Cape Disappointment State Park in Washington - History Wrapped in Natural Beauty

We left Seattle and are driving down to Cape Disappointment, which is at the mouth of the Columbia River. This is where Lewis and Clark ended their voyage of discovery and first saw the Pacific Ocean. This is also our first trip to the west coast and we too are eager to see the pacific Ocean.

Traveling with us is our 30-foot Airstream trailer named Chummy and our trusted Garmin GPS named Dora. Pulling the trailer and being led by Dora is our yet to be named Ford E350 van.

Our original plan was to leave Seattle and drive directly to the coast and follow that down to Cape Disappointment. However, we were given some excellent local advice concerning the Washington coast. We decided to allow Dora to give us the quick route. Her route took us through Olympia, the capital of Washington, and then out to the coast.

The local advice was that the Washington coast highway would not give us many views of the ocean and we found it to be correct, at least along this stretch we were driving. When we were close enough to see the ocean, it was blocked by buildings but most of the time we were not close enough to even get a view. The ride was pretty, though and we also made excellent time arriving in Ilwaco in the early afternoon.

Our reservation at the state park was for Monday night and we had nothing reserved for tonight. Normally we only stay at state or national parks but today we decided to drive up the Long Beach Peninsula and try and find a campsite on the ocean. Most of the campgrounds we saw were on the road and not the ocean. However, Anderson's campground, in Long Beach promised ocean front camping.

Since our objective was to get an ocean view campsite that is what we requested and that is what they gave us. We tugged Chummy down this long row of tightly packed RV's which were all staring at each other face to face. At the end of this row was our campsite but not a hint of where the ocean was. We placed Chummy a few feet from our neighbor and began to look for the ocean.

The ocean was there, as promised, over a high bluff out of view, but within hearing. The wind was blowing hard off of the water, there was a sort of rain or mist coming down and it was cold. I told my wife that I was going in for a swim. That I did not drive all this way to the Pacific Ocean to be swayed by a few drops of icy rain and a hurricane force wind.

We reached the beach and were greeted by this sign: "No Swimming- Dangerous Currents- Those Who Have Attempted Swimming Have Been Killed" Could that sign possibly apply to me? I was willing to risk the cold and the wind, even the high waves but death? No, that is asking too much for a swim. I settled for getting my feet wet in the preposterously cold water.

We walked back to our ocean viewless site next to the high bluff blocking the view of the ocean. I with wet feet now covered with wet sand, and my wife freezing from the wind blown ice. Once inside Chummy with the door firmly shut and locked we turned on the furnace. This is July at Cape Disappointment.

Although we could not see the ocean, I was intrigued by the sound of the surf. That night I opened the window next to our bed and we went to sleep listening to that hypnotizing sound. In the morning the furnace was needed once more to warm Chummy up from having the window open during the night.

Check-in time was 1:00 at the Cape Disappointment State Park where we had our reservation. We took another cold, windy, and icy walk along the beach but this time we dressed for the walk. We were eager to leave this graveled cramped campground and be at the state park.

After we hitched Chummy up, we drove into Ilwaco to find a post office. On this trip I had two important duties. One was to officiate at the marriage ceremony of our niece and her husband and second was to mail the signed marriage license back to the county clerk where the wedding took place. I wanted a receipt for the mailing so needed to mail it at a post office.

When we checked out of the campground we were told that Ilwaco was the closest post office and we had directions. Once we found it we also found the parking lot and surrounding streets empty of any area large enough to park Chummy and the yet to be named van. Several blocks away we were able to park. We walked back to the post office in the rain with the envelope in hand. When we reached the sidewalk a friendly man said hello and the sign on the door said: "Closed for Lunch."

Holding the now getting wet envelope in my hand we walked back to the yet to be named van in the rain. We pulled Chummy down to the Town of Chinook where we were told they had the best seafood and had the best lunch of the trip. Then we stocked up on fresh fish for the remainder of the trip and got directions to their post office.

Parking was easier this time but we still had to park several blocks away and continue on foot through the rain holding the now damp envelope. True to the directions was the post office and it was open. This post office had, along with the usual array of boxes, special mailers for sending fresh oysters, shrimp, and crabs home.

