to immediately shut down their popular buffet line and stop indoor seating. They relied heavily on carryout and delivery. “It’s kind of just like an internal machine,” delivery driver Adam Craig said. “Here, we can do our stuff, we have our pickups, and then we have our deliveries without having to come out here to take care of our customers.” Despite their delivery model, Fultano’s took a hit along with other restaurants on the North Coast. As summer hit, they got busier and orders became a bit more chaotic. “The first couple of weeks, we dropped significantly and were in panic mode,” owner Mark Cary said. “Now, all of a sudden, it just goes ‘Bam!’ and then it dies.” As the months drew on the restaurant faced issues with the supply chain as distributors and processors had to shut down. Cary had to rely on different suppliers to get what his restaurant needed, like lettuce and pepperoni. “It’s kind of embarrassing if a pizza parlor runs out of pepperoni,” Cary said. Through it all, Cary kept employees working and the business running. “We didn’t have to reinvent the wheel,” he said.
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EAT & DRINK
Neah-Kah-Nie Bistro manzanita
In a normal year, Neah-Kah-Nie Bistro is the perfect spot to stop for a nice, slow, gourmet meal. You could start with some oyster shooters or a traditional wedge salad and follow it up with a ribeye with truffle herb compound butter or a platter of fresh-caught cod. As you go through the courses, you might sip a glass of chardonnay or a lavender lemon drop. The restaurant was never designed to be a to-go establishment. When the pandemic hit, mother and son duo Lynne and Eisha Hopper had to adapt, and quickly. “At the beginning especially, it was not gonna be closed, then you’re going to be closed. We had never done to-go food,” Eisha said. Eisha, who runs the business operations side of the restaurant, popped out a screen in one of the windows of the restaurant to serve as a to-go and pickup window. Lynne, the restaurant’s only cook, worked hard in the kitchen, trying to figure out how to balance making multiple meals at once. Usually, she works in courses and has time between each dish. “It’s about being adaptive to the process, even though it’s a drain,” Eisha said. “I mean, emotionally, physically, mentally, am I spent? Yes.” The bistro never closed, never laid anyone off and initially didn’t take any of the government assistance because they still managed to be self-sustaining through the summer. Just before New Year’s, the pair installed a tent with heating lamps and fire pits to continue serving customers. With virus case counts fluctuating and restaurants opening and closing to dine-in service, Eisha and Lynne wanted to keep serving people. “It’s nice to walk out onto the patio and every night hear laughs,” Eisha said.
Corbins
cannon beach
For the past 10 years, Sean, Crystal and Shane Corbin served dinners at the Irish Table in Cannon Beach. In January 2020, they planned on moving to the corner of Beaver and Fir streets to expand their restaurant and offer more meals. The onset of the pandemic upended their plans. When restrictions went into place, the Corbins had to reevaluate what they could serve and how to manage a togo only restaurant. “It’s $30 bucks an entree. Who’s going to pay $30 bucks for a box of fish for one person?” Sean said. “We’re fine dining, you’re paying for the experience.” They instead opened the restaurant as The Table and offered more comfort and to-go foods like fluffy French beignets and hearty Russian piroshkis. They added lunch specials and served espresso. “We were so used to dining service at night, this was so different for us,” Sean said. “We had to keep juggling stuff.” The new model worked during the heavy traffic that comes with the tourist season. But when the weather turned and tourists slowed, they yet again reevaluated their business. With another name change to Corbins, the restaurant began offering dinner service — as they once did at the Irish Table — to a limited number of customers. 58
Our Coast Magazine 2021
Patty’s Fish Tacos and More ilwaco
It’s been three years since Patty Lopez first opened her restaurant and became her own boss. After more than a decade working at Ole Bob’s Seafood Market in Ilwaco, Washington, she took her skills and fish tacos to her own kitchen with Patty’s Fish Tacos and More. In the years since opening, Lopez faced many challenges, from running the restaurant alone when her daughter was away at school to cooking outdoors for months before she had the proper kitchen equipment. The closures and restrictions that came with the pandemic were just another challenge she pushed through. “I don’t give up,” she said. She attributes her work ethic and perseverance to her parents who raised her and her many siblings and kept working into their 80s. From the start of the pandemic, Lopez couldn’t seat anyone inside her small shop because it wasn’t possible to spread the tables 6 feet apart. She installed some benches outside and has continued to welcome customers. “It’s been a bit slow but I’m managing to open every day,” she said. “I haven’t closed down since starting.” Lopez continued to pay her rent and bills without relying on government assistance and loans. As summer brought more tourists to the Long Beach Peninsula, business increased significantly as mostly people from the Northwest sought out her fish tacos and chimichangas. She said she most misses serving and interacting with people in her shop from all over the country and, sometimes, the world.
Table 360 Bakery & Bistro astoria
When indoor dining first shut down just before St. Patrick’s Day in 2020, Taz Davis set up a table, tent and display case for baked goods in the doorway of Table 360 Bakery & Bistro in Astoria. His goal: to catch customers as they wandered through downtown. “Honestly when I first did it, I’m like, ‘Well, we do the market. This is only going to last a couple weeks,’” Davis said. A year later, he still serves fresh baked cookies, decorated focaccia and fluffy croissants in the blasting wind, sideways rain and occasional sunshine to his regulars and tourists. “Sometimes I think people stop just because they feel bad,” Davis said with a laugh. As the pandemic endured, Davis continued to find ways to spread joy. The bakery sent boxes of cookies to Columbia Memorial Hospital for health care workers and packages to workers quarantined after the outbreak at Bornstein Seafoods. They even dropped off bread to a few regular customers so they could get their pastry fix without leaving their homes. “Sometimes something as simple as a cookie just makes somebody’s day,” Davis said. Davis said he misses having people eating in the shop and being able to serve a full menu but is hopeful that things will return to normal. “I still have one St. Patrick’s Day decoration on the back wall that I’m not taking down until we get back to normal,” he said.
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Bowpicker Fish & Chips NEW • PRE-OWNED • FINANCING • SERVICE
-Best In Town-
Walk up window Beer Battered Fish Columbia River Motorsports sells and services new and used; ATVs, motorcycles, dirt bikes, utility vehicles, power equipment, lawn mowers, generators, pumps, tillers, trimmers, and outboard motors. – we are your Honda, Suzuki, and Polaris specialists in parts and accessories, tune ups, oil changes, and many other services! All situated around St. Helens, Oregon. Vancouver, Portland, Kelso, Salem, Gresham, Milwaukie, Hillsboro, Washougal, Oregon City, Ridgefield, Scappoose, Kalama, and much more!
58245 Columbia River Hwy, Saint Helens 503.397.3502 www.columbiarivermoto.com 60
Our Coast Magazine 2021
1634 Duane St • Astoria Across from the Maritime Museum
503-791-2942
Full Service Pet Grooming Pet Food Collars & Leash Pet Beach Gear Other Pet Supplies Call 503-739-7347 or visit our website at
www.lewisandbark.dog 753 1st Avenue, Seaside
NEWLY RENOVATED EXHIBIT SPACES!
10-4 Wed - Sat • Free Admission through 2021, thanks to our Members and the Port of Ilwaco
Pacific Coast Cranberry Research Foundation
Cranberry Museum & Gift Shop Featuring Cranberry Wines & Cougar Gold Cheese
THE ONLY THING THAT HAS CHANGED IS OUR NAME!
OPEN DAILY 10am - 5pm Enjoy a self-guided tour through the Demonstration Farm during daylight hours!
(360) 642-5553
Walter E Nelson Co.
Janitorial & Paper Supplies
WALTER E. NELSON CO. 2240 Commercial St., Astoria
April through December
Come to the Harvest Fair October 9th & 10th, 9am -5pm
IS NOW KNOWN AS-
Formerly at 1055 Marine Drive Astoria Janitor & Paper Supply
2907 Pioneer Road Long Beach, WA cranberries@willapabay.org www.cranberrymuseum.com
The same great Service, Paint and Janitorial Supplies we have always offered our customers!
Millpond Area
503-325-6362 • 800-344-1943 • MON-FRI 8-5pm
Express Healthcare for Busy Lifestyles
a smartER alternative
WE’RE OPEN AND HERE FOR YOU! Our friendly and dedicated Physicians and Physician Assistants are available for all of your routine healthcare needs, not just for emergency situations! If you’re suffering from a headache, toothache, earache, backache, any illness or injury or on the job injury, are in need of a refill of your prescription medications, or even a sports physical or DOT physical, our dedicated staff is here to assist you! We are open 7 days a week. We are located in the Park Medical Building East in Suite 111. We accept most insurances, offer a cash discount and also accept the Oregon Health Plan, WA Medicaid and Medicare.
RAPID COVID-19 TESTING AVAILABLE!
Life happens... That’s why we’re here!
We are currently serving walk-in patients, same day appointments and telehealth appointments We observe the following holidays & are closed on July 4th, Thanksgiving, Christmas & New Year’s Day.
503-325-0333 or Visit www.urgentcarenwastoria HOURS: MON-FRI 7AM-7PM • SAT-SUN 9AM-7PM 2120 Exchange Street • Suite 111 • Astoria, Oregon
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EAT & DRINK
Dough Dough Bakery in Seaside offers cinnamon rolls, scones and more.
Baking Boom
Confectionary shops hit a stride on the North Coast Words & Images by Hailey Hoffman
Since 2010, nearly a dozen bakeries and cafes selling freshly baked goods have popped up from Manzanita to Long Beach, Washington. Despite the coronavirus pandemic causing many restaurants and businesses to close their doors, several bakeries opened or expanded into new locations on the North Coast in 2020. In Astoria, Gathered Bakeshop and Market began offering artistic cakes and hand-baked galettes in the old YMCA building. The Green Door Cafe started serving vegan cheesecakes and gluten-free brownies. The Naked Lemon moved to a more prime location in the Astor Building off of Commercial Street. Sadie and Josie’s Bakery opened its second location in Long Beach and Dough Dough Bakery opened The Nest in Warrenton.
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A fresh tray of marionberry scones is pulled out at The Nest.
The Nest
Dough Dough Bakery in Seaside was among the few businesses along the North Coast to expand. Owners Alex and Jonathan Hoffman stumbled upon the bakery’s second location while house hunting. “After having a quick chat we dismissed the idea as insane, as we already own a business, have a toddler and a second child on the way during a pandemic when so many businesses were closing their doors,” Alex said. In June, the Hoffmans found themselves signing the papers for a small shop just down the street from the Sunset Beach State Recreation Site in Warrenton. “We were excited to have the opportunity to try completely new recipes for this location and give it its own feeling,” Alex said. In August, The Nest opened. They started serving delicate bear claws and duffins (a donut and muffin hybrid) alongside cups of coffee and pints of ice cream for beachgoers and locals. The Hoffmans decided on calling it The Nest because it matches the theme of Dough Dough Bakery, which is a play off the extinct dodo bird. “The name just made sense for us as not only is our logo a bird, but the nest is the home of the bird and this was now our home,” Alex said. The Nest opened as a to-go only spot amid fluctuating coronavirus restrictions. “Our business model is mostly pre-made for takeout only food, so making that switch was a natural transition for us,” Alex said.
Dough Dough Bakery in Seaside was among the few businesses along the North Coast to expand.
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EAT & DRINK
Gathered Bakeshop and Market
When Sarah Woods and Andy Eddy found the recently-renovated YMCA building in Astoria was accepting commercial tenants, the pair jumped on the opportunity. They opened a bakery showcasing Sarah’s whimsical cakes, brown butter galettes and custard cups. They began putting together what would become Gathered Bakeshop and Market in January 2020. Two months into renovations, the coronavirus pandemic struck. Restrictions were placed on all industries, but especially impacted the prosperity of the restaurant industry, making it a difficult time to open a restaurant, let alone a baked goods shop. “We were already so invested in every way,” Sarah said. “We had already put so much time and effort into this space that the option of not going forward didn’t really feel like an option.” The duo continued remodeling their shop through the first few months of the pandemic. They tiled the walls and built shelves with recycled materials. They installed ovens, refrigerators and bar seating for customers to enjoy Sarah’s treats. In the other half of the store, they developed a small, locally-sourced market, spearheaded by Andy and his years of experience in the grocery industry. It features fresh, local produce and pantry items, like pints of sungold tomatoes in the summertime and bottles of pure, raw honey from Nehalem. On July 3, Gathered Bakeshop and Market officially opened to the public. They had to close the following day. “Being open the first day was kind of a shock to our system,” Andy said. Opening a new business can be complicated, even without the virus restrictions on restaurants. The pair initially hoped to run the shop as zero-waste as possible, with little to no single-use packaging and a focus on in-shop dining to reduce the need for to-go materials. The rules in place put a heavy focus on taking food to-go. Sarah and Andy turned around and had to buy basic materials, like cups and boxes, and reopened the store ready to send their pastries out into the community.
