Aug 20 – 21: Lewis and Clark National Historic Park, Oregon
Driving Route:
August 20th – Lewis & Clark
Pei Shin travelled with us. First, we visited Lewis and Clark National Historic Park outside of Astoria, Oregon. From there we went to Fort Stevens State Park to stay the night.
“How do you keep it up?”
“Keep what up?” I asked Pei Shin as I cooked, and Benny took pictures of Little Bear and Gus the Pelican holding some of the nonsense that Pei Shin had insisted on buying him even when he didn’t ask for anything.
“The … Mom thing.”
Trying to explain I said, “I’m … not his mom. I’m his aunt.”
“But …”
“I know it is a matter of semantics in a lot of people’s opinions but … I don’t want to take his parents away from him. Lawrence never tried to be my dad. He was more than just my brother but … I guess I can only explain it so far. Will it change down the road? I don’t know, I just don’t want to replace Lawrence and Penny. To me that would be wrong, stealing something from Benny I might not be able to give him back if I wind up changing my mind down the road.”
“Then don’t. And for the record, I understand and approve. I may not be heading into the military anymore but that doesn’t mean I’ve lost touch. I’m pretty sure I want my specialty to be serving military families, helping them to deal with life events particular to that population.”
I looked at her then slowly grinned, even turning it into a chuckle. “I take it Mrs. Chow is happy.”
“You mean the original Tiger Mom? You have no idea. Her daughter is going to be a doktah. And Dad is already getting the plaque ready to add my name to his clinic.
If I move back to Florida.”
“If?” I asked, surprised.
“Yeah. Life is different out here but … at least I’m out from under my parents. Don’t get me wrong, I love them but …”
Rather than forcing her to explain something that has always been so uncomfortable for her I said, “I remember. Cultural differences and all that. I take it from the fact that there is a boyfriend that they aren’t planning your wedding and marriage anymore?”
This time it was her turn to laugh. “They’ve got Li for that. She’s like Mom’s mini me.”
“Li?! Fourteen-year-old Chinese girl with rainbow hair who nearly made your mom pass out when she got a dragon tattoo all across her back … and then was grounded for a month because she hadn’t admitted that it was a temporary one until they dragged her to a cosmetic surgeon? That Li?”
Pei Shin nearly fell out of her chair laughing. “That wasn’t the worst. Right after you moved to Key West, before her senior year, she shaved her head because Mom made her dye her hair black.”
“Her hair
is black.”
“It wasn’t when they did the dye job. It was green and fluorescent pink.”
“Did she glow in the dark?”
“Close.” Pei Shin sobered. “Then she had a really bad experience with a guy. She’d snuck off to some party and …”
Interpreting the look on her face I said, “Aw crap.”
“Nah. I mean it was close. She … she just hasn’t been the same since. Personally I think something did happen but she says not. The doctor they took her to that night says nothing happened except she got a little beat up but … something happened. I’ve tried to talk to her but she’s too angry at me for leaving her all alone.”
“What? Is Wang swiss cheese?”
“No. But he’s all about following in Grandfather’s shoes. All martial arts, clean mind, clean body, you remember.”
“Yeah. Does he still want to be a Jesuit? Sneak into China and the whole nine yards?”
“Uh uh. Grandfather talked him out of it. Says there are a lot of people in the States that he can shepherd. Enough cultures that need to learn to leave the old ways behind so they can have new lives.”
“And you?”
She shrugged. “I don’t know if I can do career and family at the same time. And if I do find a permanent guy? I’m not sure I want kids. I don’t feel the pull.”
“Geez Pei … we’re just twenty. We have a while until we have to worry about the old biological clock thing. Cut yourself a break. Pressure is your mom’s thing.”
“Maybe.” After a moment she asked quietly so Benny would hear, “Would you give Benny up?”
With absolutely no doubt I answered, “No. But … it’s a different dynamic. I miss what I
had to give up, but I also know that given the same circumstances I would make the exact same choices to give it up. I don’t know if Benny is my only purpose in life, but I
do know that he is one of them. I just chose not to fight the direction life sent me. Less drama. Having that motivation makes all the craziness a lot easier to handle.”
“What happens when he gets old enough that he needs a … I don’t know … a father-figure?”
Feeling very uncomfortable with the direction the conversation had taken I answered, “I’ve … thought about it. But I’m not hooking up with a guy for that reason alone. I made a mistake like that before, not happening again.”
