Ridgefield and Cathlamet

The second weekend of March brings the the Cathlamet crab and oyster feed as we did last year. 
We left at 10:30 and did a bit of hiking at the Carty Unit of the Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge
The Carty Unit is just a bit north of Ridgefield, Washington
Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge
Not spring just yet
Carla looking at me; Jay looking at an otter in the pond
Jay nursing a hot coffee. John being amazed at something he sees
Terry leading a part of our group
I’ve gone to the River Unit of the refuge in the past for train pics. This hike features a pedestrian bridge over the same tracks. The Coast Starlight is heading to Portland from Seattle
Coast Starlight Southbound
After the hike we headed up to Norse Hall in Cathlamet. It’s on an island in the Columbia River.
Norse Hall

The oysters were getting a shower before their steam bath.

Cleaning the oysters
Into the steam bath for the Oysters
The feed is in the basement which seats about 150 people in long tables. There are big plastic sheets running the length of the tables with Sharpie lines marking spots for the various parties. There are 3 layers of plastic sheets pre-marked for the 3 feeding times 3:00, 5:00, and 7:00
One of our table mates; she was in the group next to ours
At the beginning each table goes through a line to get 1/2 a crab, potatoe salad, cole slaw, and some beans. Then youngsters come around with 5 gallon buckets of oysters. We went back for seconds.
Tasty.
Oysters; and plenty of them.
The guy in the blue shirt from another group told some great stories about growing up on a pig farm.
Remains of the day. Norm, from our group on the left.
The feed is a big fund raiser for the community; apparently they have a giant fireworks display the 3rd weekend of July.
The organizers (I think). I should have gotten their names
The only thing lacking was dessert. So on the way back to Portland, Carla checked Yelp for ice cream parlors. She found Ice Cream Renaissance Vancouver. They make their own ice cream.
Dessert

 

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