Community support
In a normal year, many restaurants — bakeries included — would rely on the influx of traffic from the Astoria Sunday Market or from vacationers looking to spend a weekend at the beach for extra income during the summer. The bakeries relied heavily on their regulars to keep their doors open over the past year. The Hoffmans used to host pizza nights and do special celebrations at Dough Dough Bakery. With the pandemic shutting down events, they started pre-baking pizza to send out with customers to bake at home. When Sarah and Eddy were imagining Gathered Bakeshop and Market, they dreamed for it to have a dine-in focus and to be a spot for after-dinner desserts. “The roughest part for us is missing out on long conversations with regulars and newcomers alike who come in for a long chat and a snack,” Alex said. Amid the ever-changing rules, community support was the only constant. Campaigns on Facebook and pages like Astoria Eats encouraged locals to order to-go food from restaurants. It served as a platform for the eateries to tell locals about deals and what they could serve. “A lot of people go out of their way to only shop at local businesses,” Andy said. “You don’t find that in a lot of other small towns or bigger cities.”
Photos at left from top: Gathered Bakeshop and Market features many locally sourced products. The Nest in Warrenton. Dough Dough Bakery in Seaside.
Sarah Woods adjusts a cake in the display case at Gathered Bakeshop and Market.
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LIVE & STAY
OUR PICKS
ASTORIA
OCEAN PARK
Atomic Motel
Klipsan Beach Cottages
By Katherine Lacaze
By Katherine Lacaze
You may be hard-pressed to find lodging as colorful as the Atomic Motel anywhere else in Astoria. The bright turquoise and pink on the building’s exterior are a nod to the motel’s quirky, retro theme, which is carried throughout the individual rooms of the motel as well. In the lobby, you’ll find bright orange egg chairs, an old-fashioned popcorn machine, a life-size cutout of singer and actor Dean Martin and other types of period decor. Located on West Marine Drive with views of the Astoria Bridge, the motel was built in 1962 and originally called the Lamplighter Motel. It underwent renovations in 2016 to adopt its retro vibe and was then acquired by Frank Hotels in 2019. For visitors to Astoria, one of the big draws of the Atomic Motel is the price tag. You can typically stay at the motel and enjoy thoroughly comfortable accommodations for less than $100 per night during the off-season or less than $200 per night during the tourism-heavy summer. Guests are even treated to a light continental breakfast featuring Finnish pastries — an acknowledgement of the area’s rich Scandinavian history. Another perk is the motel’s location. Only minutes from downtown Astoria’s boutique shops and restaurants, you can also explore the iconic Astoria Riverwalk, where you can watch ships traversing the mouth of the Columbia River, listen for the sea lions or catch a ride on the Astoria Riverfront Trolley.
Imagine staying in a private cottage, surrounded by manicured gardens in a retreat-like setting that is only a short walk from the beach. That is the experience offered by Klipsan Beach Cottages in Ocean Park, Washington, on the Long Beach Peninsula. You have your pick of one of eight cottages, each with a distinct charm, from the bright Beachy Keen to the nautically decorated Sailor’s Retreat or sophisticated Pacific Delight. Each cottage comes equipped with a full kitchen and either a gas or wood-burning fireplace for making the space warm and cozy on a rainy day. The grounds include an English garden and a sprawling park-like space with a fire pit, grills, tables and benches for barbecuing, picnicking and gathering with your fellow travelers. From the cottage area, you can follow a peaceful grassy path down to the shoreline of the stunning Pacific Ocean to partake in a variety of activities, from fishing and clamming to playing in the sand, going for a walk or simply relaxing with the sound of rolling waves. While the cottages promise an atmosphere of seclusion and serenity for a restorative getaway, you are far from isolated. Less than a 30-minute drive away, you can access two golf courses, museums, Leadbetter Point State Park and Cape Disappointment State Park, with its towering North Head Lighthouse and the Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center.
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Homes. Rentals. Hotels. Campgrounds. MANZANITA
SEASIDE
Manzanita School House
SaltLine Hotel
By Nicole Bales
By Katherine Lacaze
For those in search of a large vacation rental to host a family reunion, wedding or retreat, the Manzanita School House offers a unique experience. The remodeled, secluded building is located off of U.S. Highway 101 across from downtown Manzanita. Formerly known as the Pine Grove School, the school was built in 1928. It was the primary school for the community until about 1950. The property is situated on more than an acre of wooded landscape and is available for rent to one group at a time. Both floors of the school are self-contained and have large spaces for people to spread out. There are five bedrooms and three bathrooms upstairs, along with a kitchen, living room, dining room and washer and dryer. Downstairs, there are four bedrooms, two bathrooms, a TV room, ping pong table, bar and another kitchen and washer and dryer set. There is also an outdoor fire pit, barbecue and gazebo. Guests do not need to travel far to enjoy the picturesque landscape surrounding the property. Manzanita’s 7-mile long beach is within walking distance, and runs beneath Neah-Kah-Nie Mountain, a popular hiking spot. The property is also nestled in between two beloved state parks, Nehalem Bay State Park and Oswald West State Park. Unique boutiques, grocery stores, coffee shops and a variety of restaurants and bars can be found in Manzanita’s downtown. It is also worth checking out the neighboring cities of Nehalem and Wheeler, which also have several quality dining and recreational options.
The SaltLine Hotel is one of the newest additions to Seaside’s expansive collection of lodging accommodations. It has quickly developed a positive reputation for its sleek contemporary design, attractive amenities and comfortable, upscale rooms. The four-story, 65-room hotel, which opened last summer, sits on the site of the former City Center Motel. It is less than a block from the Prom and beach, as well as a block from Seaside’s downtown that runs along Broadway. The hotel offers an indoor saltwater pool; spa services; a boutiquestyle fitness center; high-end meeting areas; an outdoor fire pit; an EV charging station; and other upscale amenities for both business travelers and those seeking a fun getaway. The SaltLine is the latest addition to Seaside Lodging’s lineup of diverse establishments on the North Coast, assuming the role of the company’s most luxurious option. The stately exterior is dark green, almost black, with wood accents. A bright, contemporary-style mural covers a large portion of the south-facing exterior wall, serving a secondary purpose as much-needed public art for Seaside’s historic downtown neighborhood. The same minimalist and modern vibe exhibited outside is carried throughout the interior of the hotel, where you will find a plethora of chic furniture, sleek wood finishes and contemporary art pieces that create an atmosphere that is at once unique and inviting. From the hotel, you are less than a mile from U.S. Highway 101, which you can easily hop on to travel and explore more of the coast.
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Astoria • Seaside •Warrenton columbiamemorial.org 503-325-4321
Ride the Bus and See Pacific County with Us!
ORIGINAL FINE ART on the waterfront port of ilwaco, wa marie-powell.com 360-244-0800
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Our Coast Magazine 2021
Pacific Transit system routes pass directly by or within easy access of all the fun & historic places of interest . . .
Watch out for our Trolley coming this Summer!
• Pacific County Courthouse • Centennial Murals • Lewis & Clark Interpretive Center • Fine Museums • The Peninsula’s 28 miles of Beach • Many Fine Restaurants and Shops • The Canneries • Cranberry Bogs • State & County Parks NO SERVICE ON THE FOLLOWING HOLIDAYS: • Memorial Day • 4th of July • Labor Day • Thanksgiving • Christmas • New Year’s Day
For information & schedules, please call
360-642-9418 • 360-875-9418 www.pacifictransit.org
Photo by Walter Dorsett
VisitLongBeachPeninsula.com
More than you Imagined!
Columbia River Maritime Museum 3D THEATER, MUSEUM STORE, LIGHTSHIP TOUR, MODEL BOAT POND 1792 Marine Drive, Astoria, Oregon • Open Daily 9:30 to 5:00 • 503.325.2323 • crmm.org
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LIVE & STAY
Past Perfect ASTORIA’S BED & BREAKFASTS
A
Words: M.J. Cody • Images: Hailey Hoffman
storia has a long and storied history from the Clatsop and Chinook nations who thrived here for thousands of years to modern day adventurers. In 1792, American sea merchant Capt. Robert Gray sailed his ship, the Columbia Rediviva, into the bay at the mouth of the Columbia River, starting what would be a wide-ranging succession of seekers. Capt. Meriwether Lewis, Capt. William Clark and the Corps of Discovery would come to explore and announce the myriad riches and opportunities, leading the way in 1811 for John Jacob Astor’s Pacific Fur Co. to officially establish the oldest American settlement west of the Rocky Mountains.
Astor’s fur trade went bust. From 1813 to 1818, Astoria became Fort George under British rule. In the mid1800s, an influx of Scandinavian settlers arrived seeking fortunes from the abundant resources of fishing and timber, catapulting the lowly outpost into a shipping and fisheries hub. With a majority of itinerant men, liquor flowed and houses of ill repute flourished. In 1878, The Weekly Astorian noted there were 30 saloons in town and Astoria earned the reputation as the “wickedest city in the world.” By the late 1880s, however, thanks to booming timber and fishing economies, Astoria was no longer a rough and grubby frontier town. Downtown was experiencing new civility. Ship captains, timber barons, cannery moguls and bankers all sought to display their wealth. As downtown grew, splendid Victorian homes began dotting the hillsides. Today, hundreds of those elaborate homes are still intact. Our Coast has rounded up a few of Astoria’s bed and breakfasts for those who relish the idea of slowing down and escaping back in time for a taste of gracious living, 19th- and early 20th-century style. The inns all have Wi-Fi and private baths, along with amenities such as games, puzzles, books, historic material, maps, brochures and generous innkeepers ready to advise on ideas for adventures.
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The Benjamin Young Inn Bed & Breakfast is in an 1888 Queen Anne Victorian house that overlooks the Columbia River.
Benjamin Young Inn Bed & Breakfast This stately 1888 Queen Anne Victorian house overlooks the Columbia River like a steadfast sentinel. Like many of his fellow emigrants from Scandinavia, “Salmon King” Benjamin Young made a fortune in the fish canning business and leveraged those enterprises into banking and land holdings. The spacious home and carriage house are on the National Register of Historic Places. Longtime innkeeper, Carolyn Hammer, has made certain its elegant antique furnishings are in harmony with its 19th century heritage. After 27 years of ownership, Hammer has handed over the reins to her grandson, Lorin Anderson, and his wife, Emma. Hammer still maintains a residence on the first floor. Renovations are underway on the third floor for Lorin and Emma to live on-site. “It’s so quiet and beautiful here,” said Hammer’s daughter, Holly Anderson, who fills in occasionally for Lorin and Emma. “All rooms, except Dorothy’s, have Columbia River views, and Lady Anne has the distinction of overlooking ‘The Goonies’ house. Every day people still walk by to take a look at the famous house featured in the 1985 movie. It’s amazing.”
3652 Duane St., Astoria • 503-325-6172 • benjaminyounginn.com
“If you like the chorus of sea lions, you’ll like the full river-facing Rose Room,” Hammer added. “If you don’t, well, we do offer earplugs.” The inn still serves a gourmet breakfast. “French toast or eggs Benedict are favorites,
although we no longer have everyone at the communal table,” Hammer said. “Luckily, the communal spaces are large and airy, making social distancing easy. We’re looking forward to better times when people can come share this wonderful home.”
A breakfast table for two overlooks the Columbia River from the Benjamin Young Inn.
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LIVE & STAY
Clementine’s Bed & Breakfast 847 Exchange St., Astoria 503-325-2005 • clementines-bb.com Also built in 1888, the colorful Italianatestyle, renovated and eclectically furnished Clementine’s overlooks the historic Flavel House Museum and Columbia River. “Doing a bed and breakfast was my husband’s idea,” said owner Judith Taylor. “Maybe he wanted to keep me busy. Well, that turned out. He bought the historic structure next door and then we just fell in love with what is now Clementine’s.” The original owners were William and Clementine Ross. “I thought ‘Clementine’ was such a perfectly Victorian name for the house,” Taylor said. Every room is equipped with a Keurig coffee maker and the parlor has been converted into a hospitality room available to guests with a refrigerator, microwave and other amenities, such as coffee, tea, hot chocolate, wine glasses, bottle openers and utensils. “It’s so hard that I can’t serve breakfasts to guests now,” Taylor said. “I love providing gourmet dishes and my homemade muffins and scones.” According to the nomination form for the National Register of Historic Places, the Job Ross House was built about 1860, where the Ross family lived for nearly 40 years. Used as a family home, and later, as various meeting
The Grandview Bed and Breakfast.
