Maybe it’s because I live in a place that rains a lot or maybe it’s just my personality, but I LOVE the warm sunshine of summer! We’ve been especially damp this year and didn’t have much of a summer last year, so I am more than ready to embrace this change of season.

While celebrating our anniversary last weekend in Long Beach, Wash, it was a little soggy off and on, but that didn’t stop us from getting outside and doing a little sightseeing. With *finesse, we pushed on in spite of the “spittle” to explore Cape Disappointment State Park.

Our first stop was at the gun batteries and remains of Fort Canby.  Cape Disappointment was armed with smoothbore cannons in 1862 to protect the mouth of the Columbia River and was expanded to become Fort Canby in 1875. Named after General Edward Canby (killed in the Modoc Indian War), the fort continued to be improved until the end of World War II.

The fog was pretty soupy as we entered the Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center, which is situated 200 feet above the Pacific Ocean. I’m sure the view is magnificent when the weather is clear. Large graphics and a short film allowed us to follow the journey of Lewis and Clark and their Corps of Discovery. Overall, the center offers a good timeline of the expedition with a lot of interesting visuals and artifacts. However, it might have been helpful to have overlay maps in some exhibits, as it was a little difficult to pinpoint different events to present day locations.

Dead Man’s Cove

As we left the Interpretive Center, the weather was somewhat improved, so we decided to hike to the Cape Disappointment Light House. The trail is just that; a trail, so I’m glad we were both wearing good shoes. The old growth fir trees along the path were enormous and the mosquitos were plentiful. Along the way we passed by Dead Man’s Cove. I can’t seem to find any documented reason for the name, except that bodies of drowned sailors washed into the cove like the drift wood. 

Cape Disappointment Lighthouse

The trail improves to a paved path just past the entrance to the Coast Guard station. It’s a lot of uphill walking, but pretty easy. We reached the lighthouse and the weather improved enough for us to see the ocean more clearly. We could even make out Astoria in the distance!

The day would have been more picturesque if the skies had been blue instead of gray, but at least the rain wasn’t coming down in buckets. However, I’m tired of making the best of the weather and am so glad it’s the first day of summer. Now if the weather would only pay attention to the calendar – C’mon summer!

*finesse (skill, flair, grace elegance, poise, assurance)