Adventure day 4! One of my favorite things about my van is my huge sun roof. I can lay in my bed and look at the starry night sky, or watch the dawn light glimmer on trees overhead.

After a refreshing (coin op) shower and a night of actual sleep I woke feeling like a new person.

I decided to avoid I5 as long as possible so I took 101 down the coast, a route new to me despite being fairly close to home. I followed a turn off with a sign for another county park I’d been curious about. I never found it but the road was interesting. It straddled a dike; to one side was a broad stretch of oyster flats, and to the other side was a grassy pasture with grazing cows.

In the oyster bay was a ship decayed into pieces but somehow still afloat.

After cutting inland through timber forests 101 follows Willapa Bay. Every body of water no matter how small is dotted with rotted piling from some past structure. I wonder what all these piered buildings were?

I took a stroll on the Art Trail at Willapa National Wildlife Refuge,

explored the batteries at Fort Columbia State Park (a favorite photo subject, the light spilling into the tunnels is so interesting),

and dropped down into Astoria for fish tacos and a peek at the exhibit at Lightbox Photographic Gallery.

And then, home. It’s so much fun to go on an adventure, and so nice to be home!