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Clementine’s Bed & Breakfast is in a building from 1888.
spaces, The Loyal Order of the Moose occupied the lodge from 1925 to 1948, after which it became a meeting space for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints from 1950 to 1966. “The lodge is divided into two safe and confined spaces, perfect for larger parties where you won’t be running into anyone else,” Taylor said. “Each suite has a fully equipped kitchen and can accommodate up to six people. And pets.” The loft suites are furnished with an assorted collection of cottage-style items and quaint oddities. The split-level second loft main floor has an intimate garden and cozy sitting area with a gas fireplace. “It’s been hard competing with Airbnbs and COVID too,” Taylor said. “I’m a people
person and I really miss the fun of it, meeting new people, and hearing their stories. It all adds to the diversity of life. The folks who gravitate to bed and breakfasts are looking for something different, something with character, something with a story. And that’s why we’re here.”
Grandview Bed & Breakfast 1574 Grand Ave., Astoria • 503-325-0000 grandviewbedandbreakfast.com Charleen Maxwell, armed with a dream and a full pension, made the plunge and purchased cannery baron Eban W. Tallant’s Victorian era home in 1987. Architect Andrew Ferguson designed the extravagant 1880s home featuring a bullet turret, inset balconies, an open staircase, bay windows and a cupola tower. The home was enlisted to house soldiers during World War II and later was divided into eight separate apartments, a configuration that remained until Charleen took ownership. “I thought mom was totally out of left field,” said Loreen Maxwell, who joined her mother in 2011. “She bought a Victorian home and planned to move from Southern California to Astoria, Oregon, and open a bed and breakfast?” “What a project, converting the house back to a cohesive home. The one good thing, though: already a bathroom in every room.” “I never imagined living in Oregon, or managing an inn, but after I retired, I helped mom on the house and met so many friendly people in town, I felt I belonged here,” she added.
Grandview still serves breakfasts and has plenty of space to distance tables. Both Loreen and Charleen live on-site. Five guest rooms are available on the upper floors, some of which connect into suites. “We’ve had only a few return guests since COVID,” Loreen said. “Some people just want to enjoy their rooms and look out windows, watch deer in the backyard, watch the river and ships, or gaze at sunsets. One of our guests said it’s like living in a castle. Especially the third floor gazebo room with its balcony and tower. The breathtaking view of the river from Tongue Point and town, past the bridge, all the way to the bar makes you feel like you own the world.” She said the other favorite is the intimate turret space where they serve breakfast for two. Grandview does not have a strong website presence because both Charleen and Loreen like to be free to offer special discounts and to engage with their guests by phone before booking. “We like people to know our quirks, like no cable TV and no alcohol in the house,” Loreen said. “That way, no surprises. We want our guests to feel at peace here, relaxed and comfortable. This is our home. People sense that. I miss the variety of interesting visitors, and you know what I miss most? Hugs from departing guests. People like to hug.”
Crosby House Bed & Breakfast
“We wanted a change,” said Teresa, who retired from the California Department of Corrections, and mused, “Yes, quite a leap from prison guard to innkeeper.” She said it took them two years to remodel the home to have three bedrooms with bathrooms ready for guests. “From the start, I planned for winters off. I don’t want to work so hard. After all, I am retired,” Teresa said. “We usually would head somewhere warm January to April, but, well, this year ... “I look forward to ... visits with all the fascinating people who come this way. Our covered deck overlooks the river and we never tire of watching the ships and activity on the waterfront. Ken is captivated with Astoria’s history and loved being a (Astoria) Riverfront Trolley conductor. We’re amazed at how welcoming the town has been. Quite a place, this Astoria.”
Rose River Inn Bed & Breakfast 1510 Franklin Ave., Astoria (503) 325-7175 • roseriverinn.com “It seemed the thing to do,” said Pam Armstrong, who, with her husband, David, found fish packing mogul, S. Schmidt’s 1912 craftsman beauty 18 years ago. “We wanted a change in careers and wanted to live in an older home and were hooked on the idea of
364 Bond St., Astoria 503-325-4922 or crosbyhousebnb.com The Crosby House Bed & Breakfast occupies one of the oldest homes in town. Constructed in 1880 for Magnus C. Crosby, the house is located in what was once considered the shadier part of Astoria between Uniontown and “Swilltown.” This lower part of town, adjacent to the waterfront and Union Cannery, was known for harboring seedy characters, near boarding houses, bordellos, opium dens and a prime location for unsuspecting men to be shanghaied into seafaring servitude. Crosby probably wasn’t a disreputable sort, since he served as mayor of Astoria for two terms and owned a Commercial Street hardware store and the “Little Tin Shop on the Corner” jobbing out tin, sheet iron and copper work, plumbing and steam fitting. He may have chosen his house location for convenience — a block away from fire department Hook and Ladder #1, where he served as president. Ken and Teresa Mittelbuscher bought the property in 2002 and made the move from Eureka, California, to Astoria in 2012.
starting a bed and breakfast. We looked for houses in Vermont and New Hampshire, but a neighbor, who was from Seattle, suggested the Northwest.” The couple came to Astoria, liked the town and loved the house (an already established inn). “It was very pink at the time,” Pam said. “The location was perfect. That view. And just a block from Fort George Brewery, and easy walking distance to the (Astoria) Riverwalk and everything in town.” When they started the venture, they thought most of their visitors would be older, Pam said. She was surprised at the number of young people gravitating to a bed and breakfast. “Like everyone else, we’ve had to adjust to the decline in visitors, but we’re lucky to have repeat guests. Our five guest rooms are open and our dining room is large enough to accommodate separate tables, so I can still serve breakfast,” Pam said. (A guest favorite is Pam’s chile rellenos with homemade guacamole and chips and salsa.) Visitors gravitate to the deck and garden, overlooking a small park with a monument commemorating the first post office west of the Rocky Mountains. In keeping with the craftsman style, Pam prefers more basic vintage furnishings rather than the ornate frills associated with the earlier eras. “I like everything to be homey,” she said. “I want guests to enjoy the quiet and feel the comfort of home here.”
The Rose River Inn is just blocks from Fort George Brewery and has views of the Columbia River.
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LIVE & STAY
Near the Pier Boutique Hotel features a clawfoot bath tub.
Near the Pier Boutique Hotel 1140 Franklin Ave., Astoria • 971-248-0186 • nearthepier.com “This is really exciting and fun,” said new owner, Candy Yiu, exclaiming about renovations to the former Franklin Street Station bed and breakfast. “We bought it in March 2020,” Yiu said, recalling that her dream project wouldn’t move forward as she’d planned with the onset of coronavirus restrictions. “I just hunkered down and carried on, shopping and dreaming and planning, and running after my two little boys. Because of them, and knowing how challenging it is to travel with little ones — all that extra stuff you have to drag around — I knew I wanted to create a family-friendly place.” Ship builder Ferdinand Fisher constructed the Victorian home for his son, Earl, in 1900. The home had been converted into Franklin Street Station in 1986 and was one of Astoria’s premier bed and breakfasts for nearly 40 years. “Since my 20s, I knew I wanted to create a homey environment where guests could enjoy the company of others like in a hostel. Unlike a hostel though, I wanted some privacy. I didn’t know about bed and breakfasts,” said Yiu, who grew up in Hong Kong but traveled extensively abroad 74
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staying in hostels and traditional hotels. “When I saw this house, I fell in love, not only with its ornate beauty, but with the idea that this could be what I’d always dreamed of. “I want people to really enjoy the views and feel the history, this special place — the ships and the fishing culture, the river and ocean. I want a quiet place where they can put away their technology and phones and soak in the pure pleasure of being somewhere else. It’s funny, since my whole adult life has been technology (Yiu has a doctorate in wireless communications and just recently left her job at Intel).” Yiu’s antique decor epitomizes a more luxurious time, yet each of the four rooms has modern conveniences such as Wi-Fi, ensuites, mini fridges and microwaves. There is no cable TV but there is a huge collection of DVDs. Besides the four rooms, there are two family suites with kitchenettes and the adorable (sound-proofed) kid-friendly rooms have toys and books, one with a tree house bed and another featuring a slide and a train bed. The kid rooms are connected, yet separate, so parents can relax in their own haven, with even a small private patio in the tree house suite. “The people and their commitment to Astoria’s history is aweinspiring,” Yiu said. “Just walking around the neighborhood gazing at the wonderful restorations is amazing. I am in love with this town and I hope everyone who comes here will be, too.”
Family owned & operated since 1966
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Two waves crash into one another, sending spray high into the air.
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Majestic
TIDES Glimpse the fury of the sea with king tides Words: Katie Frankowicz • Images: Hailey Hoffman
The ocean is terrifying. It does not care about you. It will casually, without a whisper of self-doubt, take you if you aren’t careful, or even if you are. I think about this every time the king tides return to the North Coast. The king tides occur when there is a perfect lineup of the Earth, moon and sun, all three pulling hard on the tides. The result: Very shallow low tides and incredibly forceful high tides. These high tides can be even larger if a winter storm gives the surging saltwater an extra boost. The visual display of ocean and weather converging during a king tide hits a pitch perfect point where terror is beautiful and beauty is terrifying.
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Visitors watch a large log get carried up the beach in Cannon Beach.
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I think humans like to be struck breathless by our own insignificance sometimes.
I think humans like to be struck breathless by our own insignificance sometimes. Certainly the king tides are a way to tap back into that prehistoric in-our-bones feeling during the days of dark nights and large predators. Or something like that. In some ways the king tides can also be a glimpse at our future: What certain portions of the North Coast might look like with sea level rise, for instance. Or how parts of the coastline can be reshaped by wave-hastened erosion. The Oregon King Tides Project, coordinated by the Oregon Coastal Management Program and Oregon Shores Conservation Coalition, document the tides every year. Citizen scientists snap photos of the high and low tides in an attempt to better capture exactly what the tides can mean for coastal areas and the people who live there. The project has amassed photos for nearly a decade — not long enough to start showing major trends or changes, but long enough to begin to turn people’s attention to the water. King tides draw people to the coast every year despite official warnings to avoid beaches and headlands. If you feel you must — just must — go see the king tides for yourself, Our Coast has assembled a guide for the most intrepid travelers.
SEEING KING TIDES
The best places to safely observe king tides are anywhere you can be high up and away from the ocean. If you venture closer — not advised — never turn your back to the ocean and stay on high alert. Bringing children with you is also not advised. State parks on either side of the Columbia River do provide the chance for some safe viewing options, however. In Washington state, you can view king tides from Waikiki Beach and the Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center in Cape Disappointment State Park near Ilwaco. In Oregon, dune hills in most of the beach area parking lots at Fort Stevens State Park offer a slightly elevated perch, and there is a viewing platform at the South Jetty. Viewpoints along U.S. Highway 101 are also great options. There are some particularly fine cliffside viewpoints ahead of Manzanita.
GETTING YOUR KING TIDES SHOT
For the quintessential king tides photograph, head to Waikiki Beach. Yes, there will be a scrum of amateur and professional photographers already there, camera equipment in tow, but chances are good that you — with only a humble smartphone — will also be able to capture The Wave, the one that thunders against the cliff like a shipwreck, that carries the secret jewel glint in its center, that looks like every poem anyone has ever wanted to write about the fury of the sea.
HELP FURTHER UNDERSTANDING OF THE TIDES
The Oregon King Tides Project has few photos in its database of the stretch of coastline from the dunes near Florence to the north end of Coos Bay. These are areas that don’t produce stunning visuals — no roils of ocean waves muscling up to cliffs and exploding like a watery fireworks display — and the spots are somewhat isolated. Would-be photographers must march for miles across the dunes near Florence in the winter to get to a spot where they can document the sea surge, an unpleasant task in the middle of a typical winter day. Understandably, people are not drawn to these sites. But the gaps are important to fill to build understanding of how the tides affect the Oregon Coast and how things may be changing.
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Manzanita’s
RISE
The sleepy village nestled near coastal cliffs has been discovered Words: Nicole Bales • Images: Hailey Hoffman
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Deborah Reed lived in Portland for about 20 years before finding Manzanita in 2011. She had always gone to Cannon Beach, when it was smaller, more manageable and less crowded. It wasn’t until the author was invited to give a reading and talk about her first novel at the Manzanita Writers’ Series that she found the small, charming village further south near the ocean. Reed continued to visit, spending two weeks at a time to write, until deciding to move to the city full-time about six years ago. In 2019, she purchased Cloud & Leaf Bookstore. Reed said Manzanita is “both beautiful and treacherous at the same time, which makes for an interesting combination.” She lamented how easy it is to walk on the beach or in the forest with her dog. “And that’s really ultimately what Manzanita is and does for people. I think it’s what makes it so appealing,” she said. “It’s so beautiful here and peaceful, and it’s a way of shutting out all the noise and stress from the rest of the world, especially now.” In the decade since she has known the sometimes sleepy village, others have also found it, including “Saturday Night Live” actress Aidy Bryant. Nestled between Nehalem Bay State Park and Oswald West State Park, the city is easy to pass by: U.S. Highway 101, a hub for coastal travel, does not run through it. 82
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With a relaxed, low-key atmosphere, miles of quiet beach and charming arts and dining options, more people have chosen to visit. Walking down Laneda Avenue, the city’s main street, to the beach beneath the cliffs of Neah-Kah-Nie Mountain, Manzanita feels intimate — a sanctuary — even amid increased foot traffic. The city’s surge in popularity is in part spill over from growth in Portland, Seattle and the rest of the North Coast over the last decade. Manzanita has about 650 permanent residents. About 75% of homes are owned by second home owners. Vacation rentals were capped by the City Council at 17.5% in the 1990s. During the coronavirus pandemic, the population has grown as many second homeowners became fulltime residents and home sales have soared as people flocked from larger cities. Housing has become increasingly unaffordable. Business owners say it is hard to find service industry workers who sometimes have to commute as far south as Tillamook. Mayor Mike Scott said it is hard to tell whether people will stay and work remotely or move away. “The last person that comes into Manzanita wants to be the last one to come in and not let anybody else come in because we’re trying to keep it a secret,” Scott said. “We’re not a secret anymore.”
