The weather experience.....................

 

The waves were crashing hard on the cliffs below the Cape Disappointment Lighthouse

Everything about our adventure here in Rosburg has been amazing.  In years to come as we relive our time here I'm sure that a frequent topic of conversation will be the weather experience.  We knew that cool and damp would be the dominant weather.  As Beth so eloquently put it, "if we would have wanted 75 degrees and sunshine everyday we could have stayed in Florida".   Variety is what we wanted and variety is certainly what we're getting!

The past two days (Thursday and Friday) we've kept the "cool and damp" theme going while mixing in scattered sunshine, frequent drizzle (drizzle is the word the weather channel uses most frequently to describe the current conditions), some passing showers, a couple of rounds of sleet, placid calm and strong winds.  Sometimes all of these literally within just a few minutes of each. When the winds have blown, they're coming out of the west meaning they're blowing directly off the very chilly water.  This turns " pleasantly cool temperatures" to "feels like" temperatures near freezing.    

On our way to Cape Disappointment we made a brief stop at Willapa National Wildlife Refuge.  The short boardwalk was open but the main trail remained closed due to damage from the recent winter storm.

We didn't see any "real" wildlife in the refuge but there were some spiffy metal fish mounted in the trees!

We drove back to Cape Disappointment on Thursday so we could enjoy experiencing the turbulent weather along the coast.  The forecast was for 25 foot waves but in our eyes they didn't seem that large.  However, the wind and waves did have the Pacific Ocean churning.  The conditions made it necessary for the Coast Guard and Columbia River Bar Pilots to close the Columbia River Bar to any ships wanting to enter or exit the port.  A perfect storm watching beach day!

Surf's Up!

We were going to walk a part of the Discovery Trail but the cold wind and rain had us heading back to the Silver Bullet right after this picture.

The Bar is Closed!

As usual, this morning (Saturday) we were up before sunrise.  We walked out on our cabin deck to enjoy views of the full moon in a cloudless sky.  As the sun rose above the river it was a morning of clear blue skies, calm winds and the Columbia River was "as smooth as glass".  

The Columbia River Bar has reopened to ship traffic.  There was a steady stream of ships coming into port and heading out to sea.  I haven't tracked all the outbound ships but of the four I've tracked one was a car carrier heading for Los Angeles and three were cargo ships bound for distant ports in China, South Korea and Japan.  In addition to weather watching, ship watching and tracking has become another of our favorite pastimes.  There be more on this activity in another blog.

Smooth sailing on a Saturday morning.  This ship is heading to South Korea.

As for now, it's time to get out and soak up the sun...........while it lasts!

Dismal Nitch, Fort Clatsop, Cannon Beach, & Ecola State Park

Strolling Cannon Beach with Haystack Rock in the background.

In those rare moments when I'm feeling exceptionally philosophical I sometimes say " the journey is as much of the adventure as the destination".  This is never more true than it is when we go out for an adventure from our cabin here in Rosburg.  Yesterday within the first ten miles of our journey towards Cannon Beach we had spotted seven eagles perched in trees and a small herd of elk grazing by the side of the winding road.  To top it off, we had the forest with it's ferns and cedar trees out Beth's window and the Columbia River on my side of the Silver Bullet.

A couple of eagles enjoying their view of the river from the tree tops.

The elk hurried into the bush as we approached.

One of our favorite west coast beaches is Cannon Beach, Oregon, which is located an easy one and a half hours drive from the cabin.  In making sure the journey was part of the adventure we made several stops along both the drive down and back.

First up was a brief stop at the appropriately named Dismal Nitch.  While this name may not conjure up serene images it is appropriately named and historically significant.  Dismal Nitch is a small cove on the Washington side of the Columbia River.  It's on WA-401 just east of the Astoria-Megler Bridge.  

