Last stop: Westport, Washington

We've never been to Westport, which turned out to be another good discovery. Since we changed our original plans for the rest of this trip by staying on the coast to avoid the inland heatwave, this little seaside town was the perfect distance between Fort Stevens and home. 

Good Sam's mapping software pointed us to the American Sunset RV and Tent Resort, which had a spot for us for a couple of nights. I wondered at the name.... it was a first to hear of a "tent resort".... so I was intrigued as to what this place would be like. It turned out to be rather pleasant, with a large field behind the RV rows for tenters, though there were only a couple pitched while we were here. 
I had noticed in both State parks, with some surprise, that there were many families camping in tents. It reminded me of our tent which I referred to as my first home, when we were oh! so young and first married. Tent camping is still popular, even with the elder set. Often we would see grandparents accompanying their families, and I couldn't help wondering how they enjoyed their rustic camping experience at this stage of life. 
I see that I have become very spoiled!

the Astoria bridge that crosses the mighty and dangerous Columbia River mouth

The drive to Westport was pretty and pleasant. This part of the country is always a scenic guarantee. We crossed the enormous mouth of the Columbia River at Astoria, after filling up first, and entered Washington Sate. It was still low tide, and several sand bars were exposed. No wonder this inlet is such a hazard to ships.

the long stretch across the shallow parts to Washington on the other side

approaching the bridge into Washington

We wound our way along the Lewis and Clark Trail Scenic Byway, hugging the coastline. I find the scenery quite mesmerizing, gazing out over the water to the green hills in the distance. I think I mentioned previously that we listen to audio books along long stretches. At the moment we are enjoying one of Alexander McCall Smith's series, 44 Scotland Street.  It not only helps to shorten the journey, but it also is a great way for my DH to enjoy books he may not otherwise have time to sit and read, and I never mind re-reading a good book again. 

Arriving in the early afternoon gave us time to set up, have lunch and tea (what else?!), and log on. We were back in the civilized world of Internet access, which the RV parks so kindly offer. 
Westport is located on Point Chehalis (the peninsula) at the west end of Grays Harbor at the inlet. Grays Harbor is named after Captain Robert Gray who discovered the bay in 1792 while making his fur-trading voyages along the Pacific Coast. 

Originally,Chehalis Indians lived on these beaches during the summer to hunt, fish, and trade. In 1860, Fort Chehalis was established here on the peninsula. The US Coast Guard and timber shipping out of Grays Harbor helped establish a settlement over time. The US Corps of Engineers built a jetty in 1896 to assist shipping, then rebuilt it in 1935. In 1898, the Chehalis Point lighthouse was erected. Westport's first hotel was opened in 1891 and by 1911 there were six hotels, three markets, a saloon, and two razor clam canneries. Around 1913, Finnish loggers started the cranberry bogs for which this area is well known. The city of Westport was incorporated June 26, 1914, and had 114 citizens. During WWII, aware of a possible attack, gun emplacements were placed along the beaches. The 1950's brought commercial fishing fleets and sports fishing to Westport. Another claim to fame is that actor John Wayne moored his pleasureboat in Westport for several summers while here for salmon fishing.
Here are two good links to more history of the area:
http://www.historylink.org/index.cfm?DisplayPage=output.cfm&file_id=10723

http://westportgrayland-chamber.org/history.php   

We went for a walk to explore the little town, and once again were pleasantly surprised. This turns out to be quite an active fishing and crabbing area, with a couple of canneries right here in town. 
The Westport Marina, right across from a quaint main street of the the town, was filled with trawling vessels home for the night. 

a clutter of fishing rigs 

the wind was pretty breezy along here at this time of day

quaint old buildings in the downtown area

we saw several murals along our walk, capturing the history  of the town

We walked on to the observation tower for a look-see. We got a good overview of the point, the town, and Half Moon Bay to the south.  Except for the howling hold-on-to-your-hat wind at the harbor, we enjoyed our walk.

Half Moon Bay

The next day, we went exploring in another direction and walked to the tallest lighthouse in Washington. 
I found it amusing that the lighthouse actually sits inland, adjacent to a neighborhood.  It was still early, so the lighthouse was closed to visitors. 
Later I found out that this is the Grays Harbor Lighthouse, and that it is 107 feet high, making it not only the tallest lighthouse in Washington but also the third tallest on the West Coast. When built in 1898, it stood about 400 feet from the water's edge.  However, over the years, with the accumulation of deposit buildup created by the jetty system to the entrance of Grays Harbor, the lighthouse now stands about 3,000 feet from high tide, and across the street from a restaurant.





