This morning we had a break in the rain so I was able to take some pictures of where we are staying.
Mid-morning we explored downtown Ilwaco and Ilwaco Harbor.
Harbor
The harbor is filled mostly with pleasure, privately owned boats and tourist fishing boats.
A Comanche without wings We had lunch at one of the local eateries on the boardwalk. Raija had halibut fish and chips and I had deep fried oysters. The oysters were some of the largest that I have had in a long time. It looks as if we will have ample chance to partake of seafood during our stay on the coast.
After lunch we took a ride to Cape Disappointment and the mouth of the Columbia River. The first thing that we discovered is that Washington State Parks now we require a $10 day pass or a $30 annual pass. One cannot even take a picture or view an overlook without a pass. As we will be in Washington State several more weeks, we opted for the annual pass.
Sailing ships had a terrible time getting into the Columbia, since the two natural channels through the broad, sediment-choked river mouth, particularly the North Channel, forced ships to turn sideways to the wind and waves. Some 2,000 vessels of all types and about 700 lives have been claimed by the treacherous waters off the Peninsula over the past 300 years.
Some of the early shipwrecks are:
1792 Chatham British tender
1798 Small boat from the Hazard American brigantine, 5 lost
1811 Small boat from the Tonquin American ship, 10 lost
1813 Raccoon British sloop of war
1829 William and Ann British barkentine, 26 lost
1830 Isabella Hudson Bay Co., British supply brigantine
1839 H.M.S. Sulpher British Royal Navy ship
1841 U.S.S. Peacock U.S. Navy ship
1846 U.S.S. Shark U.S. Navy survey schooner, crew lost
1848 Maine American whaler
1848 Vancouver British barkentine
1849 Josephine British brigantine
Lighthouses Cape Disappointment, built in 1856, and North Head, 1898, drastically improved the safety of mariners near the mouth of the Columbia River. These two lights significantly reduced the number of vessels and human lives lost in the waters of the Pacific. This area is often referred as the Graveyard of the Pacific.
Cape Disappointment Light House
Waikiki Beach is one of the few beaches in the area where it is safe to swim as the other beaches have strong undertow currents.
On the way home, we stopped at a seafood shack and purchased a crab for my dinner.
Mik checking out dinner
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