It Wasn't Disappointing....

On Monday to Wednesday, Sept 30 to Oct 2, Angie and I enjoyed a perfect getaway to the Washington coast. 

DRIVING GRAM G...

After a 2 hour drive along the Columbia River we headed up to the north end of Long Beach Peninsula.
                                                    A beautiful, blue sky, mild temperature, good day in the woods and at the beach....

Not a good day at the beach for everyone....

BBQ ribs and fixins dinner for two at a peninsula golf course...Monday night special...

Made up for the soggy nacho platter we had for lunch in a different establishment....they did not charge us for them....

Then back to the town of Long Beach to check in

AND



catch the most magnificent, long lasting sunset I have ever seen....

____________________________________

Tuesday AM it was off to explore..... 

CAPE DISAPPOINTMENT STATE PARK

Cape Disappointment earned its name when Captain John Meares failed to cross the [Columbia] river bar in 1788. The feat was accomplished in 1792 by American Captain Robert Gray. The Lewis and Clark Expedition arrived at Cape Disappointment in 1805.

First stop....North Head lighthouse...

about 1/3 mile hike from the parking lot

Pacific coastline with mouth of Columbia River to upper left....

A World War II bunker guarding the coastline...

wooden 

water tower

There were a fair number of people checking things out....
including this hairy alien....."Live long and prosper, Earthling".

Next....the main event.....

CAPE DISAPPOINTMENT LIGHTHOUSE....

(AND CLIMB....)

The trail is around 4 miles....half of them up hill...

Some downhill trails, a little tree hugging,


Dead Man's Cove.....
Angie's favorite spot




                                                           











Lighthouses, Bunkers and Hobbits, Oh My!!

I can't believe I hiked the whole thing... UP and down...

LONG BEACH, WASHINGTON

How to go WACO......

                                                 







Wednesday morning,
Time to head home....

How often does 
one see this?








Goodbye to the .... Land of the monkey tail (monkey puzzle) tree.....
Gram G's favorite tree....



Araucaria araucana (commonly called the monkey puzzle tree, monkey tail tree, piñonero, or Chilean pine) is an evergreen tree growing to 1–1.5 m (3–5 ft) in diameter and 30–40 m (100–130 ft) in height. It is native to central and southern Chile and western Argentina.

And thrives in the PNW temperate rain forest climate.....
It is an endangered species.....

Its spine-like needles acted as protection from ancient grazing animals now long extinct. It can live for 1,000 years and grows to 50m high with a trunk diameter of over 3m. Its large seeds, pinones, take two years to mature.














It changes to a cone shape as it matures....

monkey tail wood earrings 

       I need to take my baby out to the peninsula so she can admire her role models....Monki is 5 years old and has been with me since she was a twig.   She seems to think she is a bush...also needs a larger environment to reach her full potential....probably not in my lifetime...

"Oh, the monkey tail tree, monkey tail tree.
Have you seen the monkey tail tree?
It's as strange as strange can be.
Tell me, tell me, what do you see?
Way up high in the monkey tail tree?
Tell me, tell me, will you please?
How many monkeys in the monkey tail tree?"

I'm not telling.  You'll have to hear my song to find out!!!!

This has been a good 10 "it wasn't disappointing" days in the life of Grandma G.

"I [Jesus] am the light of the world.  Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life." (John 8:12)