Field Trip, Astoria

We have been studying Lewis and Clark since school stared and we finished our unit with a camping field trip to Astoria.  

Things I found interesting:

1.  Sacagawea was 14 and pregnant when she first met Lewis and Clark.  Her "husband" who had purchased her (she was a captured slave) was 46 and had other wives.  

2.  Lewis and Clark and their men ate up to 9 pounds of meat EACH when the game hunting was good.

3.  Lewis eventually committed suicide after the expedition. 

4.  Clark raised Sacagawea's baby.

5.  Clark brought his slave, York, along with him.  He eventually set him free, years later.  York was forceable separated from his wife, also a slave, and died of cholera. 

6.  In Lewis and Clark's time, the mouth of the Columbia was a mile East of what it currently is so the terrain must have looked a lot different. 

Waiting in line at Bowpicker's Fish and Chips.  This was supposed to be a "famous" place to get Fish and Chips and I had looked forward to it since we planned this field trip.  Well, it cost a fortune and it wasn't very good LOL.  




We camped at Fort Stevens.  I felt a tad bit bad because I hogged the tent trailer all to myself and everyone else slept in tents.  They had uncomfortable mats and it rained on them (no rain fly) the first night.  I slept really good (for camping) with a comfy bed, a fan for white noise, and no one tossing and turning, snoring, or sleep talking to wake me (just the other campers LOL). 

There was a hidden network of tree branches that were almost a cave at our campsite. 




Sleeping in a wet sleeping bag.

Reading about Lewis and Clark's expedition.  

At Fort Clatsop watching a demonstration on Flint lock powder rifles.












Beach play in the afternoon:










Army crawls, summersaults down the hills, buried in the sand..






What Phil did....answered emails and texts for work (incidentally, he works every day he has off/vacation day....his job is crazy..and I am counting down the years until he retires.)

What I did:  I crocheted and I made myself do a quick watercolor sketch.  I was very well behaved.  I had an agenda but I didn't push it.  I forced myself to sit down and relax and do something I enjoyed.  I insisted on the best case sleeping scenario so I wouldn't be exhausted and I took naps.  This is big deal for me!


Jump!!!





 Oh my, they were such a sandy mess that Phil put down the seats and had them ride in the back to the campground (this was within the campground park).



The following day, we went to the mouth of the Columbia for a view of the river meeting the Ocean.





We climbed the Astoria tower for sweeping views of the Columbia, the ocean, and the beautiful Coastal Range!






On the way home, the trailer tire blew out.  Oh my, it was beyond bald and it was literally driven until it wore out and turned into a shred.  We then spent and hour at Les Schwab getting the other tires (including the spare) fixed.  Now we are ready for more miles on the trailer!

I have to confess that Phil and I both daydreamed of owning a travel trailer - a home on wheels and traveling together, just the two of us.  We dreamed of enjoying each other's company, keeping our own schedule of events, doing what we enjoy doing, and having camping be "easy" (no tents, no messes, no elaborate meals, etc..).  We sometimes weary of the demands of parenting and "vacations" being a lot of work. 

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