Cape Disappointment State Park, and Oregon daytrip (Trial trip part 2)

After our late lunch at Sylvia Lake State Park we headed off in a hurry to get to Cape Disappointment State Park before dark. We have never been to that park so we weren't sure what to expect and wanted to have a bit of light upon arrival. We made it right at dusk, just in the nick of time.

Before continuing I'd like to apologize for the length of this post. We spent 4 days here and there are many pictures :) Also I'd like to Thank Ania as most of the pictures that I am in are from her. Quite often we go on adventures and come home and realize I never stepped out from behind the camera so...Thank you Ania for proving I was actually there ;)

The next morning since it was pouring we ventured out in our raingear and headed straight for the beach.

Ian and I enjoying the wet, rainy morning at the beach

Ian checking out an old ship that washed ashore. We spoke to another camper who said that last year the beach was about 20' longer and in the period of 1 year had eroded about 20'! As well last year the sand was brown and this year due to the erosion, the sand has turned black...from the eroded soil change.

Ania

Aayla at home in the wet sand...my mud loving girl!

A coast guard ship which we think was practicing on the waves as about 7 ships went by all but 1 zooming along on the top of the waves and below a MUD Party!

And all was fun until Aayla got some sand in her eyes and then rubbed them with her muddy mitten...not so much fun!

Ian pointing out the caves at the base of the cliffs.

Then we are off for a hike to the Cape Disappointment Lighthouse. There is also a Lewis and Clark Interpretive Centre nearby but our little ones were tired after their hike and we skipped it.

Some ferns and moss growing along the trail. The rain makes everything so lush and green.

I am a sucker for fungi...I can't help but stop for a picture.

Aayla getting a ride from daddy as we near an old bunker which the kids had a blast playing in and then almost to the lighthouse.

The view of the interpretive centre from the lighthouse

The kids exploring the lighthouse and they were VERY disappointed that they couldn't go in. After our walk our tired kiddo's needed a nap so we took a drive to Astoria in Oregon and passed over this just over 6 KM (4mile) bridge.

We took a brief drive as far as Seaside. We were supposed to leave the next day but we decided to stay 2 more days so we could hopefully get some sun at our beach and maybe take another trip to Seaside. On our way home from Seaside we saw some deer enjoying some fresh new grass.

On our way back to Seaside this morning. This road is the entrance to the park but the way the moss grows on all the branches is so magical.

My tree monkey...Sierra became quite good at climbing trees

Aayla couldn't climb at first so she bounced on some low limbs but with some persistence she found some trees she could climb.

Finally a sunny morning to snap a few pics before heading back to Seaside.

Sierra can be such a cutie pie. She hates having her picture taken but today I got quite a few wonderful shots of her beautiful smile!

Sierra, Max and Aayla, after about 20 shots of trying to get them to pose, this is as good as it gets :)

Helping Sierra to straighten out her sock and dump out some sand.

We are now back in Seaside to enjoy the sun for a short bit before the clouds and the rain move in. We had a great time at this Seaside Beach.

I love the dunes and all the grasses.

Time for some serious sand castle building

Daddy and Aayla watching the waves.

Aayla decides to join in the fun

Sierra and her Mermaid kingdom

Aayla climbing the dunes (I am looking forward to White Sands National Monument this summer...the dunes should be soooooo much fun!)

Daddy playing with his new chainsaw we got at Costco in Astoria.

Max proud of his treasure

Aayla getting a piggy back ride from mommy. Her little legs can only go so far! She does great though!

Mountain climbers

Daddy helping Aayla to climb up and explore the driftwood graveyard at the end of the beach.

Aayla finds a ladybug

Sierra finds a beach bench. She was determined to carry it all the way back to the campsite...and almost did but daddy rescued her as she was looking pretty tired.

We decided the campfire wood in Washington is expensive and barely burns. We got some old pallets and we've been cutting them up for the campfires at night to add some heat to the fire. I swear whatever they sell around here for firewood would be good to build a house out of as it takes forever to burn! During the day today they enjoyed a propane fire as I hid inside to work on photos for a bit as I took over 1000 this week!

The sunset tonight was the best so far. The pictures just do not do it justice. The colours were so vivid and pretty.