It was in this cove that the Lewis and Clark Expedition set up their final campsite before reaching the Pacific Ocean.  The expedition was low on supplies and trying desperately to reach their final destination at the mouth of the Columbia River before the last supply ship of the season set sail.  As was often the case, they were held hostage by the weather.  Which in this case was a severe early season winter storm.  For six cold, wet days and nights they were forced to stay in this small area which Captain Clark referred to in his journals as "a dismal little nitch".  Now day's there's a modern rest area, short trail and a few historical markers telling the story of how the area got it's well deserved name. 

After spending a few minutes trying to imagine what it would have been like in 1805 to be stuck in Dismal Nitch we hopped back into the warm, comfortable confines of the Silver Bullet and crossed the impressive Astoria-Megler Bridge into Oregon.  Thankfully exploring along the shores and crossing the Columbia River is much easier today than it was back in 1805!

Fort Clatsop is the centerpiece of the Lewis and Clark National Historical Park.  It is where from December, 1805 until March, 1806 the expedition set up their camp to wait out the harsh winter before starting their journey back to St. Louis.  Today there is a very nice interpretive center that graphically tells the story of their incredible journey as well as a replica of the fort they built to provide some degree of comfort and protection from the elements.  The park which is part of the national park system does charge an admission fee, however it is covered by the national park pass (there is a "senior" discounted pass available if you're old like me).

Replica of the original Fort Clatsop.  It was built based on sketches of the original fort and is believed to be accurate in terms of both design, size and location.

Fort Clatsop became the "official" name for the fort on December 25, 1805.  It was named in honor of the Clatsop Indians that inhabited the area.

Lewis and Clark National Historic Park

We made a short exit off Highway 101 to drive through the beachfront city of Seaside.  This city is somewhat more developed and "touristy" than Cannon Beach.  There is a nice beach and plenty of shops, restaurants and hotels.  It seemed that the downtown had undergone an impressive and significant renovation since were there last (7-8 years ago).

As we arrived in Cannon Beach, the ever changing weather changed again as another passing shower came in off the ocean.  We were able to grab a quick lunch while marveling out the window at the alternating sunshine and showers.

Cannon Beach

The actual beach at Cannon Beach is just over four miles in length.  It features plenty of hard packed sand making it perfect for a walk or run.  The most prominent feature of the beach is the 235 foot tall Haystack Rock.  At high tide the rock is surrounded by several feet of cool (currently 41 degrees) Pacific Ocean water.  As the tide goes out, a number of small tidal pools form around the base of the rock.  Small fish, urchins and other critters from the sea can be found in these tidal pools as they wait patiently for the next high tide.

A couple of stylishly dressed old salts!

We planned our day so we could catch Haystack Rock as the tide was going out but again the ever changing weather caused us to change our plans.  We were able to enjoy a nice walk of several miles on the beach while keeping an eye on the clouds forming out in the ocean.  We made it back to the Bullet with slightly damp clothes and hair.  Well, at least Beth's hair was damp.

Mostly clear...........

Clouds building.......

Rains on the way..........

These pictures were taken within 30 minutes.  If we would have hung around another fifteen minutes or so we could have taken another picture of a nice sunny day.  The sunshine and showers cycle continued all day.

As we left Cannon Beach we made a quick detour to Ecola State Park.  The park has nine miles of coastline and includes the offshore Tillamook Lighthouse which, because of the harsh conditions it was built in, is nicknamed "Terrible Tillie".  The state park has been the filming location for several movies including Kindergarten Cop, Point Break, Twilight and numerous scenes from The Goonies.

Ecola State Park

The Tillamook Lighthouse (Terrible Tillie).  It took 500 days to level the rock and build the lighthouse.  Many days the workers faced strong winds, high waves and cold rain.  Guess who gave the lighthouse the nickname Terrible Tillie?

Ecola State Park looking towards Crescent Beach and Cannon Beach.

Ecola Point

The Astoria-Megler Bridge connecting Oregon and Washington via Highway 101.

Ecola State Park

Great destinations and a wonderful journey along the way! 

