Discovery Coast 2013 by Our Coast

FUN ON THE COAST 2013 LONG BEACH PENINSULA EVENTS CALENDAR

MAY May 3 May 4 May 4 May 4-Sept. 28 May 5 May 18 May 24-May 27 May 25-Sept. 2

Halibut Fishing Season opens Children’s Loyalty Day Parade, Ilwaco Blessing of the Fleet, Port of Ilwaco Saturday Market at Port of Ilwaco Loyalty Day Grand Parade, Long Beach Surf Perch Derby, Bolstad, Long Beach World’s Longest Garage Sale Summerfest, Long Beach

JUNE June 1

Free admission to all Wash State Parks

June 1

Rod & Reels Car Show & Dollars for Scholars Fishing Derby, Skamokawa

June 8-9

Free admission to all Washington

State Parks June 8 Waikiki Concert Series, Cape Disappt. June 14-Oct. 11 Columbia Pacific Farmer’s Market, Long Beach June 15-16 NW Garlic Festival, Ocean Park June 20 Ilwaco Art Night June 22 Beach to Chowder Walk/Run, LB June 22 Waikiki Concert Series, Cape Disappt. June 28-29 Doggie Olympic Games, Long Beach

JULY July 4 July 4 July 5 July 6 July 6 July 6 July 10-14 July 13 July 18 July 20

Old Fashioned 4th of July Parade, Ocean Park Fireworks on the beach, Long Beach Beach clean up day, Peninsula-wide Firecracker 5K Walk/Run, Ilwaco Fireworks at the Port, Ilwaco Starving Artists Sale, Ocean Park SandSations & City SandSations, Long Beach and Ilwaco Waikiki Concert Series, Cape Disappt. Ilwaco Art Night Music in the Gardens, Peninsula-wide

July 20-21 July 20-21 July 21 July 21 July 26-27 July 26 July 26-28 July 27

Clamshell Railroad Days Bald Eagle Festival, Cathlamet Wooden Boat Festival, Cathlamet Art Walk, Ilwaco OTC Ilwaco Tuna Classic, Ilwaco NPRA Rodeo Parade, Long Beach 67th NPRA Rodeo, Long Beach Waikiki Concert Series, Cape Disappt.

AUGUST Aug. 2-3 Aug. 3 Aug. 4 Aug. 9-11 Aug. 10 Aug. 15 Aug. 16-17 Aug. 18 Aug. 15-17 Aug. 19-26 Aug. 22-25 Aug. 24 Aug. 23-25 Aug. 30-Sept. 1 Aug. 31 Aug. 31-Sept. 2

Jake’s Birthday, Long Beach Race Against Violence, Long Beach Free admission to all Wash State Parks Surf n’ Saddle Junior Rodeo, Long Beach Waikiki Concert Series, Cape Disappt. Ilwaco Art Night Blues & Seafood Festival, Ilwaco Jazz and Oysters in Oysterville Wahkiakum County Fair, Skamokawa Washington State International Kite Festival Pacific Co. Fair, Menlo “Quilts & Roses, Tails & Noses” Find them all at the fair. Waikiki Concert Series, Cape Disappt. Downhill Longboard Races, Cathlamet One Nation Under Ink, Tattoo and Bike show, Long Beach Buzzard Breath Chili Cook-off, Cathlamet Chinook Art Festival, Chinook

SEPTEMBER Sept. 6 Sept. 8-9 Sept. 14 Sept.14 Sept. 17 Sept. 21 Sept. 28

Slow Drag at the Port at 5 p.m. Rod Run to the End of the World Annual Auction & Wine Tasting, Skamokawa Discovery Trail Half Marathon, LB Art Walk, Ilwaco Cape Disppt Sprint Triathlon and Duathlon, Ilwaco Free admission - all Wash State Parks

Sept. 28

Oktoberfest at NW Carriage Museum, Raymond

OCTOBER Oct. 1 Oct. 4 Oct. 4-5 Oct. 4-5 Oct. 11-14 Oct. 11-13 Oct. 12-13 Oct. 12-13 Oct. 13 Oct. 19

