FORT STEVENS STATE PARK

     Unlike the other forts that we have visited on our journey, Fort Stevens State Park is dedicated to more recent history, i.e., WWII.  Earlier in the day, we went to Fort Clatsop, a replica of the very small winter fort built by the Discovery Corps commanded by Lewis and Clark.  It was really just winter quarters for the 33 souls there for the winter. Like Cape Disappointment, Fort Stevens has many miles of dedicated bike trails as well as wide roads with ample shoulders.  We rode most of them.  I have been pondering the fact that when you really need a strong, wide shoulder while driving, such as on winding mountain and coastal roads with large drop off on your side of the road, you get little or nothing.  We should just be glad that we have roads at all.  But I digress.  

     Last night, we were treated to two parades in the campground.  The first was a parade of WWII vintage jeeps.  The passengers were all dressed in army uniforms.  That was interesting.  The second parade was just plain unexpected fun.  The members of a recumbent bicycle club were camped in a group.  Their parade happened after dark to show off their beautiful neon creations.  Not sure how they were powered, but they made us glad to have been there to see it.  Sorry, we didn't take any pictures.  There was a third parade that happened between 4 and 5 in the morning, as very noisy diesel pickup trucks hauled boats out to the Columbia River to fish.  I wasn't so crazy about that parade.  I can only imagine the lines at the boat ramps to launch boats for a day of fishing.  There must have been at least 1,000 boats at the mouth of the Columbia River.  When we passed through Chinook, WA, just before the bridge to Astoria, OR, the streets were lined with those trucks with empty boat trailers behind them.  The logistics of launching, parking quite a distance away, and then getting back to your boat in a timely fashion seems daunting.  

    I confess a great fear of bridges.  In my recurring dream, I take the ramp toward a bridge.  A sign warns that you should maintain your speed because there is a vertical loop in the road.  I stop the car and walk away.  On a bridge near Brunswick, GA many years ago, I was so afraid that I stopped the car and told Stefani that she had to drive.  The bridge to Astoria was not quite that bad.  For most of the span, it was low and easy.  But the last part just before Astoria appeared to go almost straight up.  Sphincters tightened as we approached. There was a scrunching of naugahide. There was a serious incline to the bridge, but it wasn't as bad as I feared.  Most things aren't.