this rainy afternoon(it rains here MORE than reputed) was spent at the Columbia River Maritime Museum.  it's kind of small but it's loaded.  the Columbia is an amazing natural resource, and its ebb and flow really shaped the development of the region, from the timber industry, to shipping and trade, and of course, fishing.  the museum's exhibits feature short and entertaining anecdotes which accompany striking pictures and paintings, fascinating artifacts, and detailed, large-scale models, as well as the decommissioned Lighthouse Ship which served as a huge floating navigational aid/haven from the weather before technology rendered it superfluous.  as the museum tells the stories behind the growth of the area, one understands that a river like the Columbia is not merely a natural force, but a political and economic one as well.

 the thing that struck me the most, however, was recognizing the true essence of the phrase, 'the more things change, the more they stay the same'.  technology is the massive vehicle of change.  communication is much faster, harvesting techniques more advanced, production methods more efficient, everything is bigger, faster, stronger.  but contention between people over certain things exists today exactly as it did 130 years ago.  i read newspaper clippings and other historical documents from as far back as 1880 which chronicled the 'buzz issues' of the time as the Columbia evolved: immigrant labor, preservation vs. exploitation, and the fight for fair market value.  it was Chinese, now it's Mexican.  it was homesteaders vs. loggers, now it's real estate developers vs. historical society.  it's still fishermen vs. canneries, but now it's over $2 instead of a nickel.  who knows how the issues will change in the next 100 years, but it's safe to say the fighting will be the same. 

another constant issue particular to the Columbia is vessel safety.  the small area around the entrance to the Columbia River, where powerful river currents smash into high winds and heavy seas and create shallow, shifting sand bars, has been named the Graveyard of the Pacific.  since 1792, over 2,000 vessels have gone down and over 700 people have lost their lives.  the conditions insist that the Coast Guard maintains a relatively intense presence around the Columbia River bar, and a section of the museum is dedicated to their great efforts.  

i got an unexpected little treat while i was there, as a SeaGrant researcher gave a little presentation on some of the wild and strange fish he's encountered over his years of study around the country.  i learned that seahorses are monogamous, squid communicate by changing color, and one little predator actually electrocutes its prey.  it was pretty cool.  and it made me think about some of the unusual things i've seen during my offshore experience.  which gave me the subject for my next blog.  all in all, quite a worthwhile afternoon.