Wild Mushroom Celebration begins Oktoberfest & Punkin Chunkin, Puget Island Columbia River Country Days, Wahkiakum County Covered Bridge Days, Grays River Peninsula Arts Assoc. Fall Art Show Water Music Festival Cranberrian Fair, Peninsula One Sky, One World Kite Festival Great Columbia Crossing Oktoberfest Chinook Style, Chinook

NOVEMBER Nov. 3

Holiday Bazaar, Rosburg Community Hall Nov. 3 Daylight Saving Time Ends (Fall back) Nov. 8-9 ‘Ocian in View’ Speaker Series Nov. 9 Veterans Luncheon, Deep River Hall Nov. 9-11 Free admission at all Washington State Parks Nov. 29-30 Peninsula Arts Studio Tour Nov. 29-Dec.1 Holidays at the Beach, Long Beach Nov. 24 Tree Lighting; Santa Arrives, Long Beach Nov. 23 Festival of Trees, Cathlamet Nov. 23 Tree Lighting Parade with Santa, Cathlamet

DECEMBER Dec. 1-31 Dec. 7 Dec. 7

Whale Watching On The Coast Lighted Boat Parade, Port of Ilwaco Crab Pot Christmas Tree Lighting, Port of Ilwaco Dec. 14-15 Peninsula B&B Assn. Holidays Dec. 15 A Tuba Christmas, Seaview Dec. 31 New Year’s Fireworks, Long Beach

INSIDE DISCOVER COAST VISITORS’ GUIDE Cape Disappointment ................................................................6 Carriage Museum ......................................................................26 Clamming ......................................................................................15 Cranberries ....................................................................................25 Discovery Trail ..............................................................................24 Fishing..............................................................................................12 Graveyard of the Pacific ..........................................................30 Ilwaco..................................................................................................4 Leadbetter Point ........................................................................28

Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center ....................................7 Long Beach ......................................................................................8 Long Beach Rodeo ....................................................................11 Long Island ....................................................................................28 Map of the Peninsula................................................................16 Marsh’s Free Museum ..............................................................27 Nahcotta ........................................................................................22 Ocean Park ....................................................................................18 Outdoors ........................................................................................10

2 • DISCOVERY COAST 2013 • www.chinookobserver.com

Oysterville ......................................................................................23 Rod Run to the end of the Earth..........................................25 Safety on the Peninsula ..........................................................29 Saturday Market at the Port ....................................................5 Seaview ..............................................................................................7 U.S. Coast Guard..........................................................................29 Washington State International Kite Festival ..................9 Whale Watching..........................................................................13 Wildlife ............................................................................................17

Welcome to the

DISCOVERY COAST

Pacific County and its Long Beach Peninsula on the southwestern coast of Washington state are a remarkable center for exciting family fun, scenic wonders, wildlife and some of the Pacific Northwest’s most compelling history. With the coast’s economy starting to hum again, our towns are filled with delicious food and unique products. If it’s been a while since you visited Washington’s favorite beach, 2013 is the time to rediscover just why it is so well loved. Our beautiful, spacious shoreline has always been our star attraction, with dozens of miles of sandy beach, river banks and one of America’s premier estuaries — Willapa Bay. We have water, water everywhere. The Long Beach You’re never more than a few minutes from a breathPeninsula is an taking view and restorative recreation.

amazing intersection

This amazing intersection of the Pacific Ocean of the Pacific Ocean and the Columbia River has been a nexus for and the Columbia adventure-seekers and history-makers for thousands of years. The mighty seafaring River and has been a Chinook people established one of the nexus for adventuregreat Native American civilizations seekers and here. Lewis and Clark arrived in history-makers for 1805, and considered their mission accomplished here. A national thousands of years. park celebrates all these courageous and interesting Indians, explorers and pioneers. Festivals and classic summer holidays are perfect times to partake of our world-class oysters, crab and other seafood. A wide array of comfortable lodging choices await you. Make this the year you join the explorers who discover this incredible place and our welcoming villages!

