Cape Disappointment Lighthouse-Ilwaco, WA

After North Head, we made a few more stops...a scenic lookout and bridge over wetlands which were phenomenally beautiful. We spent quite some time at the excellent Lewis & Clark Interpretive Center (we read a great picture book "How We Crossed The West: The Adventures Of Lewis And Clark" by Rosalyn Schanzer and "Streams to the River, River to the Sea" by Scott O'Dell in preparation for the visit to Long Beach, Washington.

Anyways, it was time to make about a mile trek to Cape Disappointment lighthouse. After some elevation gain, we all needed to rest our feet and ate more snacks at the top of the bluff. It is like being at the top of the world or the edge of eternity or something...simply awesome scenery over the mouth of the mighty Columbia and the "Graveyard of the Pacific". We met Coast Guardman Joe who invited us into his watchtower and let Daniel peer through his telescope! John had lots of naval type inquiries and we learned A LOT about the sea from this generous guy.

Wow, we've already done FOUR lighthouses and we've had an absolute ball!

TRAVEL TIP: We made this a weekend getaway but could have spent more time. One of our favorite destinations was Waikiki Beach at Cape Disappointment state park. Tons of driftwood, a fantastic bathroom facility with showers and a sweet little beach with super soft sand and a walk on the jetty is not to be missed!