Don't Be a Miserable Squatter: Essential Tips for Your Astoria Trip

I feel like Astoria should be one of those places I only need to visit once. And really, did I actually need to go at all? Yet, despite the terrible weather and the unpleasant fishy smell and the undesirable hiking, there's a pull on me to go back again in the future. I wouldn't want to live there, to be sure, but maybe a ten year anniversary trip to commemorate my book, or something, would be fun. Regardless, I thought I'd document my learnings for future travelers to Astoria, myself included. 

Before You Go

Learn the history before you go. Of course I'd be remiss if I didn't promote my book, "The Miserable Squatter’s Guide to Manifest Destiny." Other good ones depending on what part of the history you want to read about include "Astoria: An Oregon History" by Karen L. Leedom, "Kanaka" by Tom Koppel, and "Astor: The Rise and Fall of an American Dynasty" by Anderson Cooper and Katherine Howe. For good visuals, I recommend the Postcard History book "Astoria" by  Andrea Larson Perez, and "Astoria: An Adventure in History" by John Goodenberger which is hilariously illustrated by Roger McKay. 

The Grotto (and Labyrinth)

If flying into Portland, I highly recommend the stop here, exactly as I did. Would not change a thing. The Labyrinth was so unexpectedly experiential, I'd be interested in hearing what others feel and experience on their own journeys. 

First Stop: The Column

I would definitely recommend starting at the Astoria Column (drive, don't walk like I did), especially if the sky is blue and visibility is clear. I suggest this mainly because you get the free passes to all the other museums with your parking fee, so it’s a money saver in that regard, but also because it's a quick drive up and the parking pass is good for days, so you can keep returning as I did for different views (day/night, gloomy/clear). 

If the weather is good and you're up for a hike, do the Cathedral Tree Trail just off the parking lot. The forest is gorgeous and the views on a clear day could be really cool. 

If you think you'd like to sit and enjoy the views, bring a towel with you to wipe off the chairs (even on a clear day, it is a generally moist environment, so better to have the towel and not need it…). 

You can buy a little glider at the gift shop. If you're up for a climb, go up the windy stairs to the top, I'm sure the view from up there is amazing and probably unobstructed. You'll be able to see the ocean on a clear day. 

Other Recommended Places

Definitely visit The Heritage Museum and Flavel House Museum. I am not a museum person and I thoroughly enjoyed both of these, especially knowing the stories behind the artifacts I was seeing. 

Your visit to Astoria is not complete without stopping at the Fort Astoria / Fort George park. There's no admission, and there's really not much to do there, so just go on your way to something else, it'll take five minutes, twenty if you really push it. 

I didn't visit the Film Museum but if you are a film fan or Goonies fan, it is undoubtedly a good place to stop. There are also a couple shops / businesses that are Goonies themed if you're interested as well. 

Grab a tea, a loaf of sour dough, and/or lunch at the Blue Scorcher Bakery and Café. It was so good, I went twice for the grilled cheese. The chai tea was "all spice, no sweet" as the barista told me, and it delivered! 

Fort George Brewery had great pizza, great beer and a great atmosphere. Definitely a good stop. I didn't make it to the Astoria Brewery, but it would be on my list if I went back. 

Where to Stay

I noticed a place called the Cannery Pier & Spa when looking at a map or something, and it seemed like a cool place to stay potentially. 

That being said, I cannot say enough about where I stayed. The historic Captain Johnson house hosted by John on Airbnb was absolutely perfect. It was cozy inside, the bathroom was perfectly operable (and I'm very judgey about bathrooms), the toiletries were lovely, the bed was comfortable, there was furniture for sitting, eating and working, a kitchenette for preparing and storing food, TVs with streaming, board games and notably Goonies-themed games which might have been fun to play with others, especially fans. It was walkable to food, shops, sites and museums, and parking was no problem (unless your parallel parking is rusty - an opportunity to practice!).

General Recommendations

As far as solo trips like this goes, I should have brought my portable tripod because there were a few times I wished I could have someone take a picture of me instead of my usual selfie, and there wasn't always someone around (and I don't really like to ask people - lol). Especially at the Astoria Column, it would have been nice to capture different angles. 

As with walking most places, I would definitely recommend varying your routes when you can, go up one street and back down on another, and also varying which side of the street you walk on. I noticed more historic markers this way, and more details like lovely flowers and different scenic views. 

As a bonus, Pokemon Go actually helped me identify a headstone I hadn't realized was there, so it pays off to play Pokemon Go as one way of exploring a new place. 

Gloom, Goals and Grilled Cheese: My Astoria Journey

For the week of Thanksgiving, since I am not a turkey, stuffing, gravy kind of person, I did something a bit out of the ordinary for me, but it was glorious because it was 100% for me. I took a solo trip to Oregon, flying into Portland and then driving to and staying in Astoria. Inspired by what started as an AI-generated rabbit hole of curiosity which had spewed out the makings of an obscure non-fiction historical book, I wanted to spend time in the place I had written 20,000+ words about, visit the museums, see the places, feel the cool, damp environment, and grasp additional interesting anecdotes and tales to further develop my manuscript. The trip, though, was so much more than what I could describe. But here is my attempt, anyways. 

I did the things, to be sure, and ate the foods, with delight. But the emotional journey and ups and down, the growth in reframing inconveniences as opportunities instead of small catastrophes, sort of mimics the story of Astoria, and I pulled from the perseverance of the people who survived the unthinkable to manage my emotional tribulations. 

