Soul Therapy
We are in our new “home”, our temporary abode for the month of June and our first hosting job of the year. This is our 3rd year hosting in the summer and I always look forward to these times. For us they represent a slowing of pace and a bonding with nature while the rest of the world scrambles around looking for summer bookings and squeezing in short vacation outings. In a switch of characters you could say the world moves while we stop….hunkering down in our own little natural paradise for the “sacrifice” of a few hours storytelling in the cool little local lighthouse. It’s a pretty darn perfect life if you ask me.
We’ve settled into Cape Disappointment, a 1882-acre park offering 27 miles of ocean beach, 2 lighthouses and hiking trails to match. The first thing we did when we got here was rush down to the beach and put our feet in the sand while doggie did a “crazy run” with glee to be back on the coast. The whole feet-in-the-sand thing is a simple, yet profoundly moving thing for me. At the first touch of that cool sand I feel connected to the earth. The grains move between my feet and the sound of the ocean tide rhythmically sings lulling me into a deep, soul meditation. It’s hard to explain but it’s like everything that I might have built up over the months flows out of me into the earth and I receive a deep sigh of “ahhhhhh” in return. No psychologist needed…just nature’s therapy baby!
So, here we are. Over the next few weeks I’ll give you lots more pics and the full “low-down” on the area including details of our hosting jobs and the local sightseeing, but for now I simply wanted to give you with taste and (hopefully) leave you wanting for more.
Heaven!!!!!!!
It is indeed! For us, anyway…
Nina
I love reading about your adventure! My family & I just began “Wheeling It” a few days ago. Your posts are inspiring. I’ve been taking notes and can’t wait to see your pictures!
Very happy you “found” us and thanks for following along on our journey!
Nina
I LOVE the picture of Paul and the dog! Enjoy your time in the cool and beautiful Pacific Northwest. I look forward to many more of your posts from there while I plod through the summer in sunny & HOT arizona.
On a side note, do you ever drive the RV or does Paul do all or most of the driving?
Oh I LOVE driving. We usually split the drives. Paul generally does more than me, but I really enjoy it. In fact you can see a little video of me at the wheel in this post:
https://www.wheelingit.us/2011/01/25/on-the-road-again-girls-at-the-wheel/
I totally encourage all the women out there to learn to drive & operate their rig. Not only is it fun, but it’s been a good safety fall-back too. For example when Paul went home on an emergency trip & I had to move the rig…or another time when he did in his back and couldn’t move for a while. Both times I just jumped in and did whatever was required on the rig including dumping, hooking-up. moving and driving. I’m ALL about girl power, baby!
Nina
Girl power baby! I’d need to drug my husband and then maybe I could get a try behind the wheel.
LOL…you’re not the first gal I’ve known to say that. Some guys just *won’t* give up the wheel.
Nina
I’m the one who drives ;)…it is Rob who needs to learn….hehehe! Weird, huh?
In fact, I’M a long hauler in the parallel universe! 😉
I’ve met a few “fulltime” female drivers. Not many, but there are definitely a select group of you out there. Girl power! And yes, I would get that boy to learn. Never know when there might be some kind of emergency where he would need to drive the rig. We even like it for comfort. On longer hauls we’ll sometimes split the drive.
Nina
WOW the beach is sure deserted. It will fill up with at least 2 pugs and 3 boys here in 2 weeks as we will be there June 19th-22nd. 🙂
The beach has been amazingly deserted so far. I’m sure that’ll change as kids start to get out of school. Come on by and say “hi” in the lighthouse when you get here!
Nina
A pretty darned perfect life, indeed! Loved the part about “the world moves while we stop.” I feel your bliss…
That’s exactly right…bliss it is. It may not be a grand mansion or fancy clothes, but this is what “fulfills” me.
Nina
Looks wonderful and fun to me! Have a grand time.
Ah! The beach is a great place to relax. Happy to hear you made it to your Summer abode and all is going well for you guys. Give the tourists a grand story they will cherish forever.
We tell a good story everytime…whether it’s true or not is the big mystery 🙂
Nina
We’ll be right across the river from you next week. We’ll be hosting at Ft Stevens for the summer starting next week. Enjoy the area, very beautiful where you are at.
Oh fabulous! Want to meet up in Astoria sometime? We have Sunday’s off and plan to hit the farmer’s market over there. I’ll try and send you a message.
