June 19-20, 2011 – Northern Oregon Coast continued

Sunday morning we moved about 30 miles north to Fort Stevens State Park which is on the northwestern corner of Oregon.  This state park is really nice and a very popular park for camping.  We could only get reservations for 5 nights but have a really nice site.  It rained a little and was overcast all day.  We drove around the park a little to see what was here.





Monday morning we woke to sunshine and it was nice all day – Yeah!  We went to the Fort Stevens State Historical Site which is the site of an army coastal battery built to protect the mouth of the Columbia River.  The Fort was constructed during the Civil War and remained active until shortly after World War II.  After the army decommissioned Fort Stevens, many of the buildings in the fort area were demolished but the batteries remain.  We walked around for a couple of hours taking a self-guided tour and then took a riding tour on this World War II era army truck (a deuce and a half).




This is a view of two of the batteries overlooking the mouth of the Columbia River.







This is a replica of a 6” gun on a disappearing carriage that was used on this battery.  Eventually the park hopes to have this gun in firing condition.






We saw this Black Tailed Deer as we were walking around the batteries.  The tour volunteers said that she had twin fawns close by – probably hiding in the trees behind her.







After lunch we took the dogs to the beach for the afternoon.  The Columbia River Bar, where the Pacific Ocean and Columbia River meet, can be a navigational nightmare.  Since 1792, approximately 2,000 ships have sunk in this area, earning it the nickname “Graveyard of the Pacific.”  This is the remains of the British sailing ship Peter Iredale which wrecked here in 1906. 






Rex took the opportunity during good weather to do some kite flying on the beach.







While Rex was flying his kite and Nancy was taking pictures, Camille and Cody took advantage of the lack of attention to look for treats in the backpack.  We caught them red handed (pawed).








We found a place where you can drive onto the beach and couldn’t resist.  We are prepared with the kayaks in case the tide comes in suddenly.


We had a great day and really enjoyed the sunshine!

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