The trip had been planned for months, as is my way, but a number of factors had me in a state of stress prior to departing. For one, I had multiple challenging personnel issues at work that were weighing heavily on my mental state and taking up a lot of my thinking capacity. While I know I am not seriously considering quitting, it does seem like if I could find a way to make the same comfortable living with writing, that would be far more preferred. Romantically, I've been in a weird purgatory state that I supposed is largely self-imposed, or at least, I could break out if I really wanted to, but for some reason, I'm stubbornly allowing myself to reside in that space even though I find it hugely unpleasant. But even if I could bring myself to do it, breaking out of that state would not instantly solve the underlying pain of being single and not wanting to be. My ever-present ambitions in constantly changing topics and talents provides rabbit holes for me to utilize to feel productive while actually procrastinating on actually finishing whatever I've set out to do. 

So as I finished packing the night before my flight, and even as I drove to the airport, I was aware of the intrusive thoughts and my heightened stress level, both of which needed to be calmed for this trip to have the significance I wanted for it and to achieve my objective: finish and set for publishing my manuscript. 

Two mimosas into the flight, I was starting to feel a little bit better, and when the flight attendant apologized for running out of champagne, I switched to a red wine to round me off before I had to sober up for the drive. The alcohol and first class service helped take the edge off for me, and I settled into the book I was reading for additional info on my subject of study. 

Upon arriving in Portland, I was fighting travel stress as I walked the long corridors of the airport to the rental car center. Avis had my car ready for me but it was an EV, which instantly gave me range anxiety knowing the distance I'd be traveling. I tried to change my car on the app but, as is typical of Avis, the app didn't want to log me in and sent me through a spiral of infuriating technical issues that didn't need to be at all. I finally gave up and decided to take the chance on the less than 300 mile range, and I'd figure out how to charge it in Astoria if needed. Or I'd let myself be stranded and have another reason to hate Avis. (I only use them because that's what my company uses so my points are through that. Otherwise, I much prefer National.) 

(Partial) Day 1: The Grotto (and especially the Labyrinth) - 12,191 steps

Before heading to Astoria, I had planned for myself a quick stop to the nearby Grotto. I don't recall how I had originally learned about this place, but it was a very short drive from the airport and I figured it'd be good to stretch my legs before the drive. The Grotto itself was very cool, but not as dramatic as I perhaps had hoped. I spent most of my visit wandering the Upper Gardens which features lots of religious sculptures and places as well as gorgeous trees and a small stream. I knew I wanted to do the Labyrinth, so I headed straight there, stopping only occasionally to take in the fresh air or snap a scenic photo. 

There were two women there when I walked up, one was sitting while her companion was walking the Labyrinth. I gave her space while taking a few pictures on the side, and once they left, I embarked on my Labyrinth journey. 

I assumed the labyrinth would wind around the outside and eventually nearing and then entering the center. Instead, it actually took me quickly right next to the center, and then out again. I noticed that there were a lot of sharp switchbacks right away in rapid succession. As I continued on, the distance between the switchbacks lengthened. I imagined this was by design, a way of calling our attention to the quick turns as we got into the groove, pulling us out of our intrusive thoughts. The walk felt more meditative as the long stretches grew longer. When I made it to the center, I did feel a bit transformed, and certainly calmer, almost feeling achieved (even though all I had done was walk on a given path). My desire to capture the moment prompted a quick selfie, after which I returned my phone to my pocket and allowed myself to focus on the nature around me for a few moments. When I was

feeling better, I started my journey back out, following the path in reverse. The long lengths between switchbacks gradually becoming shorter made me think it was like the Labyrinth was slowly bringing us back into this world, gently waking us up and reminding us of the real things via the twists and turns. As I was so engrossed in my thoughts and feeling about the labyrinth, a leaf falling near me caught my eye and honestly startled me as much as the sudden appearance of a bear would have. I laughed a little at myself and continued on. At one point, I had a dread of being lost, which is sort of hilarious given its just a flat layout of stones and I could easily just walk off at any time. But I was certain for a moment that I had somehow mistakenly gotten on the wrong the path and was now headed in the wrong direction. It was quickly resolved though as I continued and realized I was nearing the beginning. 

What a weird experience! Or rather, set of weird experiences, as there were so many emotions felt along a relatively short and exteriorly uninteresting journey. As I walked away towards another part of the garden, I considered that I wouldn't want to walk a labyrinth regularly, at least not of that scale, because I didn't like the switchbacks; they halted my movement in a way that actually felt unnatural and uncomfortable for my hips. But the meditative state achieved by following a pre-established path so that I didn't have to think about things like watching cars at street crossings or making decisions about which way to go could be recreated in other ways. 

The rest of the gardens were beautiful but I didn't have much to note, other than overhearing a passing woman say to her friend that she felt like she was in Twilight, which I totally understood. We were, in a way, since much of it was filmed in Oregon. 

My drive was through wet, foggy conditions, and my thoughts were haunted by the rapidly decreasing range on the car. I would definitely have to charge it before attempting to drive back to Portland. I tried to put this unnecessary anxiety out of my mind. As I neared Astoria, I caught sight of a huge lumber enterprise, which I knew had been one of the supporting industries during the time of interest in the book I was writing. As I glimpsed the modern operations, I tried to imagine what it looked like in the 1840's to 1860's, and was wholly impressed with both. 

I found my AirBnB easily; an iconic historic home built towards the end of my period of interest, and close to the sights and museums I'd be visiting. Utilizing my rarely exercised parallel parking skills, I got the car in place just outside the house, entered with my code and brought my things in. The bathroom and bedroom were upstairs, so I left my backpack and a few things in the living room downstairs and took the rest of my stuff up the tight, awkward staircase. Since it was already dark and late, I was in for the night, and a little exhausted to be honest. I passed out easily and awoke early the next morning on my own. 

