March 2000, Ft. Stevens

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On the 18th to 20th of March, Troop 163 went to Fort Steven's at the mouth of the Columbia River. This is typically a campout that the scouts enjoy.

We had 6 scouts attend this trip: Tom B, Neil B, Ty F, Curtis M, Thomas R, and Conrad S. We also had three adults: Wes B, Bob B, and Dave R.

The Ft. Steven's military structures covered a fair amount of territory. Our first stop was at the batteries at the North end of the spit. There is a small museum there, as well as earthworks originally built during the Civil War era. A number of guns from the different era were on display on the grounds, from large Civil war cannons, through the disappearing rifles of the early 1900's, to the guns from World War II.
Saturday night, Don S and Elizabeth S dropped by to say "hello". They were enjoying the weekend in the dry confort of a Bed and Breakfast in the area.
The scouts spent a fair amount of time at the batteries and in camp playing games. This is the area enclosed within the Civil War earthworks fortifications.
This area hosts a Civil War reenactment once a year. As part of that effort, and as part of the museum's displays there are a number of artifacts around the base. One of the items was a hand powered drill press.
On Sunday we took a side trip into Astoria to visit the Columbia River Maritime Museum. This is a small museum exploring the different sorts of boats and ships used in the area, as well as artifacts and photos from shipwrecks around the area. As part of the museum trip, we went through the lighthouse ship Columbia. # Note that we got the "school group rate". $1 per youth, adults free. # Call ahead of time.
There were a couple of Coast Guard ships at the dock as well as the lighthouse ship. We stayed at one of the group camps within the state park. It was a nice sized area with easy access to water, rest rooms, and hot showers.
On Monday we stopped by the remains of the Peter Iredale, a shipwreck from the early 1900s. The scouts and adults were able to play in the surf and sand.


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