Our routes pass within easy access of all the fun & historic places of interest . . .

We’re looking out for you!

• Pacific County Courthouse • Centennial Murals • Lewis & Clark Interpretive Center • 28 miles of Beachs • Many Fine Restaurants and Shops • The Canneries • Cranberry Bogs • State & County Parks

Real Estate

For all your Real Estate Needs, visit

www.discoverycoastrealestate.com Search by City, Price, or Type – We have it all! 360-642-3325 • 877-637-1412

For information & schedules, please call

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Discovery Coast

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DISCOVERY COAST 2013 • www.chinookobserver.com • 3

ILWACO

WASHINGTON’S FAMOUS FISHING CAPITAL

lwaco is an incredible place. It possesses a proud maritime tradition stretching back thousands of years, first in the cedar canoes of the Chinook Indian people and continuing on through the sailing era, up to the commercial and sport fishing fleets of today. Framed by one of the world’s most scenic harbors, Ilwaco offers a firstFramed by one of hand experience of humanity’s long partnerthe world’s most ship with the Columbia scenic harbors, River and the Pacific Ilwaco offers a firstOcean. Summer and fall offer hand experience of unparalleled opportunihumanity’s long ties to get out on the water, either in the pursuit partnership with the of fish, or just to partake Columbia River and in the sights and sensathe Pacific Ocean. tions of one of the world’s great rivers and nearby ocean waters. If fishing is your heart’s desire, public boat launches provide easy access to the water. There are plenty of charter offices to fulfill any angler’s request. Salmon, sturgeon, tuna and bottom fishing trips are available in season and fresh seafood is available year around.

Some of the 25 charter boats operating out of the Port of Ilwaco — RON MALAST PHOTO

BEACHCOMBING ON THE PENINSULA 2013

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Sea gulls: That’s the traditional name for Pacific County beachcombers. Human sea gulls have been finding cool stuff here for centuries, perhaps starting with storm-blown Japanese junks salvaged by Chinook Indians. In the ordinary course of events, hand-blown glass fishing floats and enormous deceased whales are some of the things you may encounter on our miles of shoreline. In 2013, Washington beaches are expected to continue being on the receiving end of the sad aftermath of the 2011 Japanese tsunami. This deadly series of earthquake-spawned floods carried millions of tons of debris into the Pacific, at a horrific cost of thousands of lives. This is now close to ending its journey on currents across the ocean — everything from small fishing boats to crated-up Harley motorcycles. With the switch by the Japanese fishing fleet to plastic net floats, literally millions of glass floats were left in boatyards and harbors, from which they were carried by the waves. These will be coming ashore for years to come. Finding one is largely a matter of being in the right place at the right time. Especially following a winds from out of the west, keep an eye open for brightly colored orbs bobbing in the surf. Let it come to you — don’t put your life at risk for a souvenir. You can help respond to the arrival of tsunami de-

4 • DISCOVERY COAST 2013 • www.chinookobserver.com

bris by depositing any unwanted items in public trash receptacles. Keep your eyes open for interesting objects. If an item appears to have sentimental value to those who owned it, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) requests people move the item to a safe place and email the information to disasterdebreis@noaa.gov. More information is available at NOAA’s marine debris website at marinedebris.noaa.gov. • The Washington Department of Ecology has a debris hotline: call 1-855-WACOAST (1-855-922-6278). • It is possible that containers with hazardous chemical materials will wash ashore. Don’t touch or try to remove the items. Call the state Emergency Management Division at 1-800-OILS-911 (1-800-258-5990). • If boaters encounter large debris items still in the water, call the National Response Center at 1-800-4248802.