Day 2: Fort Astoria, Heritage Museum and Maritime Museum - 16,352 steps

It smells like fish. The minute I stepped out of the house the smell hit me, and it is not a smell I enjoy in the least. 

My body didn’t seem to get the memo that I could sleep in. After a little more than 6 hours of sleep, I was ready to go. I am a morning person, to be fair, but I wouldn't have minded a little extra sleep without an alarm to interrupt. Nevertheless, I had a lot to do and I was excited to get going, but the museums didn't open until later in the morning, so I decided to walk to the public park that marks the spot of the original Fort Astoria. On my way, I noticed a shop called Ohana which made me wonder if the owner's heritage was part of the Kanaka laborer who migrated from Hawaii and were so foundational to the origins of the town and its industry. 

I knew what to expect from the park - it was a very modest structure with a mural depicting what you could imagine Fort Astoria looked like in 1811, complete with a dog playing. While I was taking some pictures and appreciating the environment, a woman and her dog came along and started playing fetch, so the dog unwittingly reenacted the mural in the background. On the backside of the sign has a map of the fort's plans. One of the things I wanted to make a note of was the placement of the Hawaiian's quarters, outside the fort. The memorial to Ranald MacDonald is there too, telling a 
bit of his strange story, both in English and in Japanese.

Always attracted to water, I then made my way down to the coastline of the great Columbia River. It was a drizzly, overcast day so the view wasn't that great, but the low clouds gave it a spooky look and, well, it was fitting considering the theme of my book being that this place is miserable, cold and wet. I discovered a little park dedicated to the Nordic heritage of many immigrants to the area, and browsed the displays, ensuring I found all 6 "hidden" trolls (they were not, in fact, very hidden at all). 

While walking around the town, I was absolutely endeared to the fact that the trash cans were all decorated to mimic various brands of canned fish and salmon, referencing the boom time industry when Astoria was the world's capital of salmon canning. I also noted some historical buildings which I had become familiar with the stories I had read, especially in the Haunted Astoria book which was disappointingly void of strong evidence of ghostly presences. 

Finally, the museums were open. I headed to the Heritage Museum first, paying the inexpensive admission price. By now, I had been wandering for over two hours, so spotting the bathroom, that was my first stop. That's probably an unnecessary detail, but I've written it and that's that. 

The first set of exhibits were most applicable to my book - the beginnings of the town as a fur trading post. While I had already learned quite a bit in my research and reading, the exhibits did a good job of making the historical knowledge visual and tangible. Pelts from various animals were on display with encouraging signs to touch them and choose your favorite. I was surprised at some of the textures, and found I like the ermine the best. 

The coat of arms for the Hudson's Bay Company was displayed, and I had to look up the Latin, which meant "a skin for a skin." I thought it was funny and maybe a little foreshadowing, given what happened at Fort Astoria / Fort George over the years in the name of the fur trade. 

I studied the list of crew and passengers aboard the Tonquin which was the first crew to land and settle in Fort Astoria. Captain Jonathan Thorn, I knew, was a terribly mean leader. I found it interesting that under the crew, two names were

listed with the title simply of "boy," one of them was a James C. Thorne. I wondered if he was the captain's son, but could find no reference to James or any connection anywhere else. It was one of many dead ends I would pursue. With so little historical records of Astoria, many of these people are just a name on a list, their stories lost to all but imaginations. 

The leader of the overland expedition was Wilson Hunt, and seeing his portrait, it was obvious why the more outdoorsy types along for the trip were skeptical of his pathfinding - he was definitely a business man and not a journeyman. 

The presumed oldest headstone in the Pacific is in the museum, belonging to Donald McTavish who drowned in the treacherous river just months after arriving in Astoria to take over Fort George. I was curious why the headstone wasn't in the Pioneer Cemetery, but perhaps its just its claim to being the oldest that makes it a museum piece. 

There were a lot of familiar portraits and some great maps illustrating the insanity of Astor's quests. I also enjoyed the Indian artifacts there, as the items traded are often hard to imagine or absorb without visuals like these. 

In a bit of a jarring transition, the next set of exhibits were much more modern - talking about Clark Gable's theater debut in Astoria and the filming of the Goonies in the 1980's. 

Redeemingly, there were separate rooms focusing on various topics. The first of these which I entered was about the indigenous people and their way of life prior to the European colonization. I'd been thinking recently about how getting out in nature is a prescriptive cure for general sadness, and what is lost in our modern lives by being cooped up in sealed buildings instead of living as these people did, so it was timely to see models of what that looked like. 

Going upstairs, I was greeted by the hilarity of the sinful side of the town: prostitution, gambling, and bars. Apparently, Astoria was known to be the best red light district in the Pacific region! Good on them. I really enjoyed the recreation of the bar known as The Louvre. 

There was another room full of early photography and film artifacts and information, with more Goonies memorabilia. 

There was another room dedicated to the lumber industry which took root (pun intended) near the Columbia given its dense population and ease of floating logs down the river. This area also talked about berry-picking and butter churning, including an eye-catching model of a dog-powered butter churn. 

One of the final rooms I went into dealt with discrimination and racism, including artifacts from the local KKK and a map of where discrimination took place. It talked about the Chinese laborers who did a lot of the brunt work for the early canning efforts, the Hawaiian Kanakas who made up a large portion of the populating in the fur trading days, and celebrated the first black-owned business in town. 

I looked at the many books on offer, skimming several of them, and also noting some archival publications. I purchased a book and a few postcards and headed out for lunch. 

The Fort George brewery, tempting me with beer and pizza, was not open for another few hours, so I popped into Blue Scorcher Bakery and Café and was not disappointed! They made loaves of sour dough bread there and had on the menu a grilled cheese made on sour dough, which sounded like the perfect thing, along with a chai tea, to warm up. It was so good, I went back later in the week. I noted, too, that there was an EV charging station across the street, which would be very convenient since it was a short walk from the house and I could grab a bite at either the bakery or the brewery. 

