My mother was estranged from her father until sometime in the early 1980s. He had remarried and raised 3 step children unbeknownst to my mother. After my grandmother died he wrote a letter to my mother and asked permission to contact her. After that they became acquainted on a summer trip with my family. I remember visitng a number of vacation destinations in the Pacific Northwest where he lived, but the Astoria Column was one of the most memorable. I believe it was a trip down the Columbia river and then over to Oregon coast that summer. This was one of the first things we encountered.

The story I am reading about the Astoria column is interesting. I wasn’t aware that some restoration has occured in the last few years. I don’t remember the murals being as vibrant but I do remember the views of the Columbia River and the landscape around it. It is quite a bit older than I thought also. It was built in 1926 on a 12 acre city park. It is 164 steps to the top and 125 feet tall. Definitely something to see in Oregon.