Walking down Manzanita’s main street, to the beach beneath the cliffs of Neah-Kah-Nie Mountain, it feels intimate — a sanctuary.
We’re trying to keep (Manzanita) a secret. We’re not a secret anymore. However, the mayor said tourism is the only industry Manzanita has ever had. It was an outgrowth of the timber and fishing industries in Wheeler and Nehalem, and became a place for people to get away and enjoy the ocean. The town began taking shape in the early 1900s and was incorporated in 1946. “It’s always been visitors,” Scott said. “But it’s hard for people to adapt to more and more people coming in here when you’re a full-time resident. Some of them are not real happy with it. I know there are some people who would like to just close the gate up at the top of the hill and not let anybody else in, but it’s just not practical. So what we have to do is continue to do what we have been doing — just do the best job possible managing the growth. We’re hemmed in by Neah-Kah-Nie Mountain on one side, and south of us, we have Nehalem Bay State Park. So there’s no real way for us to grow. So we’re trapped in our smallness.” Despite its increased popularity, Manzanita has maintained its charm. Vera Wildauer, the program lead for the Hoffman Center for the Arts’ writing programs and co-founder of the Manzanita Writers’ Series, said before she moved to Manzanita full-time in 2006, she was attached to the bookstore, clothing stores and coffee shops. “That was a huge reason I did everything I could to retire here,” Wildauer said. “I can walk to the bookstore, read while having a coffee nearby. I can choose from three different grocery stores. Frankly, there are weeks when I never get in my car.” She said visitor traffic has changed quite a bit. “It used to be that summer, spring break and various off-season holidays would bring a surge of visitors. Then, between Jan. 2 and spring break, it was super quiet. Now we have visitors pretty much all year-round — at least on the weekends,” Wildauer said. Reed and Wildauer said a lot of shops used to close for a month or dramatically cut back their hours. Businesses owners would leave and go on vacation. But that doesn’t happen anymore. “It feels like the town just keeps going,” Reed said. But some think the town hasn’t changed all that much. “Honestly, I’d have to say the thing that I personally find engaging is that it really hasn’t changed all that much,” said Tom Campbell, the president of the Nehalem Valley Historical Society. “The shops have stayed fairly much the same. You see a few buildings on Laneda that are newer, but the City Council is pretty active in trying to maintain the character of this town as a little village.” Dan Haag has lived on the North Coast for about 30 years. He operates the Manzanita Visitors Center and said that as development and popularity rise, there are a lot of people counterbalancing that by working hard to make sure the city stays beautiful. “I think we have cultivated a population of people who really care about preserving not only the little village feel, but also a group of people that are really connected and dedicated to things like the arts,” Haag said. “We have a really vibrant artist community here — writers, painters, sculptors. We do attract a lot of those folks.” Haag said a lot of his efforts have been focused on encouraging visitors to be mindful and take care of the natural areas by picking up garbage and to minimize light and noise. “We’re not Lincoln City. We don’t have lots of big festivals and parties — and I’m not disparaging them in any way, but it’s just a different scene,” Haag said. “Same with Seaside or any other bigger talent Highway 101 runs through. We’re sleepy and we want to keep it that way. It’s kind of our badge of honor.”
NICOLE BALES PHOTO
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coastal Add a sense of the coast’s calming beauty to your home Words: Emily Lindblom • Images: Hailey Hoffman
With soft gray-blue walls, centerpieces of seashells and paintings of ships and waves, coastal vibes of the Pacific Northwest are ubiquitous in local home decor. On the North Coast, there are many stores you can visit to get ideas and items to bring the coast’s calming, inspiring beauty into yours. Diane Speakman, owner of Sesame + Lilies in Cannon Beach, suggests focusing on paint colors that set a tone. “Where we live, the atmosphere is so muted with a lot of grays and blues and whites, so we bring that into the shop a lot as a backdrop because it’s very calming,” Speakman said. “Especially in the winter we have such dark days so it’s nice to have a house that’s light and airy. We have a lot of light here and the skies are just incredible so we try to bring that indoors.” Local art can also be a way to incorporate scenic views into a home. Speakman’s own landscape paintings of the beach, sky and Haystack Rock are available at the shop, and many come with antique frames. “One of the key things we do is mix antiques with new contemporary items,” Speakman said. “It adds soul and purpose and some authenticity to the room.” In Gearhart, Joy Sigler, owner of Pacific Crest Cottage, said her store offers framed original artwork made locally, along with organic textures that reflect the outside environment. “Oftentimes when somebody is decorating, their decor on the inside reflects the stories and activities on the outside,” Sigler said. “For a beach or coastal story, if you pull in pieces of wood, soft blues and aquas, and of course gray, you bring the outside story inside.”
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Among the coastal-themed items at the shop are striped rugs, antique articles in white beachy-style frames, mirrors and starfish-shaped soaps. Sigler said her overall advice is that form follows function. “First, make sure the decorations are functional for coastal living,” Sigler said, adding that durable floors and indoor and outdoor rugs are important because of the amount of rain and sand that comes with living on the coast. To add some coastal color into your home, SherwinWilliams paint store, also in Gearhart, offers a variety of paint colors, including one called “ocean floor” that’s the color of wet sand.
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Speakman said she’s had many customers come in wanting to upgrade or change their home decor during the past year amid the coronavirus pandemic. “People are spending a lot more time in their houses right now and working from home and they want a nice environment to be in,” Speakman said. To add to that environment, Sesame + Lilies also has natural items like seashells, wood and woven baskets, as well as different types of fabric, rugs and pillows to include texture. Two interior designers, Grayson Kramer and Travis Walker, also work at the shop. Kramer said the design store is at the beach but it is not a beach design store. “Our style is not intended to
People are spending a lot more time in their houses right now and working from home and they want a nice environment to be in. be overly beachy but overall sophisticated with rustic contemporary pieces, antiques and lots of layers of texture so it feels collected over time as opposed to immediately decorated out of a store,” Kramer said. These layers could include everything from highend, custom upholstery to small accessories or found objects. Kramer said he often works with clients to include elements they already have. Kramer recommends being calculated while choosing beachy elements. For example, keeping a collection of seashells contained to one area instead of spreading the shells out around the house. “A large bowl on a dining table filled with glass floats will make a dramatic statement instead of piecing it out,” Kramer said. “With wooden elements, you could use a whiter gray washed vibe of driftwood and utilize that texture in an actual piece of furniture as opposed to just driftwood on a shelf.” If you are searching for seashells, you can find many kinds ranging from 50 cents to $500 at By the Sea Shells & Gifts in the Seaside Carousel Mall. By the Sea offers a range of beach-themed items, including seashell lamps and nightlights, figurines, globes filled with sand and shells, hanging decorations with driftwood and starfish, wind chimes with shells and more. In Astoria, Vintage Hardware has a plethora of ocean-related pieces, like glass floats and wood floats once used by local fishermen, and maritime cleats that can be used as wall hooks. Becky Johnson, the store’s owner, said they also have antique pictures of ships in the ocean, light fixtures constructed out of oyster shells and old fishing nets that could be used to decorate a wall. Johnson said she decorates her own home with a coastal theme. “At my house I have two oars I use as hand rails going up the stairs,” she said. “I use wood floats as a baluster.” Johnson added she has also used jute rope to wrap a ceiling medallion. Vintage Hardware is primarily an antique furniture store that also sells soft furnishings and salvaged windows, doors and hardware, as well as over 100 varieties of new hardware. Johnson said 98% of the store’s inventory comes from Clatsop County. “It’s always a surprise what we get and what we offer the community, which makes it a lot of fun,” she said.
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HISTORY & HERITAGE ELSIE
OUR PICKS RAYMOND
Camp 18 Logging Museum Northwest Carriage Museum and Loggers’ Memorial By Emily Lindblom By Nicole Bales
CAROLYN HOARD PHOTO
Behind an entrance marked by an enormous logging grapple hook stands the Camp 18 Loggers Museum and Loggers’ Memorial. The building, located next to the Camp 18 Restaurant in Elise, is meant to keep the memories of Oregon loggers alive. Visitors can walk up to train cars, a caboose and logging equipment used in the heyday of logging in the Pacific Northwest. Gordon Smith, owner of Camp 18 Restaurant, and the late Maurie Clark started the memorial to honor loggers who were killed while working in the field. Eventually, the museum became a nonprofit organization separate from the restaurant. Herman Doty, president of the museum, said he got involved when he volunteered to restore the blacksmith shop on site. He called the memorial a hidden treasure for Oregon. “The first time I walked into the memorial I felt something and I knew this is a good thing going,” Doty said. “There really does need to be a place to memorialize the people from our past.” Doty runs a blacksmith shop in Rockaway Beach. He became treasurer of the board for the museum and then was asked to become president. “We have period logging equipment and a nice trail you can walk around to see the equipment,” Doty said. “The memorial is a very nice building with a beautiful bronze monument.” Doty and the rest of the board are still adding to the memorial. Families can have their own plaque designed to commemorate a relative who was a logger in the Pacific Northwest. “I’ve had some really special moments at the memorial with families of loggers,” Doty said. “It really is important to have the memorial there so that there’s knowledge of the hardworking people who have come before.”
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Jerry Bowman begins each tour by eagerly creating a perspective for what life was like in the late 1800s. He draws visitors into the time period with the infectious manner in which he shares stories and examines the characteristics of each carriage. Bowman is a tour guide and curator of the Northwest Carriage Museum in Raymond, Washington. The museum, which opened in 2002, has 56 vehicles on display, including carriages, buggies, wagons, coaches and sleighs. Bowman has acquired, restored and conserved more than 30 of the vehicles. He and his wife, Laurie, the museum’s executive director, moved to Raymond from Southern California nearly two decades ago. They discovered the town on a road trip through the Pacific Northwest and decided it was the place they wanted to retire. Bowman spent his career as an executive at a data processing company and in his spare time enjoyed woodwork and history. “Even in my younger days, I was always a collector of history,” he said. “I kind of prided myself on knowing a lot about the Civil War and I have a nice Civil War collection.” A couple of years after moving to Raymond, Laurie joined the museum’s board of directors and Jerry began doing the maintenance and restoration of the vehicles. “So we got involved and they just became my passion,” Jerry said. They believe they have the finest collection of carriages in the country. Each carriage has a historical significance. Several have even been featured in films, including “Gone with the Wind” and “The Little Princess.” Over time, they have become more selective with vehicles they accept. They turn down about 95% of the vehicles they are offered. Jerry pointed to one restored carriage given to them by the Museum of History & Industry in Seattle. He said it was owned in the late 1800s by F.C.A. Denkmann, whose brother in law was Frederick Weyerhaeuser. The two created the Weyerhaeuser-Denkmann Lumber Co.
Traditions. Cultures. Artifacts. Icons. ASTORIA
WARRENTON
Sara’s Old Photos
Warrenton Heritage Museum
By Nicole Bales
By Emily Lindblom
Since 2013, Sara Meyer’s Facebook page has captured the interest of thousands through its collection of historical photographs of the lower Columbia region. Meyer has shared numerous images on her page, Sara’s Old Photos, and she still has a guest room in her home full of thousands more she is sorting through and digitizing. Her collection began when Meyer and her husband, Chuck, owned Compleat Photographer, a photography and framing shop on the corner of 14th and Exchange Street in Astoria. The business operated from the late1970s to the late-2000s. “That’s where all of the film, the photos, glass plates and all the negatives, the hard prints that I have got started,” Meyer said. “This community, they thrive on history. They’re very proud of what’s here and want to keep it. People would bring in a picture and they’d say, ‘Oh, this ought to be shared.’” They started an extended service: copying and accepting historical images and filling photo albums that people could look through and purchase. Meyer began buying collections from local photographers who closed their stores. She gave some of the images to the Columbia River Maritime Museum and Clatsop County Historical Society. She also tried to reconnect locals with images of their ancestors. Meyer said she held onto images of buildings, old businesses and the logging and fishing industries. “I really like to see how some things change, but in some ways they stay the same,” Meyer said. “I think it’s important that we understand our history through photography, that we see where we’ve been and how we’re progressing.” Those interested in looking at Meyer’s photos can schedule an appointment with her through Facebook. Meyer said she values the conversations she has with people over the photographs. “For me, when people talk about what they remember in the past, it helps me appreciate all the work that went into making this community,” she said.