“Hey … ignore me for sticking my nose in. And Christopher was a jerk. I don’t know what happened to him when he took that gap year, but he went from stud to turd.”
I snorted. “Nah. It’s okay. Knowing Benny is what I’m supposed to be doing in life doesn’t mean I have it all figured out. I know I need to work on it, but I need to figure out what I want too. I can’t be a nomad with no purpose besides,” I waived my hand at Benny and the van. “He’s gonna grow up and I’m young enough that there is still going to be a life on the other side of him getting a life, so it is something I should think about now.”
“Are you going back to Florida?”
“I don’t know. I’ve never lived anyplace else, but I’m seeing it’s a big country out here. Something keeps saying go back. I don’t think I could be landlocked. Wherever I wind up I need to be near water. I don’t need the beach but maybe on a river or lake or something. It just feels … right … when I think about it.”
We changed the subject since the food was finished. Pei had asked “pretty please” for “steak omelets” for dinner. It was one of my specialties for camping when we got in off the water or if we were beach camping. I laughed and told her of course but it did require us to stop for provisions. Then again, I needed to anyway and lucky for me there was a Costco very near where we were heading … Lewis and Clark National Historical Park outside of Astoria, OR.
We left early from Tacoma and took I5 nearly all the way in, through Centralia, across the Cowlitz River (Benny thought it was Cowlips giving us all a laugh), across the Columbia River which was amazing as Benny and I have been seeing it come up in our documentary-watching list. Once we crossed the Columbia we were in Oregon, and we stopped at a Ranier viewpoint along Hwy30 and Benny has become so comfortable with Pei that he let slip the “accident” there. That was an explanation I hadn’t expected to have to make but she wasn’t horrified or anything which was a relief. I still feel like I let Benny down somehow, but I don’t dwell on it.
By the time we had finished with that, we were at a place called Bradley State Scenic Viewpoint where we took a short break and ate the breakfast burritos that Taylor had insisted on sending with us. Taylor says she is a Mandarixican. Her bio father – not in the picture since before she was born – was a Chinese student here in the US who got kicked out when he got involved with some Chinese agitators over here. Her stepfather, the man that mostly raised her after her mother left to find herself, is of Mexican ancestry. Her mother was a red-headed foster kid who never knew her biological family. I’ve heard weirder stories but that one is up there.
I double checked our reservations and check in time and then it was back on the road. Driving through Astoria was a little crazy, but I knew we’d be coming back tomorrow. We crossed Youngs Bay on 101 and then stopped at a Costco right as it was opening. I had to renew my membership – bummer as I hadn’t counted on the expense – but Pei remembered the way I shopped and laughingly told Benny how I nearly dragged the entire crew to get stuff and get outta whatever store we were in.
“That’s why I still ride in the buggy even though I’m big. She goes fast,” he told her. “People get out of her way, or she goes to the next aisle until they do.”
“Stinker winker,” I muttered while jogging us over to the meat section, scanning my list for the items I was hunting for. The only thing that drew my eye away from my list was when I saw a sale sign. He and Pei both laughed. I guess my habits are known … and at least somewhat appreciated even if only for humor.
We were out of there as fast as I could get us and then heading to Lewis & Clark National Historic Park and Fort Clatsop. We started at the Fort and visitor center and museum to avoid the crowds that started rolling in about midmorning. We also picked up Benny’s junior ranger stuff and boy was the little turkey bear strutting his stuff, wearing his new vest and hat and sporting a cocky grin.
The historical presentations started at 10:30 am, just as we were finishing the museum and most of Benny’s requirements. First up was the Flintlock muzzle loader. There were stories, historical information on how they were manufactures, and some audience participation followed by the in-costume ranger loading and firing the gun. There were other historic replicas set up so kids (and adults) could touch them and learn the part they played in the famous expedition.
After we did what we could … and the crowds started getting ridiculous … we grabbed our picnic lunch and headed out to do some hiking. Pei wasn’t in the same shape she’d been when we were in Sea Scouts together so we kept the hikes easy to moderate. First up was the Nutel River trail. It was only a mile and concentrated on teaching hikers about logging and how it has affected the area. Next up was the Clay Pit Pond trail. The Clay Pit Pond is a half-mile loop trail that starts near the Fort Clatsop Visitor Center picnic area. It turned out to be a great trail. It featured a vernal pond surrounded by skunk cabbage and sedges. There are steep steps and lots of trees growing close to the trail, and we also had to watch out for newts which were prolific.
