Answering a few questions

Leaving the coast

We are going to try and answer a few questions people had about our experience so far as camp hosts.

 Oregon has many types of hosts including visitors center, lighthouse tour guide, kayak guides, and the list goes on, requiring only a month long commitment. Every state park has different expectations for each position. For us, the hours we work are more important to us than actual job. We prefer morning or evening work so we can have a bigger chunk of time off to hike, bike ride or sightsee. Some people prefer being inside a visitors center or lighthouse but 10am to 2 just cuts into our fun time and is a deal breaker.

 We haven't seen much of a down side to the hosting experience so far. Our orientation consisted of  handing us a set of keys and a binder to figure it out on our own. We are bright and figured out our own game plan. There are always people who complain because they did it differently somewhere else or know a better way to do things. When the negativity starts, we just nod, say "have a nice day" and move on. Sure, we were frustrated when we ran out of wood. We just put the "Out of Wood" sign up and went home. Nights could get cold in the wood shed. We put out our "see host in site 1" sign and went inside to read a book. If they wanted wood, they knocked on our door. As you can see, the signs are very important. Most things in life really aren't worth stressing over. If it is too stressful, move on.

Trail along the Columbia River in Warrenton.

The rhododendrons in bloom early

We had signed up to work a 2 hour shift at Astoria's Crab, Seafood and Wine Festival allowing us to avoid paying the $15 each entry fee. Standing in line to taste wine and eat in a crowded hall isn't our thing even if a band is playing. Another volunteer was so happy when we passed it on to her. Astoria had school bus shuttles to the campgrounds since the parking in town is limited and the 500 campsites were full along with all of the other campgrounds in town. We would hear the people whooping and singing while returning with their purchases as they walked back to their campsites. Then they would get quiet as they settled into their wine laden slumber by their fire. Everyone was home by 10pm. The extra security the park paid for was not needed.

Staying in a beautiful place and saving over $1000 per month in fees was worth the little time we spent "working" four hours a day, five days a week. Keeping our cash inflow greater than our outflow.  Allowing us time to take in the area.  Also, moving every 5-7 days can get wearing over a period of time.

The volunteer appreciation potluck was nice. We passed on the gifts. No place to put them. We don't see ourselves returning to Fort Stevens even though Marlo, host coordinator, invited us back. We loved the area. Been there, done that. Too many places to see.

Our drive into Oregon's Coastal Mountains was only 67 miles after we washed the pollen and sap off the truck and trailer in Seaside.

We pulled into Camp 18 restaurant and logging museum, the most popular stop on the way to and from the Oregon Coast between Portland and Cannon Beach. We lucked out and didn't have to wait for a table. As we were leaving, the Sunday morning crowd was lining up.

Our  next stop was LL Stubb Stewart State Park in the coastal mountains to be relief hosts for the hosts of the east and west campgrounds. We will take care of the sites once the campers leave and change the post markers for the incoming people.  We post our "see host in site 55" sign on the wood shed door as we are available to sell wood and ice two evenings a week. It isn't physical at all and frees us up in the early afternoons for a few hours. We will see if we like this job as the month goes on but so far, so good.  

We are in a great place to ride our bikes and hike while we get our toes wet.

Checking out the local sites

We liked it!

 We are packing up to move to our next Oregon State Park. Volunteering as hosts at Fort Stevens State Park and having a month to savor the area has been better than we had hoped. April is a quiet time of year in the campground until Friday afternoons. The families roll in. People look so happy to be here and can't wait to start their campfires. Even though our hours are 4-8pm, we open the wood shed if they ask. The kids are always so excited to start a fire and roast a marshmallow. The dads look proud as they haul away their bundle of wood.

One evening, we heard a knock at our door. A couple had locked themselves out of their cabin. Mike was walking with them to the visitors center to get the master key when I remembered that the rangers were still on duty. I called the ranger's station and asked them to let them in. Things are pretty quiet here in the evening. If not, call the ranger.

Warrenton Waterfront Path

The Warrenton Waterfront Trail near where the Columbia River empties into the Pacific Ocean in northwestern Oregon makes for an easy and interesting bike ride along the water.

The trail has views of the Astoria-Megler Bridge, the large ships passing underneath it, and the pilot boats and helicopters guiding them through this treacherous stretch of the Columbia.

For a longer, more challenging ride, we would head to the hilly Lewis and Clark Road between Astoria and Gerhart near Seaside through the green countryside.

Warrenton Park Lighthouse Museum with a huge whale spear at the end of the path.

