Travel Tuesday: Cape Disappointment State Park, March 14-16, 2025

I'm a history nerd but managed to miss the year in high school where kids focus on American history -- I was an exchange student in Switzerland during my junior year. And when I went to university, I focused on Great Britain and Ireland, and did Pacific Northwest history for my "American" focus. 

As such, American history is a little hazy for me -- picked up in Ken Burns documentaries on PBS and National Park Service visitor centers on American road trips. But I often find myself bumping into (historically speaking) Lewis and Clark. 

Back in 2015, for example, while running the Center of the Nation Series (6 half marathons in 6 states in 6 days!) we came across Pompey's Pillar, a 120-foot sandstone rock formation rising directly from the banks of the Yellowstone River. In addition to preserving centuries of petroglyphs and markings left by Native American tribes and early settlers, the rock features the last remaining physical, on-site inscription left by William Clark during the 1806 return trip of the Lewis and Clark Expedition. It's weirdly cool to see. 

And in 2009 we ran the Great Columbia Crossing -- a 10K from Washington to Oregon across the soaring Astoria-Medger Bridge. The race shuttles everyone across the bridge on buses and then you run back to Astoria. The starting point? An exposed area called Dismal Nitch. In my excitement, I got us on an early shuttle, which meant we spent over an hour shivering in the wet and cold in the same spot where Lewis and Clark spent several shivering, cold days. 

And in 2018 when we went to Montana to visit the Sip n Dip (mermaids!) and see Pearl Jam, we also stopped at Great Falls where I can only imagine L&C's dismay at seeing the falls. 

Anyway... in 2025 we wanted to extend our camping season, so booked "roofed" camping in a lot of parks. One weekend we went to Cape Disappointment. 

Merriwether Lewis arrived at Cape Disappointment on November 15, 1805 with a small group of men, while William Clark and the larger party relocated from Dismal Nitch to nearby Station Camp. November 15 is a special day for us -- it's our wedding day -- so learning that Lewis had arrived at Cape Disappointment 200 years before our wedding day was a fun coincidence. 

Even though we were arriving in mid March, the weather was still cold (and dark).

Yurt 71, the next morning

It was bitterly cold inside, but luckily there was an additional space heater that we turned on immediately, and soon the little yurt was cozy inside.

After getting settled, we walked out to the beach under a full moon. Shifting sands and water levels had rendered a section of the campsite "uncampable", but the roads and trails were still there. It was very, very, very cold. 

We probably only spent 20 minutes outside before retreating to our now-cozy yurt and down blankets.

The next morning we got up to explore. We started by returning to the beach -- we were amazed at how high the tide had gone overnight. 

I should mention that it was VERY WINDY

Then we headed toward the North Head Lighthouse. 

The trail was lovely but wet. How wet? We saw a newt. 

We also had gorgeous views out to the mouth of the Columbia River and, eventually, the lighthouse itself. 

We circled the lighthouse, admiring the shapes (look at the bulging foot of the tower!) as well as the stormy seas beyond. 

Then we headed back toward the campground, passing a handsome memorial and markers for the Lewis and Clark Trail. 

Next we headed to the Lewis & Clark Interpretive Center. This was a very good one -- some we have visited were just okay. I suspect that, with the trail being so long, some of the exhibits are stretched a little thin. But this one had cute interactive features, and I especially loved this sewing kit: 

Given that we would be headed to Hawaii in a few weeks, I couldn't resist a visit to Waikiki Beach: 

Pretty cold, we decided to drive into Ilwaco. We took a wrong turn and had to drive a ways to get to a turnaround point. And then we noticed the surf.

this is a different lighthouse -- Cape Disappointment Lighthouse

Eventually we wandered into Ilwaco, where we enjoyed a flight at Ilwaco Cider and poked around a very cool used record shop and bar called Ship Wreckords. (I've just learned that it has been replaced by a new spot, Rae Rae's. I wish her luck!)

We also came across this big sculpture of a California Condor on a whale rib, as described by L&C in their journals in 1805. 

On our last day in the area we drove through Long Beach -- I love a seaside town in the off season! Of course we visited Jake the Alligator Man in Marsh's Free Museum: 

And, while there, I found my first ever "Sunny" personalized souvenir item: 

Yes, that's right, it's for a DOG. Sigh. 

Travel Tuesday is an ongoing project to get my notes out of my journal and my photos off of my phone.