Last Few Days At Gorgeous Cape D
“Seize the time, Meribor. Live now! Make now always the most precious time. Now will never come again.” Capt Picard, Star Trek The Next Generation (The Inner Light Episode 1992)
Our time is up and we’re about to depart this lovely spot we’ve called home for the past 4 weeks. I always find these moments of parting kinda sad. I tend to fall in love rather easily (yes, I’m a bit of a romantic sap in case that wasn’t already completely obvious from my blog) so the places that speak to me wind their way into my heart and I feel a loss at their parting. Cape D has definitely hit all the right pleasure-points for me and I’m going to miss it terribly -> the wild beaches, the gorgeous lighthouses and lovely Astoria right next door. But I’m also excited for the next step of our journey, our trip up the Olympic Peninsula and our next hosting job at Orcas Island. No doubt I’ll fall in love all over again and gush romantically on the blog, as I tend to do, but that’s all part of the journey and the goal (as hard as it may be sometimes) to live “now”. Isn’t that what life is all about, in the end?
Sappy stuff aside, it’s been a fun-filled & social last week here on the Cape. Paul’s niece Alex came into town, so we’ve been running around doing the “tourist” things (I’m talking like an old hand here) with trips into Long Beach, hikes around the Cape and several stops in Astoria, including the excellent weekly farmers market. Despite 4 of the wettest days we’ve seen all summer (and I’m talking pouring rain here) we managed quite a few fun things including our first stab at fishing for salmon. The Serious Pizza Store which is on-site at Cape D is a jack-of-all-trades places that not only does excellent pizza, but also rents fishing gear, bicycles and can set you up for about any other activity you’d like in the area (I even saw surf lessons advertised yesterday). The guy who owns the place is super-nice and armed us with the entire range of gear & details on exactly where to go to lure the big fish. We braved a a few hours of windy, grey day on the jetty, but sadly came back empty handed with nary a bite. Still it made for a good fishing story (“the one that got away” comes to mind) as well as a fun afternoon.
We’ve also had several more blog buddies and blog readers come by to see us. Our Airstream-friends Aluminarium (you may remember them from our shiny time at Lake Mead, NV in March) have been travelling north to their property in WA and dropped by for a one-day visit in Astoria. We took the opportunity as a challenge of science, naturally and went for some new explorations in town.
We started our experiments with a rather generous tasting of hard stuff at North Coast Distilling. I can’t say all the liquors were to my liking, but the host was enthusiastic and I did enjoy the Painted Lady Gin (would lend itself beautifully to a dirty martini). This followed with a visit to see the Goonies house which is not too exciting, but kinda a “must do” and now we can say we’ve done it. We ended the evening with an excellent meal & beer at the new Buoy Beer Company. There are no tasting flights here sadly, but the beer was good, the view fantastic and we had hands down the best meal out we’ve had this month in Astoria (everything was tasty)…highly recommended!. Our evening ended with the first rays of sun over a darkened sky that we’d seen in several days. Excellent time with excellent RV friends.
That just about brings us to the end of things. Tomorrow our niece goes home and then we’re headed north to “hide out” for the 4th of July in what we hope will be a nice private park by the coast of Westport, WA. Our last lighthouse shift is done, we’ve said our goodbyes to the other volunteers and we’re about to see if our jacks still work. I can say without a shadow of a doubt that this has been a most excellent posting. The volunteer coordinator (Steve) is not only a really nice guy, but also very appreciative of his volunteers and always looking to make sure those who stay here enjoy their jobs, plus the park is simply gorgeous and the area amazing. North Head lighthouse will be starting a thorough renovation next year (very exciting stuff), so looks like we may be waiting a tad to come back, but come back we have no doubt we will. Great lighthouse, great place, great town. Who wouldn’t want to be here?
As the rather philosophical Jean Luc Picard would have pointed out, the moment of “now” is moving and the goal is to move with it and enjoy the journey along the way. See ya later Cape D. Helm, Warp one. Engage!
Even the cat looks pensive. 🙂 It must be a little sad to leave, but I bet you will love Orcas Island. Hopefully everything will be less soggy. We have had mostly rain on the east side of the state this past week, too. (It is generally pretty dry over here. When I read your last post about humidity, I had never really thought about that being a problem.)
I think this was a wet/humid week across the entire PNW. We sure had a couple of heavy days there! We’re back to full sun today, so hoping for some good weather on our trip north.
