Cannon Beach (part 3) and Boardman, OR
April 25, 2021
Time to go to a new state, Washington, at least for the day.
We drove up to Cape Disappointment State Park
First stop Beard's Hollow Overlook
"In the early 1900s, locals visited Beard's Hollow to swim, fish, and camp. Later, workers quarried basalt from nearby cliffs. After the Columbia River jetty system was built, this cove filled in and became the wetland you see today."
Next we set out on a short trail to Benson Beach
It was a little windy but I was happy to see the cloudy day was yielding to some blue sky.
North of us we could see the North Head Lighthouse.
South of us beautiful ocean and sky as far as the horizon.
"On November 18, 1805, William Clark and 11 members of the Lewis and Clark Expedition arrived here, completing their mission as directed by President Thomas Jefferson. Eighteen months after beginning their journey in St. Louis, Missouri, they were standing at the edge of the continent, in the tribal lands of the Chinook Indians, and on the brink of starvation."
Next stop the North Jetty.
"Shifting sands, gale-force winds, dense fog, strong currents, huge waves-these are some of the hazards for vessels entering the Columbia River. During the boom years of the 1850's when hundreds of ships used the river-and dozens sank-mariners dubbed this area the "Graveyard of the Pacific."
Jim on the North Jetty.
"In 1885, the US Army Corps of Engineers began a 30-year public works project to build jetties at the mouth of the Columbia River. Workers barged tons of basalt rock downriver and loaded it onto railroad cars. The train cars moved out over the ocean on a trestle and dumped the rocks to build up the jetty below."
Cargo ship entering the river channel
"Jetties changed the river dynamics and the shape of the shoreline. They drastically narrowed the mouth of the river so that water exited much faster. This stabilized and deepened the entry channels. Sand flushed out of the river's mouth created miles of new land."
We could see Cape Disappointment Lighthouse to the south of us.
Waikiki Beach, it does have black sand so maybe that is how it got it's name.
Let's go over and see Waikiki Beach.
Black sand and a lot of driftwood are on the beach here.
The north jetty is on one side.
While the south side has this majestic hill; for me it is the quintessential Northwest look.
From here we headed to Cape Disappointment.
""There is no habit you will value so much as that of walking far without fatigue," wrote Thomas Jefferson. In November 1805, members of the Corps of Discovery walked a final dozen miles from Station Camp to this headland. Cape Disappointment provided a panoramic view of the Pacific Ocean."
The Lighthouse is no longer in use.
How the Cape got its name, which is not a disappointment at all.
"The Chinook Indians call Cape Disappointment "Kah'eese." Spanish explorer Bruno Heceta named it "San Roque" as he sailed past in 1775. British trader John Meares named it "Cape Disappointment" in 1788, reflecting his mistaken impression that there was no river here. In 1792, Captain Robert Gray piloted the first sailing ship, the Columbia Rediviva, up the river. The name he gave Cape Disappointment, "Cape Hancock," didn't stick but his name for the river, in honor of his successful ship, did."
The Cape is also the site of Battery Harvey Allen.
As you can tell, the battery is no longer active.
"Battery Harvey Allen was a part of Fort Canby, which was part of the harbor defense of the Columbia and was built from 1904 to 1905. In 1941, the battery became operational again, until 1945. It was equipped with three 6" guns."
"A bold promontory of ancient basalt, Cape Disappointment rises from the shore of the largest ocean in the world. Around its base flows the mighty Columbia River. Cape Disappointment is the sentinel at the mouth of the Columbia and guards this gateway to the Pacific Northwest."
The modern building on the right belongs to the Coast Guard who use it for monitoring.
We headed over to the North Head Lighthouse to see it close up. We were taken aback by the beautiful grounds there which included this duplex for the residence of guard one and guard two who worked at the lighthouse.
This single family home was for the Lighthouse Keeper.
Both residences are currently available as a vacation rental
see here for details https://parks.state.wa.us/380/Cape-Disappointment
"Compared with more remote lighthouse stations, North Head's proximity to civilization made it an attractive post. Horse-drawn carriages provided passage over a wooden plank road until cars and pavement improved the drive to Ilwaco. Still, families produced much of their own food. There was a chicken coop, a barn for a cow and horses, and a large vegetable garden. Multiple keepers served long appointments at North Head, and many families called this place home."
North Head Lighthouse identifiable by it black cap and white body.
"North Head Lighthouse was built in 1898 to guide ships approaching the Columbia River from the north. Shipping traffic from this direction had increased as trade routes from Puget Sound and the Northwest coast emerged. Nearby Cape Disappointment Lighthouse established 42 years earlier was not visible soon enough to provide adequate warning for captains navigating the notoriously fierce currents of the Columbia. Shifting sandbars, violent storms and treacherous waters resulted in hundreds of shipwrecks and lives lost. Mariners referred to this area as the Graveyard of the Pacific."
At the base of the lighthouse is the work house
"A work bench, tools and supplies for routine maintenance of the lighthouse and lens were kept here."
Currently being restored is one of the two houses that held the oil for the light.
"Routine was paramount, regardless of weather. The lens was lit from dusk to dawn, with cleaning and maintenance performed during the day. Storage for oil and other supplies. The original lens burned an average of five gallons of kerosene per night. Before electricity, keepers carried 30 pounds of kerosene up North Head's 65-foot-tall tower to fuel the lens."