On my way to the Maritime Museum, I got a good little laugh at a couple punny store names - B Serious Music Store and Bach n Rock. While not punny, I also thought it was funny that the adjoining store advertised, "CDs, Tapes, Incense." That seems perfect. 

While I had a very narrow focus, and therefore didn't spend a ton of time on the modern parts of the museum, I did really enjoy the life-sized models and mannequins posing as fisherman, showing the nets and tools of how it might have looked back in the 1800s. My ticket came with an entrance onto the lightship Columbia which was closing soon, so after looking around for a short while, I headed outside to redeem my lightship tour. It was cool to be aboard a ship like that, as it always is, but I was feeling my motion sickness quickly, so I didn't linger longer than necessary. I went back to the museum and spent a little more time in some of the other exhibits I hadn't seen yet. After perusing the books and gift shop there, I was pretty exhausted, so I headed back to the house for some downtime. 

I went out to the Fort George Brewery for dinner, and as I was locking up, the greeter cat, Annie, came out to see me. I had brought my laptop hoping to do some work on my book while eating and drinking but the wait for the tables was pretty lengthy and the bar was open, so I instead sat at the bar and used my phone to do some archival searches. After dark, the model fort was list up with Christmas lights, so I took a few pictures on my way back to the house. 

Day 3: Wet Thanksgiving Hike to the Astoria Column - 12,767 steps

I had a Thanksgiving morning perfect for my style - leftover pizza (and I really treated myself by reheating it, too!) and watching the parade in bed. My sister and nephew were at the parade and were cheering on the NAU band whose membership included many of my niece's friends, so that was fun to exchange pictures and videos with my sisters and niece. After the parade, I showered and got ready for my day's adventure. 

When I stepped out, I noticed happily that the fishy smell of yesterday was noticeably absent. Whether that was because of the rain or due to the reduced commercial fishing activities, or a combination of both, I was appreciative. 

I had estimated that the Astoria Column was within walking distance when I planned my trip, and having seen a sign on one of the nearby intersections directing to it, I decided I'd try to find my way without my usual aide of GPS navigation. It was another drizzly, gloomy day, but I figured I was dressed for the weather and I had nothing better to do since most places were closed, so let's go! 

I was successful in finding my way with the helpful signage, but I had not anticipated how uphill the whole journey would be. What was worse, once I got on the road for the park, there was no sidewalk, so I had to carefully walk on the edge of the road and ensure I stayed out of the way of cars coming down the winding road in dark and rainy conditions. Definitely not ideal, and I would not recommend doing that. I considered multiple times turning around and getting my car, or calling an Uber to take me the rest of the way, or maybe at the top I'd make a friend who could take me at least down the hill back to the sidewalk. Tired and in a pretty glum mood, I caught something out of the corner of my eye.

It was a deer, and it was watching me from behind some shrubbery. I grabbed my phone and took a couple pictures before I realized I had three, no four, deer, watching my from various vantage points. After taking a few more pictures, I was definitely encouraged. This is why we walk in nature. Something like that could easily be missed while driving. And the close encounter was so cool. 

I happened to be listening to an audiobook about the healing effects of walking through the woods, so I tried to channel my thoughts towards breathing in the piney foresty scents, imagine the fresh air healing my asthma. I had inadvertently forgotten my little Belle bag that has my hair bands, chapstick, and most importantly, my inhaler. So I had to be conscience of my breathing, but thankfully, I had zero asthma-feeling issues through all this walking and hiking up and down the hilly town. 

The road takes a turn that reveals the Astoria Column in view up a steep grassy hill. While the road continues around the hill and up, it was clear that many people had taken the more direct unofficial path up the grassy hill. I opted to stick to the road, but it was a neat view to see the destination. Neat, or tormenting? We'll go with neat. 

Finally arriving at the top, I admired that the view would probably be pretty good on a clear day. There are winding stairs up to the top of the column, but considering both my exhaustion and the lack of a view, I opted out of that climb. I also noticed a trail, but again opted out of that. After capturing some pictures, I used the restroom and headed back down the hill, now very cold and wet through my pants. At least it's down hill, right? I mean, yes, but those quads definitely got a workout from the steep hill down. 

The Pioneer Cemetery was along the way, and while I had noticed it on my way up, I decided to stop on my way down and check it out. Unfortunately, there are not too many headstones anymore, and I didn't spend a ton of time there, wanting to get out of the rain. 

Back at the house, I debated taking another hot shower to warm up, but opted to have my ramen and sit under my bed covers. The chill was deep, though, and it took me longer than I expected to warm up. Nevertheless, I got a lot done on my book, incorporating the new things I had learned from a running checklist I had used to take notes. 

Looking closer at what my host left for me, I noticed there were several passes to the museums which I had already been to, as well as one for the Flavel House Museum. I was bummed I hadn't realized they were there before paying for admission, but it wasn't a lot of money and I figured I'm helping the local economy or whatever. 

The host also had left out, either intentionally for me or as a usual thing for his guests, books about Astoria. I was familiar with one of them, and had deemed it out of scope so I hadn't read it in depth. But since it was there, I spent some time perusing sections of it. The Haunted Astoria book I had already bought and read was there, so I didn't need to look at that one. But there were a couple others about Astoria and the greater region which I also skimmed through. It was surreal reading one book which detailed historic homes still standing today, and realizing 
one of the entries, while entered under a different name for some reason, was the address of the house in which I was sitting. 