The Warrenton Heritage Museum is the place to go to immerse yourself in the history of Warrenton. Visitors can view a variety of historic photographs and artifacts from the city over the years. Diane Collier, the museum’s vice chairwoman, has been collecting old items and photos of her hometown since she was in grade school. “History is interesting,” Collier said. “That was my favorite subject in school.” Gilbert Gramson, a former Warrenton mayor and owner of Sandridge Construction, decided to offer his business’s building at 228 S. Main Ave. to house Collier’s extensive collection. Last summer, Collier and Carol Snell, the museum’s treasurer, set up the displays in the shop as the Warrenton Heritage Museum. Collier said she doesn’t really know why she started collecting the historic photos, but said it could have to do with her own family’s long connection to the area. “My great, great grandfather was the last chief of the Clatsop Tribe,” Collier said. “His house was where the Warren House is now.” Snell said there is so much to learn about Warrenton’s history. The museum includes an elegant dining table where visitors can sit and sift through photos from the town’s different communities, including Tansy Point and Flavel. The displays also include paintings, books, high school yearbooks, old city laws and more. “Without Diane having this I never would have known any of it,” Snell said.
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HISTORY & HERITAGE
Columbia River
BAR PILOTS ‘The engine of the Northwest economy’
Words: Katherine Lacaze • Images: Hailey Hoffman
At the mouth of the Columbia River, a variety of natural elements coincide to create one of the most dangerous entrances to a commercial waterway in the entire world. Yet crossing the treacherous waters of the Columbia River Bar — a key feature of an area aptly known as the Graveyard of the Pacific — is crucial to maritime trade throughout the Pacific Northwest. Once ships have successfully passed from the Pacific Ocean into the Columbia River, they have access to 465 miles of navigable river punctuated with ports from Longview and Kalama, Washington, to Lewiston, Idaho. There to assist them across the dangerous passageway are a small group of experienced mariners equipped with specialized skillsets, deep wells of local knowledge and the guts to meet the risk head-on. They are the Columbia River Bar Pilots.
Go to www.ColumbiaRiverBarPilots.com to check out Columbia River Bar vessel traffic and more.
Columbia River Bar Pilot boats Chinook, Columbia and Astoria. OUR COAST MAGAZINE FILE PHOTO
HISTORY & HERITAGE
The oldest ongoing business In a region wrought with history, the bar pilots have a prominent place. The first recorded crossing by a non-Indigenous individual is attributed to Capt. Robert Gray in 1792. Indigenous residents and, later, members of the Hudson Bay Co. served as the earliest pilots, meeting ships and providing them assistance across the Columbia River Bar. In 1846, the then-Oregon Territory established the Oregon Board of Pilot Commissioners, which provided a framework for formally licensing pilots. Soon after, the Columbia River Bar Pilots came into existence. They are one of the oldest ongoing businesses in Oregon and take a sense of pride in that reputation, as well as the responsibility of protecting ships, passengers and the Pacific Northwest environment. One of the first licensed bar pilots in the state was Capt. George Flavel, a prominent Astorian. In establishing the Columbia River Bar Pilots, he required all the pilots to be ship’s masters — setting a precedent for exceptional safety and service that endures to this day. Take Capt. Dan Jordan for instance, one of over a dozen active Columbia River Bar Pilots today. He spent 24 years on merchant ships before assuming the post he holds now — one for which he waited about 15 years — in 2004. Retired bar pilot Capt. Thron Riggs also had decades of experience on ships when he joined in 1993. He had advanced from an entry level position as a wiper that he took right out of high school to becoming a ship captain, with a variety of experiences in between.
“In that business, the only thing that stops you from going as far as you want to go is yourself,” Riggs said. For many, serving as a ship captain is the end of your career, he added. “The only places you can go after that are in the home office somewhere or to be a pilot.” For Riggs, the location itself was the draw. “I didn’t want to be a pilot anywhere,” he said. “I wanted to be a pilot on the Columbia River Bar.” On average, the bar pilots guide approximately 3,600 vessels each year. That includes everything from bulk carriers, car carriers and general cargo ships to log ships, 1,100-foot tankers and passenger ships. The state, or more specifically, the nine-member Oregon Board of Maritime Pilots, regulates the pilots. They issue licenses, administer exams, qualify candidates, discipline pilots and make big-picture decisions, such as how many pilots are needed in each port and how much they should be paid. As per state requirements, mariners must have spent a minimum of two years of sea time — which roughly translates into four years — as captain of a merchant ship before they’re considered eligible to be a bar pilot. The licensing standards for the Columbia River Bar Pilots are some of the most rigorous in the U.S. because the area is home to “one of the most treacherous, regularly transited bars in the world,” Jordan said. This past winter alone, there were at least seven or eight storms with waves higher than 20 feet.
One of the first licensed bar pilots in the state was Capt. George Flavel, a prominent Astorian. In establishing the Columbia River Bar Pilots, he required all the pilots to be ship’s masters.
The Astoria is the newest boat the Columbia River Bar Pilots use. It’s powered by water jets and from full speed at about 29 knots it can stop in just 75 feet. OUR COAST MAGAZINE FILE PHOTO
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HISTORY & HERITAGE Capt. Dan Jordan stands with a bar pilot boat.
What it takes to be a bar pilot There have been many technological and environmental changes in the 200 years since the Columbia River Bar Pilots were established. For example, construction of the jetties didn’t begin until the 1880s, and the jetty system — which consists of North Jetty, South Jetty and Jetty A — has a substantial impact on travel over the bar. According to the Pacific Northwest Waterways Association, these structures “not only help maintain the depth and orientation of the navigation channel, they protect ships of all sizes entering and leaving the estuary, ensuring safe passage for commercial and recreational mariners.” 96
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The introduction of new, innovative equipment, including pilot helicopters and pilot boats with state-of-the-art design and function, also optimizes various aspects of the pilot transfer process. Yet piloting at the mouth of the Columbia remains a dangerous job. Bar pilots are often at the mercy of the ocean, the volume of water flowing from the river and frequent storms. “The dynamics of the conditions on the bar sometimes change hourly,” Jordan said. According to Riggs, another unique element of this particular location is the lack of protection from headlands. “You’re right in the middle of it in the
northeast Pacific,” he said. “You have to board right in the teeth of it, out in the ocean.” Whenever the pilots go to help navigate a vessel through the channel, they’re decked out in a float coat, strobe lights, an electronic locating beacon and other personal equipment that are designed to activate if something goes awry. They also must rely on their local knowledge of how the currents move and the natural elements interact in this particular waterway. “A ship captain can’t possibly know every harbor in the world,” Riggs said. “If you don’t have good pilots, suddenly this place isn’t attractive anymore for prospective shippers.”
Pilot boat Astoria is specifically built with safety in mind to protect the crew and pilots. OUR COAST MAGAZINE FILE PHOTO
‘Closing the bar’ While the Oregon Board of Maritime Pilots provides some oversight and regulation, the Columbia River Bar Pilots is a private business. When a new pilot joins, Jordan said, they have to buy shares in the company, which they can then sell back at retirement. Ballots are used by the members when issues arise. In this autonomous position, pilots also have to monitor conditions out on the water and sometimes make tough calls. “We suspend piloted services to the ships when we feel it’s not safe,” Jordan said, effectively “closing the bar.” Sometimes the suspension applies to all ship traffic; other times, it applies to specific vessels that aren’t equipped to safely traverse the passage under certain conditions. Another variable pilots must consider is whether they can safely get on and off the ship. While human safety and protecting the environment and infrastructure are top priorities, bar pilots are aware of the far-reaching impact of suspending service, which is what makes the decisions complex and difficult. When vessels can’t cross the bar, there are “five ports and a whole lot of terminals in the ports that are not working,” Jordan said. According to the waterways association, the Columbia-Snake rivers shipping channel facilitates the movement of more than 50 million tons of cargo — worth approximately $24 billion — each year, on average. This system exports the most wheat and the second-most soy and corn of any shipping gateway in the nation. “The river is the engine of the Northwest economy,” Riggs said.
Bar pilots also monitor conditions out on the water and sometimes make tough calls. “We suspend piloted services to the ships when we feel it’s not safe.”
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HISTORIC HOUSING A once gritty piece of Astoria’s past gives workers a room with a view
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Words: Katie Frankowicz • Images: Hailey Hoffman
hen the former Waldorf Hotel, also known as the Merwyn, reopened as affordable apartments this spring in downtown Astoria, it was the first time in a long time that people outnumbered pigeons in the historic building.
The hotel, sandwiched between City Hall and the Astoria Library, has been vacant for years. A deteriorating eyesore, the building faced the threat of demolition several times. Now, it’s taking on new life as housing geared at the North Coast’s workforce. The renovated apartment complex offers 40 units, most of them studios and most of them set at low monthly rents, reserved for people and households living off limited incomes. Only four units will rent at market rates. Affordable housing is in increasingly short supply on the North Coast where rents have skyrocketed in the past decade. The tourism industry — and the often lower wage jobs found in the hospitality and service sectors — continue to dominate the local economy. But if the Merwyn represents what can be accomplished when certain groups work together, it is also a reminder of just how difficult such undertakings can be. “So many things had to go right for this project to come to fruition,” said Sarah Lu Heath, the former executive director for the Astoria Downtown Historic District Association. “Definitely in the beginning people were not shy to say how impossible this was.”
A studio loft apartment features a spiral staircase to the bed area above the bathroom.
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‘Save the Merwyn’ Almost from the time she began her job as the downtown association’s director in 2016, the Merwyn was on Heath’s radar. She remembers sitting in a bar one night — the Voodoo Room on Marine Drive, she thinks — getting to know people. She had just started her new job. She wanted to know what was at the top of people’s minds for things they wanted to be addressed downtown. “If you were in my shoes,” she asked a group that included local historians and preservationists, “what would you do?” The Merwyn, they said. “As I dug more into it, it really struck me that it sat between City Hall and the library and had been empty for decades,” she said. The Merwyn opened in 1926 and operated as a hotel for years across several owners. It was converted into affordable housing in 1980 and was known for a time as the Waldorf Hotel, after a late-in-life rebranding. According to state and city records, the hotel closed for good in 1989 due to safety concerns. For the next two decades, it remained abandoned. Eventually people began to talk about tearing it down. The hotel seemed to be seen as “an impediment to (the city’s) efforts to expand the adjacent Astor Library, both in programs and in space,” wrote Doug Thompson, board president of the Lower Columbia Preservation Society, in the society’s April 2015 newsletter. An initial effort to demolish the building stalled. When the city and building owners renewed conversations about tearing it down, they encountered a volunteer campaign to save the historic building. The “Save the Merwyn” campaign succeeded, but, as Thompson noted in 2015, this wasn’t the end. Their success instead placed them at a sort of crossroads. A number of challenges loomed ahead. The building was saved but not restored. Discussions about a possible library renovation or relocation would continue for several more years. Meanwhile, the ultimate fate and potential purpose of the Merwyn was still unknown. Community members wondered: What developer or organization would be able or even interested in tackling such a big and costly challenge? Enter Innovative Housing Inc., a nonprofit based in Portland with a record of fixing up older buildings and turning them into successful affordable housing. Among the first of several things that went right were Heath’s familiarity with the nonprofit’s work and her existing professional relationship with Julie Garver, the development director for Innovative Housing. Heath reached out to see if Innovative Housing was interested in a project on the North Coast. 100
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Locals explore the building during a tour.
An exterior wall of the Merwyn was removed and replaced.
Funding a need For several years, Astoria’s leaders had discussed the need for affordable and workforce housing in the region. Though some elected officials and residents believed the city could do more to create such housing, others, including city administrators, said the city should not become a landlord. Instead, they said, the city should look at ways to help facilitate and support projects. Innovative Housing had a business model built around establishing and maintaining low rent units. The nonprofit was well-accustomed to hustling for state grants and funding for their projects, juggling multiple timelines so all the pieces — funding, state or city permits, public outreach and fundraising — aligned. Even then, the nonprofit faced a significant setback in 2018, about a year after purchasing the hotel when the state rejected a request for funding. It had found there was not a need for such housing in Astoria — a determination that provoked disbelief and outrage among local officials. City councilors and others questioned the state’s criteria. Garver remained optimistic. State funding for affordable and lower-income housing is very competitive, she told city councilors. “The good news is that we always prevail,” she assured them that winter, “even if it takes a little longer.” The following year, the nonprofit secured $2.8 million from Oregon Housing and Community Services — a critical piece of funding to round out the project’s $6.7 million renovation budget. By the end of 2019, work on the Merwyn had begun.
