Ayla and Armin Visit

Ayla, my niece, and Armin, her boyfriend, are visiting the USA and the started in the Northwest corner with us. This is the first trip for Armin and, technically, the second for Ayla, although she was only four her first time around and doesn't remember much.
We spent the first day in Portland, including Powell's, and then two days on the coast. Large bodies of water are a bigger draw for Swiss people than some mountains or hills. So, we headed West instead of East. (All pictures are here)

The Astoria Column

View of Astoria from the base of the Column

Driving for more than an hour through the same forest amazed our guests from a country where there are lots of woods, but none as large as the Pacific Nothwest has to offer.
Our frst stop was in Astoria where we explored the Astoria Column and enjoyed the view of the Columbia river entering the Pacific ocean. Initially, the weather was not great, but it cleared up once we had lunch. By the time we reached Fort Stevens State Park, the Northwestern most part of Oregon, we were having a beautiful day.

Cape Disappointment lighthouse in the distance on the Washington State side

We continued our trip through Seaside to Cannon Beach where they make neither printers nor cameras, but do have the interesting Haystack Rock sitting in the water just off the beach.

Haystack Rock

We were lucky and low tide was imminent. A lot of people scoured the ground to find what the ocean had left behind. After dinner, the water had receded so far that we could walk all the way out to the rocks without getting our feet (too) wet.

The view South

Alien ritual markings anticipating sunset

On our second day we vistied Cape Meares lighthouse and the Octopus tree. At Cape Lookout we hiked the 4.8 mile out and back along the peninsula and learned the different ways Americans say Hello.

Cape Meares lighthouse

People learning to fish in ocean water

The last site on our tour was Cape Kiwanda where Ayla and Armin climbed the sand dunes while I took a nap in the sun on the beach.

Chief Kiwanda Rock

Ayla and Armin are off to San Francisco, Yosemite, Death Valley, Las Vegas, the Grand Canyon, and Los Angeles. They'll come back here in a couple of weeks for a day of rest before heading back to Switzerland.