May 29, Grayland Beach State Park, Grayland, WA

 

May 29, 2015.  We like it here at Grayland Beach State Park. While the weather was a little gloomy and cooler than desired, it was a good day.  The temperature rose to the mid-fifties with overcast skies.  Still, it wasn't uncomfortable so long as we moved around or sat near the campfire.

We like it so much that we extended our stay two additonal nights.  We will have tomorrow to knock around again then we will leave Sunday for Cape Disappointment Campground at the extreme southwest corner of Washington. From there, we will go south to Nehalem Bay State Park in Oregon.

One story is that Cape Disappointment was named by a member of the Corps of Discovery (Lewis and Clark Expedition).  The story is that the Corps was hoping to spot a ship and sail back to civilization. They were "disappointed" that no ship was sighted.  The Corps spent from March, 1806, until September returning overland to St. Louis.  Upon arrival, they discovered that they were thought to have perished.  Only President Jefferson and a few other impractical optimists believed they were still alive.

Nehalem Bay was our last stop before heading home at the end of the eight-week Great American Road Trip of 1988.  We spent two or three nights there before returning to Missouri.  I recall it as an idyllic time which capped the most memorable trip of our family life.  On that trip, our daughters swam in the Gulf of Mexico, the Atlantic, a Great Lake, the Great Salt Lake, and the Pacific.  The Pacific dip came at Nehalem Bay State Park.  Cape Disappointment is also on the Pacific.  Both parks offer long stretches of beach.

We have carted the bikes 2500 miles and today was the first day we rode them. We circled the campground, biked into the town (village?) of Grayland, then to Westport, an access  used by some to get to the beach in their vehicle.  It seems odd to see trucks and cars driving on the beach in a state park.  Evidently, it is common here and in other places.  Maybe it seems odd only because I haven't seen it done before.

Look for more of the same tomorrow.  Goodnight.