Lights and wiring are installed in the stripped-down basement of the building.
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Light filters through a window into a half-built room in October.
A building born again Unexpected costs popped up as renovation work revealed other issues. The coronavirus pandemic hampered progress on the Merwyn in 2020, but only slightly. Other grants filled funding gaps and work proceeded smoothly, Garver said. The Merwyn was a unique project and had some unique challenges, she added, but key to their success was community buy-in. “We are deeply appreciative of the Astoria community,” Garver said. “I think it’s just in the community’s nature to band together.” Meanwhile, the pandemic has only highlighted and exacerbated the city’s ongoing need for affordable housing, Heath believes. “As long as I’ve been in Astoria it’s not been not needed,” she said. One of the questions she asked herself as the Merwyn was transformed was, “Is this project unique?” Garver pointed to work by Clatsop County to look at zoning changes
in certain areas to allow for denser development. This could go a long way in preparing the ground for other projects. “We really need 40, 50, 60 units to make a project work because the operating budget is pretty tight,” she told Mayor Bruce Jones at a City Council meeting earlier this year. From a funding perspective, it is best to have sites ready with appropriate zoning, she said. State and other funding opportunities for this kind of housing are highly competitive. If a project has to go through a conditional use process or some other zoning process, that means delays and the potential to miss out on key funding. Innovative Housing needed to do a lot of heavy lifting to launch the Merwyn project and see it through to the end, Heath said. Not every developer may have such resources and it is an open question on whether the state has the right funding mechanisms to recognize the need for housing in rural areas, she added. But — all of that aside — she sees possibilities for other projects like the Merwyn.
The Merwyn was a unique project and had some unique challenges. The key to their success was community buy-in.
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“I think it’s something worth trying,” she said.
The Merwyn has spectacular views of downtown Astoria and the Columbia River.
A small kitchen is against the wall of a one-bedroom apartment.
Light filters into a bright, white and clean fourth-floor apartment.
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tribes secure a foothold in Clatsop County Words: Katie Frankowicz • Images: Hailey Hoffman
Historical tribal lands between Seaside and Gearhart are back in native hands. In 2020, the North Coast Land Conservancy announced the transfer of 18 acres of Neawanna Point Habitat Preserve to the Clatsop-Nehalem Confederated Tribes. It is the first property the tribes have owned since they began to be displaced 200 years ago and lost their land. To Dick Basch and other tribal leaders, it feels like a dream.
In 2020, 18 acres of the Neawanna Point Habitat Preserve were returned to the Clatsop-Nehalem Confederated Tribes by the North Coast Land Conservancy.
HISTORY & HERITAGE Roberta Basch raises her hands, saying, ‘Thank you,’ for the transfer of the land back to the Clatsop-Nehalem Confederated Tribes.
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ncestors had lived in a village located on the property for a millennia before diseases brought by explorers and fur trappers decimated the native population. White settlers followed in the 19th century to claim native lands. The tribes negotiated a treaty in 1851 that was never ratified. Their federal recognition was revoked in 1954. Over the decades, they have seen their land and even their access to it disappear. The rushing rivers they used to travel were transformed by farming and development from watery highways into narrow, fragmented things. When Katie Voelke, the land conservancy’s executive director, first suggested a transfer of the Neawanna property to the nonprofit that represents more than 200 enrolled tribal members, Basch couldn’t believe it. Besides its cultural heritage and importance — access to Ne-ah-coxie, as the tribes term the site, was included as a condition in the unratified treaty — the property is an ecologically rich place. It is where the Necanicum River meets its tributary creeks — the Neawanna and the Neacoxie — and rushes oceanward. Salt marshes turn into Sitka spruce forest. Elk roam. Salmon swim upstream. “When we go there or when we camp there … knowing that right there was a community that lived, fished, just did everything that a community would do right there, it fills up places that don’t ordinarily fill up in your heart,” said Basch, the vice chairman for the tribes. 106
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The tribes negotiated a treaty in 1851 that was never ratified. Their federal recognition was revoked in 1954. Over the decades, they have seen their land and even their access to it disappear.
Caretakers The land was never the land conservancy’s, Voelke said. But they are glad to have been its caretakers for a while. The transfer is both a “no-brainer” and a surprise, said Doug Deur, a research professor at Portland State University who has written about the coastal native communities that lived around the lower Columbia River. It is a no-brainer because there are clearly still native people living in the area, he said. “At the same time it’s really astonishing,” he said. “People growing up in northwest Oregon 30 or 40 years ago would have been told the Clatsop people were extinct and any connection they had to the land was in the past. That they were a historical curiosity at this point and more or less irrelevant.” But, he added, aside from the fact that their descendants are still here, “99% of our history on this coast, the human history, is native history and if you think that final 1% is the only relevant part … a lot of this history is native history and we ignore it at our peril.” Such histories included information about events like tsunamis or salmon run failures, he noted, information that is still relevant to modern day North Coast residents. This type of transfer — between the land conservancy and the tribal nonprofit — is unique in the organization’s history. Voelke expects it will set a tone for things to come. “How, I don’t know,” she said. “I just know it has been a pretty profound experience for us to be able to connect more deeply with the original people of this place. What we have learned from it and our greater understanding of how we can do land acquisition in a way that reconnects people is something that we will see unfold for the North Coast Land Conservancy in different ways.” The Neawanna property had been an anchor point for the organization and functioned as a sort of origin story. After they acquired it in 1998 through a combined donation and purchase agreement, it was evidence of how they could work successfully with multiple groups, even a developer who had wanted to build condos along the estuary and a tennis court in the wetlands. It informed other property acquisitions, as well as work throughout the watershed and related corridors. It was the node from which all the spokes extended, Voelke said. Though the land conservancy had been in conversation with tribal leaders for several years about land that could be set aside for tribal activities, purchased with tribal traditions and cultural needs in mind or somehow conveyed to the tribes, Neawanna Point was not a candidate at first. Voelke thinks it was in part, subconsciously, because of the land’s origin story status within the land conservancy. “But now it just feels like a gift that we get to participate in returning this land, this very sacred land,” she said. “Returning it to its descendants and to its people is the best story that I could imagine.” After all, she noted, unlike many land conservancy properties where restrictions and management guidelines are bound up in state and federal funding sources — oversight that would “kind of continue that oppression” on tribal people, in Voelke’s mind — the Ne-ah-coxie property is not so encumbered. The donation and purchase of the acreage in 1998 came with certain requirements, restricting commercial development, but specifically allowed cultural construction. The land conservancy will only retain a conservation easement over part of the land.
Longhouse and museum in the works By Katherine Lacaze Architect Todd Lawson is taking part in preserving the history of his people by designing a longhouse to be built on the Clatsop-Nehalem Tribes’ recently regained land. “As an architect, designer and artist, it’s kind of a oncein-a-lifetime opportunity to do something really meaningful,” Lawson said. Lawson was awarded the Architecture Foundation of Oregon’s 2020 Van Evera Bailey Fellowship to support his work on the project. Lawson, who lives in Seattle, will use the fellowship to help fund the continuation of a project he’s been working on as a volunteer. The first phase involves researching the traditional longhouses of Indigenous people on the coast, spanning from Alaska to Northern California. He also plans to research ClatsopNehalem traditions, art and history. Lawson’s research will culminate in helping create a new cultural and environmental center and museum in the form of a traditional longhouse on the tribes’ land. The land, returned to the tribes by the North Coast Land Conservancy, was one of the main longhouse neighborhoods for the tribes centuries ago, Lawson said. “Now we’re sort of getting this rebirth through this land,” he added. Lawson began researching his lineage as an undergraduate studying architecture at the University of Oregon. He has ties to both the Clatsop people and Chief Coboway, as well as a family of settlers by the last name Smith. One of the most prominent historical figures is Celiaste (also known as Helen) Coboway Smith, the daughter of Chief Coboway and wife of Solomon Howard Smith. She lived from 1801 to 1891. Lawson never met his grandfather, who was both a Clatsop and Smith, but he heard stories from his grandmother. That spurred his interest in reading old newspaper articles, looking at historical archives and visiting gravesites to help him trace his ancestry. “Now I’m a member of the tribe, decades later,” he said. His personal research and interactions with tribal scholars have led him on an amazing exploration, he said. “It never ceases to amaze me what I learn almost daily.” His goal now is to continue strengthening Oregon and the country’s collective memory with accurate pieces of history on the Clatsop-Nehalem people and what happened to them as a result of white settlement. He feels it’s important to share not just the negative and shameful parts of the past, “but also the amazing things that happened on the coast,” he said. Lawson’s interest in his history and his peoples’ is complemented by his long-term affinity for vernacular architecture, defined as a constructed environment that is based upon local needs and incorporates materials indigenous to its particular region. “That’s always been a passion of mine,” he said. Now, these two passions are merging as he assists in creating plans for the longhouse. He said the especially tricky part for architecture and design is walking the “fine line between imitation and inspiration.” “We don’t want it to be a decorated barn,” he said. “It needs to be truly rooted in the traditions of the longhouse.” Although plans are still being developed, he anticipates the building will include meeting space, classrooms, office space and a museum. “We want to be a welcoming group and bring people to the site,” he said.
HISTORY & HERITAGE Diane Collier looks out across her ancestral land.
A place of peace Once the tribal council came out of the shock of the transfer being a reality, they began to discuss what the future would look like as managers of the property. They have discussed possible cultural additions to the land. But, Basch said, “We decided that if we do nothing to the property, that’s fine. … just to have the property sit is a gift to everyone. It’s a special spot for many people within the community, tribal or not.” There is a spot on the property where you can see it all come together, said Neal Maine, a former land conservancy director who oversaw the acquisition of the property in 1998 — the offshore ocean, the nearshore ocean, the estuary, the tides, the salt marsh, the forest. It’s a place of peace. “It just takes a few steps to get to the sanctuary part of it and then you see the true Oregon Coast,” he said. “While you’re there watching the water come up and down, well, the bald eagles are flying over and the blue herons are fishing. You can get to a spot and see the coastal forces at work sort of in front of you in living color.”
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Richard Basch claps along, creating a beat, for Roberta, his wife, to sing a traditional Native American song.
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Photos from top, then left: Guy Capoeman skippers the Dragonfly, the Clatsop-Nehalem Confederated Tribes’ cedar dugout canoe, at the estuary near the Ne-ah-coxie site with his daughter, Ilia, and tribal members Charlotte and Lorraine Basch. Diane Collier puts on a traditional cedar basket necklace that was handwoven by Katie Voelke, executive director of the North Coast Land Conservancy. Voelke holding a gift from the Clatsop-Nehalem Confederated Tribes. Richard Basch holds painted cards of the area that were given as a gift by the North Coast Land Conservancy.
With the property back under tribal management come other opportunities. The tribe has a 32-foot oceangoing, dugout canoe named Dragonfly. In the past, only the strongest and most skilled members could take it out into the ocean, but with the calm waters in the estuary, people who had not been able to experience this piece of their cultural history will have the opportunity to do so. “We look forward to walking in the footsteps of our ancestors as we cherish and care for the land,” said Diane Collier, tribal chairwoman and a descendant of Clatsop Chief Tostum, signer of the 1851 treaty at Tansy Point that was never ratified. Basch, a descendant of Chief Coboway, the Clatsop chief who was there when the Lewis and Clark Expedition passed through, cannot remember the first time he set foot on Ne-ah-coxie. He was too young. There are tangible remnants of how long the land has been important to families
like his. There are the piles of clamshells associated with native families that harvested and shucked them in the 1930s. There are the photos and memories from past and recent social and ceremonial gatherings. Then there are the intangible things, the prayers put down into the ground for this kind of homecoming, said Basch’s wife, Roberta, in a blessing she gave on the land the day the transfer was finalized. But even before all the paperwork was signed, the land had started to feel different to Basch and Collier. Something an elder from a neighboring tribe once told Basch was on his mind. She told him that the ancestors do not go away from the land. They are there, asleep, hidden in the trees. They are waiting for the songs to return. When they hear their descendants singing and praying, see them gathered together again, their spirits come back to life.
