June 13, 2021
This was my second summer camping trip in 2021. It was great!
This time I headed south, but only just barely across the Washington border and into Oregon, then to the very northwest corner of Oregon, right on the edge of the Pacific Ocean, where the Columbia River empties into the Pacific Ocean. You may remember that I went camping in 2020 to Cape Disappointment State Park on the edge of the Pacific Ocean, just north of where the Columbia River empties into the Pacific Ocean, in the State of Washington. On this 2021 camping trip, I will again be on the edge of the Pacific Ocean, but just to the south of where the Columbia River empties into the Pacific Ocean, in the State of Oregon.
Here’s a map of my driving route to Fort Stevens State Park in Oregon …
From home, I drove down I-5, then took one of the Longview exits and headed west on highway 30 along the southern side of the Columbia River. I drove through Astoria (I’ll see some interesting things in that town during my visit here), then to the small town of Warrenton, and then to the Fort Stevens State Park, right on the Pacific Ocean.
It was a bit rainy on my drive south, but not too bad. As the day progressed, the clouds blew away. By the time I got to my campsite, the day was sunshine bright, and it stayed that way the rest of the week. Hooray.
On arrival at Fort Stevens State Park, I pulled through the campground entrance and immediately stopped at the Ranger station, just to make sure my reservation was good and to ask questions about what things I might see and do in the area. I always research online ahead of any camping trip, but I also ask the locals, and it usually pays off.
Photo above … just inside the campground entrance, I’m parked in the main parking lot right next to an Oregon State Park truck.
Photo below … the very nice, large Ranger station for this park/campground. I was surprised how large the building was, given that most state parks in Washington sometimes barely have a small kiosk for their Ranger station. While I was checking in, inside the building, I asked why the building was so large. The answer was … the Fort Stevens State Park in Oregon is the third largest state park in the entire USA! That’s taking into consideration acreage, day use by people, as well as camping and yurt/cabin rentals by people, and maintenance needed on a number of historic sites within the park grounds. This place is huge and it’s busy, hence a Ranger station to accomodate the office space needed.
When I heard how big this place was, I wondered if I would ever find my little campsite. But they gave me a map, and it was easy. 🙂
BUT, the drive to my campsite was fraught with distraction. Around the first bend in the road, as I drove past a group of yurts, this person below was having a nibble in the grass off to my left.
I clicked and whistled at him, enticing him to come closer, but he turned his “back” on me. 🙂
Around the next bend, a doe was having a bite to eat at the edge of the woods.
Then another buck appeared further along the road.
And then yet another (below)!
This last fellow did come quite a bit closer to my truck. I shut the engine off and just sat there for a minute or so with my window open. What a sweet face.
Finally! I made it to my campsite and backed in, checked the power at the power pedestal (all ok there), then leveled the trailer and unhitched. Shortly after I settled in, I met the folks camped in the site to the right (in the photo below). They were the nicest folks, and perfectly quiet. The campsite to the left was empty most of the time that I was there this week, but everyone who was there was quiet and considerate as well.
Look at that sunshine! As promised. 🙂
Stay tuned for adventures. There are some great things to see and do here. Just you wait and see. 🙂
Oh boy, summer sunshine! Thanks Ann, we needed that!
Me too! It was fun to look through the photos and choose them for this blog post. Ahhhhh, summer fun. 🙂
Yes, we want summer back, even with it’s horrendous heat! This rain this autumn has been torrential. Thanks for a breath of summer again Ann.
Jim
You bet, Jim. Yep, this past summer was scorchingly hot, but then the monsoon rains of autumn hit. I’ll be posting more 2021 summer sunshine camping, rest assured.
Love your camping trips. Looking forward to this one. Great deer photos.
Thanks, Emily. More to come. 🙂
Love the dear deer. 🙂
Oh, “dear deer” … nice comment. 🙂
Oh good, more camping. We sure miss it. Looking forward to what you find that’s fun and interesting on this trip.
Definitely lots more coming that’s fun and interesting on this trip. Though I know you folks have been long time RVers and have stories to tell too. Thanks Marge. 🙂
Your blog post, and the map in it, reminds me of how massive the Columbia River is. I’ve been on both the north side and the south side of the mouth where it empties into the Pacific Ocean, just like you have, and you can’t hardly see the other side. It’s massive. And this stupendous river actually starts up in Canada. I swear Canada is going to win the world financial battle since it has more fresh water than any other country on earth. But like you say, Ann, that’s a tale for another day. 🙂 Thanks for doing all this blog work.
Ben, thank you. Great comment. I’ve thought that Canada might win that too. I’ve been so surprised that so many USA citizens don’t have a clue about Canada’s water, and about Canada’s MacKenzie River, the second largest in North America, that flows north into the Arctic … and it’s one of the largest in the world, way ahead of the Columbia. There’s a great book I read some years back … a woman and her two kids took a canoe trip UP the MacKenzie towards the Arctic. What an adventure. If I can come up with the title of that book, I’ll share it here. But if any of you readers know it, please comment!
Ann, is it the book “Down the Wild River North” by Constance Helmricks? We loved that book. I loved that book! I still have a copy. She traveled “down” the river, she canoed down-river with the current running down-river. But she was heading north because the river ran to the north, just as you said. And she had her two children with her. Can’t remember how long it took her, months? But they did eventually reach the arctic circle. Really stupendous book. I hope this is the one you’re thinking of. If not, my apologies. 🙂
Janey
Yes!!! Thank you Janey! That’s the book exactly. I loved that book too. If any of you readers can get this book from your local library, please do so, even if you need to request an “interlibrary loan”. “Down the Wild River North” by Constance Helmericks. And thanks to you too Ben. My gosh, my readers are stupendous.
Sorry Ann, the last name is indeed spelled “Helmericks”. And yes, everyone should read this book! It’s a great “read”.
Janey
I’ve re-ordered this book from my library to read again. It is indeed a great winter read. Thanks, Janey.
Love the comments. Love the blog. Fun stuff. It’s really great how people share what they know. I just ordered that book as an inter-library loan from my local library. Really cool that your readers knew about this book Ann. I bet all the readers here know a ton of stuff.
Thanks, Ruby, I always love your comments and additions to the blog. Yes, it’s great how people share their own info here. Sometimes you readers have your own discussions without me, I love that too! The more, the better. 🙂