Cape Disappointment State Park, Washington
250 miles - 8/14/10
Suzy is all shined up again after the Hells Canyon ride and raring to go
Grays River covered bridge
It is a Howe truss wooden bridge spanning 150 feet, built in 1905
It is the only covered bridge in Washington still used by the public.
Below: The Dilligafs herding dogs across the bridge...
...or maybe it's the other way around
In case you're wondering how I got the above dog herding picture....
Sergeant Dilligaf and faithful companion survived
their encounter with vicious canines. So on to the coast!
Saddle Mountain (Oregon) from across the Columbia River
Dismal Nitch. Quite the interesting story about how Lewis and Clark
got stuck here in 1805 and decided to Winter over at Fort Clatsop
The Dilligafs at Dismal Nitch
Station Camp and McGowen, Washington
Saint Mary's Catholic Church, McGowen, Washington built in 1904.
It faces the water and storms of the Pacific Ocean. It has no utilities.
Services are held by kerosine lanterns in the Summer and on special occasions.
Saint Mary's Church circa 1969
A long abandoned house in McGowen, Washington
A memorial for John, an Oregon Biker who was hit and killed when
leaving Dismal Notch on April 8, 2009.
The report is that he crossed the center line on his 2002 Harley
and was hit head-on. Whether this is what really happened is open
to debate. WSP is not exactly sympathetic to motorcycle fatalities.
This has been especialy true the past several years since the Washington
State Police decided it would be a good idea to institute a sustained
harassment of Motorcyclists (but pretty much only Harley riding Bikers)
campaign. It's been so pervasive that the Rose City Motorcycle Club will
not include any Washington locations as checkpoints in their annual Grand Tour.
John was an experienced rider around my age so it's hard to believe he
violated lane discipline.
The story I heard was that the cager who hit John was DUI and
hit John as he was leaving the rest area. Dead men tell no tales
so I guess we'll never know the true story.
Someone has obviously been tending his marker so perhaps they will
see this and get back to me with their account of this fatality.
The Dilligals..... On to Fort Columbia
Commanding Officer's quarters, Fort Columbia
Below: Officers Row
Gun battery, Fort Columbia
Gun battery powder storage
Fort Columbia was the Northern compliment to Fort Stevens
to the South. Together they guarded the entrance to the Columbia River
and assured safe passage across the Columbia bar.
That's Cape Disappointment jutting out straight ahead and to the right.
So we arrive at Cape Disappointment and Patti utters the
immortal words Captain Meriwether Lewis said to Captain Clark
upon their arrival some 200 years earlier:
This is it?!?!?! What a disappointment!
Pretty socked in.....
Below: Dead man's cove where yours truly almost wound up
trying to get that perfect picture.
Cape Disappointment Lighthouse
Cape Disappointment U.S. Coast Guard Station
On the way home... Oregon 202 near Jewell
Ride to Hells Canyon
Rowena Crest ride
