Cape Disappointment, WA Dec 2022

Cape Disappointment State Park in Southwestern Washington is anything but disappointing!  I have been to nearby Long Beach, WA several times over the years but never stayed at this park.  It may be winter, but it is beautiful! There were lots of deer when the weather was dry.  The beach was only a short walk from camp and had an incredible view of North Head Lighthouse.  At camp I could hear the thunder of the waves which lulled me to sleep at night.  At the far south end of the beach was the jetty where you could see Cape Disappointment Lighthouse.  There are multiple trails throughout the park, one of which goes to a viewpoint where Lewis and Clark first saw the Pacific Ocean.  All along this coast there are abandoned military bunkers that can be explored. 

My friend, Mike, came down from Everett to camp for 4 days and we did a lot of exploring since the weather was clear and dry.  A very enjoyable hike goes out to Cape Disappointment Lighthouse which has an extensive view.  Here is where you can see the mouth of the Columbia River which looks more like a bay than a river. Cape Disappointment lighthouse is so old and weathered looking that you can almost hear it telling stories of days gone by.  Later, we took a short trail to the North Head Lighthouse north of camp. This lighthouse was the opposite, being newly painted pristine white. It gleamed like the beacon that it is.   One trail within the campground led up a hill to old military bunkers that were pretty extensive.  It was fun going down the spooky dark halls, finding more corridors leading this way and that.  These bunkers were well preserved and had some information plaques as well. 

As Mike was leaving, my friend Katherine came down for just 2 nights. We definitely made the most of our 1 full day together. We took a trip south to Cannon Beach in Oregon.  I had always wanted to see it decorated for Christmas and we weren’t disappointed.  We had so much fun browsing through the shops and buying Christmas gifts. We decided to stay for dinner and the restaurant we chose had an outside seating area.  Yes, it was December, raining, and very chilly; but the seating area was covered and had heat lamps above the tables. It was very comfortable. There was also a propane firepit that had a very festive fire going to further warm things up.  It was magical sitting outside on a winter’s evening eating dinner near a fire and ‘not’ being cold! 

I read that this area gets 7 feet of rain per year during a 9 month period.  The 3 summer months get only 2 inches of rain.  I experienced that heavy rain firsthand as a storm rolled in and dumped for 2 days.  It was a deluge! Afterwards, the waves were huge and wild.  Pounding and slapping against the cliffs.  The waves would curl and spin or explode and shoot straight into the air.  There were many photographers with their tripods and big cameras trying to get the perfect shot.  Unfortunately, at this point I had misplaced my camera’s battery charger and was relegated to using my cell phone.  Still, I got some pretty incredible videos! I will attach one or two in the Video section.

I had a few days on my own at camp which seemed to fly by.  I did take one day and drove back into Oregon to check out the town of Seaside.  I have fond memories of going to Seaside in the late 1970’s on a Choir Trip (high school).  Yes, we did things like that back then.  Seaside is where I saw my very first ‘R’ rated movie Animal House (I think I was 16)! I also remember that ‘cruising’ was still allowed in Seaside on Friday nights.  What an experience!  My friends and I were walking but it was so much fun to watch all the teenagers cruising up and down the main street.  It was like being in a movie set in the 50s! Being back in Seaside brought back all these fun memories that I haven’t thought about in years!  Although it has changed some, much of it’s old ambience remained, and the main street ending in a loop at the ocean is still it’s main attraction. The beach is deep and long here, made all the more beautiful by a sunny winter sky!

I would definitely come back to Cape Disappointment, what a gem!  Mid December I headed north to Everett, WA for Christmas with my friends Mike and Marie and their families.  It was a really wonderful time and I thank God for all the blessings in my life! 

I can’t believe it is a new year already but I’m looking forward to another year of adventures!  Please come along on the ride with me!