Nina
Would love to meet up with you guys, we do not have Sundays off, we have Mon and Tue off, but end our day on Sunday at 2pm. Astoria is a great place to spend some time, would enjoy meeting there, possibly over a glass of wine.
John and Patti
This looks wonderful. I can’t wait to see more pictures. Have fun. 🙂
MUCH more coming. I’m already overflowing with pics after only a few days here.
Nina
It is nice to slow things down especially in a place that feels ‘just right’. Enjoy your month!
A slow-down is nice in summer. I find summer booking particularly stressful and hosting has given us an easy “out” during these crazy months.
Nina
Gorgeous place to be, haven’t visited in several years, if we make it by we’ll say “howdy.” and settle in for a story, 😉
Please do! We’ll be in the lighthouse most of the month.
Nina
Welcome to Washington! You’ve finally made it.
Having lived in this state for 35 years, and having been around to see a lot of it, the Long Beach Peninsula, Cape Disappointment, Iwlaco,,, still one of my all time favorite places on the state. There’s something about that area that just relaxes a person to the soul. Every time.
I hope you enjoy it as much as I have on every trip I’ve taken to the area. And I’m looking forwardd to read about your experiences and thoughts of this Washington.
Have Fun!
The cape here is definitely something else. A lovely mix of small-town fishing village and spectacular basalt cliffs. We do love it here!
Nina
Well this looks and sounds exactly like paradise to me. I know exactly what you mean about soul therapy. I am never so contented as I am at the beach. Really looking forward to experiencing your days and “someday” getting to do a month or two or……….. myself.
The beach does something special to me. I mean I love the mountains, and lakes, and the desert (in winter) but the beach is something else. Never tire of it!
Nina
Looks like a great location! Growing up, I enjoyed the few trips I made to the Washington coast (Ocean Shores area, as I recall). The last time I was on the coast was the weekend Mt. St. Helens blew (May, 1980). Even though most of the ash went east, we received enough that the roads were closed, and we had to stay an extra day. As I recall, there was a run on panty hose at the local stores to cover vehicle carburetors. Ah, memories. 🙂
Now that is a totally unique memory!! Thanks for sharing!
Nina
Walt – we were camped at an RV park on the west side of the mountain the night before Mt SH blew. We got up early the next morning and were to Portland when we heard the blast.
Hello Nina and Paul,
While I’m new to post….have followed your adventures for a while. I’m intrigued about your camp hosting duties. If you wouldn’t mind sharing, how does one get a job like “hosting?” Does it require special training? Thanks so much for sharing your way of life with us.
Glenda
I’ll be doing an in-depth post on our lighthouse duties (we’re hosting at the lighthouse, not the campground) soon. No special training required -> just a love of lighthouse history and comfort speaking in front of groups. Before I get to writing about this particular job I can point you to our previous lighthouse hosting gigs incl. a 3-part series on volunteering here:
https://www.wheelingit.us/category/volunteering-2/
Nina
Thanks Nina for this info…
🙂
You got me on the sand between your toes….dreamy!!! Anxious for more of your awesome photography of the area and especially the camp host gig! We hope to find a better fit after last month’s nightmare!
Sorry to hear you had a bad experience. That happens, sadly, even with the best of intentions & research. So far we’ve been very lucky and all our hosting experiences have been good. I don’t think you can go wrong hosting for the State Parks in OR & WA.
Nina
You are feeling the ancient echo of the primoridal ooze. For hundreds of thousands of years, prehistoric man stood just as your toes did, on the very edge of the world as they knew it, the infinite horizon swallowing the sun every evening. How wondrous that must have been! And still is.
The echo of primordial ooze. I really like that analogy!! Totally get it.
Nina
…me,too!
Lovely post. We feel the same about our summer camp hosting gig on Lopez Island (now in our fourth year) — it always feels like we’re going “home” to a very special place where can relax for a couple of months and be immersed in the gorgeous nature and spirit of the island.
Sure hope to meet you guys up there when we get to Orcas in Aug. I’m really, really looking forward to discovering that area.
Nina
Been reading for years now, but this post was perfect.
No psychologist needed….
Love it!(smiley face)
Ed
Glad the analogy spoke to ya…and cheers for following the blog for so long. I’m always awed by folks who’ve been reading us for years.