Our little raccoon friend

One last visit to the beach before we head out on our way to Seaquest State Park and Mt St Helens. See Trial trip post #3 coming tomorrow

Deception Pass State Park and lunch at Lake Sylvia (Trial trip part 1)

We started off our trial trip by crossing at the Peace Arch Border crossing and I was pleasantly surprised at how easy the crossing was. We have crossed the border with the truck camper in the past with no difficulty at all but I assumed the trailer would warrant further inspections. Other then the normal where are you from, where are you going questions they wanted to know about was prescription medications and food. Since it was our trial trip we basically left with minimal food from home and said we were going to buy food once we crossed and we went right through…they didn't even ask to open up the trailer??? I’m not complaining I was just surprised.

We headed to Haggens, stocked up the fridge and pantry. We parked near the back as to not take up the busy parking area as our 2 trailers were a bit of a space hog!

Then we were off to Deception Pass. We camped at Deception Pass with the truck camper in the fall for one night and really liked it so we thought we’d start on familiar ground, and just like the first time, it rained most of the time there but we still had a great time.

Since our trailers are 35 feet we had limited space available to us and had to be a couple campsites apart for the first night. Our neighbours were super nice and let us hook into their electric and water the first night and when they left the next day, our friends moved in and we got electric and water again…sweet since we weren’t expecting it! We have a Power House PH3100Ri Digital Inverter Generator which is pretty quiet, and without hook ups would have had to use it a bit in the cold damp weather here this time of the year.

Our site amoung the forest (for more campground pictures see campground reviews coming in the next day or two)

our site in the tall fir trees and the view looking up

We enjoyed morning walks in search of birds and mud puddles and other signs of spring.

Sierra looking for birds while enjoying a ride on daddy's shoulders

a little Robin...a sure sign of Spring, and Aayla jumping in mud puddles...another sure sign of Spring!

Pussy willows and Wild Currant flowers

After the wind subsided, we had a lot of fun playing on the beach, discovering abandoned forts, and winbreaks that were immediately turned into magical boats perfect for the adventures of 3 and 4 year olds

The beach was a bit windy at first

Sierra having fun in an abandoned fort

Only a short easterly walk from the main beach through the woods and past this view

Ian, Sierra, Aayla and me in front of the bridge

you then pass the amphitheater and arrive at north beach which unlike the main beach with all the sand, this beach is full of beautiful smooth rocks of all shapes and sizes which were all perfect for an afternoon of throwing.

And of course it’s not camping until the campfire is lit. The kidos all were busy collecting pine cones to feed the fire as they waiting for marshmallow time!

Ania and Max roasting marshmellows

After packing up which was pretty fast and easy we headed out on the road for Cape disappointment State Park. It’s a long drive, especially with little ones that have to stop for the washroom all at different times, or stopping to feed their baby we planned a stop at Sylvia Lake State Park for a late lunch break. We knew nothing about this park before arriving and got lucky that we could find a spot for both our trailers to fit. We didn’t stay long or take a good look around as there wasn't all that much of room for us.

Aayla of course found all the mud puddles and was in heaven jumping in them all...at one point she even sat down. That girl sure loves to get messy!

Sierra on the other hand doesn't like to get dirty so she’s looking a little grumpy.

A few photos from around the park

trial trip Part 2...our time at Cape Disappointment coming soon

packing up for our trial run....

We have patiently been waiting for our Friends new trailer to arrive. They bought the same trailer we did but there was only one on the lot so they had to wait for theirs to arrive. Well theirs just arrived yesterday so we are busy packing up and getting ready to hit the road. We are heading down to Washington State and will visit Deception Pass State Park and Cape Disappointment.

Hopefully we will remember to bring most everything we need for this trial trip before our maiden voyage in April. I will be sure to post all the details when we return on Thursday.

Until Have a great week! Welcome Diane and also to Erik of ERIK's RV Blog. Thanks for folowing along on our journey.

Happy St Patrick's day!

Wishing everyone a Happy St Patrick's Day! And wishing I get all our book work done from our businesses we sold last fall so we can head out in the trailer on a trial trip this weekend to a couple Washington State Parks before our Maiden Voyage in April!

Welcome wishes to Felicia of Higgins Pod and to Sue of Big Dawg and Freeway Thanks for following and may you enjoy the ride :)