Born to be Wild

Cape Disappointment is known for its beautiful beaches and ocean views but the coastal weather usually leaves a lot to be desired. Maybe that’s the disappointment part. We were fully prepared to spend our time there in the wind and rain. For the two weeks leading up to our trip, we kept a close eye on the weather. Sunny skies were predicted which was a little hard to believe in the middle of autumn in Washington. This time, however, weather.com got it right. Yay!

We had been here before in Alfred Hitchpop and we remembered the beautiful beach by the campsite very well. In fact, we were parked in the very loop we had camped in years ago. And come to think of it, we had good weather then, too. The kids romped in the surf and we cooked outside. Maybe the key to good weather at Cape Disappointment is US! Hmmmm… food for thought!

For this trip our friends Glenn and Kris would be joining us. They arrived from Portland early Friday morning. Steven had already been up since the crack of dawn shooting a moonset on the beach but was now lounging in his favorite chair when they knocked on the door. They had reserved a Yurt that was in another loop, but it was just across the road from our spot. After they settled in, we took a long stroll on the beach to the cliffs by a lighthouse and then spent the rest of the day exploring the area. Given that all of our camping trips in Scoopy so far have been without a car, it was a treat to have actual transportation to visit nearby areas. We enjoyed our day and low-key dinner, and made big plans for Saturday.

  
Steven’s self portrait with setting moon                               Kris and Linda enjoying the sea air

  
Glenn takes a snapshot of a couple of hot chicks           Ah, the sea. The sound of the waves is just so calming

      
Glenn Lacey: Intrepid Photographer                     Steven in his element (photo by Glenn)

Glenn and Kris enjoy the sunset on Benson Beach

In search of fog and a dramatic sunrise, we made plans to head out at dawn. With two photographers among us, both with new fancy cameras, there was no way we were going to miss the sunrise. We weren’t disappointed (no pun intended), it was spectacular, rising above the spot where the mighty Columbia meets the Pacific Ocean. We were in awe.

   
Kris and Linda take in the breathtaking sunrise.      Pelicans fly over Linda near Benson Beach at sunrise

After a warming breakfast, we headed into the town of Long Beach. The plan was to rent mopeds and head out along the 28 mile long beach. Once we secured our scooters, we were given a Scooter 101 lesson by the owner of the rental place and then made our way to the world’s longest drivable beach. Well that idea was all fine and dandy until we actually got to the beach. It was high tide and the drivable beach was nowhere to be found because it was now covered by the incoming waves. It would be hours before the tide would recede, so we headed back to the rental place, turned in our scooters and planned to return in the late afternoon.

We drove around and continued to explore the area before heading back into Long Beach for a late lunch. After we poked around a few shops in the downtown area, we headed back to collect our mopeds. This time, the beach was exposed and drivable and we had a blast weaving in and out of the waves and the folks who had arrived to dig for clams.We went quite a long distance on the beach and were amazed at the crowds of people there were clamming. My guess is that there were thousands of folks out there, but it never seemed crowded at all.If you have the opportunity to ride scooters along the beach – any beach – don’t pass it up. This was definitely a highlight of our trip. We put together a little 30-second video of our wild ride here.

Born to be wild. Don’t mess with this gang!

Thousands of people in search of clams on Long Beach

We stopped on our way home to snag a photo of the sunset then returned to Scoopy for a fun evening of food, wine and a blazing campfire.

I must tell you that when Steven and Glenn get together, there is usually talk of some kind of horror scene that needs to be staged. This time, they decided to set up a Halloween-themed photograph involving two “well-oiled” ladies and some dude in a creepy mask. Kris and I were enlisted to play the well-oiled chicks (although there wasn’t any real acting needed, if you know what I mean), while Glenn donned a plastic face mask to provide the horror. The shot required Kris and me to be inside Scoopy having a great old time while viewers of the photo would catch a glimpse of the masked dude outside the window.  The mask outside bit required Glenn to jump up high enough to be seen through the window. He looked like some crazed mental asylum escapee who had just found a trampoline. Kris and I were actually laughing at Glenn, though we did manage to look oblivious to his presence. Although the photograph is creepy, the making of it was hilarious.

   
Linda gets in the Halloween spirit  the photo shoot        The final photograph. Notice the creepy dude in the background

UP NEXT: Thanksgiving Day.

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