High Gravity Ziplining

Our stop at High Gravity Ziplining in Astoria had a great restaurant and fire pit. We were getting hungry and some great chili and beer bread was is order before jumping back on our bikes.

 This zip tour starts at a treehouse, travels across multiple zip lines, traverses a sky bridge, zips high over a beautiful valley.We watched a family as they zipped across the lake, dipping the 10 year old boy into the water as he neared the end.

Since ziplining in Costa Rica and Hawaii on much larger ziplines in the past, we opted out on this one.

Heading to Washington for the day

We took the 4 mile bridge across the Columbia River to checkout Cape Disappointment Lighthouse and State Park that we could see across the river.

Yep, we are walking up there.

We climbed the path to the lighthouse which also had a Coast guard lookout. The lookout door happened to be ajar. As I walked to see what was inside, a seamen was also walking up to the open door, being a gentleman he stepped back to let us through first and then invited

us to go in (since it looked like we were going in anyway). He explained that they were monitoring a crew practicing rescue activities and let us look through the telescope. We visited a bit then They thanked Mike for his service in the Air Force and he thanked them for theirs. They shut the Authorized Personnel only door behind us as we left. Oops, it all worked out.

Cape Disappointment Lighthouse

It is estimated that 2000 ships and hundreds of lives have been lost along the stretch of the coast from Oregon to British Columbia.

The local herd of elk around the campground making their morning rounds.

Riding some singletrack

The paved paths are quite nice to walk or ride our bikes on. But the single track through the woods is great. We were checking out a trail through the forest and were having such a great time as we reached the road and turned around to go back in, there was a sign posted stating the area was closed for forest cutting. Once again, we were in a restricted area. Fortunately, no tree fell as we passed through the area. We took the road in the direction that we thought home was and made it back. Oops, it worked out again.

Our walks and bike rides each day were real treats.

Easter clam hunting

We learned the ins and outs of razor clamming. Each person must carry their own bag with a limit of 15. The metal diggers are better than PVC and can be rented for $10 a tide at the KOA across the street. These fellows are looking for the divot in the sand showing where the clams are tunneling down at low tide.

Razor clams,  I am thinking chowder.

You have to be fast to get the buggers. They extend their diggers and pull themselves deeper into the sand.

Lots of people coming and going on the beach at a negative low tide.

Astoria

The Astoria Riverwalk is the best way to get a feel for the city. We started exploring at the Port of Astoria with hundreds of ships from all over the world walking along under the Astoria-Megler Bridge, while watching river otters swim and glide.

 This  bridge across the Columbia River connects Astoria in Oregon and Point Ellice in Washington located about 14 miles from the mouth of the Columbia River.

 Standing 600 feet above sea level, the Astoria Column offers a spectacular view of the city, the Columbia River and Young’s Bay. A hand-painted frieze that spirals around the column and would be 500 feet if unwound.

The visitor's center has balsa wood gliders for visitors to purchase and send sailing from the top of the column in the breeze.  Kids were timing their flights, while the glider would float and turn, at over a minute before going down the stairs to recover their gliders and back up and do it again.

One time up was probably more than enough for a few adults. At one point, I thought a person might need CPR before they got to the top.

164 steps to the top.

View from the top.

Goonies Tour

From Kindergarten Cop to Short Circuit, Oregon’s North Coast has been host to a number of  80s and 90s films, but only one has gained cult status: The Goonies, A group of young misfits who call themselves The Goonies discover an ancient map and set out on a quest to find a legendary pirate's long-lost treasure. A favorite of my kids growing up and as we are finding out, many others of a certain age. We made the rounds to see some of the sights and signs along Astoria's streets.

  

This is for you, Krista.

Back at the Fort, I am not sure is this fellow is a determined fisherman or just crazy.  Another fisherman on the South Jetty can't be seen here because of the splash of the waves.

Watching kids in the outdoors is a hoot. Little kids without many restrictions riding their bikes for hours must go to bed pretty tired at night. We watched two 14 year old girls spend an entire day on their bike and skateboard towing each other with a rope even as the sun was setting.

Not sure how we would like volunteer hosting, we are so glad we gave it a shot. Starting in a slower off season as "Wood Hosts" was a good introduction. We are trying out positions in different Oregon State Parks this summer and can definitely see ourselves doing this for some time in the future, allowing us to take in the area a little at a time while contributing a little bit.. The "bennies" of a campsite aren't bad either. Who knew there were so many different types of hosting?