Camping at Fort Stevens State Park, Oregon

Last weekend was our annual spring camping trip to Fort Stevens State Park for the Astoria Crab, Seafood, and Wine Festival. It has become a kickoff to our summer camping season. This year we were able to take Friday off, along with some of our friends. Another plus is the weather forecast was mostly sunny (compared to rain as we have had the past two years). We got an early start and left Portland with two of our friends at just after 6 AM. I pulled our tent trailer while my friend John was gracious enough to tow my boat so we could go crabbing that morning. We hit a light dusting of snow from the night before as we headed over the Oregon Coast Range. Luckily the roads were clear, but it was a reminder of how much snow is still in the mountains. It is still going to be awhile before we can get to some of our favorite areas without snowshoes.

We pulled into Fort Stevens State Park just after 8 AM. The registration check-in wasn't open yet, so we proceeded straight to our reserved campsites and setup camp. We were in spots with water and electricity which is nice to have when we take our trailer. We were in a hurry to get things setup, so we could go crabbing before high tide. Click here for details on our crabbing trip.

   

After rinsing my boat and cooking a few Dungeness crab, John and I went trout fishing at Coffenbury Lake (right behind our campsites). It was slow, but John managed to catch one fish. Back at camp we had a great meal of crab and steaks while waiting for a few more friends to arrive after work. The weather was beautiful Friday, but became cool as the sun went down.

The next day John and I tried our hand at trout fishing again, but only managed to catch two fish. We cooked them for breakfast while everyone was getting ready to go the the wine festival. In past years, there were shuttle buses from the campground to the festival, but this year was different. For some reason the service was changed and the closest pickup points were the KOA on the highway or Fred Meyer in Warrenton. We decided to carpool to Fred Meyer with Katie as our designated driver.

   

The wine festival was crowded as usual. And as usual, our group was quickly separated. We enjoyed some good wines and a couple beers. For me, the highlight was enjoying a dozen fresh raw oysters. I can never seem to get enough of them.

Back at camp, the sun was shining, so we took our yellow lab, Bella, out for a swim at Coffenbury Lake. She loves the water and was waist deep before we even made it to the shore. Our friend's bulldog, Fiona, joined Bella, but preferred to stay near the shore.

   

We had a treat Saturday night after Tyler's cousin Matt built a movie screen to use with his projector. It was a new experience to enjoy a movie around the campfire. Several passersby ended up joining those of us who didn't fall asleep and go to bed (I was one of the ones who fell asleep early).

   

Sunday marked the end of our fun annual trip. We only had a few sprinkles the entire trip, which was a nice respite from years past. We didn't have time to go to the beach this year and see the old, shrinking remnants of the Peter Iredale shipwreck (from 1906), so it'll have to wait for next year.

Special thanks to Oregon State Parks District Manager Mike Stein for making right the issue we had with a couple of the park rangers. He is a great example of the good-natured, honest, and friendly demeanor that most park employees exhibit. It is unfortunate we had to encounter the two bad apples in the park, but we look forward to many future trouble-free trips.