Seals, sea lions and whales all are spotted offshore. A pod of orcas, or killer whales, is sometimes observed in the ocean here. A full-service marina and boatyard and a waterfront promenade for strolling makes Ilwaco Harbour Village a stop you don’t want to miss. Unique gift shops with that special something you can’t find anywhere else and art galleries for that one-of-a-kind treasure dot the waterfront. Downtown Ilwaco, a short stroll from the port, is in the midst of many positive changes, with old buildings being refurbished and new ones being planned. If you are hungry, there are several dining experiences to choose from downtown and at the port. From a quick bowl of chowder to pasta dinners, you’re sure to find a bite to satisfy the appetites of all. Downtown Ilwaco and Ilwaco Harbour Village: Where the Columbia River meets the mighty Pacific Ocean. Come experience it all for yourself.

Saturday Market at the Port of Ilwaco May through September, the Port of Ilwaco hosts a Saturday Market that attracts vendors, craftspeople and musicians from around the region. Pick from the freshest produce, baked goods and plants. Wonderful crafts and handiwork abound with something new every weekend. It is open every Saturday, rain or shine, all summer long from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. A signpost gives fishy clues to directions at the Port of Ilwaco. — KEVIN HEIMBIGNER PHOTO

DISCOVERY COAST 2013 • www.chinookobserver.com • 5

CAPE DISAPPOINTMENT

WASHINGTON’S VACATION DESTINATION

ape Disappointment is one of Washington state’s most famous and popular parks. Some of its favorite features include: a premier campground, beautiful beaches, new public artworks, two lighthouses, an interpretive center and miles of hiking trails. CAMPING: Cape Disappointment State Park has 152 standard campsites, 83 utility sites, five primitive campsites, one dump station, eight restrooms (two ADA) and 14 showers (four ADA). Maximum site length is 45 feet (may have limited availability). Camping is available year-round. To reserve a campsite, call 888-CAMPOUT or 888-226-7688. BEACHCOMBING: Take your pick from three beaches for your beachcombing or strolling. Waikiki Beach is located where the North Jetty meets the rocky cape. This beach is one of the locals’ favorite

spots for storm watching because the waves crash on the cape here with the Cape Disappointment Lighthouse in the background. Benson Beach is the sandy stretch from the North Jetty to North Head, hikers can enjoy the lack of vehicles, the huge driftwood trees and a great view of the North Head Lighthouse. Beards Hollow, the southern stretch of the Peninsula, offers visitors a chance to view tide pools at low tide near the historic “Fishing Rocks” or take the Discovery Trail north to Long Beach or east to Ilwaco. THE CONFLUENCE PROJECT: The Confluence Project site is one of seven locations on the Columbia River where artist Maya Lin has created places to think. Using the language of the Chinook people and members of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, these artworks put the Bicentennial into a larger perspective, encouraging the

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A late-winter wave crashes ashore beneath Cape Disappointment Lighthouse near the south tip of Washington state. — BARTON STEPHENS PHOTO

visitor to re-consider the cultural and natural layers of history found on the Lower Columbia River. The site at Cape Disappointment includes a basalt fish-cleaning table, a Baker Bay viewing platform, several short trails, and a new amphitheater with a view of the ocean. TWO LIGHTHOUSES: The park offers access to two historic lighthouses. The Cape Disappointment Lighthouse was lit in 1856, making it the first in the Pacific Northwest. The view from the Cape Disappointment light is astounding, overlooking the Columbia River bar from the very tip of the cape. The picturesque North Head Lighthouse is perched on the headland surrounded by the ocean in all its glory.

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6 • DISCOVERY COAST 2013 • www.chinookobserver.com

HIKING TRAILS: The cape has over eight miles of hiking trails to choose from. These trails lead hikers through multiple ecosystems, from coastal fog forest to the saltwater marsh to grass-covered dunes. The rustic trails cut through some impressive huge old spruce and hemlock trees and often end up either at a lighthouse or at an abandoned military structure. Fort Canby was a coastal defense fort at the cape from 1852 to 1947. Pick up a hiking trail map from the park office or the interpretive center.

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Tours are conducted daily at North Head during summer months and on weekends in the off-season. There is a small fee. Children younger than 7 may not climb up into the light.