Nina
Be sure and spray the jacks with silicon before moving on. Preventive maintenance you know. They have been down in salty air for a month.
We always do. In fact we sprayed the jacks with T-9 Boeshield when we arrived and plan to dry off and re-spray before we raise them again to leave. This is our standard procedure. Never had a problem so far (cross fingers).
Nina
Good choice! T-9 rocks!
You know it is really difficult to pick which weather we like. Pouring rain like you are having or hot and humid like what we are enduring. The good news is we can keep moving 🙂
Four weeks sure seemed short but you did a lot of fun activities in addition to your Lighthouse gig.
The 4 weeks here FLEW by, but I kinda knew that would happen. When we stayed here last year we knew we’d love it coming back again. No more rain today so we’re back to sunshine beach and 65 degree weather. I’ll take this over 90-degree heat anyday 🙂
Nina
Great post and I’m glad you’ve enjoyed your first extended stay in Washington state as much as you have. Congrats!
Westport is another fun place on our coast. I know you’ll enjoy it as well. I’m not sure of they still do it, but in the past, a lot of the fishing and crabbing boats would sell their fresh caught goods right off the boat when they returned to the harbor. Hardly possible to get it any fresher than that!
Enjoy your holiday weekend while you’re there.
Cool! I’m looking forward to exploring that area…and seeing the lighthouse of course. Hope the holiday week-end won’t be too crazy.
Nina
A few miles to the south of Westport is the small ocean front town of Grayland. There is a nice long stretch of uninterrupted sandy beach at Grayland, as well as some other small town fun things so it’s a nice stop. Westport has a winery that has gotten a little local attention the last few years, and there’s a brewery/pub there also.
As in the Long Beach area, there are cranberry bogs in the Westport and Grayland areas too.
Now why am I not surprised you’d already noted the lighthouse? Hmmm… (Haha!)
Anyway, just sharing the info. Have fun!
Nice tips! We actually booked the place just for the lighthouse, so all this other stuff will simply be bonus 🙂
Nina
We are enjoying our campsite in Nahelem Bay State Park based on your recommendation. Very nice place to camp, and very cool town of Manzanita right down the street. You are right about the rain the last few days. Wow. Tested the waterproofness of our 12 year old motorhome. I had to add a little silicone this afternoon to patch up a few gaps. We are also headed up north from here, but to the area around Mt Rainier. If you have not seen the beautiful gardens above Paradise in Mt Rainier Park it is worth the drive.
I know exactly what you mean about testing waterproofness. We sealed up a gap in our front window a few months ago and this week was the first real “test” of the fix. Well we got a pretty thorough test alright and I’m happy to say we passed. I think the past 4 days have given us a glimpse of a real PNW winter-type storm..woweee. So glad you’re enjoying Nehalem Bay. Love that spot!
Nina
Another fine post…..Thanks…….deSanford
It’s been a month already?!? You just got there! Woah, we’re still in Michigan. So far away. Ok, time to get some westward miles under our belt, September and Cape Blanco will be here before we know it. Can’t wait to hug on you both!
Yup, a month already. Can hardly believe it. Looking forward to seeing you both too. It’s gonna be a gooooood hug 🙂
Nina
Thought of you yesterday as I was back to picking blueberries. Nice that you get to hide out for the 4th madness. I bet it was pretty crazy last year! 🙂
Ooooo….blueberries. We’ve been buying them at the farmers market and I think of you every time. It wasn’t of actually that bad last year at Bullards Beach since they prohibited fireworks at the campground, but there were still lots (and lots) of people. We’ll see what it’s like in Westport.
Nina
Nina
Hi there,
Assume you will be going to Westport via 101 through South Bend . There is a great seafood processing place toward the north end of town. They have fresh fish, smoked fish and canned fish plus they have a great clam chowder. Plenty of room for the beast to park. This is a must stop for us when we are along the coast. Also the road that goes through Greyland and Tokeland is a wonderful drive.
Yes, we’ll be taking the 101. Cheers for the tip on the fish spot!
Nina
So we took your advice and stopped at the fish spot in Small Bend, WA (formerly called East Point Seafood, now it’s been taken over by Jessie’s). What a GREAT tip! The store was fabulous. We scored some amazing smoked salmon as well as super-fresh halibut. Plus the fish & chips next-door was superb. No chowder sadly (they only make it on the week-end), but everything else was great & like you said easy access for “the beast”. Thanks for the tip!
