April 23-24 – The Oregon Coast Journey

April 23rd we decided it was time for a little break and wind down with the family. Up to this point we had pretty much been going and going. It was a lot of work to prepare for this trip for sure. Getting our life in order and ready to hit the road was a big step for our family. We started the morning with Egg Benedict and some yummy food before we hit the road to get to our campground for the night.

We didn’t drive as far this day we stopped at the Fort Stevens Campground. We got in early, setup and did some basic shopping. Enjoyed a campfire before it started to rain, we then hunkered down for the night in the camper, with some card games.

April 24th well lets just say that we camped where we did because it was close to the Buoy’s Best Fish House, which for the record is the world’s best fish and chips. The day started out pretty chill with homemade sausage, bacon and eggs. Then went for a day of exploring and fish and chips of course!!! We first started by driving through Seaside, Oregon, and saw the end of The Lewis and Clark Trail, which was right on the West Coast of Oregon. After our short wander through the town, we started making our way to the Ecola State Park. If you have ever seen the movies The Goonies, or Kindergarten Cop, they both were filmed at this State Park. We then wandered around trails in the State Park, seeing the Tillamook Rock Lighthouse. After that, we explored Indian Beach. Some fun things we saw were caves, where the fresh water ran into the ocean, clams, mussels, and sea urchins.

We then headed back to Seaside for the “World’s Greatest Fish and Chips”. With everyone satisfied, we headed back towards our campsite. We got distracted by a big sign, reading, “Fort Stevens: Historic Military Sites”. The base was open for use, dating back from The Civil War, all the way till World War II. On the night of June 21, 1942, at about 11:30 p.m. a Japanese submarine attacked Fort Stevens. They rampaged for approximately sixteen minutes, while Fort Stevens held fire. Eventually, the submarine ceased fire, submerged, and retreated beneath the waves. This was a really cool experience to be able to walk the historical site and learn the facts about the area. This was the approximate site of the Clatsop Indian village, it was the largest village in the area. Due to the construction of Fort Stevens, it pushed the indigenous out. This site had a steam room with steam-powered engines that ran from 1911 to 1921 which was later turned to electrical generators.

After, a full day of driving and exploring we headed back to our campsite and spend time planning for the next days adventure.