Nina
We’ve been following your blog and finding if very helpful and fun. Ironically, I made a reservation at Cape Disappointment and we will be there at the end of June and would love to meet you. We’re Kris and Tony from LA.
Please do!
Nina
Polly sure looks like she’s having a great time. We toured Cape Disappointment last year but have not had the pleasure of staying there. We loved it. Hope you enjoy your time there.
This is a really neat state park. We stayed here last year before we signed on to be interpretive hosts this year. LOVED it. The sites are not cheap, but they are spacious and walking distance from the beach.
Nina
ohhhh Nina….I KNOW EXACTLY what you are referring…we lived in Brookings for 5 years; within walking distance of a beautiful beach. i grew up in SoCal and spent many a morning hunkered down on the sand. The coolness. the solitude, the release ,.. there is no better way to bond with our Mother!
Still hanging here. The house appears at this moment to be sold (ug!) but we are planning some getaway time in the meantime.
I’m there with you in the mist!,,,even if it is just in spirit…in fact, probably if we all who are ‘spirit walking’ with you, it would be pretty crowded! 😉
Brookings is lovely. We stopped there last year. And indeed, I wouldn’t be surprised if there are many spirits out walking with me on this beach 🙂
yesterday I watched the sunset and I was the only one on the entire beach. Couldn’t believe it.
Nina
Sure does look awesome with the empty beach! Amazing how water brings such
a peace. Enjoy:)
I think you talked around the “edges” of a much bigger point (maybe even a Blog Post…if you dare risk raising hairs on the back of the necks of Newbies…the eventual dilemma for long time RV’ers who have been there done that, and are ready for a change and more room.
There are a few places where RV’ers come to realize they feel “home,” remarkable locations that offer our favorite recreational activities, views, and “mood” right out your front door. In other words, variety, and maybe a sense of permanence, if only for a while. It provides a break from the road “quest” (different for each rv’er) a place where they can unpack and spread out for a while. A place where one can fall into a routine. Some rv’ers are reluctant to admit that there is comfort in routine because that’s one of the reasons they sold out and hit the road.
Bobbie and I call Lovely Ouray in the mountains of Colorado “home.” It met all the criteria for a good boondocks…views, recreational variety, and moods of weather, all awaiting right out the front door. It is a sticks and bricks, a place where we can spread out and regather ourselves after extended road trips to oppositional landscapes.
Of course you wouldn’t want to be camped at Cape Disappointment all winter no more than I would want to be trapped in the mountains of Colorado all winter, hence the home on wheels. It’s a great combination of the best of both worlds.
Our “Cape Disappointment” is right outside the gates of Zion in Utah every November…a little town surrounded by colorful BLM land with lots of mountain biking trails and washes to explore, not to mention geological drama that tears the eye. If I had to lay it out on a graph, lines of Temperature, Views, variety, color, weather, fewer people, rec. opportunity, etc., etc., would all converge in November, near Virgin Utah…on the outskirts of Zion. Of course winter pushes us south come December, usually Arizona, and summer pushes us home to wildflowers and alpine meadows and far views from 14,000 foot summits.
Anyway, I know how you feel about returning to the routine and familiarity Cape D… It’s “home.”
Box Canyon Mark
You’re absolutely right Mark. We’ve definitely talked about the fact that we could see ourselves part-timing at some point esp. If we find the right piece of land. I really like the idea of settling down for the part of the year and moving for the rest, and I do think many full timers come to that conclusion at some point.
Nina
Just came off a 10-week excursion in the Southwest – a southern route from Louisiana to San Diego and returning on a more central route through Utah and Colorado. We could see myself full-timing it but we have that perfect piece of land with cabin so part-timing will be our mode of operation. I used quite a few of your routes and reviews on our itinerary with spectacular results. Thanks for continuing to save us fellow travelers time and error.
Really glad you got to use some of our spots & routes. Sounds like you’ve got a great set-up part-timing from your cabin.
Nina
We are looking forward to hearing about your camp hosting experience at Cape Disappointment. We both loved that area and can’t wait to do some volunteering in the Northwest.
I’m sure you both would like it here. It’s a beautiful area next to a lovely town with great local produce. We really do love the PNW in summer!
Nina
I’m so glad you returned to the crazy, wild and desolate beauty of this place! It is our destination when we head out next year as we love the rough and unpredictable coast. Enjoy!!
This is definitely a special spot!
Nina