This is the Cape Disappointment Light House. The name came from Captain Meares when he couldn't find the mouth of the river he was looking for. This picture was taken from the Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center. We toured it with the kidlets. Fascinating museum and they give kids activity books to fill out so they can earn junior ranger badges! That was this enough work to count as this week's summer assignment.
This is the trail we hiked on Saturday morning. Lewis (of the famous Lewis and Clark expedition) used it when he explored the area. It's one way, so after we reached the North Head lighthouse we had to walk back down. It was also another .25 miles one way to the light house so you can imagine how tired the kidlets were. Plus it was like a roller coaster going up and down as we gained elevation. Needless to say, the youngest had to be carried at a couple of points. We'd bought plenty of water and snacks to keep them going!
This is a tree on the hike that we named Mother Willow. If you've seen the Disney movie Pochantas, you'd understand the name. The kids loved climbing on all the big, old trees on the path. You can't really get the scale of the tree without a person in it, but it's huge. One thing if you go: remember bug spray! We'd covered ourselves back at the yurt, but I'd wished I'd brought it with us.
This is one of the views from the trail. Though much of the trail was like walking in a rain forest. There was a bubbling spring with a bridge crossing it. Depending on where you were, you could hear the roar of the ocean and then you'd walk inland and it would disappear only to come back as you drew closer to the shore.
This is a picture of the North Head Lighthouse. The area has two lighthouses to keep ships safe. The Coast Guard checks the light bulbs in this one every 90 days. They have backup bulbs in case one goes out. I didn't realize each lighthouse has it's on timing so ships can figure out where they are based on the light interval. 
This is the view from the lighthouse keeper's trail that leads to the gift shop. The lighthouse keeper used to walk this way for his job. We heard a story how his wife walked miles and miles through rugged terrain and then threw herself off the cliff. She got fed up with the isolation. You'd think just leaving would have been a better solution!
Another shot of the North Head lighthouse. You can't seem in the picture, but people rent the Lighthouse keeper and assistant's houses as vacation rentals. They are really lovely with fenced yards. It was a lovely area and we will be going back again!
