Morning on the Beach

               After we got our RV on Monday, we started driving down the Oregon coast. The RV was a learning experience for me, because last time I used one I was five, even though the rest of my family remembers the trip very well. Long story short, I put shampoo on a shelf in the shower and subsequently covered the shower with it. We did finally get it cleaned up and get settled in for the night at Fort Steven's Campsite. They were nice as was the site, though my father complained that we were almost touching our neighbors. He shouldn't have worried, however, because we spent the entire evening inside, watching an utterly predictable romantic comedy.
               In the morning, we looked at our campsite map and tried to go on an adventure. The map marked the beach, an old shipwreck, and an old battle fort. We started walking along the only path we could discern, and found ourselves in a rainforest. We had already noticed that the trees were larger than those back home. Our winters seem to stunt tree growth, but these were giants. They appeared similar but the same as cedars. I’m not the best at identification. Anyways, they were impressive. On the trail, however, the forest also offered large foxglove (a purple/poisonous flower) and the weirdest ferns. We even found that the slugs were very large—about as large as my index finger. Later on in the walk we saw some elk or deer, walking across the pathway. By this time, however, we had already discovered that this could not be the most direct loop to where we wanted to go. The mosquitoes were attacking and the path was looping around.
              We found the fort first. It was a small concrete structure, with about 4 rooms and plenty of graffiti. Oh, and a plaque that Mom had to read. Nearby were some stairs and we decided to venture up to the top of the hill. This was a very good decision, because this is where the real fort lay. It was a three story structure, about a hundred yards long and maybe three rooms deep. It was the only fired upon since the war of 1812, and it was bombed by a Japenese submarine during World War II. The plaque seemed to say that no one was hurt, but neither could they retaliate on a submarine. We enjoyed the echoing rooms within.
              We did eventually find the beach, once it started to rain a little. Just a drizzle, just enough to be uncomfortable. The beach was very nice as to quality, though the weather was nothing that can be associated with beaches. There was a lot of burnt wood, and off to the left you could see the rusted metal remains of a ship. Once nearby, it was evident that it was no so impressive in size, nor did the plaque give an exciting story. It was fun to look at the waves and the drift wood. We found a way back to our RV that was much shorter, and we got back with just enough time to make lunch and check out.

Elizabeth