Ft. Stevens State Park, near Astoria, OR:  Well, it was supposed to be 80 and sunny today.  And it was sunny early this morning. But by the time we got dressed and headed out, the clouds had moved in.  Drove back to Astoria because I wanted to check out a possible river cruise.  Then we headed back to Ft. Clatsop, stopping in Warrenton for some lunch.  Ft. Clatsop is where Lewis & Clark and the Corps of Discovery wintered before heading back to St. Louis.  And we visited here on an appropriate day, since of the four months they spent here, only 13 days were without rain.  Still cloudy and now sprinkling off and on.  Although they were busy putting up provisions for their return trip (they made 385 pairs of moccasins for the men) boredom still set in.  And they were pretty miserable with the constant rain and cold.  After leaving there we searched out and found the place where a Japanese submarine shelled the Oregon coast.  The only time the mainland was shelled during WWII.  It didn’t do any damage or anything, but I’m sure it got everyone’s attention.  Only 65 today, cloudy and damp.

Ft. Clatsop front entrance.

Cabins where the Corps lived.

Fort's back entrance which led to the spring.

Captain's quarters.

I never knew about this shelling of the Oregon coast by a Japanese submarine.

Sculpture of Sacajawea and her son, Jean Baptiste.  She's 16 years old.

Mon, July 15:

Portland/Fairview RV Park, Portland, OR, to Ft. Stevens State Park, near Astoria, OR:  Bid farewell to Portland this morning around 10:00.  We took I84 west and then I205 north and then took the I30 bypass, eventually crossing the Willamette River to Rt. 30.  The Willamette River in this area is not very pretty, with large oil storage tanks lining both sides of the river.  But pretty quickly we were in a pristine area with a pretty valley to the north and steep, wooded hills on our left.  Drove through cute little towns of Scappoose, St. Helens, Rainier, and then historic Astoria.  Followed the Columbia River most of the way.  The river really widens as it meets the Pacific.  Ft. Stevens State Park sits on a peninsula that juts into the Pacific.  A really nice park with a nice campground, extensive bike paths, equestrian trails, several lakes and nice beaches.  Our site is really nice with lush vegetation between our living area side and the site next to us.  Very private.  After getting set up we walked over to one of the lakes using one of the bike paths and then a trail through this beautiful forest.  We’re here for only four nights.  Wish it was longer.  And we have full hook-ups which is unusual for a state park.  73 when we arrived.

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