There were also some sweet treats left for me by my host, so after finishing my work for the evening, I rewarded myself with a turkey-shaped chocolate - the best kind of Thanksgiving turkey if you ask me! 

Day 4: Bubbles! Flavel House and more - 11,257 steps

The Flavel House Museum was the last museum I intended to go to, and it was a short walk from the house. So, I figured I'd have an easy day - just the museum and charging my car, and other than that just finishing up my book. Sunshine poured through my curtains as I got ready, and it occurred to me that maybe I should go back to the Column (driving, not doing that hike again). 

On my way to the museum, something caught my eye. It wasn't a deer this time, but it took my brain much longer than it should have to process what I was seeing. At first I thought it was a light, no, two lights. But they were floating and revolving around each other? A sprite? Maybe there is some supernatural activity here. No, it was a bubble. A big one, to be fair, but just a bubble. In fact, there were a dozen, fairly large in size, floating from some unseen origin. I watched as several more made their way over the buildings and tried to capture some sort of artistic view of them in front of the Flavel House, to limited success. Turns out, bubbles are hard to photograph, and especially because they don't behave predictably. 

The museum was great! It started with a 13-minute video which I ended up watching a couple times because there was so much detail I wanted to note. The Flavel family history was a little bit beyond the focus on my research, so I had known only a little bit about it, but I was fascinated by the stories and visuals in the video. The house was perfectly splendific. It was old-timey and luxurious, exactly as you'd want to see for a millionaire retiring in the late 1800s. I thought it was interesting there were paintings of ships on the Columbia in the downstairs "public" areas where guests may have been entertained, but in the bedroom, there were more natural scenes void of ships. I especially enjoyed the instruments and the

chaise lounges in the womens' bedrooms. The wallpaper in the dining room and some of the chandeliers could easily fit into my modern décor aesthetic. Near the end of my tour, I found the bathtub, which was near a window with trees outside - a bath with a view - I like their style! 

Checking the weather forecast, it looked like I had about an hour of clear skies before the gloom would return, so I got my car keys from the house and drove up the hill back to the Column. I was charged $5 for parking which also came with a free pass to all the museums I had already paid to visit. Do'h! 

Rubbing salt in the wounds, the view was absolutely AMAZING up there. I had missed all of this yesterday when I had worked so hard to climb that hill - this view would have definitely made it feel more worth it. Ah well, I was glad I got to see it anyways. I had read more about that trail I had noticed yesterday, so I thought I'd give it a go, but as I started down it, the mud was a bit thick for me, so I opted to turn back. With the gift shop open, I browsed it and found a few things to buy as gifts and a commemorative ornament for myself. 

I took my car to the EV charging station - which was now full. A quick search found there was another one a little but further away, not as ideal, but I needed to get this sorted and didn't mind a "little" extra walking. I was able to plug in and, hilariously, the $10 credit I had preloaded and never used on my Blink account in 2011 was still there. All in all, it would take $10.99 to charge the car, so my card was charged for the extra $0.99. 

I debated trying a new place for lunch, but had enjoyed that sour dough grilled cheese so much, I decided to go back to the bakery for more of the same. This time, I also purchased a dessert and a loaf of asiago sour dough to take with me. None of which disappointed in the least. 

Tracking the slow charge of the car, I decided it would be a while, so headed back to the house on foot. The Arizona State rivalry game with Arizona was on shortly after, so I turned that on and continued edits on my book. Based on an estimate of how much charge was needed and the rate at which it was charging, I determined that half time would be a good opportunity to walk to get it and drive back. As I got near the shoreline, I noticed the Astoria Column was glowing. Since my pass was technically good still, I decided to drive back up to see it at night. The car was just barely fully charged when I arrived - I had nailed the timing! I drove up to the Column, took a few pictures, and realized I had nothing else I wanted to do there, given it was dark and there were no more views to see. As I headed back down the hill, my headlights caught the most chill buck with huge antlers just hanging out in a lawn. Back at the house, I finished watching the game and worked to get my book into review. 

Though ASU had started strong, they fell apart and UA won. I submitted my manuscript to be published. Mission accomplished, I rewarded myself with another chocolate turkey. Why can I not eat it without going for the head first? 

 

(Partial) Day 5: Leaving Oregon (Weird) - 7,034 steps

I didn't have anything else I needed or strongly wanted to do, so I let my morning be a little slow, eventually getting ready and packing up to leave. Driving out of Astoria, the song "I'll be Home for Christmas" was playing on the radio, and for some reason, a deep sense of nostalgia for the town came over me. Even though I had focused on only a portion of the history and hadn't fully explored the restaurants and shops a local might, I had come to learn the town's streets and history in a very tangible way, the stories almost feeling like memories to me now. 

On the edge of the downtown area, I was less familiar, having only seen it once as I was coming into town days earlier. I noticed cute houses just past the Co-op that somehow reminded me of the adorable boxy houses in Krakow, Poland. 

I reflected on my journey and what I would do different (that blog to follow). Getting an EV rental car was a result, I recalled, of choosing the "surprise car" option instead of selecting the type of car. The range anxiety I had built up upon realizing I had an EV was, in hindsight, an unnecessary stress to save a little money on the rental. Or, maybe, I thought, it was a small opportunity to solve a problem, and feel accomplished and learn something from it. And, it got me out of the house just a little bit more. I wouldn't have gone to the lit up Astoria Column at night had it not caught my eye on my way to get the charging car, and I wouldn't have seen that gloriously chill buck laying in a yard. I still don't think I would have chosen it without a plan for charging ahead of time, but sometimes making the best of less than ideal situations brings unexpected blessings. It was a bad idea to save a few bucks, but it brought me the joy of seeing a different kind of buck. 

Here's the link to my book! 

