Day 3
Day
three was another cold clear day on the Pacific Coast. We got ready and
checked out of our room by 815 and headed back to Long Beach for
breakfast. We debated heading back to Astoria and on to Fort Clatsop. A
replica of the place where Lewis and Clark spent a cold wet winter.
First we made the short drive to Cape Disappointment State Park. The
park occupies the northern mouth of the Columbia River. There are two
lighthouses. One is on the Pacific side and one faces the mouth of the
river. The southern one, the Cape Disappointment Lighthouse, is manned
by Coast Guard personnel. They monitor shipping entering and exiting
the river. All the silt carried by the river piles up in a sandbar
across the mouth. The minimal depth leads to some wild waves. This day
the river was temporarily closed to traffic due to the conditions.
We parked near the Lewis & Clark Interpretive Center. The same lot leads to the Cape Disappointment Lighthouse. That was our goal. The trail has some ups and downs. Part way we reached the fenced Coast Guard Station. Just across from it on the ocean side is Dead Man's Cove. It is a narrow cove with near vertical walls and a sandy beach. It is off limits to hikers. We had a good look down to it. The last bit is on a paved road to the lighthouse. It was sunny again but the wind made it quite chilly. There were two people at the lighthouse. One trained big binoculars on the river while the other came out to give us a lesson on the history and current uses of the lighthouse. It was fun and informative. From our high vantage point we could see down to the north jetty. It juts out from the peninsula into the river. It looked like a very interesting place to visit next. Big waves were crashing into the jetty.
We hiked back to the car and drove out to the start of the jetty. There were a number of other folks there. We put on more layers of clothing and headed out into the wind. A short walk across the sand brought us to the jetty. It is about 15 feet wide. Plenty wide enough unless waves are breaking over it. On the right we had waves. Crashing into the beach and even more so into the jetty. Sand was churned up making for brown water at times. Accesss is blocked to all but walkers by several big rocks side by side. We clambered over then. The roar of the waves along with the crashing onto the side of the jetty was impressive. Occasionally a wave would be big enough to wash down the walkway. They were not reaching all the way across so there was little danger of being knocked into the water. On the river side waves were few. Much calmer water.
We spent quite some time out on the jetty. I went a little farther than the others. Beyond where I turned around waves were hitting it from both sides. A little too dangerous for my taste. All of this did make for some fun photography. Being amongst the waves was more exciting than looking at them from the beach. When I come back on a calmer day I will go all the way out to the end. After leaving the jetty we strolled the beach. Hundreds of small white birds would race out with the retreating waves scooping up some tasty morsels. A rough wave came in much farther than the others and Jonathan, bent over his tripod, did not notice until it was more than boot deep. A small price to pay for some good photos.
When we finished up it was time to head for home. We had a 175 mile drive to make. This time we took the most direct route. Back to Raymond then Highway 101 north to Highway 8 near Grays Harbor and out to I-5 at Olympia. Google Maps said 3:08 at the speed limit. The last day of Thanksgiving weekend is not going to go at the speed limit. The road was still icy in the shade and that slowed us a little. North of Olympia things slowed down as expected. We took closer to four hours to get home. As we left the coast we entered the stagnant air zone. The inversion over the Puget Sound Basin began the day we left and by now a hazy fog settled near the surface for much of the rest of the drive. I was glad to have avoided it for three days.
This was a really fun trip. The room was cheap and the gas was cheap. We spent more on food than both of the other factors combined. Counting Thanksgiving and leftovers I went for five days without cooking. I can imaging how crowded the Long Beach Peninsula is on a sunny summer weekend. We had small crowds but nothing like that. The sunny skies looked like summer but the 28-28 degree temperatures did not. Lots to see and do and even a little bit of hiking thrown in. A great close by get away for sure.
We parked near the Lewis & Clark Interpretive Center. The same lot leads to the Cape Disappointment Lighthouse. That was our goal. The trail has some ups and downs. Part way we reached the fenced Coast Guard Station. Just across from it on the ocean side is Dead Man's Cove. It is a narrow cove with near vertical walls and a sandy beach. It is off limits to hikers. We had a good look down to it. The last bit is on a paved road to the lighthouse. It was sunny again but the wind made it quite chilly. There were two people at the lighthouse. One trained big binoculars on the river while the other came out to give us a lesson on the history and current uses of the lighthouse. It was fun and informative. From our high vantage point we could see down to the north jetty. It juts out from the peninsula into the river. It looked like a very interesting place to visit next. Big waves were crashing into the jetty.
We hiked back to the car and drove out to the start of the jetty. There were a number of other folks there. We put on more layers of clothing and headed out into the wind. A short walk across the sand brought us to the jetty. It is about 15 feet wide. Plenty wide enough unless waves are breaking over it. On the right we had waves. Crashing into the beach and even more so into the jetty. Sand was churned up making for brown water at times. Accesss is blocked to all but walkers by several big rocks side by side. We clambered over then. The roar of the waves along with the crashing onto the side of the jetty was impressive. Occasionally a wave would be big enough to wash down the walkway. They were not reaching all the way across so there was little danger of being knocked into the water. On the river side waves were few. Much calmer water.
We spent quite some time out on the jetty. I went a little farther than the others. Beyond where I turned around waves were hitting it from both sides. A little too dangerous for my taste. All of this did make for some fun photography. Being amongst the waves was more exciting than looking at them from the beach. When I come back on a calmer day I will go all the way out to the end. After leaving the jetty we strolled the beach. Hundreds of small white birds would race out with the retreating waves scooping up some tasty morsels. A rough wave came in much farther than the others and Jonathan, bent over his tripod, did not notice until it was more than boot deep. A small price to pay for some good photos.
When we finished up it was time to head for home. We had a 175 mile drive to make. This time we took the most direct route. Back to Raymond then Highway 101 north to Highway 8 near Grays Harbor and out to I-5 at Olympia. Google Maps said 3:08 at the speed limit. The last day of Thanksgiving weekend is not going to go at the speed limit. The road was still icy in the shade and that slowed us a little. North of Olympia things slowed down as expected. We took closer to four hours to get home. As we left the coast we entered the stagnant air zone. The inversion over the Puget Sound Basin began the day we left and by now a hazy fog settled near the surface for much of the rest of the drive. I was glad to have avoided it for three days.
This was a really fun trip. The room was cheap and the gas was cheap. We spent more on food than both of the other factors combined. Counting Thanksgiving and leftovers I went for five days without cooking. I can imaging how crowded the Long Beach Peninsula is on a sunny summer weekend. We had small crowds but nothing like that. The sunny skies looked like summer but the 28-28 degree temperatures did not. Lots to see and do and even a little bit of hiking thrown in. A great close by get away for sure.
 Dead Man's Cove |
 Lighthouse |
 L&C Interpretive Center |
 A Three Hour Tour... |
 Lighthouse Info |
 North Jetty |
 Peregrine Falcon |
 Waves & Bluff |
 Top Of Lighthouse |
 Leaving Lighthouse |
 At The North Jetty |
 Waves & People |
 Lighthouse Again |
 Onto The Jetty |
 Cape Disappointment |
 Waves On The Right |
 Wave Hits Jetty |
 Quiet Fury |
 Spray! |
 Jonathan With Tripod |
 Brown Water |
 Farther Out |
 Bigger Wave |
 Close By |
 Big Splash |
 Stronger Winds |
 In My Face |
 Big Puddles |
 Yet Another |
 Best One? |
 Turn Around Point |
 Kim On The Beach |
 Colorful Beach |
 Lots Of Birds |
 Jim Street |
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Trips - 2015
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