August 27, 2019 – The tide and weather tomorrow look promising for crossing the Columbia River bar and paddling to a camping site about 19 miles up river. After a morning and early afternoon of packing up gear, catching up on paperwork, and gathering some fresh food, Uncle Sidney helped me load up the car and we made our way west to Cape Disappointment State Park.
We arrived at the campground with enough time for a long brisk walk out to the beach on the north side of the north jetty. The jetty is in the process of being rerocked, but we got here late enough to be able to walk through the area with no one else around. That route is definitely not an option as it is too far to carry BABS and all the gear at 5 am in the morning. Plus, once work crews get there in the morning we would be blocked from getting to the beach through the construction site.
I got too hungry to continue scouting so Uncle Sidney took me out for a belated birthday dinner to The Depot Restaurant, just a few miles from the park. We looked at maps while waiting for our food and found a short trail off Fort Camby Road that will make for an easy launch.
I must say how nice it is to have the room to bring fresh produce, real cream, eggs, etc. for this final stretch of my journey. We will rise early so I can take advantage of the early flood tide and calm weather which ought to make for an enjoyable and uneventful bar crossing. If the forecast is off and it is too rough to launch tomorrow, we’ll stay another day and I will try again on Thursday.
If I can launch tomorrow, that will put me at Vista Park on Thursday afternoon. We will have a large campsite so that anyone who wants to join us Thursday evening and/or join me for the final paddle day on Friday is welcome. I will post my blog early tomorrow with an update on when I’ll be in Skamokawa.
