We stayed in the far NW corner of Oregon for several days. Ft Stevens State Park was a great change from the comercial parks. Lots of tall trees, and lots of space between rigs. The historic Fort was good for a quick visit, and the town of Astoria held a number of surprises. In the evenings we relaxed in these woods, only a mile from the beach. 
Astoria is both a tourist town and a working town, more of the latter. A highlight for us was the Maritime Museum, which focuses on the Columbia River and adjacent coastline. The rescue boat pictured here was retired and donated to the museum after participating in the saving of "hundreds" of potential victims and surviving many roll overs and one "Pole vault" where it was flipped stern over bow. The museum was large and well organized. Visit it if you are in the area and have time to do it justice.


After exploring Astoria which also has a few wonderful, old Victorian homes perched on the hill, we visited a small interpretive center at the original Ft Clapsop site where Lewis and Clark wintered. There is a reproduction of their fortifications, created from original plans and drawings made by the expedition; actually quite interesting.

RVers are a little like the military in that we make friends here and there, and occasionally run into them on the road. It's really for the most part a social group. In Ft Stevens we crossed paths withJoan and Mike, friends originally from Estes park, subsequently RV full-timers, and ultimately residents of Saddlebrook, AZ a couple of minutes golf cart ride from Jay and Kate. They hosted us for dinner our first evening at Ft Stevens, and we returned the favor the next evening. Barbara here displays the desert she prepared. We caught up with past travels and future plans, followed by some down time around the campfire.



People are everything, and friends are critical to the good life, especially the good friends.