“Do they bite?” Benny asked.
“Doubt it. They might try and gum you to pieces but I’m more concerned with them turning to gum on the bottom of your boots so watch where you put your feet.”
“Eeewww!” he laughed. And guess who got a Newton the Newt as a new crew member? Thanks Pei. Really. Thanks. Apparently Newton is a ham of a newt that likes to act dramatic to make new friends and get them laughing and break the ice so they will like him. Oh brother. LOL. Those stuffies all have their own “personalities” and I swear even I can tell them apart and remember their names and habits.
Our last hike of the day was the Fort to Sea Trail. It was our longest hike at roughly six miles. I asked Pei if she could do it and wondered if she was going to be offended that I asked. Instead she said, “I can do the six miles but can we take the shuttle back?”
“Probably best not to push it. How are your hikers? They look a little busted down after Ape Cave.”
“The shoe glue you put on there is holding.”
I turned to Benny and he nodded his acceptance and understanding. “Sorry Benny,” Pei told him.
“That’s okay. You get out of shape when you get older. Rome wasn’t built in a day. You need to pace yourself.”
I had to look away rather than laugh at Pei’s stunned expression. Then she laughed and said, “Too right. I need to get out more and that’s just a fact. Jeremy says the same thing. He worries I spend too much time looking at a computer screen instead of breathing healthy air.” She turned to me and said, “Let’s go Chief.”
The trail began at Fort Clatsop, then gradually climbed through shady, forested terrain until it reached an overlook on Clatsop Ridge about 2 miles that was 200 feet higher in elevation than the trailhead. From there the path became more rugged as it dropped into thicker forest and steeper grades. The trail wound around wetland lakes and thick undergrowth.
The next landmark from that point was a tunnel where the Fort to Sea Trail crossed beneath Highway 101. About a third of a mile before we reached the tunnel we passed the western end of the
Kwis Kwis Trail, which you can use to create a loop if you were going do a there and back trail. We were doing that so we kept going.
After passing beneath the tunnel the trail traded shady forest for exposed grass fields and cattle farms. Much of the route led between fencing, and we had to cross several cattle gates in order to continue. It went on this way for about 2 miles, crossing over bridges and proceeding as the trail turned to soft sand. We felt the cool coastal wind and heard the surf before getting a glimpse of Sunset Beach, dune grass, and then the Pacific.
We made good time so Benny could run around for a bit – with me chasing him – before we caught the shuttle back to the Fort. Our last activity before leaving for our camp for the night was to let Benny turn in his Junior Ranger papers and yet again swear the oath.
“He never tires of it,” I told Pei.
“Do you?”
“Nah. It makes Benny happy. It’s not junky stuff, he really learns and earns the badges.”
“I didn’t mean to criticize.”
“I didn’t figure you were. I just mean that he does what he needs to earn the badges. I don’t … and won’t … do the work for him. I try not to turn into a Helicopter Auntie. I want him to have good self-esteem, not a fat head.”
She chuckled but I think that is part of what brought up the rest of the conversation when she asked me about the mom-thing.
We left the Lewis & Clark Park and headed to Fort Stevens State Park, only about fifteen minutes away. The campground is huge with over four hundred sites from full hookups to primitive, walk-in sites, to cabins, to yurts of all things. The yurts were cool but booked way out and we had the van so I didn’t want the extra expense even if they had been available.
Fort Stevens is the site of a military installation once used to guard the mouth of the Columbia River. The fort was in service for 84 years, from the Civil War (1865) to World War II. Today, Fort Stevens is a 4,300-acre park offering a variety of recreation opportunities, including camping, beach-combing, a freshwater lake, trails, wildlife viewing, and an historic shipwreck called the Wreck of the Peter Iredale (1906).
There wasn’t a lot of time to do any exploring, but we did some … after our dinner of steak omelets. I would have done more if I was alone but I wasn’t, and Pei was getting pretty tired and I saw that Benny was getting wound up so it was his bed time for sure. The two of them are now asleep and I think I’ve wound down myself. We need to be up early for tomorrow’s main activity. Rats, I need to put into Benny’s portfolio today’s survival skills. It was mainly just covering what he learned of what happened to the men of the Lewis and Clark Expedition and what they wished they’d had packed more of. Aw geez, I need to add the portfolio to my daily chore list … or move it towards the top. I can’t start forgetting stuff like that.