August Camping Trip

On the weekend of the 17th of August we went camping again, something we all enjoy alot. This time we headed west down Hwy 30 to Astoria and keep going to Ft. Stevens (And Again) state campground. Ft. Sevens is built on the spit of land that juts into the Pacific ocean just west of Astoria. There was a military fort there and big guns to protect the entrance to the Columbia River since Civil War days. The guns have long been removed but the fort installations are open to the public to investigate. They have also built a military museum that is quite interesting. In early 1941, before our actual entrance into WWII, a Japaneese submarine surfaced in the ocean west of Ft. Stevens and lobbed 17 shells into the Fort and surrounding area. It was the first time the US mainland had been shelled since the war of 1812. While there was no consequence to the shelling, no individuals were injured and no damage to fortifications, the incident was a wake up call to our nation.

The state campground is quite large with lots of bike, hiking and horseback riding trails, easy access to the ocean front, a fresh water lake for boating, and even the remains of a ship wreck, the Peter Iredale, to ponder. And of course the fortifications of Ft. Stevens which are very interesting in themselves.

We had a great time, though true to lore it did start to rain on Saturday afternoon, and continued until Sunday morning. But we are getting use to this, meaning it has happened to us before! We tarped the tents well, and enjoyed it all. Sara invited her friend Elizabeth to come along and the girls had a great time.

We hope to camp again before summer ends, this time east to the sides of Mt. Hood and Trilliam Lake where we have been before. They stock the lake late in the summer with lots of catchable trout and quite a few "trophy" trout. Should be fun with our new pontoon boat (see pics below. Click on an image for a larger view.)