November 10-12/14

We spent our last full day in Washington doing a bit more touring of the local area. We drove the RV to Cape Disappointment State Park (about a 5 minute drive from our campground) We had originally planned to bike there but due to the previous weeks rainfall, the bike path was actually washed out so we couldn’t get there that way. Just as well as the hike we ended up going on was strenuous enough and it would have been a killer to have to bike back to the campground afterwards. Cape Disappointment is one of Washington state’s most famous and popular parks. It boasts a premier campground, 3 beautiful beaches, public artworks, 2 lighthouses, an interpretive centre and miles of hiking trails. We first walked to Waikiki Beach – named in memory of a Sailor who was from Hawaii (known as The Sandwich Islands back in the days of The Lewis and Clark Expedition) who drowned on the expedition. This beach is one of the locals’ favorite spots for storm watching because the waves crash on the cape here with the Cape Disappointment Lighthouse in the background. From there we took the Discovery Trail up to the Cape Disappointment Lighthouse which was a 1.2 mile hike one way over some fairly rough hilly terrain. It was a beautiful view from there. We could see the Jetty’s that had been built to control the mouth of the mighty Columbia River because with all of the tidal action, there is a tendency to fill the mouth in making it impassable for oceangoing ships.

Once we returned to the RV we had our lunch and then headed north up the Peninsula from Seaview to check out what was there. In Ocean Park we stopped at Jack’s Country Store.  We had been told Jack’s was a must see as it was a huge store covering a full block and was supposed to contain all kinds of unique items. It was somewhat of a disappointment as it was just a hodge podge of stuff with a grocery store included. From there we drove to Oysterville which was right on Willapa Bay which is famous for its Oysters. We ended our day by stopping at the Seaview Laundromat where we caught up on our laundry and did our grocery shopping at the local IGA while the laundry was going.

Tuesday morning we packed up and headed south on Hwy 101 out of Washington and into Oregon. It was a very windy day and shortly after entering Oregon we had to cross a huge bridge in Astoria with very high wind gusts. Rob did a great job driving across the bridge and keeping the RV from blowing around too much. I was thankful that it wasn’t my turn to drive that day as it reminded me of the bridge I had driven across in rain and high winds back in Tacoma.

Once we got safely across the bridge we saw beautiful scenery as we drove through Seaside, Cannon Beach, Rockaway Beach, Tillamook, Newport , Florence, and the Oregon Dunes. Just north of Florence we stopped off at a lookout point and as I exited from the RV I smelt a familiar smell and immediately remembered being at Fisherman’s Wharf  years ago in San Francisco. Sure enough, upon looking over the cliff down to the water, there were at least 200 barking Sea Lions sunbathing below on the rocks and swimming in the rough ocean. If you have ever smelled sea lions, it is a smell you will never forget. It was fun watching them frolic in the waves and on the rocks. Also where we stopped was a great view of the Heceta Head Lighthouse which has the strongest beam of light on the Oregon coast.

Just past Florence, the Oregon Dunes begin and go for about 48 miles along the coast. The sand dunes along the Highway were huge. I said to Rob that it was a good thing we had not planned to camp in that stretch of the coast since I am not a sand lover as many of you know. Shortly after the dunes ended, we arrived at our destination – The Mill Casino Hotel and RV Park on Coos Bay in Oregon.

Wish us luck at the Casino!!