Head across the Astoria-Megier Bridge to Long Beach, WA. The bridge spans 4 miles at the mouth of the Columbia River. On the Oregon side the bridge rises to 197 feet above the river allowing ocean vessels to pass under on their way to Portland.
I picked up some of Rick's best. He smokes delicious salmon every summer. He is a must stop for me. Summer in the northwest means smoked salmon and oysters.
Passing through Raymond, WA, I spotted the Carriage Museum. What a little gem. Carriages were the ultimate status symbol of the day. If you owned one, you not only had to buy the carriage and horses, but employ a driver, couch men, stable hands and have the space to house it all.
This Phaeton carriage still has the original wicker body. It was considered a ladies carriage.
This wagon was the panel delivery van of the day. Some were closed in and others open like the one below.
This is heavy duty Road Couch was used to transport the English mail. The mail had priority, but if room remained they would carry passengers. They often traveled at night when there was less traffic on the roads. They were phased out when the trains began transporting the mail.
You are looking at the Porsche of the day. This small carriage was pulled by two horses. The power to weight ratio was right up there. This was an owner driven rig and often used for racing. The seat in the back is for the couch man. He was there to clear the road of debris and take care of the carriage.
North of Raymond it became really adventuresome. I pull off for a break and the rig would not start again. Some electrical problem, the starter motor won't even click when I turned the key. I had no cell signal, but was saved by a good samaritan who pulled in. His phone had a very weak signal and I was able to call road side service. Gabe, the tow truck driver, spent an hour with his meter trying to find the problem. I was towed 68 miles to Brazel's Performance RV in Centralia, WA. I got here at 10 pm. Friday. Now I wait until Monday when they open. I am happy to be towed to Brazel's as they have a great reputation. If the rain stops I will explore on the Honda.