A stay at Fort Stevens, Oregon

After checking out the area over three days we decided to try and get a RV site in the park. Well, with the upcoming Labor Day weekend I knew our chances this late in the reservation process would limit our options. However, the good Lord smiled and we were able to get one night, Thursday September 1 in the campground so I booked it. Our site in "J" loop is a pull-thorough with water and electricity. The price was a bit steep at $52 ($44 for non-residence plus $8 reservation fee) but I really wanted to try it out. Thursday morning at 10 AM we checked out of Camp Rilea and headed to the parking lot for Battery Russell to wait until check-in time at 4 PM. We parked the RV and took our bike off the rack to do some further exploring.

The park has an extensive system of bike trails so we took the route to the historical military museum to the north where on June 21, 1942, the Imperial Japanese Navy submarine I-25 shells the U.S. Army's Fort Stevens coastal defenses on the Oregon side of the mouth of the Columbia River. The Japanese are retaliating for the U.S. bombing of Japan the prior April. The U.S. batteries do not return fire and there is no serious damage.

After our tour of the facilities we returned to the RV, hooked up our bikes and drove to our campsite to set up. We were able to get in early after the 1 PM check out time and had some lunch before heading to the beach. We rode our bikes one mile to the beach with our beach chairs strapped to our backs.

Tomorrow we leave for Washington state. We have a reservation at a Harvest Host with Farmer Deb Howard at Willapa Bay Heritage Farm, 15720 Sandridge Rd, Long Beach, WA.