Make no mistake, there is nothing disappointing about this state park. It was beautiful and home to the best beaches I’ve seen in Washington so far. The “disappointment” in the name was due to Captain John Meares’ first thwarted voyage to locate the Columbia river’s entrance.

Saturday, August 1, 2020

After an early morning 3-hour drive, we arrived in Astoria to eat fish and chips from Bowpicker, a memorable takeout spot from our Oregon Coast trip. The breading was just as good as I remember but the fish itself could have been moister. We arrived at Cape Disappointment after lunch. Our first stop was the Beards Hollow’s overlook and we explored the North Head Lighthouse. It was sunny but oddly foggy.

We then arrived at our campsite and set up our tents. Lewis and Sarah were joining us for their first camping trip in the woods.

We headed to Waikiki Beach to check out the beach and local scenery. The beach was busy but easy to maintain social distance. The water looked refreshing and clear enough for a dip. But we weren’t ready for swimming. We tried to hike to the Cape Disappointment lighthouse but this was disappointing because the trail was mostly closed.

After dinner, we walked to the beach to watch the sunset. It was phenomenal —one of my most memorable. The pink and yellow sky reflected the sea and was paired beautifully with a lighthouse perched on a rocky bluff.

We closed out the night with great conversation over a fire, which for a moment was rainbow color due to novelty campfire crystals.

Sunday, August 2, 2020

We woke up this morning with a bacon and eggs breakfast as we packed up our tents. We continued exploring and ended up at Beards Hollow. This cove was unexpectedly beautiful and very swimmable.

We started our trip back but first having a seafood lunch in Long Beach. It was a very cute beach town but a little too busy with unmasked people outdoors. We expected a full Dungeness crab lunch but was surprised to only have 8 thumb size pieces! Looking at the takeout packaging, I almost went back to the restaurant thinking they forgot to give me the crab. After lunch, I extended our trip for some French-style custard from Frite & Scoop in Astoria. My orange cream and Chi’s honeycomb toffee were so good and worth it in my opinion.

We continued our long drive back and it was a fun weekend with great company. Sarah and Lewis enjoyed their camping trip and was looking forward to the next one —but I think it was the flame-barbecued meal.