We took a few photos and moved on towards the paved trail that follows the beach.
It was a long and pretty walk. We passed several other joggers and bikers. 
Eventually we came to a spot that must be popular with surfers because there were many of them donning wetsuits or heading towards the beach.

one of the many surfers here along this stretch of beach

I took this photo because I was intrigued to learn about surf etiquette..
and wonder if perhaps this spot is so popular that there may have been
a few issues arising which made it necessary to post these rules

Recognizing Half Moon Bay ahead of us, we crossed down to the beach and continued on back towards the observation tower and the harbor. 

the breakers were coming in often and pounding the beach

we climbed the observation tower again to take another look on this lovely sunny day..
there were more surfers riding the waves on this side of the bay

We continued on back to Alpine through town, hoping to enjoy a well-deserved ice cream after our 5.5-mile walk. However, it was still just a little too early for the shops to be open.

there are several wood carving sculptures here, and after recently watching chainsaw carvers at work in Reedsport,
 I am a lot wiser about this art form

Meanwhile, back at the RV (and Tent) Resort, a group had gathered for the Westport Rod Run, a street rod association car rally. We took a walk later when the 'rods' were parked together for display. It was a treat to see these immaculately kept and loved cars. 

Tomorrow, sadly, we head back home again. But only for a few weeks, before heading off to the next NoWACA rally in September.  I look forward to attending my first rodeo in Ellensburg. I definitely must not forget to bring my red cowboy hat for this event.
Here is a map of our 1,100-mile Oregon Rally and Coastal Trip:

That's all folks.... signing out for now and see you in September.

Fort Stevens State Park

We spent four days at Fort Stevens State Park.  Located near Astoria, Oregon, at the mouth of the Columbia River, this 4,200 acre, recreational and historical site has a lot to offer.  We were busy exploring every day.

This stretch of Oregon coast is steeped in military history dating back to the Civil War, which was a surprise to us. We do of course know, and visited on a previous trip, the Lewis and Clark Historical Park located close by, where the Corps of Discovery Party spent the winter of 1805-06. What we discovered on this trip is that Fort Stevens was a military fort guarding the Columbia River from the Civil War through World War II and that its claim to fame is that it became the first US mainland military base to be fired on by a foreign power since the War of 1812. On the night of June 21st, 1942, a Japanese submarine fired seventeen shells in the direction of the fort, several of which landed close to one of the gun batteries. 
Here is the same video that we watched at the museum:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=io_w4UWCcCE

We walked around Battery Pratt with its replica of one of the 10-inch disappearing rifles.

Here is the "disappearing rifle" hiding behind the wall.  It pivots up to fire the shot, then retracts back to its hidden position. 

There is more military memorabilia on the grounds adjacent to the Museum:

In its heyday, this military post was the size of a small village, including a hospital, fire station, laundry, bakery, commissary, and chapel that supported the soldiers housed in the many barracks and command buildings. Today, all that you see as you walk around the grounds, are the foundations of the demolished buildings. 

For my history buff fan club, here is a link to the PDF of the detailed brochure on the Fort Stevens historical site: 

http://www.oregonstateparks.org/index.cfm?do=main.loadFile&load=_siteFiles/publications/37300_Fort_Stevens_Trail_Guide_(lowres)113354.pdf

We also visited Battery Russell which is the vicinity where the Japanese shell hit, leaving a 5-foot crater in the ground.

We didn't see the crater, but we did see the Pacific Rim Peace Memorial that was erected on the 50th anniversary of the 1942 attack. It remains a reminder of a wish for everlasting peace between the US and Japan.

There was not much else to see other than another abandoned concrete battery. 

My impression is that there was a lot of concrete used in the construction of the batteries and gun emplacements, and that concrete has a very long shelf life. These structures may be utilitarian in purpose but now the crumbling remains seem quite ugly and out of place among the lush natural flora of the surrounding area. 
Here is link to the informative brochure about Battery Russell:

http://www.oregonstateparks.org/index.cfm?do=main.loadFile&load=_siteFiles/publications/36002FS_BR_Brochure_LR032416.pdf

Fort Stevens State Park is also proud of its very own shipwreck. This brochure explains how the British sailing ship, Peter Iredale, ran aground in 1906 on this notoriously hazardous river bar:

http://www.oregonstateparks.org/index.cfm?do=main.loadFile&load=_siteFiles/publications/37441_Graveyard_of_Pacific_(lowres)032248.pdf

Not much of significance remains 100 years later, though it still attracts folks who seem to enjoy taking photos of the skeletal remains of the rusted hull.

 The park boasts five miles of hiking trails and nine miles of bike trails.  We walked most of those miles to the historical sites and down to the beach.  

Here is what we saw along the way: 

Coffenbury Lake -

lilies and mosquitoes love this lake

but so do swimmers and "fisherfolks"

...the expanse of endless beach and dunes - 

...pretty woods and wetlands - 

miles of paved paths for bikers and hikers

interesting variety of trees

moss encrusted branches

We also enjoyed some "down time" at our campsite nestled between the trees.  And here, I would like to add that my bus driver is now an expert at maneuvering this rather large home on wheels into very tight spaces. This site was a particular challenge as he had to back the coach between two rows of trees. Though many of the sites in this park are angled, making it easier to back in, ours was not and Michael had to back in at a 90 degree angle while avoiding the trees on the site across the narrow roadway from us.

The folks opposite us were so impressed as they watched, that they came over to comment afterwards. 

Tomorrow we continue on to our next stop, this time on the Washington coast, in Westport, where we will spend a couple of nights before arriving back home.