Fall Vacation Day 9 (Part II)

Well we really didn't fall off the face of the Earth.  I have been intending to update the blog and finish sharing the vacation for nearly a month now.  We just got caught up in settling into the school year.  This will be our first year with 5 different grades so there has been some re-organizing and schedule changing.  Add in 4 young musicians playing 6 different instruments and we have been busy to say the least.  But that is another post....

We really did have more to share about day 9.  The best part of vacations is when things don't go as planned and you end up blessed with something you weren't expecting.  That is exactly what happened the afternoon of day 9.  We had planned on seeing Clatsop Museum (see previous post) and then heading to Fort Stevens to explore the old fort and the military museum they have there.  When we got there they told us that in celebration of Astoria's bicentennial there was an amazing reinactment for the entire week of a fur traders camp on the other side of the State Park. We were getting tired so at first we decided to just do the museum and the fort. 

The Fort itself dates back to the Civil War which is pretty interesting because we don't have many things on the West Coast that date back that far.  It was used and updated over the years during different wars.  In June of 1942 it became the only military instalation in the continnental US to come under hostile fire when the Japanese fired 17 shells at it.

Inside the Museum they had some really interesting artifacts and antique weapons from various times ranging from the Civil War right up through WWII.

Actual cannon balls

This was a working replica of a cannon.  You put in 25 cents and it would move, aim and fire. 

Of course nothing actually came out but it was LOUD.

Elayna really loved this miniature model of the inside of the sleeping quarters.  You can't tell she liked it because as of day 9 she started posing for pictures by being somber.  So if she looks depressed the rest of the trip she really wasn't!  Maybe it was from looking at too many old fashioned "serious face" pictures at all of the history museums. :) 

There is so much remaining of the fort.  It was truly a fun place to explore.

So we were having a good time exploring the fort when we came up over the hill and saw the fur encampment.  We had decided not to do it but once we saw it we stopped exploring the fort and headed down to check it out. 

It turned out to be one of the highlights of the trip!

Everyone was dressed in period clothing and everything was authentic looking-

 with the exception of the honey buckets.

Even the entertainment was authentic old fashioned fur trapper entertainment.

The families were really staying there for the week so they had set up homes inside their tents.  It was fun to walk around and see how everyone set things up.

Some families were selling herbs and other goods.

Each tent had something to share.  Old fashioned toys, music and furs.

The best part of Jacob and Kylie's day was when they

 got to shoot a real flint lock rifle.

We were pretty tired as we wrapped this day up.  We grabbed some pizza in town and then headed down the coast to seaside to stay the night.