ACROSS AMERICA CHALLENGE: WEEK 1

By Zach Dischner - Mt. Hood, CC BY 2.0, August 7, 2012. https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=40573584

WEEK 1: ACROSS AMERICA 2018 STARTS MONDAY MAY 28
Segment 1: Astoria to Portland OR
Segment 2: Portland to Hood River OR

WELCOME CHALLENGERS! You are starting this virtual 3700+ mile journey in Astoria, Oregon.
The tour route trip starts in the city, but before getting on the road you might want to jump in a virtual car and take a ~30-mile ride southwest to Cannon Beach, to see the Pacific Ocean and Haystack Rock, made famous in the 1985 classic kid cult movie, “The Goonies” (released June 7 that year).
 
Astoria*, located in the northwest corner of the state, lies “near the mouth of the Columbia River where it meets the Pacific Ocean” according to a Wikipedia entry. This entry reports that “the city was named after John Jacob Astor, an investor from New York City” whose fur company founded a fort at the site in 1811. The route takes you along the Youngs River, through the beautiful Clatsop State Forest, and along winding roads to the Scappoose-Vernonia Highway into the city of Portland.
 
The Lewis and Clark Expedition wintered near Portland. You’ll come to learn that this exploration group is part of the history of quite a few places along the first part of the journey.
 
The next segment from Portland to Hood River follows the course of the Columbia River Gorge along a highway that separates the state of Oregon from Washington. The TREK Travel bike tour description indicates that small hikes can take travelers to many spectacular waterfalls that are near this scenic route, including Latourell Falls, Bridal Veil Falls, and Multnomah Falls.
 
Mt. Hood is a potentially active but currently dormant volcano about 50 miles southeast of Portland and 15 miles south of the city of Hood River (on our route). It is the tallest mountain in the state of Oregon, rising to an elevation of over 11,200 ft. Possibly you will recognize its frequently photographed image.  The ‘WEST’ sticker of the Earned Runs Across America challenge displays it

Although this is a virtual tour, looking at images of and reading about the astonishingly beautiful geographic features of these two segments inspires me to put Oregon on my “Top 100 List” of places to explore in real life. 
 
Crater Lake is another natural feature of the Cascade Range that is much farther south of the Across America route in Oregon. It is known for the clarity and blueness of its waters and seems to be worth mentioning, as long as we are traveling electronically to the area and there isn’t much effort required to take a detour to mention it.   
 
You might end the week with a viewing of “The Goonies”, “Kindergarten Cop”, or “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, 2 and 3” that were filmed in Astoria. 

​RUN & MOVE HAPPY!

SEE RESOURCES page for Itinerary, calendar, and Map segments.
Check out the ACROSS AMERICA IN PHOTOS gallery too!
 
https://roadtrippers.com/trips/10313969
http://thatoregonlife.com/2016/01/12-awesome-movies-filmed-in-oregon/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portland,_Oregon
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Astoria,_Oregon
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Hood
 
*Travelers may wish to read, “10 Don’t Miss Spots on the Oregon Coast” for ideas of sites to see and visit.  
https://www.travelastoria.com/trip-ideas/top-10-dont-miss-spots-on-the-oregon-coast.html