Nina
And have you climbed Astoria Column (or walked on the hard-packed sand by the water’s edge at night to see the sparklies yet)??
We climbed the column with Paul’s niece (pic in the blog today), & have seen some sparklies too. Super cool.
Nina
Hmm…guess I should have looked more closely at the photos… I’m always surprised that more people don’t know about the sparklies…but it’s fun turning them on to the phenomenon!
Last year I was flown to Seattle, given a rental car, and ferried to Orcas Island to perform at the wedding of a young woman who had seen heard me sing years before when she was a student at Berkeley and I was a street busker there. I received an email out of the blue saying she had bought my CD back then, loved the romantic love songs I had written and recorded, and sworn that when she got married she would have me perform – I had very little trouble saying yes. It was a great experience, and Orcas is beautiful.
What an amazing, romantic story. How cool! Thanks for sharing it.
Nina
Our daughter was engaged near Cape D, had her wedding on Orcas Island and now live in Anacortes, WA.
What an amazing coincidence. All are beautiful places, and very romantic too.
Nina
Great post Nina! That park is on my bucket list, notice I said “my” and not “our”–gotta convince the cowboy to try the coast again!
This park is POPULAR and usually requires bookings, but is pretty quiet in the “off” season (when kids are back in school). I think the Cowboy would prefer the off season.
Nina
aaaahhhh dear, dear Picard….but I wanna know how that ferry over to the islands goes: expensive, hard roads to navigate and all that good stuff. Thanx forall your enthusiasm!! Safe and happy trails.
Do not fear…aaaall will be thoroughly blogged. The ferry will be an adventure.
Nina
Time to leave already? That month flew by…
I had to look Orcas Island up, https://goo.gl/maps/ZKlNs, almost to Canada!
Safe travels.
Yup, it’s right smack in the middle between WA and Canada. We’re going to the very top!
Nina
sounds like you have really enjoyed the blistery area of the mouth of the Columbia!! I am curious as to what program you use to change the color on a photo like you did with Pauls niece with the sweatshirt being blue and the rest is black and white. Thanks, Doug
I use Photoshop. All I do is apply a black and white layer and then selectively paint through it to reveal the color underneath. It’s a fun trick.
Nina
Too soon! I don’t want to leave yet :-(. Sorry Alex’s visit was dampened but it looks like you all had some fun times. She is sure growing up to be a beautiful young woman. How great for her to spend time with her cool auntie and uncle! Safe travels.
LOL…I *like* to think we’re cool, but we are old fogies compared to today’s teenagers. It was actually really fun to have her here. Glad we got some activities in despite the rain.
Nina
Isn’t it funny how fast a month goes with this life style. Sure sounded like you had an awesome experience working at the lighthouse. The good thing is that you can always come back:)
Looks like a happy niece visiting. I am sure she had a wonderful time despite the weather.
Drive safely to your 4th hideout! Happy trails for new adventures:)
The month passed by in a blink. Hard to believe we’re past midsummer already.
Nina
Sooo excited to hear about your time on Orcas Island!
We’re excited too. Just the ferry ride alone will be an adventure.
Nina
A fitting time to be back in the land of datatream for us, as it has been very spotty on our Alaska travels. What a great post to end what after reading several back posts, a great stay.
One thing I notice about you and Paul, is it’s ‘That place, or those people with you now! – that you both make the most out of. You are worthy members to Beam Up to the Enterprise crew.
Travel safe ahead, best,
Smitty
Well that’s fine praise indeed. Thank you much 🙂
Nina
Nina… I don’t know which park you are headed for near Westport, but Grayland Beach State Park is a very nice park and RV friendly. I hosted there a few years ago and enjoyed the staff and the park.
Bob
We are going to Sunset RV Resort. It’s a private park and one of the few places I could get a spot for the July 4th weekend (things book up super fast on the WA coast). We’ll definitely check out the state park while we’re there.
Nina
Nina, so nice to hear from other SF fans! Wonder how many caught your ‘shiny’ reference, if I couldn’t get on the Enterprise I would definitely be up there with Mal, Zoe, Kaylee and the rest of the crew ;o)
Another good read on your blog as always.
SF has a special place in our hearts….one of the best big cities we’ve ever lived in. I still miss it all these many years later.
