Nehalem, OR
Friday, October 4, 2024
More rain. Ugh!
Andi and I thought we might’ve left the gray, gloomy skies behind on Vancouver Island, but that doesn’t appear to be the case in Oregon. The four of us camped at For Stevens State Park in Astoria, Oregon last night, and woke up this morning to a soaking rain outdoors. Andi was less-than-thrilled to stand outside in the rain to unhook from the sewer, water, and electric.
For Stevens is a huge state park with lots to do — hikes & trails, a historic fort, and a 1906 shipwreck to explore on the beach. Unfortunately, it was pouring rain so we opted to do something indoors.
Andi drove our RV to Fort Clatsop which is where Lewis & Clark made their encampment near the mouth of the Columbia River during the winter of 1805-1806. Today, this is the Lewis & Clark Historic Site. There’s a replica of Lewis & Clark’s Fort Clatsop on site, as well as a visitor’s center to explore.
It’s incredible to realize that this journey only happened 218 years ago! One of the displays inside the museum showed William Clark’s family tree, displaying eight generations until present day. The bold adventure and sacrifice these men faced along their expedition is remarkable.
Tory gave me quite a bit of push-back when I asked her to complete a Junior Ranger packet at the Lewis & Clark Historic Site. I think these packets are a great way for our whole family to learn about a significant place we’re visiting in the United States, but Tory would say otherwise. She especially doesn’t like the part when a park ranger makes the kids recite a pledge at the end to receive their badge. I get that, but I still made her do it anyway.
Surprisingly, Aden didn’t fight me on it. He and I walked around the museum and completed his packet together while Andi helped Tory with us. I’m pretty sure they used ChatGPT to fill their packet out, though I will admit that theirs (for ages 13+) was much more complex than Aden and I’s (for ages 9-12).
As part of our learning, we watched a 15-minute video about Lewis & Clark’ time spent at Fort Clatsop during the winter of 1805. We walked around the trails outside the visitor’s center and saw a replica of their fort. Can you imagine what Lewis & Clark must’ve felt when they first laid sight on the Pacific Ocean at the mouth of the Columbia River? They made it!
William Clark recorded in his journal that it rained all but 12 days during the expedition's three-month stay at Fort Clatsop. With all the rainy weather we’ve experienced in the Pacific Northwest, that feels accurate.
After visiting the Lewis & Clark Historic Site at Fort Clatsop, the four of us hopped back into the RV and drove into Astoria. Astoria is Oregon’s oldest city, and the oldest established settlement west of the Rocky Mountains. I loved the costal town’s raw grittiness — this is a town that’s seen a thing or two in its time.
The four of us parked downtown, and then walked along the historic riverwalk from Pier 39 to Mo’s Seafood and Chowder. The barking sound of sea lions echoed from underneath the boardwalk.
I wanted to eat clam chowder while we visited the Oregon coast, so Andi suggested we have lunch at Mo’s. This locally-owned restaurant is so popular, it has several locations along the coast. Nothing fancy; most of their menu items included shrimp, fish & chips, and of course clam chowder. I ordered clam chowder in a bread bowl, and Andi had shrimp skewers served with cauliflower rice and vegetables. Tory and Aden had their usual hamburger and chicken tenders, respectively.
The clam chowder was very good! It tasted thick and creamy with potatoes, carrots, and bacon pieces. Andi raved about his shirmp, too.
After lunch, we continued walking along the riverfront to Sleeper Coffee. Andi ordered a cortado, and Aden asked for a hot chocolate. He was so jazzed when his drink came with a cat drawn in chocolate sauce on top!
The four of us walked back to the RV and drove 30 minutes south along the Oregon coast to Ecola State Park. Ecola State Park is known for its dramatic ocean views and is the site of the famous Haystack Rock.
