Yeah! I finally arrived in Astoria, Oregon. This place is beautifully located on the Columbia River near the Pacific Ocean. On the two hour van drive from the Portland, Oregon airport, we saw five bald eagles and several seals in the river. Even though we were impressed with the area, we eagerly awaited the JOIDES Resolution, the ship that we would be staying on for the next 8 weeks. As we entered Astoria, our eyes were glued to the riverfront as we searched for the drilling derrick of the ship. Can you see it in the upper left just above the trees?
Its HUGE!!! At 202 feet above waterline, the drilling derrick of the JOIDES Resolution towers above anything along the river. The ship is 469 feet long. I can’t begin to tell you how interesting this ship is. I will add a little each day to my journal. However, there is an excellent site on the internet with details on the JOIDES Resolution; the URL is:
We had beautiful weather for the traditional welcoming barbeque for the staff and scientists of IODP Expedition 301. The Portuguese cooks at the grill will be preparing our food and taking care of our rooms and laundry for the expedition. The barbeque was a great opportunity to begin to meet scientists and learn about what research they will be doing.
What a sight the JOIDES Resolution is at night. This is on the dock at Astoria.