As we made our way back to the cabin we spotted these two handsome goats on the road.  They were in about the same location as the small herd of elk we saw earlier in the day.  Momma goat had a collar on so we assumed they were one of the friendly locals pets.

We made it back in time for a little stroll along the river and some sunset fishing.

 

  

Cape Disappointment, Seaview, Long Beach and a few Roadside Attractions to boggle the mind!

 

Greetings from the Long Beach Boardwalk!

Although Rosburg is located in Southern Washington state, it's still pretty far north in the continental United States.  If you drew a line straight across the country from Rosburg it would pass between Minneapolis and Chicago, which in my book are both located "up North".  Due to it's coastal location it is fairly cool and damp here at this time of year, however they do not get much snow, ice and sleet.  

A few days before our scheduled arrival (February 15) the entire region was hit with an exceptionally large winter storm.  It was the same winter storm that dropped south and caused so many issues in Texas.  The snow and ice associated with the storm caused significant power outages and numerous large trees were downed by the weight of the frozen mess.

Our arrival was delayed by one day, which simply meant we had one extra day to enjoy in Northern California.  As we made our way up, we could see evidence of the storm from south of Portland to our arrival in Rosburg.  In the true spirit of "neighbor helping neighbor", our Airbnb hosts shared with us that a number of local residents joined county employees with chain saws and other tools to clear roads.  This made it easier for the local power company to repair lines and restore power quickly.  Given the amount of debris along the side of the roads and the amount of ice and snow, this was a very impressive feat.  Although we haven't seen any evidence of damage to houses or buildings, I can't imagine it didn't happen.  I'm equally sure that friendly and helpful neighbors have been there to assist in any way possible.  There are some mean, nasty people in the world that tend to dominate the news.  It's a shame that the daily good deeds done by so many kind hearted people are pushed to the sidelines.

Since arriving, we've spent much of our time simply enjoying our cabin and it's surroundings.  However, we did venture out for a days day trip to Cape Disappointment, Seaview and Long Beach.  All of these areas are within close proximity to each other and about an hours, scenic drive away.  

Cape Disappointment is a headland located on the north side of the Columbia River.  It was named by British fur trader, John Meares, who mistook the area as a shallow bay and not the mouth of the Columbia River.  In addition to naming the land mass "Cape Disappointment", he named what he though was a by "Deception Bay".   Oh well, I guess the navigation tools like GPS systems and satellite photography were as developed in 1788.  If it's any consolation to John, I'm sure he'd be pleased to know that the names have withstood the test of time!

Beard's Hollow View Point

In the early 1950's Cape Disappointment became a Washington State Park.  The park is over 2,000 acres in size and includes forests, freshwater lakes, saltwater marshes and tidal areas.  Two unique features of the park are that with an average of over 2,500 hours of fog per year it is one of the foggiest places in the US.  With all that fog you need a good lighthouse for ship navigation, and Cape Disappointment has two lighthouses (Cape Disappointment Lighthouse & North Head Lighthouse).  The lighthouses are built within two miles of each other, making them closer in proximity to each other than any other two lighthouses on the west coast.

The North Head Light House

Cape Disappointment Lighthouse (Taken from the Interpretive Center Overlook)

Cape Disappointment State Park

The state park has over 8 miles of hiking trails, scenic overlooks, a campground, interpretive center (currently closed due to covid) and much more.  Everything the park has to offer can be easily accessed from the loop drive that runs through the park.  You will need a Washington State Park Discover Pass.  Currently these passes are approximately $10 for a day pass or $30 for an annual pass that can be transferred between two vehicles.

Along the trail in Cape Disappointment State Park

Even if the interpretive center is closed, don't miss the short hike to it.  From there you get a great view of the Columbia Bar, which is where the Columbia River meets the Pacific Ocean.  This area,  which is approximately three miles wide and six miles long, is considered one of the most dangerous port entrances in the world.  Since 1792 there have been over 2,000 shipwrecks and many lives lost in the dangerous, rapidly changing waters of the Columbia Bar, earning it the nickname "The Graveyard of the Pacific".  It seemed as if it was most likely a relatively calm afternoon as we looked out over the bar.  However, even on a "calm day" the waves created by the meeting of the force of the river and ocean colliding was impressive.  There is a busy Coast Guard station nearby whose brave men and women respond to over 300 distress signals per year.