We’ve been listening to our old friend “Talkie Guy” from the Guide Along audio tour series as we drive along the Oregon coast, and as we pulled up to the park he informed us that RVs are not allowed. What?! I did notice a sign that said there was an RV turn-around ahead, but I couldn’t understand why we’d need to do that. The entrance into Ecola State Park was a nicely paved road into the forest.
“Eh, we’re going anyway,” Andi said, ignoring the turn-around sign. He drove our RV up the paved roadway until we reached a parking lot at the top of the hill. Along the way, we received several dirty looks from other drivers approaching in the opposite direction. “Oh, relax!” Andi mumbled. Honestly, the road was plenty wide for two cars, so I’m not sure why we weren’t allowed to travel this way. We’ve driven our RV in much sketchier situations! For the record, there was a huge parking lot at the top of the hill with about three cars parked there, so we weren’t infringing on anyone’s safety being there.
The Goonies: the 1985 movie that made Haystack Rock famous. Well, famous with our generation at least. It was cold and windy at the overlook for Haystack Rock. We hurried down the path to take a few pictures of the iconic scene, and then ran back to the parking lot and into the warm comforts of our RV.
In the Goonies movie, Mikey points out Haystack rock as the missing piece of One-Eyed Willies treasure map. There was also a movie set created here for the Lighthouse Lounge.
We drove down the hillside and exited Ecola State Park without issue, and then made our way to the town of Cannon Beach. Cannon Beach is a small coastal town with touristy shops and restaurants, and a long, sandy beach where Haystack Rock is located. Tory and Aden each picked out a treat at ice cream and candy shops, and then we walked down to the beach together.
The weather was still very foggy with overcast skies, but it was no longer raining. The four of us strolled along Cannon Beach, admiring all the jellyfish and sand dollars we saw washed up on shore. Cannon Beach is gorgeous, and seems to stretch on for miles and miles. It was cold though! Definitely not a beach where sunbathing is the primary activity.
From Cannon Beach, we continued on toward the coastal town of Nehalem. We really didn’t have a plan of where we wanted to camp tonight; only to drive south along the coast until we we felt like stopping for the night. The entire Oregon coastline is protected from development through a series of state parks and protected marine areas. A bill passed in 1967 established a 16-foot shoreline protection guaranteeing all beaches along the coastline remain for public use.
We stopped at a few scenic overlooks during our southbound drive — gorgeous, rocky, and rugged.
Andi thought Nehalem Bay State Park looked like a good place to stop for the night, so we pulled into the campground to see if we could claim a spot. A sign posted in the gatehouse window said “Campground Full,” but there looked to be a few sites available on the Oregon Parks/Recreation reservation website.
“You’re in luck,” the park ranger told Andi when he approached the gatehouse, “we’ve just had a cancellation.” I guess Andi and I forgot that it’s Friday and campgrounds are usually fuller on the weekends. Honestly though, all of the state parks along the Oregon coastlinen have been busy; I can’t imagine what it’s like here during the summer months.
Nevertheless, we were able to secure a campsite for the night, and bonus — our Starlink worked at this site, too. The campground was full of fellow campers, and the sites were positioned fairly close together. I guess that’d be the only negative we found in staying here.
Andi grilled steak and potatoes for dinner, and I steamed some green beans to go along with our meal. After we ate, the four of us walked down to the beach. The campground is located on the Nehalem Spit with rolling sand dunes. The sunset was gorgeous tonight.
“This is the preppy sunset I’ve been waiting for!” Tory said, pulling out her iPhone and snapping photos of the ocean.
We concluded our evening watching The Goonies movie. Neither Tory or Aden weren’t very into it, however. It is hard to watch old movies when the quality doesn’t compare to today’s cinematography. There was also a lot of language in the movie… how did Andi and I not remember that?
Anyway, we had a great day exploring Astoria and reminscing about the Goonies, seeing Haystack Rock and Cannon Beach, and learning about Lewis & Clark. We’re excited to continue traveling south along Oregon’s beautiful Pacific coastline. More to come…
