Early pioneer descriptions of the trip between Astoria and Seaside, tell of difficult traveling through dense forest with a welcome respite given by a meadow area. As forests were felled for building materials and farmland, the land took on a new character. Now we see open land with trees bordering homes and creeks. This is rural Clatsop County where many pioneer farmers settled. The area landmark is the Clatsop Plains Pioneer Church with its daffodil cross at Easter (or whenever the daffodils are ready). Its parsonage is now a shelter for women and children. Until 1918, when the city of Gearhart incorporated, there was a town called the Town of Clatsop that stretched from Warrenton to Seaside with its administrative center at the north end of the plains near the Skipanon River.

CULLABY LAKE
Cullaby Lake and Carnahan County Parks are located just off Hwy 101 between Gearhart and Astoria. The lake was named for a Clatsop Indian met by Lewis and Clark on Dec. 31, 1805. Envision clear deep water surrounded by forest. Launch your boat at one of the county parks with their picnic shelters and docks. Drift along watching birds and lovely home sites, fish, or fly over the water with a skier in your wake. See the historic Lindgren cabin in the south portion of the park.

The community of mostly ranch-style and other contemporary homes surrounds the water and stretches along the Skipanon River and canals west of the lake. This is the perfect community for avid boaters and fishermen. If you want adventure, a few homes on the east side are accessible only by boat (or maybe seaplane).

SUNSET LAKE
North of Cullaby Lake on Hwy 101, turn west on Sunset Beach Lane, pass the Astoria Golf and Country Club, notice that to your left a small community of larger homes rambles through dune ridges. Cross the bridge over Sunset Lake, and to your right is a small park with a boat ramp. Launch a small boat and glide through the trees with your fishing pole. Straight ahead are the Sunset Beach State Recreation Area and the Pacific Ocean. If you turn left, you will pass through an area of lake homes leading to the north entrance of Surf Pines. Turn right, and you will find a continuation of this small rural area of mostly working-class homes. If you are seeking an affordable starter or retirement home near the water, this may be the rural community for you.

SUNSET BEACH RECREATION SITE
Located at the end of Sunset Beach Lane, this state park provides parking and access to the beach. It is located at the end of the Fort to Sea Trail.

FORT-TO-SEA TRAIL
Part of the Lewis and Clark National and State Historic Park, the 6.5 mile trail traverses the area between Fort Clatsop Visitor's Center and Sunset Beach. An infomal trail was established when the replica of the fort was built in 1955, and Boy Scouts could earn merit badges by hiking it. By the 1980's the National Park Service discouraged use of the trail, but it remained a local dream.

Walkers may start at either end, with parking available at Sunset Beach as well as Fort Clatsop. Starting in deep woods at the fort, the trail crests a ridge where you can see the ocean, then descends into pasturelands and crosses the dunes to the beach. It follows the general route of the trail Captain Lewis blazed from Fort Clatsop to the sea. You may be lucky enough to see elk or deer as you hike or bike.

CLATSOP PLAIN PIONEER PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
Two Methodist missionaries were the first to arrive in Clatsop County in 1840. They built homes for their families in Clatsop Plains, which was then a two day journey from Astoria. The first Presbyterian church was founded in 1846. Robert Morrison donated 10 acres for the church grounds, and then two more for a cemetery. The first church was built in 1850, but was destroyed by a windstorm in1853. The 1850 church was the first protestant church built west of the Rockies. A new church was built and served until 1927, when the current building replaced it. The church is located east of Camp Rilea, and the Fort-to-Sea Trail circles around the east and south sides of it grounds. The Pioneer cemetery established in 1846, making it the oldest in the county, is the burial place for the early settlers. Access to the church is from Patriot Way, the entrance road to Camp Rilea. Take the first left before the Camp gates.

CAMP RILEA
Just north of the Sunset Beach area, and extending to DeLaura Beach, is the Oregon National Guard facility, Camp Rilea, the home of the 116th Air Control Squadron. It began as Camp Clatsop in 1927 as an Oregon National Guard training site. More land was purchased in the 1930's, and the federal government took it over in 1940-1947 to train WWII personnel. The camp was renamed in 1959 to honor Major General Thomas E. Rilea, Adjutant General of Oregon.

Camp Rilea is an Armed Forces Training Facility used by the Oregon and Washington National Guard. It has the only TSIRT site west of Ft. Benning, GA. The site has rifle and pistol ranges and a MOUT site where SWAT teams from all over the Pacific Northwest train. The Oregon State Police Basic Officer Academy includes 12 weeks at Camp Rilea. There is an exchange and a ten-space campsite where military families can vacation. The Portland VA Medical Center has an outpatient clinic at the camp.

Camp Rilea is used by civilian groups, such as the Boy Scouts, the Northwest Historical Association, which holds WWII re-enactments, Camp Rosenbaum sponsored by regional housing authorities for children from urban areas, the Naval Sea Cadet Corps, and the Clatsop-Nehalem Confederated Tribes.

The National Guard's Innovated Readiness Training Program members built the sections of the Fort-to-Sea Trail that remained after local high school students built the first two miles.