A Car Carrier Ship passing through the Columbia Bar on it's way to port

Beth shared with me a close encounter that she, her mom (NaNa) and two sisters (Debbie and Cindy) had with the Columbia Bar.  They were on an "old lady cruise" (their name, not mine) that had a scheduled stop in Astoria.  While off the coast line the weather and sea conditions were rough enough that even from the top decks of the ship they were rocking so much that they were "eyeball to eyeball" with monster waves.   I'm sure there were a lot of disappointed passengers that were looking forward to visiting Astoria, but the Captain and the Coast Guard made the wise decision to cancel trying to cross the bar in those conditions.  It may not have ended with a distress call to the Coast Guard, but I'm sure it avoided a messy clean up from a lot of seasick passengers.

On our way to Cape Disappointment we experienced a little disappointment ourselves.  Unbeknownst to me at the time, I steered the Silver Bullet perfectly over a sharp rock, causing a flat tire.  Fortunately we were near the town of Seaview at the time.  The good people at Tire Hut had the tire repaired quickly, but not so fast that we weren't able to enjoy a walk to, and on, a small portion of the wide beach.

Yep, she's flat!

We finished our day in the town of Long Beach, which is just a little over a mile north of Seaview.  Long Beach proudly proclaims to have the "World's Longest Beach"  In reality the sign should say, "World's Longest Peninsula Beach".  It's a commendable 28 miles long, but far short of Bangladesh's Cox's Bazar Beach which is an impressive 93 miles in length!

If you make your way to Long Beach be sure to take in the half mile elevated boardwalk along the beach, Marsh's Free Museum which is full of an eclectic collection of "stuff" including the mysterious half man/half alligator purportedly captured in the swamps of my beloved home state of Florida.  Outside Marsh's you can feast your eyes on the World's Largest Chopsticks and stroll across the street to be amazed at the World's Largest Frying Pan.  As an added bonus, it's all free. Now it just can't get any better than that! 

Never let the truth stand in the way of a good story!

Me and my new best friend at Marsh's Free Museum

For a few quarters you can find out how romantic you are at Marsh's.  Fortunately or unfortunately, we didn't have any quarters!

Beth is sizzling in the world's largest frying pan!

The World's Largest Chopsticks.  They were actually made by a young man of Chinese descent who hand carved and hand painted them for his high school senior project.

Looking for good halibut fish tacos?  Try Patty's in Long Beach!

Marsh's Free Museum

January & February "Catch Up" and Welcome to Rosburg!

 

This eagle was sitting just outside our cabin early in the morning.

It's hard to believe that it's close to two months into 2021 and this is the first blog of the year.  There is a little catching up to do before getting to where we are now, which as you probably guessed is Rosburg, Washington.

After our California Christmas we stayed a few extra days to enjoy celebrating Emma's first birthday.  Although a few years apart, she and I share the same birthday, which made it really fun.  We then headed from California back to Florida, which as has been our practice throughout the past year, we did while trying to be as safe and responsible as possible.  Then we spent a few weeks in Florida, which was experiencing an unusually long period of cooler and windier weather than normal.

A cool, windy but spectacular sunset on Anna Maria Island!

Toward the end of January we flew to Texas to help Ben drive back to Pennsylvania.  He had the good fortune of being able to work remotely for several months.  This gave him the opportunity not only to spend time with family in both Florida and California but also with friends in Colorado and Texas. 

We, (Ben, Beth, his lovable dog Allie and I) struck out from Texas intending to make the nineteen hour drive in two days.  Our goal for day one of the journey was a stop at our niece Kimberly's house near Louisville, Kentucky.  She had recently purchased a new home that she is really proud of and we were excited to see.   The home is great and she is such a magnificent host that we decided to stay two nights instead of one to further enjoy her hospitality and the area.