This May Not Be Popular, But... 'Wicked: For Good' Leaves Me Feeling Less Than Oz-struck

July 2008 - Seeing "Wicked" on Broadway with my sister

I have been a fan of the musical, "Wicked," for over a decade. I had seen the show touring when it came to Gammage in Arizona. I jammed out to the music. I wrote an article on the now-defunct Helium platform with my review. It was the first show I saw on Broadway in New York. It was also the second show I saw on Broadway. I read the book the musical was based on. I've watched documentaries about the story and the making of the musical. 

What appealed to me so much about the musical itself was mostly the soundtrack. Each song stands on its own, and has a deep, meaningful application to life. "Dancing Through Life" is about not taking yourself too seriously. "Not That Girl" could be applied to any woman seeing her crush with another. "For Good" resonates hard with people who come into our lives and don't stay, but we cherish the memories and how we grew from those times. As I listened to the soundtrack on repeat, my favorite song and least favorite song would shift from one to another. I started out hating "Popular" for its shallowness, but grew to love it for the comedy and the fact that even though it is shallow, it's also true in a way. And I still maintain that "Loathing" is one of the musical's greatest satirical achievements, functioning as an anti-love song that hilarious subverts the expectation of a sweeping, dramatic duet.

Jan 2010 - Seeing Wicked" Broadway again

The storyline is amazing, of course. Taking the all-bad villain(s) of the well-known Wizard of Oz story and showing how they were just complex, well-meaning but misunderstood people who wanted to do good, flips the whole narrative on its head. The heroic Wizard is actually just a callow, misleading showman? And Glinda was a sell out? Amazing! And the world we see in the Wizard of Oz with the multi-colored horses isn't as amazing when you realize Oz used to be a world in which animals could talk and weren't just relegated into service for transportation and the like. 

21 Nov 2025 - Seeing "Wicked: For Good"

All this to say, when the first movie came out, I was nervous it would do it wrong, but was thrilled that it really did a good job of adapting to the movie format and fully utilized the power of amazing movie sets. So I had no doubt that part two would be nothing less than "wonderful." I donned my Wicked shirt, put in contacts so I could watch the 3D version with the glasses comfortably, and put a Wicked bow in my hair. I was set for two hours of amazement. Honestly, this isn't it. I've divided my review into two sections, what I liked - "For Good", and what I didn't like, "Feels Wicked." It may be apparent from the lengths of those two sections what my overall sentiment was.

"Wicked: For Good" — Your Pre-Flight Checklist for Oz

I just saw "Wicked: For Good" in 3D last night. Having been a fan of the musical for over a decade, I was delighted to be in the theater entirely alone, which allowed me to sing along when I felt like it. Because it is both a long movie and has a lot of context from previous iterations, I thought I'd share a few things to pay special attention to, in order to more fully appreciate the magic of this magical land of Oz. 

Before You Go

Refresh yourself on the dance scene in the first movie. It has a pretty good callback in the second movie. 

In fact, while re-watching the first movie, notice the cloaked figure on a horse in the beginning scene. 

Should the shoes be red or silver? In the first "Wicked" movie, they're silver, and that's because of the original book. The "Wizard of Oz" movie made them ruby. That's all I'm going to say here. 

While You Watch

There's a scene in which Elphaba confronts the animals leaving Oz, and she has a vision. See if you can pick out who those characters whom are in that vision. 

One of my favorite countries, Australia, is often called "Oz." See if you can find the Easter eggs that seem to nod to this. 

The window pane shattering in the first movie makes a cute callback, or maybe better labeled a callsign. 

Blink and you miss it: The Wizard hits himself with a yellow brick. And he talks about his worst pupil. It's hilarious.

Pay attention to the very last moment in the last scene - it’s a cute little nod to the Broadway show. 

Enjoy the show! I hope your own viewing is as magical as mine was.

And I hope that, like so many characters in Oz, you too feel that you've been "changed for good."

Maps of Our Lives

Much of what I write are complex emotions, stories or ideas that aren't easily translated into visuals, but in my professional work, I advocate for the power of visual management and I realize it's something I do in my personal life as well sometimes. 

The first really cool map I made was for my epic road trip to visit theme parks and ride roller coasters and knock some fun things off my Life List. I even pre-planned my social media posts by creating multiple maps showing the progression of our trip along the way. I thought it was a fun way to keep my friends aware of our status, and could be especially helpful for the people who don't always see my posts and may get confused as to why I'm in Canada one day and in New Jersey the next. 

My first trip to the land down under had been planned for a decade before I actually got to go. The wait was well worth it, as we visited all but two of the Australian states and many Australian tourists we talked with on our various excursions were impressed that we were seeing more of their country than they had. While I accomplished just about everything on my Life List for Australia on that whirlwind of a trip, I fell in love with Australia, and have wanted to go back. 

I had the opportunity to go back twice in the last year, once for personal travel which included Tasmania, a state I hadn't yet been in, and once for work, which I extended into a personal vacation - partially to return to Tasmania in pursuit of the elusive and lesser-known Southern Lights, taking advantage of the timing of my work trip taking place in the winter. Many of my Australian colleagues have never been to Tasmania, and I've been twice! I highly recommend it, and my actions show! And since I didn't get a great Aurora Australis, I plan to go back and try again in the next solar cycle!

I did another fun map for a European vacation I went on with my sister, nephew, and boyfriend. I am admittedly bad at geography, so I think the map was five times as much for me as it was for anyone else, but I think everyone appreciated the visualization a little bit. Since we were doing a Disney cruise as a large part of the trip, I made Mickey ears for all of us with this map on the back of one of the ears, so we had the visual with us at all times (at least on the cruise). 

