Family Vacation

June 26 our family embarked on its first ever ten-day vacation. Crazy, huh? J turns 17 in a matter of weeks and we've never taken a "real" vacation. We've done blasts to California, even a slightly extended long weekend to Colorado, a week in Disney with in-laws (does that really count as a vacation?!?)-but never ten days of not being home, not being in my own bed, and having no access to a computer or the internet!

It was exciting and a little overwhelming. Before we left I had started to battle a cold. It hung on (along with a sore throat) for the first few days of our trip, but by Sunday I was feeling back to normal. We headed out to explore Cape Disappointment, which was incredibly green and beautiful.
We hiked a short trail that led us through enveloped us in greenery, flowers and the roar of the ocean—breathtaking.
The fog was heavy over the ocean that day, emphasizing the need for these life-saving lighthouses. We learned a little history about this area and these lighthouses too:

In 1788, while in search of the Columbia River, English Captain John Meares missed the passage over the river bar and named the nearby headland Cape Disappointment for his failure in finding the river. In 1792, American Captain Robert Gray successfully crossed the river bar and named the river "Columbia" after his ship, the Columbia Rediviva. Only a few years later, in 1805, the Lewis and Clark Expedition arrived at Cape Disappointment.

The Cape Disappointment Lighthouse was constructed in 1856 to warn seamen of the treacherous river bar known by then as "the graveyard of the Pacific." This is the oldest functioning lighthouse on the West Coast.

In 1862, Cape Disappointment was armed with smoothbore cannons to protect the mouth of the Columbia River from enemies. The installation was expanded to become Fort Canby in 1875. The fort was named after General Edward Canby, who was killed in the Modoc Indian War. The fort continued to be improved until the end of World War II. Gun batteries still sit uptop the park.

Just a little tidbit of interesting history. And some more photos from this incredible experience.


Cape Disappointment and Cape Disappointment Lighthouse