When it was decided that Joel and I would drive Mom back home to Bellevue, she requested three things – #1 Take as long as possible to get back to Bellevue #2 Stop in or drive through Astoria #3 Spend time at the ocean. Hopefully we were able to deliver.

On Monday, after checking out of the Salishan Lodge, we headed up the coast to Astoria. Our first stop on the way was the Tillamook Creamery.

We stayed the night at Hotel Elliott which had great views of the water and the Astoria Bridge. The hotel was beautiful and had been restored to maintain the original architecture and no two rooms were alike. Originally constructed in 1924 as a 64-room property, Hotel Elliott underwent a $4 million renovation in 2003. We found a nice restaurant (Carruther’s) just at the end of the block where we had a hearty meal (Like we needed another hearty meal!).

The next morning after a huge breakfast buffet, we drove up to the Astoria Column. It was a bit foggy – Joel and I climbed to the top but couldn’t see a thing. The Astoria Column, located atop Coxcomb Hill, is a monument to the natural riches of the Pacific Northwest and the people who settled there and was built in 1926. When they restored it over the years, each of the 164 steps to the top had a donor and all there names were on plaques inside the tower – that was pretty neat.

We then headed out to Ocean Shores where we were staying at the Quinault Beach Resort and Casino. I was a little hesitant about staying at the casino but they boasted ocean view rooms at a reasonable price. The rooms seemed recently updated and they were very nice. The only “glitch” was that there was a power outage when we checked in. The generators were running the basic services but the internet was out and the restaurants were closed. Luckily, the power was restored in time for dinner and we had another great seafood meal at their restaurant – Emily’s.

The next morning we woke up to an amazing sunrise and all took a hike to the beach. There was a boardwalk but it ended relatively quickly so there was a sandy beach walk for about 1/4 mile. Mom did great and seemed to enjoy the view.

After cleaning the poop out of my shoe with my toothbrush and a coffee stirrer stick, we were on our way to Bellevue, with a stop for one last seafood meal at the Fishin’ Hole Restaurant in Montesano. Once we got Mom situated in her apartment, we (I) set up her digital photo album and hung up her birthday artwork. Then off to Cielo’s for dinner and an early morning send off as Joel and I headed home.