Cape Disappointment and Long Beach

If you are driving through the olympic peninsula area (in Washington State), do pay a visit to Cape Disappointment State Park. Cape Disappointment has some stunning views from the bluffs over the Pacific Ocean.

It was in the year 2008, we woke up one weekend and searched on google and decided to drive towards Long Beach and Cape Disappointment.  We had just moved into Washington state then and were very eager to explore around. After all we are "Evergreen state".

Unfortunately, on our visit, both lighthouses and the Lewis and Clark interpretive center were closed. Well, that was the only "disappointment" - pun intended. :)

There are a few trails ranging from easy to moderate. Some trails were paved, others looked more primitive, but all passable. Nonetheless, we just took the trail that takes you up to the lighthouse just to enjoy some panoramic views. Notable thing here is that the Columbia River meet the Pacific Ocean.

The beaches seemed to be outstanding, and if you have good weather, you can station yourself there all day with a good book. Well, that pretty much was the scene the day we went. So we specifically did not spend much time at the beach since it was jam packed. I can't remember why it was crowded that day except for the fact that it was an extremely good day (bright and sunny perfect for beach bums).

If you take a closer look of this pic you will see the crowded beach at the bottom of the hill.

We caught a glimpse of sea lions and some birds but did not spot any other wildlife although many people claim to have seen deer, orcas and other animals.

So, if we neither walked much on trails nor we were at the beach then where did we spend our memorable time? Well, midway to the Lighthouse, there was this hidden beach that we were able to see from up top but there was no trail/path/ladder to go down. We decided to crawl/slide/slip down the lose sand and enjoy the view/beach.

The place was private and not a soul (except for us). We had a great time sitting on the driftwood and caught a glimpse of the passing ships/boat. The best cure for the body is a quiet mind.

Afterwhich we started our way back home and stopped briefly at Long Beach, played some frisbee and enjoyed the sunset. It was a bit chilly by then.