Labor Day Weekend at Cape Disappointment

For several years now we have been joining dear friends for a Labor Day camping trip at various spots on the Coast. This year we all camped at Cape Disappointment State Park, which happens to be one our family's favorite campgrounds. It was a lovely, relaxing weekend. I don't do a good job of documenting all we did--most of these pictures are just artsy beach pictures, but I hope you enjoy them!

I did one "site-seeing" stop with my friend Caitlin. We went to Dismal Nitch, which is a Lewis and Clark site. It's really not much more than a glorified rest area, but with a name like Dismal Nitch it's impossible not to be intrigued!

Essentially, Dismal Nitch was a spot where the expedition got stuck during some nasty weather. Strong waves on the Columbia kept them from leaving, while they "experienced 11 days of torrential rain, high winds, extreme high tides, and little food." William Clark referred to the place as a "dismal nitch" in his diary entry. Well, it was anything but dismal the day we were there. It was warm and sunny, and we enjoyed beautiful views of the Columbia and even could see Mt. St. Helens and Mt. Adams up the river!

That's the Astoria Bridge, which crosses the Columbia River.

The tiny "Dismal Nitch Trail" leads to a nice historical marker that tells the story L & C's experience.

So much for educational sites, now on to beach pictures!

Caitlin enjoying the beach.

The moon was rising as the sun was setting.

Christina watches the sunset.

I love the way you can see the sunlight glowing through the waves in this next picture.

I also found it fascinating to watch the wind blow mist off the tops of the waves.

Okay, if that wasn't enough beach pictures, I have more from a walk I took on our last morning.

What do you see in these little tracks made by the tide?

Here's something other than the beach! This is our beloved camping spot.  We've used it repeatedly over the years. We love the fact that it stretches back into the woods and has access to the beach. It was nice to stay there again.

One last beach picture. ;-) Goodbye Cape Disappointment, until next time! 

Cape Disappointment Again

Here's part two of our July adventures...

After our hike and before we headed up to Colville for the mission trip, we took a family camping trip to Cape Disappointment State Park. It doesn't disappoint. :-) I think this was the fourth time we've gone there to camp. There are some really nice camping sites we enjoy using--lots of space, surrounded by trees, and just couple minutes' walk from the beach. It's a great place for pictures, so here's a selection of things that caught my eye.

We had a lot of fun with this piece of driftwood.

Something new this year was seeing a nest of baby swallows in the cliff side. It was fun to watch them come to the edge for food, then go back inside their little "cave."

The campground is surrounded by lots of evergreen trees. The ground below them is just a continuous carpet of thick moss.

The last night Christina and I took a walk on the beach after sunset. We could see lights from several boats on the horizon. 

One thing we really enjoy about Cape Disappointment is North Head Lighthouse. It's fun to see it shining at night.

From the Mountains to the Beach

It's high time for another blog post! Before I get started, though, a little side note... Some of you have mentioned not knowing when I had a new post up. Now, I know this is really my fault, because when I don't post very often, frequent visits to the blog aren't worth it. However, did you know that there's a handy little service that will send my blog posts to you by email? Just enter your email address into the "Follow by Email" box on the right, and you'll be signed up for updates whenever I post. That way, you'll never miss them. And of course, you can unsubscribe if you get tired of the updates (it's okay, I'll never know!).

Okay, now on to the fun stuff. August was full of lots of opportunities to get out and enjoy the beautiful place we live in. We have my cousin Amber to thank for a lot of those opportunities, because she came out and visited us. We wanted to take her to all our favorite places and in the process had a nice week-long "staycation."

Anyone who comes to the Northwest has to see Multnomah Falls, so that was our first stop. It was very crowded. I guess that's to be expected for a Sunday in August!

Crown Point, on our way home from Multnomah Falls.

We also went on a hike in the Gorge around the Cape Horn area. It was a lovely hike, even though the weather was a little cloudy.

Wild Columbine.

Fireweed?

The Gorge again. Such a lovely view!

Cigar Rock. Appropriately named, don't you think?

This thin, misty waterfall was a highlight of the hike. The trail passes behind it.

We also took Amber to Cape Disappointment State Park for a couple days of camping.

The moon rises as we get ready for our first night.

Amber, Christina, and Mom, with North Head Lighthouse in the bakground.

Pelicans

North Head Lighthouse in the morning

The North Jetty on the Columbia. We walked out on it a good distance. It was fascinating to see how the water was rough on the north side, but very calm on the south side. There were lots of birds and a few sea lions around it.

See-sawing on the beach.

  

Cape Disappointment Lighthouse.

Another must-see for anyone visiting the Northwest is, of course, Mt. St. Helens, so this was our last excursion with Amber. We were really thankful that although it was a cloudy day at lower elevations, the clouds weren't too thick at Johnston Ridge.

Wildflowers! Still blooming in August.

We were so glad Amber could come out and stay with us, and it was very fun showing her around the area. The week after she left, we got to go to the Coast again, this time to visit the folks at our church's annual camp-out at Cape Lookout State Park. Again, we were blessed with gorgeous weather.

The beach at Cape Lookout, looking north.

Starfish!

Looking south toward the actual Cape Lookout.

It's been an exciting summer, and it's not quite over yet. Stay tuned for more. :)