Yes, it’s a real name: Cape Disappointment, north of the Columbia river and on the southwestern edge of Washington State. The cape was named on April 12, 1788 by British fur trader John Meares who was sailing south from Canada in search of trade. After a storm, he turned his ship around just north of the Cape and therefore just missed the discovery of the Columbia River.
We made our way there today with short hikes to two lighthouses in the area: the North Head Lighthouse, and the Cape Disappointment Lighthouse.
Here is a simplified map with some pictures I took today. Clockwise from top left: Looking south from the south end of Long Beach, from a spot called Beards Hollow; A crab’s claw at Beards Hollow; Lush greenery on the way to Beards Hollow; A short tunnel on Route 101 towards Fort Columbia State Park; A pre-WWII coastal artillary gun, one of two on display in Fort Columbia State Park; The Cape Disappointment Lighthouse. Built in 1856, it still beams out a red and white light visible for 10 nautical miles; A little cove visible from the trail to the Cape Disappointment Lighthouse; The view of the Pacific Ocean, this on the way to the North Head Lighthouse. The thin black line is a man-made breakwater.
