I had noticed in both State parks, with some surprise, that there were many families camping in tents. It reminded me of our tent which I referred to as my first home, when we were oh! so young and first married. Tent camping is still popular, even with the elder set. Often we would see grandparents accompanying their families, and I couldn't help wondering how they enjoyed their rustic camping experience at this stage of life.
I see that I have become very spoiled!
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| the Astoria bridge that crosses the mighty and dangerous Columbia River mouth |
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| the long stretch across the shallow parts to Washington on the other side |
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| approaching the bridge into Washington |
We wound our way along the Lewis and Clark Trail Scenic Byway, hugging the coastline. I find the scenery quite mesmerizing, gazing out over the water to the green hills in the distance. I think I mentioned previously that we listen to audio books along long stretches. At the moment we are enjoying one of Alexander McCall Smith's series, 44 Scotland Street. It not only helps to shorten the journey, but it also is a great way for my DH to enjoy books he may not otherwise have time to sit and read, and I never mind re-reading a good book again.
Arriving in the early afternoon gave us time to set up, have lunch and tea (what else?!), and log on. We were back in the civilized world of Internet access, which the RV parks so kindly offer.
Westport is located on Point Chehalis (the peninsula) at the west end of Grays Harbor at the inlet. Grays Harbor is named after Captain Robert Gray who discovered the bay in 1792 while making his fur-trading voyages along the Pacific Coast.
Originally,Chehalis Indians lived on these beaches during the summer to hunt, fish, and trade. In 1860, Fort Chehalis was established here on the peninsula. The US Coast Guard and timber shipping out of Grays Harbor helped establish a settlement over time. The US Corps of Engineers built a jetty in 1896 to assist shipping, then rebuilt it in 1935. In 1898, the Chehalis Point lighthouse was erected. Westport's first hotel was opened in 1891 and by 1911 there were six hotels, three markets, a saloon, and two razor clam canneries. Around 1913, Finnish loggers started the cranberry bogs for which this area is well known. The city of Westport was incorporated June 26, 1914, and had 114 citizens. During WWII, aware of a possible attack, gun emplacements were placed along the beaches. The 1950's brought commercial fishing fleets and sports fishing to Westport. Another claim to fame is that actor John Wayne moored his pleasureboat in Westport for several summers while here for salmon fishing.
Here are two good links to more history of the area:
http://www.historylink.org/index.cfm?DisplayPage=output.cfm&file_id=10723
We went for a walk to explore the little town, and once again were pleasantly surprised. This turns out to be quite an active fishing and crabbing area, with a couple of canneries right here in town.
The Westport Marina, right across from a quaint main street of the the town, was filled with trawling vessels home for the night.
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| a clutter of fishing rigs |
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| the wind was pretty breezy along here at this time of day |
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| quaint old buildings in the downtown area |
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| we saw several murals along our walk, capturing the history of the town |
We walked on to the observation tower for a look-see. We got a good overview of the point, the town, and Half Moon Bay to the south. Except for the howling hold-on-to-your-hat wind at the harbor, we enjoyed our walk.
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| Half Moon Bay |
I found it amusing that the lighthouse actually sits inland, adjacent to a neighborhood. It was still early, so the lighthouse was closed to visitors.
Later I found out that this is the Grays Harbor Lighthouse, and that it is 107 feet high, making it not only the tallest lighthouse in Washington but also the third tallest on the West Coast. When built in 1898, it stood about 400 feet from the water's edge. However, over the years, with the accumulation of deposit buildup created by the jetty system to the entrance of Grays Harbor, the lighthouse now stands about 3,000 feet from high tide, and across the street from a restaurant.
We took a few photos and moved on towards the paved trail that follows the beach.
It was a long and pretty walk. We passed several other joggers and bikers. Eventually we came to a spot that must be popular with surfers because there were many of them donning wetsuits or heading towards the beach.
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| one of the many surfers here along this stretch of beach |
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| I took this photo because I was intrigued to learn about surf etiquette.. and wonder if perhaps this spot is so popular that there may have been a few issues arising which made it necessary to post these rules |
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| the breakers were coming in often and pounding the beach |
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| we climbed the observation tower again to take another look on this lovely sunny day.. there were more surfers riding the waves on this side of the bay |
We continued on back to Alpine through town, hoping to enjoy a well-deserved ice cream after our 5.5-mile walk. However, it was still just a little too early for the shops to be open. |
| there are several wood carving sculptures here, and after recently watching chainsaw carvers at work in Reedsport, I am a lot wiser about this art form |
Meanwhile, back at the RV (and Tent) Resort, a group had gathered for the Westport Rod Run, a street rod association car rally. We took a walk later when the 'rods' were parked together for display. It was a treat to see these immaculately kept and loved cars.
Here is a map of our 1,100-mile Oregon Rally and Coastal Trip:
That's all folks.... signing out for now and see you in September.
