Cape Disappointment is located on the north side of
the mouth of the Columbia River. The Columbia River bar is known as one of the
most dangerous in the world. The Cape Disappointment light was built in 1859.
It is still actively staffed – Coast Guard stand watch in the small building
below the light, watching weather as boats as they cross the Columbia bar.
The Cape Disappointment Coast Guard Station is tucked
in behind the bluff and is home to the National Motor Lifeboat School. They
learn their craft in some of the roughest water on earth.
They’re fast movers about 50 feet long. They didn’t
seem to be interested in providing free rides for interested spectators.
Unless you are Coast Guard, the Cape Disappointment
light is reached by a 1.2 mile (round trip) trail. The black stripe is to
differentiate this light from the North Head light which is located a short
distance up the coast. We’ll visit that light also but we’re waiting until Paul and Nina, authors of the Wheeling It blog are back on duty as volunteer hosts.
I love the details of old lighthouse construction.
Lots of cast iron. The surveillance cameras point out to the Columbia bar. It
looks to me like it is time for a new paint job.
Posted via our Millenicom Hotspot while sitting at the
Columbia River Maritime Museum in Astoria.
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