After the arid sagebrush steppe east of the Cascades, we welcomed the cool, green damp of the coastal temperate rainforest today. We awoke this morning to a gray, misty dawn near the mouth of the Columbia River, and the small, coastal community of Astoria, Oregon. Our morning was spent exploring the Columbia River Maritime Museum and the re-created site of the Corps of Discovery's winter of 1805-06 camp at Ft. Clatsop. After lunch, we drove up to Coxcomb Hill for a commanding view, and a close look at the Astoria Column, built in 1926. As these few intrepid hikers strolled back to town from the height of the Column, we encountered numerous large banana slugs and this Cathedral Tree. Sitka Spruce grow immense here with ample rainfall and mild winters. Late in the afternoon we sailed out for a look at the infamous Columbia River bar, before turning east and heading for Portland.