THE DAILY ASTORIAN • FRIDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2015
COMMUNITY
1B
HE’S FULL OF ZIP
HELP FOR THE LONG HAUL
IT’S HISTORY
‘O
E
rhard Ulrich, celebrated his 99th birthday Sept. 20, and
showed up at High Life Adventures (www.highlife-adven-
tures.com) for a zip-line tour the next day, Mandy Flaitz told
the (ar. She is the of¿ce manager at the facility, which is owned
by David and Lancey Larson.
It was a privilege to host him, Mandy observed. “He is a
World War II veteran, and was honored in Washington, D.C.,
in 2014. He was the oldest of the 26 Oregon vets, and the only
one not in a wheelchair.” Courtesy of High Life Tours, the al-
most-centenarian is pictured with tour guides Logan Patterson
(left) and John Knutsen (right), looking no worse for the wear
after his zip trip.
So what does a zip-line consist of? “We offer an eight line
zip-line here in Warrenton,” Mandy explained. “It is a guid-
ed tour on a series of eight zip lines around and over a 7-acre
lake. We provide all of the gear required, and each group is
accompanied by two tour guides who will take care of all of
the clipping, unclipping, and braking. No experience required.
The lines range from 400 to 1,200 feet long and add up to about
a mile of zipping, total.” You can get an idea of the experience
here: http://preview.tinyurl.com/highzip.
So, what did the veteran think of his adventure? “It was a
great experience, and I would do it again,” he declared.
Mandy echoed his sentiment. “We hope to see him again for
his 100th birthday!”
O
HERE WE GO AGAIN
K, yet another tidbit on the fate
of a Goonies 2 — a comment
that Sean Astin (pictured) made in a
Sept. 22 interview with Tulsa World,
calling the sequel a “100 percent mor-
tal lock,” caused quite a stir (http://
tinyurl.com/mortallock).
The actor is pictured in a photo from
his Facebook page, where he posted the
following on Sept. 28: “I have always
believed that there will be a Goonies
Sequel, because Steven Spielberg told
me in 1988 that he wanted to make one. Richard Donner has said
that it is in the works. Warner Brothers is enjoying a very suc-
cessful merchandising experience with the ‘title.’
“If it gets made in my lifetime, I will root for it, whether I’m
in it or not. If it gets made after I’m no longer here to be in it or
to watch it, I still know in my heart, guts, wherever, (that it) will
get made. “The fact that I’m asked about it everywhere I go is
amusing. The fact that people just make stuff up about it, also
hilarious. Now, I have said all I am going to say on the subject
until 5 minutes from now when another Goonies-loving neigh-
bor wants me to give them the inside scoop. Spoiler, no scoop.”
S
ince the Tourist II ferry is in the news again this week,
the Ear wonders if you know that in 1997 it was record-
ed in the National Register of Historic Places? Yup, it
was added to the list when it was known as the MV Kirk-
land (http://tinyurl.com/T2NRHP). A photo of the vessel
is shown, courtesy of the Clatsop County Historical So-
ciety.
Here are some tidbits from the NRHP application: Fritz
Elfving, a Swede, arrived in Astoria in 1907 and worked
as a carpenter and ship builder. He began operating boats
on the Columbia River, hauling road building supplies, in
1910. In 1921, he petitioned the city of Astoria to build a
ferry landing at the foot of 14th Street. His ¿rst Astoria
auto ferry, Tourist I, started in service the same year.
In 1924, Elfving commissioned Tourist II, which was
constructed by the Wilson Shipbuilding Co. in Astoria, un-
der the general supervision of Alfred Niemi, master car-
penter. Joseph M. Dyer, who designed Tourist III (1931),
may also have designed Tourist II. All three vessels had
wood hulls.
Elfving’s success inspired rivals. “In a notorious ex-
ample of competition, the North Beach Transportation
Company in 1931 erected pilings in the water in front of
Elfving’s 14th Street dock,” the application says. “Elfv-
ing responded with a legendary action that is celebrated
in Astoria history and which is now known as the de¿ning
moment in the ‘Astoria ferry wars.’
“As he motored toward the dock, Elfving spotted the
pilings from afar. He responded by backing up the fully
loaded ferry and then powering forward to splinter the
barrier with the bow of the boat. It was reported that the
shattered pilings Àoated towards the competitor’s ferry
landing and temporarily disabled a vessel.” Sadly, there
was no mention of which Tourist ferry did the honors that
day.
CASTING CALL
LET’S PLAY TAG
n Tuesday evening, Sept. 22, I hosted an hour-long dance
¿tness class at the park in Cannon Beach,” Yasemin Ar-
cher wrote. A photo of the class is shown. “The event was a
fundraiser to raise money for two local boys, Isair Mejia-Leon
(6) and Taylen Burden (2) who have recently been diagnosed
with cancer.”
Isair, pictured inset, bottom, lives with his family in Seaside.
