June 26, Wednesday We’re still in the same coastal area – just a different state! Our drive today was only 29 miles: back into Astoria, across the mouth of the Columbia River and down US 101 to Cape Disappointment State Park. We set up camp, ate lunch, walked the dogs on the beach, and by 12:00 we were of to explore. First stop: the North Head Lighthouse. At the parking lot there were two white/red-trim guesthouses that could be rented, and a path that led back to the lighthouse. It was undergoing a major renovation, but the view of the outside was grand. The Lewis and Clark Information Center was a bit difficult to find. After we did, we walked the trail up to the cliff top facility – no dogs allowed! We returned the dogs to the Silvermine (not far away) and went back to the interpretive center to hear the story of Jefferson’s Discover Corps reaching the Pacific Ocean. There was an excellent 24-minute movie. In November of 1805 the exploration team stopped here hoping to find a place to winter. Instead they were stuck for six days on a seaside shelf, hungry and miserable. Once the weather cleared the L&C party moved along the coast to Cape Disappointment and set up camp here and then walked the last miles to the Pacific Ocean. Then, they decided to head back across the mouth of the river to a more sheltered spot to set up a winter camp (Fort Clatsop). Thus, this place was called Cape Disappointment, because it was not a good place to survive the winter of 1805-1806. Three o’clock, and still a lot of touring to do! We picked up the dogs and headed up Route 103 on a twenty-mile spit of land to Leadbetter Point. At the fun little party town of Long Beach, we drove the truck right down on . . . the world’s longest beach! We also stopped to pick up some more Dungeness Crabs for supper. Back at the campground at 5:00 we were welcomed by deer. We did a few necessary chores before cooking our crab. Tom pulled out a bottle of our favorite Oliver Soft Red wine . . . another seafood, ocean-dinner delight! And, that ends our third full week of the vacation!
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October 2021
We don’t go camping any more . . . we go ‘streamin’ ! The “SIlvermine and His” is our 2018 25' Airstream Serenity with Salsa interior and front twin beds., and ‘streamin’ is the name we use to describe our adventures. Stream along as we document everything from weekend trips to longer summer excursions and full-blown vacations. You know what they say: if you’re not in an Airstream – you’re just camping!
Tom & Ella Brown |