In the past, only the most skilled members could take out the 32-foot oceangoing, dugout canoe named Dragonfly. Now with the calm waters in the estuary, other members can experience this piece of their cultural history. DiscoverOurCoast.com
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the Prom at 100 Seaside celebrates the coastal path’s history Words: Nancy McCarthy • Images: Hailey Hoffman
Seaside’s best-known walking path — also known as the Promenade — is turning 100. “It’s almost hard to talk about because it’s such a big thing,” said Joshua Heineman, director of tourism market for Seaside’s Visitors Bureau. “The process of building something like the Prom has so many threads to pull, as far as stories.” First, in 1904, there was a pier, which stretched from the Moore Hotel (where the Shilo Inn now stands). In 1908, wooden planks were laid down in an 8,040-foot-long boardwalk. After ocean storms destroyed the pier in 1914, a turnaround was built in its place. In 1920, the city’s engineer, LC Rodgers, used horse teams to replace the wooden boardwalk and turnaround with concrete. Finally, the Prom became a concrete walkway 1.5 miles long from Avenue U to 12th Avenue. Photos at left: The Lewis and Clark statue on the Prom commemorates the Corps of Discovery’s journey to the Pacific. Tourists walk on the Prom.
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Attractions near the Prom Scattered along the Prom are some of Seaside’s other historical spots. The Seaside Aquarium, established in 1937, is located toward the center of the Prom. Just a couple minutes south is the Lewis and Clark statue, which marks the Corps of Discovery’s 1805 to 1806 travels in the area. A few minutes farther south, off Lewis and Clark Way, is the Salt Works. The monument is a lifesize replica of a salt cairn the Corps of Discovery used to create salt while they were in Seaside. Visitors can also see wildlife, whales and storms throughout the year. — Alyssa Evans
The cost, including the Prom and the turnaround, was $150,000. But much of the information about the Prom remains a mystery. Even the planners can’t agree on the date of the Prom’s official dedication. “It was Aug. 8, 1921,” said Tita Montero, a city councilor and vice president of the Seaside Museum & Historical Society’s board, pointing to a story in The Astorian of Aug. 11, 1921. Headlines invited readers to “Meet You at the Prom.” “I think it was Aug. 7,” said Steve Wright, also a city councilor and the museum’s board president, who pointed to the dedication plaque. “It was actually the whole weekend,” Montero said. “That’s why I thought we needed to celebrate it multiple times over the year,” Heineman said. “We’re going to celebrate it all year, 2021. You can argue about what is actually the appropriate 100-year anniversary, but we’re going to celebrate all year.” Still several questions remain to be answered: Why is the Prom, apparently, the only one of its kind in the Northwest? Did Alexandre Gilbert, the real estate developer for whom the Gilbert District is named after, donate land for it? Why did then Seaside Mayor Erle Nolton Hurd push for it so much that he was willing to put up with the Promenade being called “Hurd’s folly”? At the time, the beach was rocky, and the boardwalk may have enabled tourists to get a closer view of the ocean, which was only about 100 feet 112
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away. Another purpose of the Promenade, built to be several feet high, was as a seawall, protecting adjacent cottages. Today’s 800-foot-wide sandy beach is a result of the north and south jetties built at the mouth of the Columbia River. The group hopes visitors will come to Seaside to help celebrate the Prom’s 100th birthday, like they did 100 years ago when the Prom was dedicated with bands and dignitaries, including Oregon’s governor. “I think part of what we want to do is create that aura,” Wright said. A centennial celebration for the Prom will be held on Aug. 7 with a dedication ceremony and parade. In May, the Sunset Empire Park and Recreation District celebrated the Prom’s centennial with an all-night 100K relay. The visitors bureau received a $14,500 grant from Travel Oregon to create a booklet dedicated to the Prom’s centennial. You can pick up a holographic centennial sticker at the visitors bureau to be entered into the centennial sweepstakes, with prize drawings four times throughout the year. The yearlong celebration kicked off in the fall with a History & Hops talk by Dale McDowell, the city’s public works director, about the Prom’s construction. The Prom is an “iconic Oregon experience,” Heineman said. “The fact that it has been there for 100 years, and it has been taken care of and it’s still a central part of the community is remarkable.”
The Prom features The Turnaround where cars can drive and take in views of the Pacific Ocean.
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Local Produce & Flowers Handmade Crafts & Fine Art Delicious Food Stunning River View
COASTAL LIFE COASTAL LIFE
BIRD WATCHING Images by Hailey Hoffman
Identification and information courtesy of the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife and the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.
Many types of birds call the North Coast home, making it a birdwatcher’s dream. Here are a few birds Our Coast has spotted and where you can find them.
European starling
Sturnus vulgaris Location: Astoria These birds tend to flock at dusk in fall and winter, creating fascinating patterns as they jet through the sky in large groups. The birds resemble black birds and are considered an invasive species from Europe.
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Bald eagle Haliaeetus leucocephalus Location: Clatsop Spit, Fort Stevens State Park Bald eagles can be found in Clatsop County any time of year, but are most active in the late winter and early spring. With wingspans of 6 and 1/2 feet and bright white heads (for the adults at least), they’re hard to miss when they’re soaring through the sky searching for prey.
Western gull Larus occidentalis Location: Cannon Beach The fluffy gray and white bodies of western gulls can be found just about anywhere on the coast. On the beach, along the river, at the dump, you’ll see or hear them.
Dunlins
Double-crested cormorant Phalacrocorax auritus Location: Astoria Bridge These cormorants are easy to find flying and nesting on and around the Astoria Bridge and in other estuaries in the area. They’re a larger bird with long necks, orange throats and a coat of dark feathers.
Calidris alpina Location: Area D, Fort Stevens State Park Dunlins are a sandpiper and enjoy hanging out in groups in the shallows of estuaries and beaches where they pick through the mud to find snails, worms and other crustaceans. In winter, their feathers are brown and gray on their backs and white on their bellies (as photographed), but by breeding season they switch to a brown back and black belly.
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Common murre Uria aalge Location: Haystack Rock It’s not hard to spot a common murre along the North Coast. They’re easily found hiding on Haystack Rock or on other rocky cliffs and outcrops. You can identify them based on their black backs and white bellies. 116 116
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Bufflehead Bucephala albeola Location: Columbia River These cute little ducks bob up and around the Columbia River looking for plants, insects and crustaceans. Male ducks have a bright white body and dark patch on the head while females are mostly dark gray with white patches (as photographed).
Great blue heron Ardea herodias
Tufted puffin Fratercula cirrhata Location: Haystack Rock The puffin is a bit of a mascot for Cannon Beach due to its annual return in April to nest on Haystack Rock. They usually leave by the end of July to fish out at sea. These puffins have all black bodies, orange feet and beaks, white faces and light-yellow eyebrow plumes. The best time to see them is at sunrise during low tide before they return to their burrows.
Barn swallow Hirundo rustica
Location: Astoria You’ll often find these 4-foot-tall and lanky birds wading through the river, lake or ocean shallows, hunting for fish and other aquatic creatures. Sometimes, you can spot them in pastures and dry fields. They’re covered in white, gray and dark gray that almost resemble blue feathers.
Location: Warrenton These fluttering, bright-yellow birds can be found all around Oregon. They typically stay inland and make their homes in human-made structures (like barns).
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Delights
of the garden and sea Words & Images by David Campiche James Beard taught us that each region in the United States has bragging rights for its own brand of mouth-watering, native foods. Each has a particular style, with distinct products and tastes. Beard, who spent his summers as a teen in Gearhart, particularly loved the Pacific Northwest. I remember as a young man rappelling down a cliff to the ocean floor and picking a bushel of fresh ocean mussels off a rocky edifice. My wife and me prepared a half-dozen mussel recipes for Beard. The master chef admired the natural abundance. “There is no bottom, none, to my voluptuousness,” says Shakespeare. In green country abounding with fresh seafood, wild mushrooms and a cornucopia of native plants and berries, the North Coast celebrates both lush and abundant offerings.
Here from the earthly garden of delights are recipes for the four seasons.
Spring Razor clam chowder Clams have been an integral part of the Northwest diet since native peoples settled on the Pacific shores thousands of years ago. The flavor and popularity of the clams extended to the first settlers and has remained a favorite. Each spring, thousands of locals and visitors alike flood the beaches of Washington state and the North Coast, seeking the tasty bivalves. Whether fried, ground into fritters or minced into chowders, the opportunities for fine cuisine are endless. And how about razor clam pasta, a favorite in our household. Beard reveled in our fortuitous bounty. And so do we.
Ingredients: • A limit (15) chopped razor clams diced, or 3 pounds of littleneck clams steamed, liquid reserved. • 1/4 pound of sliced bacon, fried mediumwell, grease strained and reserved for another day. • Three large potatoes diced into fine (quarter inch) pieces and par-boiled, strained and reserved for chowder. • 2 cups of diced celery • One large onion, small diced • 2 tablespoons of fine minced garlic • 1/4 cup of flour for roux • Finely chopped parsley, chives and fennel to your taste (2 tablespoons each). Reserve some for garnish. • If you use other clams, reserve 3 cups of the stock from the steamed mussels or littlenecks. Some chefs add canned clam juice. • 3 tablespoons each of butter and olive oil • 2 cups of cream • Whole milk or half-and-half to thin the roux. Up to 4 cups. • 1/2 cup white wine • Salt to taste • 1/2 tablespoon of curry paste (optional) • 2 tablespoons of sherry with each serving (optional)
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Sauté onion and garlic in butter and olive oil. Add celery, stirring until translucent, and then add the cooked bacon. Marry in the flour and stir gently and consistently for two to three minutes until you attain a thick smooth roux. A browned roux is less pasty. Slowly pour in the juices and wine, and then the milk and cream. Stir diligently while the sauce thickens. After the sauce has reduced slightly, add the clams and potatoes. Simmer, but do not boil. Boiling toughens the clams. Add half the herbs and reserve the rest as garnish. Salt to taste. Serve in wide-rimmed bowls (with a touch of sherry) and garnish with the remaining herbs and a splash of paprika on the rims. Cornbread is a fine accompaniment.
Summer Baked salmon with saffron rice and kale Salmon is health and happiness in the Pacific Northwest. Little else has impacted the lives of ancient and modern society more than this tasty fish. They remain a favorite among sportsmen. The mouth of the Columbia River is a mecca for fishermen worldwide. In the fall, most of the rivers that feed into the Columbia or the Pacific Ocean are stalked by determined fishers as the fish return to their birthplace on their final voyage. There are infinite ways to prepare the flesh, but baking remains one of the simpler and more flavorful methods. There is very little fuss. These same fillets can be easily barbecued. Served with corn on the cob and a green salad, few dinners are better received.
Ingredients: • Four 6 ounce fillets of salmon, silver or king • 1/4 cups of virgin olive oil • Kosher salt, salt to your preference • Fine chopped garlic, three cloves • Chopped parsley and fennel This is so simple. Wipe the olive oil around each fillet and save a bit to coat a baking sheet. Sprinkle the salt and fresh chopped herbs over the fillets. Smashed and fine minced garlic adds a nice dimension. Roast only for a few minutes until small white beads of salmon fat rise to the top of the fillets or when the temperature registers at about 145 degrees Farenheit. Oven temperature for baking is best around 325 degrees. You can prepare a cream sauce by reducing 2 cups of heavy cream and a half cup of white wine to about half portion, and then adding a tiny pinch of curry paste and chopped fennel to the sauce. Pour the preparation over the salmon and serve immediately. Steamed kale with 2 tablespoons of black bean sauce is a perfect accompaniment. Salt, of course. Par-boiled yellow or Finn potatoes (I grow a heritage Ozette potato in our garden) tossed in an 1/8 teaspoon of turmeric and a healthy splash of olive oil is perfect for rounding out this simple but sublime dinner. Of course, a saffron rice is a perfect substitution, the cat’s meow, so to speak.
The Pacific Northwest has so much to offer. This article doesn’t even touch on the pleasures of a plate of wild mushrooms sauteed in butter and garlic and finished with reduced cream and stock. Over pasta, the fungi are simply unsurpassed. If you are hunter, duck and geese and deer abound. These are the wild things, and the tastes are unsurpassed. Dungeness crab is a class-favorite. Whether simply extracted from the crusty red shells, or married in any number of sauces, fried rice or enhanced with a delicate Mornay sauce, the delicate sweet meat continues to be prized. The crab industry is a major employer in Astoria and Ilwaco, Washington. Crabbers risk their lives during the winter storms to capture the crustaceans. Some of these same fishers also comb the ocean for a dozen brands of whitefish from albacore tuna to seabass.
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Autumn Steamed mussels with soba noodles and garlic bread I love mussels. And I adore fresh Japanese soba noodles. Marry them together with nectar from the steamed clams and you are approaching heavenly bliss. Again, this recipe is a simple preparation, and so tasty, served in a large high-rimmed bowl, steaming hot with the most pleasant bouquet.