There had been a lot going on in my life at that time, as I had already interviewed for jobs in Dallas and Panama City, Florida. Knowing I'd be leaving Connecticut one way or another very soon, my parents came to visit shortly before the Europe vacation (my first time in Europe). So I held off on telling the facebook world we were moving until we returned, and were a week away. Hilariously, I used a map for that post also, captioning it with, "We're doing a thing next week." 

My ex- bought me a cool woodcut map of America with bottle cap-sized holes to put beer caps in it, intending to represent the beers from the different regions of the country. It was cool in theory, but in practice, most of my favorite beers were from a the southwest, and I had very few beers from other parts of the country. 

Today, I saw a silly post of a guy who lives in the UK who mapped out the furthest in each direction he had been, creating a little square around his hometown - he has not traveled far beyond Europe. While I was a little sad that he shared how little he's gotten out of that Euro bubble, I did like the idea, and was curious what my map would look like.

While technically the International Date Line should be the boundary of how far one could go west, I considered the direction of my travel. Going to Asia and Australia, I've flown west, not east. Thus, there's a box east of the European countries I've visited and west of the Asian countries which I can say I have not been in, and of course, I haven't been to the poles so there's a section of north and south which I haven't crossed into. 

I mapped the locations where I've lived, including my birthplace (green) and my current home (red), and the places I've visited that are those furthest points in each direction. To the north, the farthest I've gone is Fairbanks, Alaska, which I've gone to twice now, once with family to explore my Dad's birthplace, and once to chase the aurora. Tasmania wins the medal for being as far south as I've been. Going east, it was a close call between Italy and Poland, but Krakow wins (for now).

Of course, I could hardly stop there. I mapped out many of my favorite places I visited, and it is interesting to see those, too. Sort of like those maps with pins in them, except again I have a clustering issue which I think may be represented better with this digital visual. I've been to Japan multiple times, including studying abroad in Hiroshima, and have been to China twice, once for martial arts and once for my MBA, but the furthest west from the US was when I studied kung fu with the warrior monks at the Shaolin Temple in Zhangzou, China - which never gets old in how cool it is to say that. 

I took it just a little bit further, and put dream clouds to represent where I want to go in the near future. Based on this, I can see that my desire to go to Santorini, Greece will push my boundary a little further east from Krakow, Poland, which I visited just this year. Additionally, my desire to go to Vietnam and Thailand will push my westward travel point further.  Denmark and obviously the destinations in the continental US won't have any effect on my boundaries. Parts of New Zealand extend further south than my current southern-most point in Tasmania, but my current tentative plans don't include going that far south. I will, someday, try to visit Antarctica, which of course, will be the ultimate southern border push. As far as going further north, I think I'm good - no need to go further north than Fairbanks, although I wouldn't mind returning in another decade to see the Northern Lights again! 

Better Than Candy: STEM-CenTrick or Treat Alternatives

Being an engineer by training and an engineering manager by trade, I have been aware for decades of the decline in our country's engineering education and pipeline of science and technical talent entering the workforce. Relatedly, I feel compelled, partially because I want to be a leader within my company, and partially because my energy, money and time are not depleted by kids of my own, to advocate for STEM in my local communities and with youth organizations.

I have done this in a number of ways (and feel free to steal any of these ideas):
    • I have been a judge or mentor for robotics and drone competitions for high schoolers.
    • I have supported programs to get girls into programming.
    • I have volunteered at public events to showcase STEM activities
    • When friends who are teachers reach out for help with state-based lessons or postcards, I will try to send the class postcards and other artifacts that are related to my industry, like models of fighter jets or stealth aircraft.

For several years now, I've done one additional, funny and surprisingly gratifying thing - I give out toys along with candy for Halloween. Trick -AND- Treat, one might say. But the toys are somewhat focused on STEM learning. I try to keep them to about $1 per toy or less, but sometimes I will spring for a handful of more expensive items to sprinkle in, with the hope that it may encourage a young person to go into an engineering or related field. 

I have a whole setup to make it easy and less annoying. I set out a comfy camping chair and two side tables on my porch or driveway. I use one table to hold my Halloween bowls with candy in one and the STEM toys in the other. I keep the bags next to me on the ground for easy refilling. On the other table, I set up my tablet and snacks or drinks or whatnot for me. I play my favorite Halloween themed movies on my tablet to keep me entertained between visits, and when the kids, dogs and parents come, I wait for the kids to say their requisite, "Trick or treat," and then I let them know they can take one candy and one toy. I comment on my favorite outfits and answer any questions they might have about the toys. Then I go back to drinking, eating and watching the movies. For someone who doesn't generally "like kids," it's actually quite a delight!

What I look for in my STEM toys is something that kids can learn from. Years ago I found these small solar car kits - those were my favorite! First, you have to build the car from the parts. Once assembled, you had to learn how to use it in the sun. But in the right light, those things took off! And there was no stopping mechanism, so you just had to hope it would find shade to stop. Finding those again, and on the cheap, however, has proved difficult. So I've had to search for alternatives.

Foam gliders are a great alternative - they are inexpensive, flat packed, require assembly and then can teach a thing or two about wind and aerodynamics. I also enjoy holographic glasses which bend light into fun shapes - you can get Halloween themed ones (or Christmas) or other themes.

Slingshot helicopter twirly things are fun, and again, pretty inexpensive.

Somewhat more practical but still a little educational are miniature compasses with or without keychains. Invisible ink pen and notebook sets are usually a hit, and I suppose kids can find an interest in how the chemistry of them works. The kids also get a kick out of jumping popper toys.

I usually throw in little puzzle cubes. I'm not sure those really teach many tangible lessons, but I suppose it helps kids develop spacial rationalization and maybe dynamics principles.

