Aha, The Lighthouse!! - Two of them

As mentioned previously, some groups drive around in RVs seeking out weather phenomenons, this group searches for lighthouses... (and benches)

The group finally found Cape Disappointment (completed in 1856) and The North Head Lighthouse (completed in 1898).

"Before there were lighthouses on the Peninsula, ships bound for Portland and Astoria navigated their way through the high waves and shifting sandbars, focusing on fluttering white flags and notched trees along the shoreline by day and flickering signal fires by night. These methods were crude at best and, despite heroic efforts, the sea offshore of the Long Beach Peninsula became known as ‘The Graveyard of the Pacific’."

Did You Know:

Cape Disappointment is the oldest functioning lighthouse on the west coast.

In 1788, British fur trader John Meares named the area Cape Disappointment after his inability to locate the river’s mouth.

Look, there's the two Griswolds... of course sitting on a bench!

The group also visited the Lewis & Clark Interpretive Center, which was a real interesting museum to see. The interpretive center is located at Cape Disappointment State Park, two miles southwest of Ilwaco.

In November of 1805, the U.S. Corps of Volunteers for Northwest Discovery, led by Meriwether Lewis and William Clark, reached the mouth of the mighty Columbia River and the Pacific Ocean at last. "Great joy in camp," Clark wrote in his journal,"we are in View of the Ocian, this great Pacific Octean which we been So long anxious to See."

Today the Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center stands high on the cliffs of Cape Disappointment State Park, 200 feet above the pounding Pacific surf. A series of mural-sized "timeline" panels guide visitors through the westward journey of the Lewis and Clark Expedition using sketches, paintings, photographs and the words of Corps members themselves. The center also features short film presentations, a gift shop and a glassed-in observation deck with fabulous views of the river, headlands and sea. Additional displays focus on local maritime and military history.