With my second and last chore of the trip finished we check in at the state park and set up at our spot for the next three days. This time we did have an ocean front spot, albeit not a view but close enough that we heard the surf even with the windows closed. Our large site was nestled into a limestone formation which begged for exploration and a short path led to the ocean.

Cape Disappointment got its name from an English explorer, John Meares who in 1788 was unable to find the Columbia river while sailing back and forth across its opening. Not much more is known of Captain Meares but I surmise that his rum supply was quite good and his use of such was very liberal. The mouth of the Columbia River is about ten miles wide, hard not to stumble upon.

The fog was thick when we woke in the morning but the temperature was warm. We took a nice long walk along the beach, discovering a beached whale rotting away and an interesting little cove protected by the ever present pounding surf. I was able to get in some good wading without being pulled away by the currents.

We then hiked up to the Coast Guard lighthouse which controls the traffic in and out of the Columbia River. The lighthouse overlooking the mouth and manned by the United States Coast Guard was built in 1871 along with a station to rescue ships in danger. This station remains today and is used as a training facility for the Coast Guards rough seas rescue drills.

The officer on duty invited me inside and allowed me to look through the telescope out into the ocean and the many ships lined up. He showed me where the bar was which separated the Columbia from the Pacific Ocean and explained how they control the traffic into and out of the river much as an air traffic controller would do. I was also able to look over the charts he had laid out and he patiently answered my questions.

The fog had burned off and the sun was shining brightly. Through the telescope I was able to identify each ship and clearly see what flag it was flying. The officer identified the cargoes of some of them and pointed out the regulars. Heading for Portland there was a shipload of Hondas, and a container ship, and leaving the river was a large grain hauling ship.

I left the lighthouse when another person came along and was invited in. I applaud the Coast Guard for sharing their work with the public. We then hiked down and over to the other lighthouse in the park. This is the oldest lighthouse still operating along the western shore of the Unites States. Built in 1856, it stands 220 feet above the sea. We climbed to the entrance in a now gathered thick fog.

When we reached the top of the lighthouse, the railing along the outside deck was not even visible due to the fog. The guide gave a spirited tour sprinkled with phrases like, "if it was clear you would see," and "on a clear day over in that direction is you could see." I finally asked him how many clear days they have and he thought awhile and answered that there was one about two months ago. Besides the constant sound of the surf we realized that we have also been hearing the constant sound of the fog horn. I now know how lucky I was to have had a few clear moments when I was at the Coast Guard lighthouse.

Hiking in the state park was a treat like nothing we have encountered. Due to the constant fog and mist the vegetation was tropical. We hiked along two trails combining the Lewis and Clark Discovery trail with the gunnery trail. This gave us a nice 2.5 mile day hike. The trails took us deep into the forest and then climbed up for some spectacular views of the Ocean and a surprise find of two world war II gun turrets. It appears that this is the only place off the coast of the United States where a Japanese submarine was sighted during the war so they built these gun turrets high on the bluffs just in case the Japanese decided to return.

All along the hike I could not stop to wonder how William Clark felt as he first walked and viewed this land. This was the end of his journey and exploration. He had met up with Merriweather Lewis here after they decided to split up in Montana. He found a forest here like none other he had encountered on his journey so far. There were new animals and insects to catalogue and then the grandeur of the Pacific Ocean. This is why we decided to visit this park, to see what Lewis and Clark saw.

This is a wonderful park. Our campsite was great and yes I did explore that limestone formation in back of us. The six and half miles of hiking trails were some of the best we had ever encountered. There is twenty-seven miles of beach and even a swim friendly area found in the park. In addition the history just cannot be beat.

There is the Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center located within the park and operated by the National Park Service. In fact this park is sort of a hybrid, state and national park. The interpretive center does have a small admission charge but is well worth the fee.

We stayed here three nights and used the park as a home base to visit Mt. St. Helens. Mt. Rainier can also easily be reached on a day trip. With the combination of nature, history, close by attractions, and the Pacific Ocean at its doorstep it is no wonder this is the state's most visited state park.