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SEAVIEW

BEACH, DUNES AND COMFORTABLE RECREATION

A rare French-made lighthouse lens is among the remarkable artifacts on display in the interpretive center. — DAMIAN MULINIX PHOTO

Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center Overlooking the mouth of the Columbia River and the Pacific Ocean, the Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center was recently expanded and now features new exhibits and rangerled interpretive programs. Original exhibits, which include hands-on activities, trace the entire expedition with particular detail on the Corps of Discovery’s explorations of the Columbia River. A new video titled, “Of Dreams and Discovery” focuses on how the arrival of the Lewis and Clark Expedition to the ocean at Cape Disappointment was the fulfillment of President Thomas Jefferson’s vision. Exhibits also interpret Fort Canby, the coastal ecosystems, the U.S. Life-saving Service and shipwrecks. Historic artifacts on display include a firstorder Fresnel lens constructed in 1822 and used in both of the cape’s lighthouses and a Life-Saving Service surf boat. The Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center is open daily, year around from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission for adults is $5, $2.50 for children ages 7 to 17, kids 6 and under are free. Tours, programs, and guided hikes are available with an appointment made in advance. Call 360-642-3029 for more information.

eaview was founded in 1881 by Jonathon L. Stout and his wife Anne Elizabeth Gearhart, daughter of Phillip Gearhart, for whom the town in northwest Oregon is named. The two villages share parallel traditions of history and charm. Seaview is located between Ilwaco and Long Beach but has a character very distinct from its two neighbors. It is, most would agree, one of the Peninsula’s most “classy” villages. Seaview is home to some wonderful B&Bs and restaurants, including the comfortable Shelburne Inn — a National Historical Landmark — and the fantastic Depot Restaurant. Seaview’s waterfront is a popular launching spot for walks south and north on the Northwest’s longest beach. It is somewhat less busy in the summer than the Long Beach seashore access routes to the north, and thus makes for a more peaceful setting. Chef/Owner Lalewicz has “food angels singing in the kitchen” ~ NW Palate

Surfers head out for a ride near Fishing Rocks on the south end of the Peninsula, an area also popular among picnicking families. Only expert swimmers and surfers should venture into local waters. — MADELINE DICKERSON PHOTO

It is in Seaview where growth (also called accretion) of the beach is most noticeable, with 2,000 feet or more of dunes separating the village’s original shoreline from the ocean today. This means several shipwreck sites lie under what is now dry land, including those of the Vandalia which wrecked in 1853 with a loss of nine lives, and the Marie, which wrecked in 1852, also with a loss of nine. Best attractions on the Seaview

beach: This is a classic Northwest beach, the original seashore resort for the Portland elite, and deservedly so. There are miles of clean sand, many shorebirds, friendly people and pretty views of the distant cliffs and bobbing crab boats. The new Discovery Trail threads its way through the Seaview dunes, providing a walking/biking path all the way from northern Long Beach to Ilwaco.

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DISCOVERY COAST 2013 • www.chinookobserver.com • 7

LONG BEACH WHERE FAMILIES MAKE MEMORIES

ong Beach is a fun place, famous in the Northwest for its eccentric charm, its bustling summer sidewalks, its many festivals and soaring kites. It also is a place of incredible natural assets: miles of beach, dunes and forests. Founded in 1880 by Henry Harrison Tinker from Maine, Long Beach has been a resort town since the beginning. Unlike many â&#x20AC;&#x153;beachâ&#x20AC;? towns, Long Beach is a place with a solid core of reality â&#x20AC;&#x201D; the people who make their homes here love it. It is, first and foremost, a community. When you visit Long Beach, what youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll experience is a bright little town that happens to be on the beach. Visitors to the Peninsula inevitably gravitate toward Long Beach for its shops and the many

activities geared toward families, teens and children. This is where youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll find amusement rides, horse rentals, go-carts, video arcades, bumper cars and other traditional beach fare. Long Beach also has much to appeal to mature visitors, such as its famous boardwalk, the great new paved Discovery Trail along the crest of the dunes, and a nice variety of art galleries, gift stores and restaurants. If youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve been here before, come again and see how much Long Beach has transformed in the past few years. If you havenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t been here, come take a look. You wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t regret it. Long Beach has many motels, B&Bs and RV parks, so finding a place to stay is rarely a problem. But on festival weekends, be sure to have a reservation and to check in early in the day.

