We were up bright and early Saturday morning and ready to go over to the café for breakfast. They opened at 8:00, so we took our time wandering over. We said good morning to the animals...
Nehalem River...
We had a short travel day today, arriving at Fort Stevens State Park just after 10:00...
One of the nation’s largest public campgrounds, Fort Stevens marks the site of a military installation once used to guard the mouth of the Columbia River. The fort saw service for 84 years, from the Civil War to World War II. Today, Fort Stevens is a 4,300-acre park offering a variety of recreation adventures, including camping, beach-combing, a freshwater lake, trails, wildlife viewing, and an historic shipwreck.
After checking in at the campground office, we headed to H Loop...we had reserved site H9 and Earl and Allison were across from us and down a couple of sites in H13. Both sites were full hook-up with 50amp power...base price was $34/night plus "other fees". Our total cost for the 4 nights we are staying was $180, so that's $45/night. Oregon now charges extra for out of State travellers, so that would be part of the "other fees".
After getting set up, we had lunch and then we headed out with Earl and Allison to do a little exploring...surprisingly, this is one State Park along the Oregon Coast that they had never been to.
We started off by checking out the beach and the historic shipwreck...
Peter Iredale was a four-masted steel barque sailing vessel that ran ashore October 25, 1906, on the Oregon coast en route to the Columbia River. She was abandoned on Clatsop Spit near Fort Stevens in Warrenton about four miles (6 km) south of the Columbia River channel. Wreckage is still visible, making it a popular tourist attraction as one of the most accessible shipwrecks of the Graveyard of the Pacific.
It was cool and windy...
We drove Jetty Road to the end of spit and a wildlife viewing area...
Hard to see in this photo but there is a long concrete railroad trestle that spans across the bay that was used to run supplies to the fort...
Next stop was at the Columbia River South Jetty Observation Tower...
On our way back to the truck, Earl discovered there was a geocache nearby, so off we went to find it!
Next was Battery Russell...
Battery Russell is one of nine batteries at Fort Stevens and was active for forty years, from 1904 to 1944. Fort Stevens itself was in service for 84 years, from the Civil War through to WWII. It’s named after Major General David Russell who fought in the Civil War. The battery once protected the mouth of the Columbia River. Together with Fort Columbia and Fort Canby in Washington, the three forts created the Triangle of Fire. This defense made it difficult for enemy boats to sneak undetected up the Columbia River. Despite its important defensive position, Battery Russell was an unpopular station. Soldiers didn’t want to stay there and it was given the unfortunate nickname of Squirrelsville. This was partly due to the fact that the housing was quickly built, and partly because soldiers rotated in and out every few days. It was only manned full-time after the attack on Pearl Harbor in WWII.
Gun mounts...
I found an interesting article on "the web"...Where a Japanese Sub Fired on Oregon: Battery Russell and Fort Stevens. Definitely worth a read if you are interested.
We ended a great travel/sightseeing day with a happy hour around our propane campfire...
Tomorrow we'll explore the historic part of Fort Stevens...stay tuned!
Ah, brings back memories when we were there a few years ago. Beautiful park!
ReplyDeleteWe had been there years ago when the kids were little. Nice to revisit!
DeleteInteresting area but stupid that Oregon charges more for nonresidents!
ReplyDeleteUnfortunate that they feel the need to, particularly during off season.
DeleteA great place to visit. Too bad the weather did not cooperate better on your drives.
ReplyDeleteSunshine would definitely have been nicer!
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