A trip to the local hospital for a stomach bug turned into an am-
bulance ride to Doernbecher Children’s Hospital in Portland and
a diagnosis of leukemia. He will probably need chemotherapy
in Portland for three years, and there will be a lot of commuting.
Taylen, pictured inset, top, who lives in Wheeler, passed out
at home in August. He was rushed to a nearby Urgent Care, then
to Providence Seaside Hospital, which rushed him to Doernbech-
er’s. After receiving several transfusions, the diagnosis was giv-
en: leukemia. Like Isair, he needs three years of chemotherapy in
Portland, and his family will need some extra help ¿nancially, as
well, during this dif¿cult time.
Want to help Isair? Donate online at www.gofundme.com/love-
forisair or to an account set up in his name at Wells Fargo. Dona-
tions for “Tough Taylen” may be made online at www.gofundme.
com/toughtaylen or to an account in his name at U.S. Bank.
“Tuesday night was quite a success,” Yasemin wrote. A whop-
ping $1,500 was raised, but more is needed for the long haul both
families are facing. Can you help?
MOVING MOUNTAINS
C
BS News reports that the city of Rikuzentakata, Japan, is
literally moving mountains. One of the hardest hit during
the 2011 Japanese tsunami, the city was essentially wiped out,
and a tenth of its population was lost, more than 1,700 people
(http://tinyurl.com/mtnmove).
Refusing to be defeated by the tsunami after living there for
several generations, rebuilding was never in doubt for the sur-
vivors — but how it could be done, was. Finally it was decided
to raise the city 30 feet, and that’s where the mountain comes in.
“Ten hours a day, six days a week, rock is funneled through
nearly two miles of giant conveyor belts,” which are provid-
ing the new foundation for the town, the story says of the $1.5
billion project. And, 4,000 dump-truck loads of soil from the
mountain are being brought in and dumped daily, as well. A
photo of the progress, shown, is courtesy of CBS News.
“Usable land is extremely scarce through the disaster zone
but especially here,” pub owner Eiki Kumagai told CBS.
POLE TO ATOLL
D
F
ile this under “now I’ve heard everything”: Tagging jelly-
¿sh. Well, the scientists at the Woods Hole Oceanographic
Institution have ¿gured out how to do it, if you can imagine
such a thing, Gizmag.com reports (http://tinyurl.com/tagjelly).
The data-logging device they’ll use, the ITAG, designed for
“small and delicate invertebrates” is pictured courtesy of Aran
Mooney of WHOI, and measures 4.25 by 2.5 by 1 inches.
Attached to the jelly¿sh bell using suction cups and veter-
inary-grade adhesive, the tag “records an animal’s movement,
orientation, dive pro¿les, and environmental data, such as light
and temperature,” the article says. “When it completes its job,
it detaches from the base, Àoats to the surface, and the beacon
activates for recovery and transmits the information it had re-
corded via VHF radio.”
By the way, the ITAG works on squid, too, but they have to
use biodegradable sutures to attach it.
Suturing a squid? Yikes.
o you really, really want to be on TV? This may be
your chance. Check out the text of a recently re-
ceived casting call:
“Do you make your living in real estate? Do you con-
sider yourself the next ‘Property Brothers’ or your town’s
version of Chip and Joanna of ‘Fixer Upper’? If so, you
could star in your own show!
“A major U.S. cable network and New York-based
production company are developing new real estate and
design shows — and we want fresh faces! We’re partic-
ularly interested in hearing from siblings, husband and
wife teams, and individuals who are experts in their ¿eld,
with personalities that audiences will love.
“Apply at: homehomecasting@gmail.com
“Tell us a bit about yourselves and why you’d make
for good TV. Include photos and any relevant links, as
well as a good time and number to reach you. A casting
producer will be in touch!”
The cable network mentioned is Magilla Entertain-
ment (http://magilla.tv), whose shows include “Long Is-
land Medium and “Beachfront Bargain Hunt.” They’re
casting a pretty wide net, and the North Coast is, without
a doubt, chock full of “personalities that audiences will
love.” Why not give it a shot?
T
he megayacht Triton, which visited Astoria recently is lovely,
but there’s a new kid in yacht-town with a unique twist: It’s also
an ice-breaker. The new line of Polar-capable expedition yachts,
called SeaXplorer, was recently unveiled at the Monaco Yacht Show,
gCaptain.com reports (http://tinyurl.com/yacht-ice), and one is pic-
tured in an illustration courtesy of the DAMEN Group, the Dutch
shipbuilders.
There are three models, 65, 90 and 100 meters (213, 295 and 328
feet) in length, and each comes with a dive center (decompression
chamber optional) a rescue boat and a helicopter. The yachts stay at
sea for up to 40 days without stopping, and travel at speeds up to 16
knots, so they can also travel to far Àung places other yachts can’t
even get near — from extreme Polar to remote tropical.
As the SeaXplorer website says, (http://seaxplorer.nl), the line
goes way “beyond the superyacht circuit.” There was no mention of
price, so you’d better start saving your pennies.