A good time doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have to be expensive â&#x20AC;˘ Settle in for some people watching. Leading sites include benches along the boardwalk and anywhere in fun downtown Long Beach. â&#x20AC;˘ Take a romantic walk on the boardwalk and Discovery Trail in the evening, enjoying the sounds of the surf. â&#x20AC;˘ Hit the many yard and garage sales. â&#x20AC;˘ Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a new playground for the kids near the corner of Bolstad and Washington avenues, two blocks east of the main stoplight. â&#x20AC;˘ Stop by real estate offices and daydream about owning your very own piece of heaven. â&#x20AC;˘ Pull up a sand dune and spend a few hours reading.

JOIN THE FUN

LONG BEACH

volunteer â&#x20AC;˘ watch â&#x20AC;˘ participate â&#x20AC;˘ enjoy!

B E A C H VA C AT I O N P L A N N E R

Pick up your FREE info Packet at the Long Beach Peninsula Visitors Bureau

(intersection of Hwys 101 & 103) t GVOCFBDI DPN

2013

Events

www.funbeach.com

Beach Vacation Planner 2013

EVENTS BEACH DISCOVERY CALENDAR PLANNER TRAIL MAP

Windless Kite Festival......................................Jan 19-20, 2013

Sandsations..........................................................Jul 10-14, 2013

Asian New Year Celebration..................................Feb 10,2013

Long Beach Rodeo..............................................JuI 26-28, 2013

Loyalty Days...........................................................May 4-5, 2013

Jake the Alligator Manâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Birthday.....................Aug 2-3, 2013

Summerfest.......................................weekends, all summer long

WA State Intâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;l Kite Festival.............................Aug 19-25, 2013

Columbia-Pacific Farmers Market Fridays, 4-7 pm, Jun - Sept

Discovery Trail Half Marathon............................Sept 14, 2013

Beach to Chowder Walk/Run................................Jun 22, 2013

One Sky, One World Kite Fly.............................Oct 12-13,2013

Doggie Olympic Games ....................................Jun 28-29 2013

Holidays at the Beach........................Nov 29, 30 & Dec 1, 2013

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Putting Something Back Into The Communityâ&#x20AC;?

LONG BEACH MERCHANTSâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; ASSOCIATION

8 â&#x20AC;˘ DISCOVERY COAST 2013 â&#x20AC;˘ www.chinookobserver.com

longbeachmerchants.com

WASHINGTON STATE INTERNATIONAL

KITE FESTIVAL

Camping & RV • Fishing & Hunting Crabbing & Clamming • Clothing & Boots & much more! Present this coupon at any Dennis Company for a Washington State International Kite Festival in August is the Pacific Northwest's premier beach event; and offers not only thousands of kites but plenty of other forms of fun as well. — DAMIAN MULINIX PHOTO

If ever there was a place perfectly suited to flying kites, our long, long beach is it. With a better than average chance of warm, dry weather during August (although the opposite is also within the realm of possibility), the Washington State International Kite Festival in Long Beach packs an infinite amount of fun into oe short week. Our beach is wide, white and windy, offering optimal conditions for kites. Ours is one of the few beaches around that’s actually growing — if it’s been a few years since you were last here, you may be walking on beach that was once under water. Spanning every category of intention, design and color — from whimsical to practical to rainbowhued — kites will inhabit the skies over our beach. You can expect to see just about anything in our pure, ocean-borne air, including some of the most fantastic shapes the mind can imagine. Dozens of vendors supply food and fun items for the 100,000 or so guests who are expected to attend the event that runs six very full days. Kay Buesing, who along with husband Jim and others helped lift off the first festival in 1981, is excited about sharing the World Kite Museum and Hall of Fame at its location on Sid Snyder Drive. Souvenir sales benefit the festival and take place all week at a down-

