Boating on the Columbia River with the Far Grandma and Grandpa

The Far Grandma and Grandpa took us on their first boat outing of the year.

It was too cold to actually get in the water so the Far Grandpa did donuts and figure eights until the wake combined to create large waves which he then drove over at high speeds.

See how happy it made the boys?

Stonehenge

During our visit with the Far Grandma and Grandpa, we decided to go visit Stonehenge...

...the Stonehenge replica, that is, located in Maryhill, Washington, just an hour and a half drive from the Far Grandma and Grandpa's house.  It is a full size replica, astronomically aligned, commissioned by Samuel Hill, a businessman, as a memorial to those who died in World War I.  It was completed in 1929.

There is a plaque for each soldier from Klikitat County who died in the war.

This was our first time to visit and we were quite impressed.

This monument is located next to the beautiful Columbia River Gorge.

The boys took the opportunity to shoot some scenes for their upcoming film, so they had their costumes and props in tow.

I think they got some great footage.

The Coast

After leaving Sutherlin, we drove up the coast and crossed into Washington over the Astoria Bridge which spans the mouth of the Columbia River.

We drove on to Cape Disappointment State Park where we met up with the Far Grandma and Grandpa and several uncles to fish and camp for a couple of nights. Check it out here: http://www.columbiariverimages.com/Regions/Places/cape_disappointment.html and here: http://www.ilwacowashington.com/html/parks.html.

The fishermen launched the boat into the Columbia River at Ilwaco marina and drove over the bar into the ocean to fish for silver salmon. The fishing was good this year and they caught their limits quickly.

We also hiked a short trail to McKenzie Head.

There is an army battery at the top.

And of course we spent plenty of time on the beach.

The cool temperatures did not stop the boys from getting wet.

The two younger boys had never been to the ocean at all and the two older ones could barely remember the last time they saw it six years ago.