WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 27

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 27:

     The clouds we saw last night brought a very chilly, overcast, even misty, morning.  We rode our bikes around a while before breakfast, more or less to just get going before we were hungry.  We didn’t think that the Ranger Station would be open yet, but it was, so inquired re availability of another 2 nights.  Put is in another loop, which we biked over to and surveyed.  Bill thought it would be a pretty easy back-in.

     After coming back for breakfast, we closed up and drove over to the new site.  Same ole story with a back-in . . . not nearly as easy as Bill thought it would be.  We’re seeing ever more clearly why we see the majority of folks our age who do a lot of RV travelling opting for a Class A, rather than a 5^th Wheel.  They’re just tired of the backing up hassles and stress.  Something for us to think about . . 

     After we got in and settled, we sat down at the picnic table with the Good Sam Trailer Life Directory (2012 edition) and a couple of maps and discussed where would be good options for stopping after this.  We realized that, with it being the Labor Day weekend when we leave here, we won’t be able to just drive down the coast and stop when we feel like it for the night.  In fact, we were concerned that we wouldn’t even be able to find a place to reserve at this late date.  So we were prepared with several different scenarios.  But we got our first choice – 3 nights at  a private RV park in Florence – and a pull-thru!  PTL!!  (Since we have no WiFi access here, I couldn’t bring up any reviews, but we’re trusting that the campground will be fine.)

     So, with that worry taken off our minds, and the sun now breaking out, we were free to enjoy the rest of the day.  We decided to drive back up to Ilwaco and Cape Disappointment, where we toured the Lewis& Clark museum but had no views of the mouth of the Columbia flowing into the Pacific because of the heavy fog.  We reasoned that the views should be OK this afternoon. 

     Far more than OK – they were fabulous!  After driving over the Astoria bridge                                              

  

 

 and driving the 15 miles or so west on the Washington side to Cape Disappointment, we first walked up to the ridge just outside the Visitors Center where we had wonderful expansive views of the river meeting the ocean, the resulting Columbia Bar, the jetties built to stabilize the shifting sand bars, and the surrounding landscapes.  Stunningly beautiful.  What a magnificent sight Lewis & Clark had of their first real views of the Pacific!

 

          Then we took a short but steep hike to the Cape Disappointment Lighthouse, with equally gorgeous views.  Again, we just can’t get over the deep beautiful blue of the water here . . . rivals some of Hawaiian waters’ deep coloration.    

 

                                                 

 

                                                       Looking back from lighthouse to Visitors Center:

 

               It was clear enough that we could see across to Astoria and the bridge.                                                                

                

The Coast Guard has a manned lookout station up here by the lighthouse now. 

 

            Then drove a few miles back down the road to the North Head Lighthouse.  This lighthouse was built to guide in ships coming from the north, where they couldn’t see the Cape Disappointment Lighthouse hidden by the point of the Cape.  (Both lighthouses still operate, but have been automated since the 1950’s or 60’s.)     

                                                                      

 Since this lighthouse is located northwest of Cape Disappointment, the waters it overlooks aren’t fed by the Columbia; they’re purely the Pacific.  Lovely views of the overlapping imprints of the breakers.                                  

                                                                       

        

       Drove back home, and started a fire for dinner.  Bill grilled burgers, and grilled them perfectly.  They tasted so good!

     After dinner, we started a campfire.  The first we’ve had since Mt. Kidd.  Savored a glass of red wine as we warmed ourselves by the fire.  Contemplated our abundant blessings in being able to take these long trips and see and experience so much.