Nomad Life - Day 111

My Oregon Coast trek is nearly at an end - along with the good weather, I'll be reaching the end of the drive soon...  It was another weekend day so I didn't set an alarm.  After waking up at 0620, I spent time working on my blog and then did some packing and organizing.  I got breakfast in the lobby of the Hi-Tide Oceanfront Inn (Seaside) and then, back in the room, caught up on finances.  It was raining when I loaded up my car but the forecast said the day would be mostly clear and dry.  Hoping to attend Mass at the nearby Catholic Parish, Our Lady of Victory, I departed the hotel (1045) and successfully found a parking spot at the church.  Mass began at 1100 - the building wasn't very big and was also not too crowded.  I enjoyed the Homily a lot, though, and was pleased with yet another good choice of church.  When the service ended (I150), I started looking for a gas station that might have air for my tire (it was reporting low on my dashboard).  Fortunately, a nearby Shell had a free tube for air - I filled all four of my tires and finally got rid of pesky warning light.  After that, I drove back to Hi-Tide and parked (they said I could stay in the lot until the end of the day).  From there, I went walking on Seaside Promenade (started at 1200).  By this point, it was dry and temps were in the mid 50s.  Along the way, I saw lots of cool vacation homes and pretty yards.  At the southern end of "The Prom", I turned around and visited the Lewis & Clark Salt Works (replica built on a spot that Native Americans reported had been used by the Expedition).  As I made my way north, I passed a statue of the Explorers, which seemed to imply that they ended their journey nearby.  I continued walking, passing a busy Aquarium and finally reaching the end of the Promenade.  In the end, I completed the entire (paved) trail in both directions (end to end).  At one point, I could see Tillimook Rock Light in the distance.  Before returning to my car, I sopped for lunch at Mo's, a seafood restaurant franchise I'd been seeing all the way up the Oregon Coast.  Inside, I ate a good Grilled Cod Sandwich and enjoyed a good local beer.  Afterwards (1340), I walked back to the Hi-Tide and retrieved my car.  By 1350, I was driving north on US-101, looking for a way to reach Fort Stevens State Park.  After a few aborted attempts to drive west to the shore, I ended up on OR-104 and it took me where I wanted to go.  Along the way, I stopped and checked on several historic, engineering and other points of interest.  Highlights included: getting a glimpse of the "Peter Iredale" (abandoned shipwreck on the shore) at 1430; climbing a tower next to the Columbia River South Jetty (windy and misty) at 1440); visiting the Columbia River Beach(birding) at 1450.  Throughout my travels in the afternoon, I saw lots of raging surf and the current of the River looked dangerous at its mouth - signs confirmed the treachery of the Ocean in the area.  Eventually (1510), I located the Fort Stevens earthworks.  As I'd already been thinking throughout my drive on the Oregon Coast, State Park passes would definitely be a boon for anyone who frequently visited the area.  Meanwhile, it began to get more overcast, with temps starting to drop.  The latter could have been more my perception, since the wind definitely began to get stronger.  Fortunately, the visibility was still OK.  Soon, I was driving east again (used side streets to get back to US-101).  A bit later, I started to get glimpses of the Astoria Megler Bridge in the distance.  Upon entering Astoria, I got on US-30 and headed east down toward the Waterfront.  Almost immediately, I arrived at my hotel, the Holiday Inn Express (Astoria).  I had made a reservation using IHG Rewards points and was soon set up in my fancy King Suite (1545).  By then, a steady rain (with high winds) had started but I was warm and dry - I spent several hours relaxing, working on blog, etc. I'd thought about going out to the car again to get food (to cook in my room) but never did.  Instead, I read and watched movies until I started to get sleepy.  Somehow, I managed to stay awake until 2200.  It's been a great run of good luck on the weather but I think I'm now going to experience the "normal" PNW weather...