Trippers: Gary and Judith
November 2009
Update: 2010.
Chamber of Commerce wrote that the "longest beach" designation refers to the fact that it's possible to drive on the beach, tip to tip for the longest stretch.
Weather: windy and rainy !!
Wooden boardwalk prox. 0.8/mile
long. We walked along "enjoying" the wind and rain pelting our faces. Ouch.
Stayed in our WorldMark timeshare unit...on top floor (not in one with large balcony & hot tub--the "Presidential Suites")
Of course, dining on seafood is a requisite for us (or anyone else?) when visiting the beach. Had fresh, local Willapa Bay panfried oysters for lunch one day. Stop into Dooger's Seafood & Grill. Then FAB oysters stew flavored with al dente celery--something I must try, I've decided. Visit Castaways Seafood Grill.
Exploring is also a must for the beach visitor, yes? Don't you love it when you decide to be spontaneous and stop at something you'vc never heard ab
out, but see as you're driving along? Case in point: Fort Columbia State Park, a Heritage Site. Military fort constructed in 1896 and in the biz of "defense" through WWII (!).
Gun emplacements, barracks, and batteries still there to wander about in
--if the weather isn't hugely stormy as it was the day we stopped. Gorgeous location, at the mouth of the Columbia River. You can even rent one of two military houses there.(The picnic table sitting there was unfortunate)
No trip to the Long Beach
Peninsula would be complete without a visit to Cape Disappointment State Park and the Lewis & Clark Interpretive Center. OK, so it's a fee-entrance to the center, but, trust me, So Well Worth it! (1) for the view out their three-story-high(?) glass window overlooking the confluence of the Columbia River and the Pacific ocean, and (2) for the self-guided tour through the exhibits. I mean, fellow arm-chair Trippers, one exhibit focusing on sea-related matters, from lighthouse equipment to shipwreck artifacts and boats.The Corps of Discovery exhibit covers two floors and features touch & feel exhibits, from sighting a hunting rifle to feeling clothing fabrics typically worn by explorers.
samples of linen, leather, wool in front of display cases.
One of the fun things to do on a road trip (IMHO) is to pick up brochures and visitor guides, pour over 'em, then visit some place that's been written up about. This trip, I chose Jack's Country Store, in Ocean Park WA , just up the road from the community of Long Beach. http://www.jackscountrystore.com/ in business for 123 years and claiming to have the world's best selection of genuine Aladdin lamps. Well, the store had just about everything, but the lamps must be warehoused and not on display. Gary found just the tomato slicer he's been wanting, however, so the stop was definitely worthwhile.
Well, it's a "fer-piece" from home to the coast, a 7-hour drive but fun to do.....every now and then ONLY. Bye bye to their peninsula of 26+ miles, according to the sign "The world's Longest Beach."