Giving out STEM toys is also a sort of inclusivity measure, since some kids may have allergies or may not be allowed to have much sugar or whatnot. But I doubt there are many parents who would prohibit kids from playing with semi-educational toys.

Though for me, the best part of giving out the STEM toys, is the fact that the kids get REALLY excited about it. It is so unusual to get anything other than candy, I suppose, that the novelty of it causes the initial reaction. "MOM!! I get a TOY!!" is a common exclamation. The parents get a kick out of it, too.

And then watching the kids decide what to select, weighing the pros and cons, asking questions, is also entertaining. Very few of them grab and go, they ponder the possibilities and merits of the toys presented to them. It shows that they are using their brains even in that. And I hope that they use their brains in using the toys once they get home. And maybe some of them will use their brains to work for me building airplanes some day. 

STEM toys are also more practical than candy, since they won't go bad and don't need to be consumed or brought in to work with everyone else's leftover candy. Just stash the remaining inventory for next year and build your pile up from there!

If you want to get some ideas, I recommend two places to start:
Visit Party City or a party supply store, especially in the off-season for Halloween. The clearance section is especially great for budget-friendly options to hoard toys in bulk.
Look on Amazon! I have a list I keep updated with ideas when I think of them or as I prepare for the next Halloween. You can access my list here!
And you can create your own, and share it in the comments for others (and me) to use!

What happened to August and September?

I'm writing this brief post, well, ex post facto, because I realized there was a pretty big gap in posts between the start of August and October. What was I up to during that time? 

Short answer: I was working like crazy. I was onboarding several new employees. I was on a crazy whirlwind of a work trip, first to Marietta, Georgia working with the F-22 team for a week, then supporting a C-130 event, then flying through DFW without going home, and onto Australia. There, my colleague and I worked for two weeks with the team doing F-35 mods. I took advantage of the opportunity and extended my stay in Australia for a week of vacation with Sam in Tasmania. Below is a video of my adventures.  

I was barely home before flying off to LA for my third trip to Camp Hollywood. While there, my friend and former colleague, Basil, gave me an insider tour of Anduril and ambushed me with his recruiting efforts. I decided "just to look" and found a job posting that looked like it was written for me, applied and interviewed. Meanwhile, I continued dancing, and I was going through a lot emotionally which I didn't actually document much (which is weird for me). This year, like most years, has been full. But uniquely, I think I've done more emotional growing this year than I have in maybe decades. 

So that's what I was up to in that gap. Cheers!  

AI Rant

We live in a world rich with opportunities, clearer for human rights than ever before (or at least, a few years ago before Trump's tirade on basic human decency), and yet, our problems of poverty, disease and mental health have either persisted or gotten worse. The dynamics that have created this dichotomy are complex and historied, and entirely self-inflicted, even if unintentional. But perhaps with Al's rise, as well as the threat of technological unemployment, we are equipped for the first time in history to actually tackle these problems at an individual and macro economic level.

Poverty, homelessness and hunger

Save for mental health issues, poverty, homelessness and hunger are rooted in a lack of cash, resources and access. Using Al to make paths to those resources can help individuals get back on track on their terms, not via a prescribed program a naive, although well-intentioned, government or charity program develops. Smart people should create tools that enable and empower the poorest among us to make better decisions for themselves what trades are in demand that can be lucrative and appealing, where are certain types of work most in demand geographically, etc.

Disease

[Insert legal disclaimer that I am not advocating for Al to replace medical attention]

Understanding symptoms in real-time and using context to eliminate causes and cipher out hypothetical causes in a personalized, unjudgmental way can lead to better personal health choices and more successful conversations with doctors and medical experts. For example, many of my symptoms are aggravated by being overweight, and while I understand that and am working to lose my excess weight, there are other factors that can be addressed to give me more immediate relief from symptoms, if only I understand them; however, when talking with a doctor, it often feels like the solution is just, get off your fat ass and lose the weight. Chatting with an Al chatbot is much less confrontational, feels like judgey, and gives space with no time limit to explore and better understand what's going on.

Mental Health

[Insert legal disclaimer that I am not advocating for Al to replace suicide prevention, etc]

For some people, for whatever reason, seeking counseling is either not a viable option (money/insurance, access, schedule), or feels like an insurmountable scary thing. An Al chatbot can provide direct advice for handling situations, and the recommendations get richer as it gets more context about your personal situation. It can ask you questions to help you reflect, and you can ask it for recommendations that you are most open to. For example, I've asked my Al chatbot to give me mantras to recite to remind myself of the mindset changes I want to make. You could ask it for advice on handling threatening situations in the moment, after, and how to prepare. You can talk through things and get reassurance that what you're feeling is normal and part of the human experience. Or if you are ready to pursue a therapist, you can ask it for advice about what kind of therapist to seek out, how to prepare for your appointment, how to determine if that specific relationship is going to work for you. It can give you the feeling of being in control when you most need it.

How we can use these ideas and tools to solve the world's problems

Knowledge and access are key - we need to develop ways to get the word out to the people most in need, and actually, everyone, really. And then we need to equip them, with free tools easy to navigate on both phones and computers because some people may not have access to one or the other.

For more privileged people, we need to understand what Al can do for us and utilize it develop these tools, as well as to brainstorm solutions to bigger picture issues. There are a few books that have come out recently that point to zoning laws and the immense web of restrictions and laws that builders have to navigate that contribute to the lack of affordable housing, and therefore to the homeless problem. We need people in government and large organizations to look wholistically at the system instead of each individual, maybe well-intended, rule and policy in place. When things become too hard, they don't get done. Let's re-evaluate the safeguards and the whole process needed for real solutions, and break down the barriers.