West Coast Vacation-Day Fifteen

I was lazy this morning and didn't get out of Seaside until about 11:30, it doesn't really matter as I'm on no particular timetable! Seaside is the biggest of the coast towns and is really designed for visitors, lots of shops! It was too cold and windy for me to visit many of them so I hit the highway-again. Drove just a short way to Fort Clatsop-Lewis and Clark's winter quarters on the Pacific. I haven't been doing many museums but having been involved in teaching (and learning) about the Lewis and Clark Expedition for many years at the National Trails Museum I wanted to see this re-construction. It was very nicely done (the National Park Service usually does a good job with interpretation whether it's historical, botanical or geological.) I tramped around a little while, bought some mementos (more patches for this trip.) This was possible because it was cold and Kelsey wouldn't over heat. Then it was off to Astoria, where I took a short break and visited a quilt shop (didn't buy anything) and a little gift shop next door (there I bought a little sign for the shelves in the Living room.) Then over a very high bridge across the Columbia River, bridges never used to bother me but since the Minnesota bridge collapse I can't help being nervous and wondering if THIS bridge I'm on will crash into the ocean/river/lake its above. I think it bothers me more because Larry and I had crossed that bridge just the week before! Anyway, I turned to the west for one last time to see the lighthouse at North Head in Washington state. I walked down to it, said goodbye to lights for a while and to the Pacific as well. Didn't even shed a tear! Fought with Sam (the GPS) until I just turned her off about the route into Vancouver, WA. I wanted to drive along the Washington side, she wanted me to cross that great high bridge and go through Portland--I won. A short day but I had some errands and this was the last Motel 6(always take dogs) for who knows how far and I didn't want to drive that. I needed an oil change having driven well past 3,000 miles so I hunted up a Jiffy Lube (not easy even with GPS) only to be told they were afraid to take the plug out as the last place had siliconed around it to keep it from leaking. It was possible that they wouldn't get it back in--they felt a dealership was my best option, urgh. After a call to my resident mechanic (who did not change the oil) it was decided that I could drive home and let the original folks deal with it. Apparently, I will require a new oil pan. Rob was not happy. Me neither. I won't mention how unhappy Tanya was about it (it was her shop) nor how unhappy the mechanic who did it already IS and I haven't gotten home. Oops, I mentioned it. I also wanted to pick up the Best of the Best cookbooks for Oregon and Washington, thinking Barnes and Noble was a good possibility I drove off there. But, no they didn't have either one--guess I'll be ordering them off Amazon. On my way back to the hotel I stopped in at the Old Spaghetti Factory and picked up some fettuccine alfredo. I really thought Kelsey was coming over the seat to get at it! She had hers before I had mine-is there something wrong with that picture?