It rained all night, AGAIN, and part of the morning. This was the first morning that Mike had to take down camp in the rain. We had a short drive today, crossing over to Washington and arriving at Lewis and Clark National Historic Park Cape Disappointment State Park. This is where the Columbia River meets with the Pacific Ocean.
After having lunch we took off and visited two lighthouses. The North Head Lighthouse was our first one which we found to be in pretty sad condition. It had a nice view and the hike to it was easy.
The next hike was much more difficult because it had a lot of uphill climbs which were extremely muddy because of all the rain they have been having. At the end of the climb we were at Cape Disappointment Lighthouse. This is the oldest operating lighthouse on the West Coast.
Both of the lighthouses function to protect mariners from the rough and ever-changing Columbia River Bar in the treacherous area known at the Graveyard of the Pacific. The Coast Guard has the only motor lifeboat school in the United States here.
It was misting slightly the next morning as we headed for the Lewis & Clark Discovery Center. It overlooks the confluence of the Columbia River and the Pacific Ocean and has exhibits that offer the best overview of the expedition’s entire journey we have ever seen.
We then drove the Long Beach Peninsula which is a thin sand spit that stretches north for twenty-eight miles from the mouth of the Columbia River. It is proclaimed as the “World’s Longest Beach”.
After dinner we walked from the campsite to the beach and were lucky enough to see two deer eating their dinner. One was a mottled light brown and white which we had never seen before.
There was a lot of driftwood along the edge of the beach by the path. Unfortunately you are not allowed to take any!
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