A view of Benson Beach from the lighthouse.
We left Cape Disappointment state park and headed over to Fort Stevens.
"The Astoria–Megler Bridge is a steel cantilever through truss bridge in the northwest United States that spans the lower Columbia River, between Astoria, Oregon, and Point Ellice near Megler, Washington. Opened 55 years ago in 1966, it is the longest continuous truss bridge in North America"
At Fort Stevens we found the wreck of the Peter Iredale
"Peter Iredale was a four-masted steel barque sailing vessel that ran ashore October 25, 1906, on the Oregon coast en route to the Columbia River. She was abandoned on Clatsop Spit near Fort Stevens in Warrenton about four miles south of the Columbia River channel."
The wreck was amazingly sturdy even though it looks rusty and weak.
Here is a picture from far end so you can imagine how long it was, and how much of the wreckage maybe buried under the sand.
This is a fort so of course another battery is here.
" Battery Russell was built at Fort Stevens between Mar 1903 and Aug 1904 and was transferred for service 12 Aug 1904 at a cost of $125,000. Battery Russell was named for Bvt. Major General David A. Russell who was killed in action 19 Sep 1864 at Opequan, Virginia, during the U.S. Civil War (earlier in his career he served as commander of Fort Yamhill). Deactivated 29 Dec 1944 upon completion of Battery 245."
Not much to look at today as trees have grown in front
Pretty but we are fairly certain when active it had a better view of the coast.
On the backside of the battery was this marshy pond.
April 26, 2021
We are taking a chill day today, so I went for a walk on the beach.
It is pretty chilly and a Monday so not too many people here right now.
Google lens says this is a Eurasian Whimbrel
High tide minimizing the width of the beach.
Haystack Rock from 2 miles down the beach
A stingray washed ashore.
Double splash
And here is a video so you can hear the wind and the sea as well as see it.
It is always a good day at the beach.
April 27, 2021
We leave tomorrow so this morning we cleaned the house, did laundry and put our stuff back in the RV and went grocery shopping. Then it was time to take a walk on the beach.
This was the clearest day for the hills in the distance.
And this picture of the hills gives you a chance to see 4 beach houses. The houses all look very similar here, lots of windows and cedar shake shingles.
The sun is shining the waves are crashing how can you keep from smiling?
Water flowing to the ocean made this beautiful pattern in the sand.
It looks a little like peacock feathers.
And one last dinner on the back deck, chowder tastes even better with an ocean view.
April 28, 2021
Today we drove 245 miles to Boardman, OR
Highway 26 out of Cannon Beach is a tree lined drive that makes for a pleasant drive.
Highway 84 takes you through the Columbia River Gorge.
This was taken thru the car window while driving, surprising scenery as we are not on the scenic drive to see the waterfalls of Columbia River Gorge.
The next waterfall was even more amazing.
The third most waterfilled one I missed with the camera, but was fun to see a shorter falls but with lots of water.
Highway 84 ran alongside the Columbia River the whole ride here, you can't ask for nicer scenery.
Even the rugged rocks here along the road are picturesque.
We pulled into our riverside campsite, pretty sweet digs.
Oregon is doing all it can to win us over.
We strolled along the river to the Boardman Marina. A little early in the season so some slips are empty currently.
The weather here is sunny and in the high seventies so about a dozen trailers were in the parking lot - meaning a dozen boats were out on the water most likely fishing.
It's definitely spring, the park was full of goslings and there parents.
Jim enjoyed some shade under the gazebo.
An industrious tug pushes 2 barges down the Columbia River.
You can see the farmland in Washington across the river.
We continued on the path known as the Columbia River Heritage Trail
to see "Capt. Al James" the tug boat, which used to push barges up and down river before it was retired in 1972.
And the day comes to a close with a simple sunset.
April 29,2021
First things first, before we left I couldn't lock the RV the numeric keypad needed new batteries.
Jim knew what to do and had the tools to do it - the key to RV happiness.
Lock is working properly once again.
So, this morning we drove out to the other end of the Columbia River Heritage Trail. Yesterday we did the left side shown here on the map which are all walkable from our campsite. The points of interest
A - F are 11 miles away so we hopped in the truck to get there.
After driving thru industrial farms and food processing plants we made a left turn into what looked like a driveway that turned quickly into a narrow gravel road that led here. Hmmm, not at all like our side of the trail, no signs indicating spots noted on the map. Disappointing.
So after a restful day hanging out at the campsite reading and watching boats on the Columbia River, I rewalk the trail by us. This scene at the park reminded me of the artwork "Sunday in the Park with George". I call this Sunday in the Park with Geese.
This time I walked around the baseball fields and came across this exhibit in the parking lot.
"Images on stone are important symbols of the native heritage of the Natitayt (the People) of the Columbia River Plateau. The images seen here are representative markings of petroglyphs (pecked images) and pictographs (painted images) that are found throughout the Columbia River Plateau."
"Many of these images are now covered by the waters behind the dams. Every petroglyph or pictograph is distinctive, and represents something unique to the individual who created it. "
"Some have been known to represent important events in the area, nearby villages or camps, fishing areas or geological places on the river, special animal or spiritual guides, a family or clan emblem, or are a map for travelers to follow."
I also came across this proud fisherman with today's catch.
Apparently the fishing is pretty good here.
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