Nina
One question: how do you get to be Camp Hosts? My wife and I are 1 month into our first adventure of 3 months. This moving 2-3 times a week gets rather tiring….just wondering how we could adjust to hosting? Thanks for any information.
Greg G Vannoni
We’ve gotten all our jobs through State Parks (OR & WA), but there are many, many other options out there. I actually have a full 3-part series on volunteering and volunteer positions. Have a look here:
Nina
More wonderful pictures of that beautiful place. Great ones of Paul and his niece. I can’t believe you have been there a month already. I would be very sad to leave there too but you always find the best places to go to and love starts all over again. Safe travels!
It’s always sad to leave, but we love to explore too. It’s a mixed emotion.
Nina
As a former Westport resident, I can highly recommend eating at the Westport Winery(half way between Westport and Aberdeen).Be sure to check out Half Moon Bay – ask a resident for directions. If you like coffee drinks/lattes – stop at Captain Jacks and say hi to our niece, Allicia. And if you are up for a fishing trip, check out Deep Sea Charters, and say high to my in-laws Larry, Rebecca and Cathy.
Will love to hear about your experiences at Sunset RV Park. We often just stay with relatives when we visit, but sometimes it is nice just to have your own place.
Another little gem of a place is in Raymond/South Bend. There are just a few RV sites, right on the Willapa River, in a boat building yard (I think they do catamarans and yachts).
Enjoy your time in the South Beach area. Very different feel from the North Beach (Ocean Shores) side. It looks like we may even have decent weather for the 4th…..which is not the norm.
All GREAT tips. We’ll definitely be working our way through many of these during our time in Westport. Just arrived yesterday and so far we really like it. Sunset RV is a pretty typical private park (sites are closer together than we like), but does have a large green area for tents & walking doggie, plus the owners are nice. It’s pretty quiet right now, but I imagine it’s going to get tight & noisy this week-end. We’ll see. I’ll be doing a full review, as usual.
Nina
P.S. Passed a few of those RV parks on the 101 going north. Really cute, small parks with sites right on the water. Particularly liked the look of Raymond RV & Marine just past South Bend. Only $20/night too. This one:
http://www.willapabay.org/~info/rv/
Yep, that’s the one. Thanks for posting it. I have a brochure somewhere in our rig…..
American Sunset RV park is great! Their staff is outstanding and I’ve stayed there several times with a BIG group of RVing Women. They’re very accommodating. Have fun! And I had to laugh at the comment about seeing if the jacks still work. heheheh. First day headed south last year the motor on the rear landing gear on our 5th wheel quit working. No unhitching until we got to AZ!
It’s always one of my fears that either the jacks or the slides won’t work when we move, even though we clean & lube them regularly. I hold my breath everytime I push those buttons LOL. So far so good (touch wood), but you never know.
Nina
You had me at Picard 🙂
Another Star Trek fan I see. Picard was always my fav captain of the lot 🙂
Nina
we loved Orcas Island as I am sure you will too…we kayaked around the island which was fun too….enjoy the month as I am sure you will…
I’m hoping we get some time off to kayak when we’re there. The month will go FAST, of that I’m sure!
Nina
Hi Nina,
That is one of my favorite Star Trek episodes. The end always gets me. With regard to how your feeling about leaving a special place and people, I’m reminded of a quote from a favorite philosopher, Dr. Seuss. “Don’t be sad it’s over, be glad it happened”.
Michael-
Outstanding quote…and a good one to live your life by. Love it!
Nina
BTW. The Weather Chanel is doing a piece on Cape D and the Coast Guard to air this week or next week.
Someone else told us about this & we’re looking out for it. Cheers!
Nina
Hard to believe your time at Cape D is already over. I told Terry that we need to see about lighthouse duty somewhere in Oregon possibly this upcoming year. Your experiences have been so great and we love lighthouses so I’m thinking we should go for it.
We are really interested to hear about your upcoming duty at Orcas Island.
Hopefully your holiday is quiet. Safe travels!
I’m loving your HDR images. 🙂
Don’t think you could go wrong hosting at ANY of the OR lighthouses. They’re all in great locations too. I definitely say go for it!
Nina
It is easy to ease into a comfortable existence at such a beautiful place and feel like you’re “at home”.
–Bob
Just one nice thing about being mobile is returning. You’ll love the Olympics I’m sure.