Ingredients: • 4 pounds fresh mussels. Penn Cove mussels are clams of perfection. • 2 cup of dry wine • 2 tablespoons of butter • Four fine diced cloves of garlic • Half an onion, diced • 2 tablespoons Hoisin sauce • Sprinkling of red chili flakes • Four large leaves of kale sliced into 1/4 inch ribbons • 1 pound of soba noodles, par-boiled Steam the mussels with the wine, butter, garlic, onion, Hoisin and red chili flakes until the shells spring open. Meanwhile, boil the noodles until al dente and hold, keeping warm. Add the kale at the last minute and continue steaming until the leaves wilt. Place the noodles in the bottom of four large bowls. Arrange kale and the mussels over the top of the noodles and ladle in enough broth to almost cover, leaving the mussels and kale nesting on the top. Serve with a French baguette coated and broiled or baked in a garlic-butter mixture, a cube of butter softened with one heaping tablespoon of fresh minced garlic.
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Winter Pan-fried oysters or oyster stew Oh! The sublime oyster. This is a bivalve best eaten in the cold winter months. Willapa Bay in southwest Washington state is a major home of these shellfish. Over 20% of these creatures devoured in our nation come from the pristine waters of Willapa Bay. They also grow in abundance along the Oregon Coast. Consumed on the half-shell, raw oysters are prized by millions. They need nothing else to be eaten au natural, although many of their devotees dribble a bit of melted butter over the tops or even a ketchup-horseradish mixture. A piquant sauce mignonette remains a chef’s favorite. Pan fried in a triple dip of flour (first), beaten egg (second) and finally cracker crumbs or panko, the soft flesh pleases the palette like the best of seafoods. Oysters appreciation is a love/hate relationship. But I swear, follow this recipe and you can’t help but appreciate the briny, butter-cream taste, and yes, the rusty copper aftertaste that follows.
Ingredients: • 24 fresh, small oysters • 1 cup crushed pecans • 1 onion, diced small • 4 ounces butter • 2 cups chopped spinach • 2 cups chicken stock • 2 cups milk • 2 cup heavy cream • Chives Sauté the onion and pecans in 2 tablespoons of butter with a drizzle of virgin olive oil. Add the liquids and slow cook for 10 minutes. Add the spinach. Add the oysters quickly and evenly. Do not boil, but simmer for a few minutes. Serve immediately in generous bowls with a garnish of chopped chives and a pat of butter. Some folks like a bit of Tabasco. A tablespoon of good scotch can be a crowd pleaser but follow your own taste. Cornbread is a lovely accompaniment. Gewurztraminer or pinot gris matches the dish perfectly. The dish is wonderful, served on a cold winter night.
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MY COAST
Interviews & images: Hailey Hoffman
JEANNE MADDOX PETERSON
Founder, Maddox Dance Studio; founder and producer, Little Ballet Theatre’s “The Nutcracker”; former producer, Miss Oregon pageant • Warrenton Q: What do you love about living on the coast? A: I love the weather, and I just love the whole community spirit. I think it is very important. I’ve done a lot of community work and volunteering for so many years on so many things. I just think that volunteerism in a small community is to be so praised because it involves families when you are working on a project. It’s a family affair, you know, which is a wonderful thing to see. And I think you don’t find that in a larger city. Q: You opened the studio in 1949. What is it like teaching dance to so many generations of kids across the county? A: All the teachers that I have right now with all my students, former students, and now, we’re teaching their children. I’m teaching grandchildren of former students, so I feel like I’m sort of the great grandmother of all this. It’s wonderful. It’s a family feeling ... I think that’s important because of the connection and the traditions. I’m very, very much of a traditionalist, and I think hearing through all the things with each family is a blessing, besides very exciting to have that opportunity. Q: What are noticeable changes you’ve seen in Astoria since you moved here? A: I think there has been a lot of growth in many areas. I think. ... We didn’t have a bridge (to Washington state). I used to teach in Ilwaco. If my parents were late picking up their children from the last class, then I would have to drive to Longview to come home. I think changes around the community with new things coming in. Hotels coming in and restaurants; there’s so many restaurants now. ... Which is great. And the communications I think are better now with everyone.
TREVOR LILBURN
Petty Officer, Third Class, U.S. Coast Guard Public Affairs • Astoria Q: What do you love about living on the coast? A: Personally, I love the weather. The marine layer keeps us warm in the winter and cold in the summer. And some people might not like the rain, but I just love it. The pitter patter on the roof at night lulls me right to sleep. Q: What do you like about the local and Coast Guard community? A: I think what I really like about the community is the people. In January 2019, the government shutdown for about a couple months, and the Coasties here, we had a hard time with not having our paychecks showing up. The community absolutely came out in stellar fashion and helped us through that. They really truly showed their true colors. And we saw what this community thinks about us, and they love us. ... If you watch the news, it feels like the whole world is falling apart. It feels like every day is some new tragedy, and that’s true and for a lot of people, that is true. But, here on the ground, when you’re out at the store, doing what things you can do within the guidelines of the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention), you see the people interacting, and it does not look like the end of the world. These people, all of us, the community, we are out here helping each other in any little way we can. Q: How did you feel about being stationed here with the Coast Guard? A: My family lives out here on the coast, and I had the chance to pick Astoria of a multitude of different assignments. And it turned out to be the best decision ever. As far as the Coast Guard is concerned, this is a little pearl, hidden secret. It is one of one of the best assignments you could possibly get.
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Hear why the locals call our coast home.
LaNICIA DUKE
Visionary, consultant, advocate, empowerment coach; owner and private chef, Coastal Soul • Manzanita Q: What do you love about living on the coast? A: In 2009, I decided to begin seeking a purpose, instead of just a paycheck, and so I quit my job in corporate America. It really began as a journey of self-discovery; you know, is there a purpose in life and with my belief in God, how does my faith play into my purpose? So, in 2014, I wrote a list of what I wanted my life to look like. I said a prayer, and I literally just did a Google search of different places … I have never in my life felt like I had a home. I’ve always been different, and the coast is the only place that I’ve been able to be 100% transparent and authentically me, even in the hard stuff. I can still be 100% me. I just had that feeling on the inside of me that this was my home. Q: In 2015, you started your private chef business, Coastal Soul. What’s your favorite part about running it? A: (It’s) the best way to meet people, the best way to connect with people. I have made some of the best new friends, associates, just people in passing. You bring good food together, (and) I think it softens hearts, and it opens minds to just possibility, to life, to love. It has been lifechanging for me, in that aspect, to use food as a tool to just really cultivate community. Q: You’re a visionary, consultant, advocate, and empowerment coach. How does that play into your role in the community? A: Even though Dr. King spearheaded the civil rights movement and was a Black person, I have always believed that his message of love is a universal language that supersedes the color of your skin or anything else that creates barriers and one that can truly unite us sometimes without even talking. Unfortunately, there’s always been the undertone because I was a Black person in our community that I could only advocate around Black issues. I tried to set the tone for the Love Coalition to be advocating for community outside of labels, so we really can build authentic relationships with one another without the preface of having to come to the table already with preconceived ideas of who we are, but, to really have that clean slate. Sure, my skin is brown, but there’s so much more to me, and sure, the landscape here has traditionally historically been a white-only territory, but there’s so much more. I’ve been trying to build that bridge and using Dr. King’s message of love to start producing the fruit of those seeds that have been planted. I’m a fourth generation preacher’s kid. I grew up encouraging people and giving people hope. That’s something that I’ve been doing long before I moved here. I really feel like some in my community, even though subconscious or unconscious, they tried to manipulate who I was to make it work for them. I’m like, it doesn’t work that way … But, I love my community, right, and I don’t want the contention in my community, because we’re all better than that. I truly believe in every person in my community.
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COASTAL LIFE STEVE SOHLSTROM
Owner of Salty Dog and Sea Breeze Charters • Ilwaco Q: What do you love about living on the coast? A: Well, it is beautiful. When you think about Cape Disappointment, North Head, the jetty, the mouth of the Columbia and the North Oregon Coast. Nothing comes close. Nothing. My folks, when I was a kid, had a summer home up on Long Beach. We got to spend every summer down here. I grew up on the beach. I gravitated towards the boats, and when I was a youngster, I started working as a crew member, a deckhand. Q: You recently bought Sea Breeze Charters, and expanded from your one ship, the Salty Dog. What’s that like? A: People want to come out, they really want to enjoy the environment and being on the ocean going offshore. It’s a different world out there. It’s not like anything you’ve ever done, until you’ve been out there a little bit, you know, and then going even further up to the blue water to tuna. It’s unbelievable out there. I just loved it, and so now I just want to run real time, run some great fishing trips. I want to own and operate the nicest charter boat or charter service, if not in this area, but in the state of Washington. I really have a goal in mind for what I want to do. Q: How would 19-year-old you feel about you still being here, running charters? A: I just knew at a really young age that this was a good fit for me. I knew it. I felt it. Even though I had to go back to the big city, I would still find plenty of time to come back. I never wavered on my interest for the coast, or for this particular area. I never thought there was something better out there.
CINDY McDONALD
Manager of access services, Providence Seaside Hospital; community volunteer; COVID-19 vaccine clinic worker • Seaside Q: What do you love about living on the coast? A: I’m an outdoor person, so I love to take the trails and hikes. I can leave work and within a half hour be down at the beach crabbing or I can come here and put my paddle board and just paddle all the way down. It can be sunny and gorgeous and no one is around. It’s invigorating. I like being able to walk to the beach where I can pass a herd of elk and then see bald eagles. I love that, and the people, and there’s no traffic! Q: What do you like about the Seaside and North Coast community? A: My husband and our family moved out here 25 years ago from the (Washington), D.C., area. We just wanted to have a smaller town, and we love the West Coast. My one son’s got the Seaside Vision Center, which we started 25 years ago, and he took it over from us. All the businesses around here are family oriented, so they treat you like family. That’s why I like the hospital. The team I work with, we’ve been together well over 15 years, and a lot of them have been there even longer. We’re just there, whether someone’s sick, there’s a newborn, there’s deaths. We get together just for support or to celebrate. I kind of thought I might move to Portland, since all my kids went there and now that I have grandkids, but I love it here. I don’t think I’ll move. Q: What is it like working at Providence Seaside Hospital, especially during the coronavirus pandemic? A: We have the registrars that are the first people there when patients come in. They check in with them for surgeries, labs, X-rays, the emergency room. We see a lot of people and being a small town, you see the same people. You kind of feel like family. We ask for their three identifiers, but we know who they are when they come in. It’s really kind of nice, and then they feel at ease, especially with all the screening and the COVID and the Plexiglas and the masks.
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Excellence in family dining found from a family that has been serving the North Coast for the past 52 years
GOLDEN WHALE JEWELRY Bridal • Gemstones • Silver Gold • Navaho • Earrings 14kt Gold & Sterling Charms Quality jewelry in gold and sterling silver by nationally known artists
SEASIDE • 323 Broadway • 738-7234 (Open 7 Days) CANNON BEACH • 223 S. Hemlock 436-2851 (7am-3pm Daily) ASTORIA • 146 W. Bond • 325-3144
194 N. Hemlock • Cannon Beach (503)436-1166 • (800)548-3918 OPEN DAILY
If you are looking for something unique, Visit the Golden Whale
Travel and Tourism
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Museums
Our Coast Magazine 2021
Is celebrating 50 years of business, since 1971. Owners Larry & Shirley Perkins, Ron & Kim Williams.
We are a locally owned distributor of Anheuser-Busch products and many wine varieties. Clatsop Distributing Company is a supporter of local youth sports, Clatsop Comm. College, Clatsop Co. Fair, Tillamook Co. Fair, Clatsop Co. Food Bank, and many local events.
1375 SE 12th Place, Warrenton, OR 97146 503-861-4275
10
th
ANNIVERSARY ISSUE For 10 years, Our Coast has chronicled life on the North Coast and Long Beach Peninsula. In celebrating the magazine’s milestone year, hang up this panoramic pullout on your window, wall or another special place.
Port of Ilwaco.com ON THE LONG BEACH PENINSULA
www.visitlbp.com
Marine Supply
Shopping
Englund Marine
Don Nisbett Art Gallery Luisa Mack Jewelry & Art Marie Powell Art Gallery Purly Shell Fiber Arts Skywater Gallery Time Enough Books
Seafood #IlwacoSaturdayMarket
Annual Events • Ilwaco Art Walks
Fishpeople Safecoast Sportsmen’s Cannery Tre-Fin Foods
Fishing Charters
Dining
• Fireworks Show & Firecracker 5K Run/Walk
Beacon Coho Pacific Salmon Charters Seabreeze Shake-n-Bake Sportsfishing
• Ilwaco Slow Drag
Boat Tours
1st Fridays, 4-7pm, June -Sept.
1st Saturday in July
Friday of Rod Run Weekend
• Crab Pot Christmas 1st Saturday of December
Columbia River Cruises Skywater Boat Tours
Salt Pub Waterline Pub Ilwaco Bakery
Lodging
Salt Hotel At the Helm
Other Local Businesses RiversZen Yoga David E. Jensen, Architect Freedom Market
DiscoverIlwaco.com
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