Fort Clatsop

Fort Clatsop was where Lewis and Clark stayed during the winter of 1805-1806. The original fort was gone long ago, and the first reproduction burned down in 2005 due to an accidental fire. The new reproduction is much like the old one, except that it looks and smells newer.

The visit to Fort Clatsop and its small museum and fort reproduction was part two of the big traveling day. After lunch in Astoria, we drove over to the national park. This was the first time that Ane, Tad, or Belle had ever been to Oregon.

Ane loved the fort reproduction, because I think she thought it was one big playhouse. Tad was being pushed around by his Gichan, and he didn’t much care for the dark interiors.

Ane hopped onto one of the lower bunks in one of the rooms, and Auntie sat down across from her on a different bunk. “Now, I be Head and you be the Brain,” Ane dictated.

Auntie was puzzled. “Why?” she asked Ane.

I overheard this exchange and smiled. “Because the Brain and Head have a bunk bed,” I remarked.

We took a short trail walk around the fort to see the canoe landing. This was the one good shot we got of the three kids. Belle had been asleep for a good part of Cape Disappointment, so she was very happy to see the trail.

Near the canoe landing, there is a reproduction of a canoe next to the boardwalk of the trail. Auntie, Belle’s Mommy, and Ane hopped in for a picture.

My dad was busy working on something as I carried Tad along the trail (we decided to give him a break from the stroller, but he can’t be trusted to walk along with us yet). He was riding on my shoulders and messing with my hair when his Gichan handed him a smooth stick (my dad had scraped it clean with his pocketknife). You can tell by the look on his face how thrilled he was. Yup, he’s a boy – give him a stick and he’s happy.

We finally ended up at the gift shop, where Ane was drooling over the packets of glass beads. I purchased some blue and white beads, with the promise that we would string them into a necklace when we returned home. I also picked up some postcards for the scrapbook and some magnets (we buy magnets from places we’ve been for our refrigerator). I finally got the beads strung on a necklace for Ane, and she proudly wore it over to my parents’ house on Sunday, where she was showing them off.

The Captain admired the necklace, then told her, “You know, if you had those beads back then, some Indian might take your head off for them!”

Ane eyed him warily, then took off the necklace. “Mommy, I don’t want to wear it anymore,” she said nervously. I scolded the Captain for teasing her like that, and he apologized (while he was laughing).

She was playing with her necklace yesterday when it broke – meaning that she pulled at the knots so much that it came untied. We picked up all the beads and I promised to re-string them for her – with a Boy Scout knot this time.

Tomorrow, the beach!

This entry was posted on Tuesday, April 17th, 2007 at 9:40 am and is filed under Children, Family, Vacation Tales.
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