Daily Archives: June 12, 2014

June 12, 2014 Ilwaco, Washington

We awoke to the sound of showers which is becoming a more frequent occurrence in this part of the Pacific Northwest.  We prefer not to pack and move in the rain, but you do what you have to do on move day.  It was not a steady rain but intermittent showers, so it could have been worse.

This was an especially exciting day because we were finishing our time in Oregon and entering Washington, the Evergreen state.  We passed through Oregon rather quickly in our quest to finish our travels before the cold weather returns in October.  We will continue our travels in central and eastern Oregon in the coming weeks and months, as we return south.

We traveled up Highway 101, also known as the Pacific Coast Byway.  The two lane road became more and more winding as we headed north, with farmland and cattle along the roadside.  We passed through many small villages advertising upcoming chainsaw sculpting contests and rodeos coming to town.  We saw a small lumberman museum but didn’t take the time to stop.  I suffer from motion sickness which doesn’t usually affect me in the RV, but for some reason this road made me feel very nauseous and we had to pull over while I took some Dramamine and waited for my stomach to settle.

We reached the large port town of Astoria, the northernmost Oregon city on Highway 101.  Astoria, the oldest settlement west of the Rockies, dates back to the winter of 1805-1806 when the Lewis and Clark Expedition made camp at nearby Fort Clatsop.  We crossed the four mile long Astoria-Megler Bridge which joins Oregon and Washington and is the longest continuous three-span, through truss bridge in the world.  When it was finished in 1966 it completed Highway 101 and made it an unbroken link between Canada and Mexico.  The Welcome to Washington sign is located about two thirds of the way across the bridge.

We arrived at our destination, Cape Disappointment State Park near Ilwaco, Washington.  Ilwaco is a small fishing village near the mouth of the Columbia River.  This area was named Cape Disappointment by John Meares who was trying to find the mighty Columbia River. After a storm he turned his ship around just north of the cape without finding the Columbia and therefore named the area Cape Disappointment.  The area is far from a disappointment with its stunning ocean views and unspoiled beaches.

IMG_0767 We had a great campsite and certainly enjoyed staying in the park, even though we could not get cell phone service or satellite TV in the park.  It was amazing camping at the location where the Corps of Discovery had their first glimpse of the Pacific Ocean.  Our campground was located in the Cape Disappointment State Park which is also part of the Lewis and Clark National Historical Park.

The park had a nearby Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center and after settling in we stopped by for a visit.  It was a pretty steep walk from the parking lot but we were rewarded with beautiful views as the Center sits on a cliff with views of the Pacific Ocean and nearby Cape Disappointment Lighthouse. IMG_0771

The Center was built here because it was also the site of Fort Canby established in 1875 to protect the mouth of the Columbia River from enemies.  The fort continued to be improved until after World War II and there are still gun batteries visible in what remains of the fort.  At the Interpretive Center we were greeted by enthusiastic, friendly volunteers and enjoyed touring the Center and seeing the movie there.

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Since the Lewis and Clark National Historical Park is located in both Oregon and Washington, the next day we drove back across the bridge to Fort Clatsop in Oregon. This is where Lewis and Clark’s Corps of Discovery ended their 4,000 mile westward journey.

Here they built a fort and

IMG_0751rested during the winter of 1805 and 1806 before their journey home.  At Fort Clatsop the Park Service has a replica of the fort as well and an interpretive center and exhibit hall

IMG_0761with an excellent movie and many interesting exhibits about their journey.   It just so happened that the day we visited was Flag Day and they had a special flag ceremony down at the fort. IMG_0757 IMG_0759 Ranger Larry gave a dramatic retelling of how Francis Scott Key, after watching the bombardment of Fort McHenry during the War of 1812, wrote the poem “The Defence of Fort M’Henry” after which part of the lyrics later became our national anthem.  We then all sang “The Star Spangled Banner” together which was a very moving experience.  Ranger Larry pointed out that without Jefferson’s vision and the bravery of the Corps of Discovery led by Lewis and Clark, we would very likely have been standing on land owned by British Columbia rather than the United States.

While in Astoria we also rode on the historic Riverfront Trolley, a restored 1913 trolley that runs 4 miles along the Columbia River.

IMG_0762 For the big sum of $1 each we got to ride the trolley and listen as the conductor gave us information about the history and attractions in the area.

We also learned that the movie “The Goonies” was filmed in Astoria as well as “Kindergarten Cop”.  The conductor pointed out the elementary school used in the film.

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Some thoughts:

In the Eastern U.S. signs say “Hurricane Evacuation Route”.  In the Pacific Northwest the signs say “Tsunami Evacuation Route”.

In the Pacific Northwest a sign that says “Slide Area” can mean the hillside and rocks are sliding OR the road is sliding.  We saw a road that had slid off the side in our travels.