Allie seemed to enjoy every minute of the ride, especially when we'd crack the window.

We're enjoying the Bernheim Arboretum and Research Forest with Kimberly, our wonderful Kentucky host.  There are three forest giant sculptures constructed of recycled wood.  You can see Little Nis in the background.

Bernheim Arboretum and Research Forest

Kimberly, Ben and their buddy, Jim Beam

Churchill Downs wasn't quite as busy on a cold, 

late January morning as it is on Derby Day.

After saying our goodbyes, we took off to complete our journey up and across the heartland.  We had covered well more than half of the drive getting to Kimberly's so the second day of driving was shorter.  Not surprisingly, as we made our way further north the temperatures continued to drop and although the roads were clear, there was plenty of snow in the fields, yards and on the houses.  When we arrived at Ben's his yard was covered with several inches of snow.

Allie and grandpa out for a stroll in Ben's backyard.

There were snow flurries throughout our three night stay at Ben's house.  The flurries were light to moderate at best, but we enjoyed daily fires in the fireplace of his cozy house while watching them fall. Since we left his house, his area has been hit pretty hard with several winter storms which has added plenty more snow on top of what was already on the ground.

From Pennsylvania it was back to Florida for a couple of more weeks before heading out again.  As I previously mentioned, by Florida standards the temperatures were a little chilly.  However, you couldn't wipe the smiles off the faces of the folks visiting from "up north" with a brillo pad.  I guess there just isn't much comparing 65 degrees to the near zero weather many of them left behind for a much needed break in the Sunshine State.

Leaving Florida, we spent a few days in Texas before flying on to California.  We had left our car, the Silver Bullet in the capable hands of Sarah and Joey.  Since leaving Florida in August the Bullet has been as far north as the upper peninsula of Michigan, across the heartland to Colorado, west to California and now to the beautiful Pacific Northwest and the small community of Rosburg, Washington.

Sure we were excited to see Sarah and Joey, however................

James teaching me the finer points of fishing the Petaluma River.

MiMi and her buddy!

Emma modeling her outfit and new purse!

Rosburg is a small, incredibly scenic community located in Wahkiakum County.  It is two hours northwest of Portland, Oregon, one hour from Astoria, Oregon and  three hours south of Seattle.  With a population of less than 4,000 people, it is the second smallest county in the state of Washington.  So like most places we've visited since the start of the pandemic, social distancing is not an issue!  

We have the good fortune of staying at a fantastic Airbnb cabin located on the banks of the Columbia River.  As we have learned from our first few days here, there is so much interesting history in the area to absorb.  My mind is already spinning with stories that I have heard and read about the Lewis and Clark Expedition, which on two separate occasions camped along the shores of where we are staying. There's also the family history of our Airbnb hosts and their connection to the well preserved (thanks to the Mayor, who you will learn more about in future blogs) salmon cannery which is located just a short, low tide walk down the beach from our cabin.

Our cabin from the shoreline of the Columbia River.  This picture was taken at low tide.

A cabin with a hammock with the Columbia River for a backdrop.  Two thumbs up!

Taken from the quiet road in that doubles as our walking trail. Across the river is Oregon.

Entrance to our cabin.  It's located about 10 miles off the "main road" (Wa-4)

In 1805 Lewis and Clark camped along these shores.  I wonder if history will record that on February 17, 2021 that Kent and Beth had a picnic here?

I've heard there may be some salmon starting to run up river.  So far they haven't swam into my hook.

A brief moment of being awake by the fire.  

That's enough for today!  I've got to get back to nature.  It's a typical cool, damp day in this neck of the woods, but there is plenty of entertainment.  Just outside our windows barking sea lions are frolicking about while bald eagles are perched in the tall evergreen trees along the banks, waiting patiently for a meal.  

As Beth said on our walk this morning, "there's so much to see around here".  We're looking forward to exploring and sharing our adventure.