At the Columbia

Michael processed the dumpster veggie oil from Corvallis yesterday. Our first processing went uneventfully although he only processed 10 gallons-- "processed" means the oil is spun to extract  any particulates or water so the straight oil (which is not the same as bio-diesel) can be used to run our truck. He worked out all the details of a new system but is still using our greasy old centrifuge.

We were along the Netul River, where Lewis and Clark wintered in 1805-1806 at what they (built out of dense forest in the rain and) deemed Fort Clatsop. My imagination was filled again with trying to put myself in their shoes-- which I really couldn't. Their accomplishments really defy what most of us consider to be our skill sets for courage, knowledge and physical determination.

All the rivers around here were used to float logs once the west coast exploitation began in earnest as the old growth forests were decimated (and the younger forests continue to fall for export--all the coastal inland forests are patch-worked with clear cuts.) These posts (above) may have been old piers but on the "Lewis and Clark" River they were used for the rafts and booms of logs.

The bottom photo is the Columbia River from the Astoria Safeway where we ingloriously but gratefully spent the night. It's really vast with huge tankers making their way up river. What doesn't show in this shot is a bald eagle eating a fish on one of the pylons. In the distance is the bridge which is Hwy 101 sent to carry us on to Washington.

We are at a cross-roads here. Trying to figure if we can afford a very, very expensive ferry trip up the inside passage or if we should go round (the urban corridor from Olympia to Vancouver.) I will be disappointed if we decide not to do it but it's not our way to spend huge amounts of our limited finances on such a splurge.