town booth. Sweatshirts (crew and hooded), fleece jackets, T-shirts, muscle shirts, tank tops, earrings, pins, patches, hats and Christmas ornaments are among the many items for sale. Private vendors have kites in a variety of shapes and sizes. Registration for each day’s events begins at 8 a.m. and activities start at 10 a.m. each day. For a complete schedule of events and many colorful and informative stories you can pick up a 2013 official WSIKF program at local businesses, the Visitors Bureau or the Kite Museum. We hope you have a grand time at the Washington State International Kite Festival, Aug. 19 to 26, 2013. Come out and don’t “Break a string!” See kitefestival.com/kite-festival

FREE Tide Book

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www.denniscompany.com Long Beach • 201 Pacific Ave. N. • 360-642-3166 Raymond • 146 5th St. • 360-942-2427 Aberdeen • 220 N. Boone St. • 360-538-6727 Elma • 115 S. 4th St. • 360-482-2421 Montesano • 413 Pioneer Ave. W. • 360-249-4821

VisualPleasureforGenerations

Fantastic Kite Museum If you love kites, you’ll love Long Beach’s World Kite Museum and Hall of Fame. Established to preserve and promote all aspects of world-wide kiting and to recognize noteworthy individuals for their outstanding contributions in kiting. Kites on exhibit tell of the history, art, science and sport of kiting. The displays themselves are an adventure. The museum has a gift shop. For information, call 642-4020 or see http://kitefestival.com

Storm Surf at Cape Disappointment

Giclée Prints Available Original Watercolors and Acrylics • Fine Art Prints • Workshops • Art Supplies • Framing

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DISCOVERY COAST 2013 • www.chinookobserver.com • 9

THE OUTDOORS

RECREATION OPTIONS ABOUND IN SOUTH PACIFIC COUNTY BICYCLING The Peninsula has many trails for bicycling enthusiasts, including Long Beach’s wonderful paved trail through the ocean dunes, stretching north and south of the boardwalk. Some other options include Cape Disappointment and North Head roads, Sandridge Road to Ocean Park, the quiet back streets of Oysterville and Nahcotta, and Parpala Road in the Naselle area. TENNIS Free outdoor tennis courts of various descriptions can be found all along the Peninsula. Both the Ilwaco City Park and Long Beach’s Culbertson Park have courts (and outdoor basketball courts). A tennis court along U.S. 101 in Seaview is operated by the Seaview Community Club. See signs on the courts for rules. Lighthouse Resort Tennis Club, 12417 Pacific Highway, north of Long Beach, offers both memberships and use by fee. It is a state-of-the-art facility that houses two regulation blue-green U.S. Open courts. For more information call 642-3622, email manager@lighthouseresort.net SWIMMING Peninsula beaches are considered unsafe for swimming. No matter how calm or inviting the water looks, or how strong a swimmer one may be, drownings sometimes occur. Severe undercurrents and rip tides can pull — and have pulled — even the most experienced swimmers out past their limits. Swimming opportunities on the Peninsula are limited to private or public pools. The Dunes, a professional indoor pool, is located just south of Ocean Park on the west side of Highway 103 at the Dunes Bible Camp. For more information and hours, call the camp at 665-5542. Eagle’s Nest in Ilwaco, 642-8351, is another option. RUNNING The hard-packed sand of its beach and its bountiful back roads make the Peninsula a great place

for the jogger and runner. Ilwaco High School also has an eight-lane, all-weather track which is usually available for use during daylight hours. Discovery Trail from Long Beach to Ilwaco offers incredible views to go with your cardio workout. BOWLING There is only one location on the Peninsula for the avid bowler: Hilltop Bowl, off U.S. 101 across from Black Lake in Ilwaco. Call 642-4440 for price schedule and availability of lanes. SOFTBALL Softball fields are at Ilwaco City Park, Culbertson Park in Long Beach, Long Beach School, Chinook School and across the street from the Ocean Park School. The area’s Little League baseball field is adjacent to the Long Beach Fire Hall at North Seventh in Long Beach. GOLF LONG BEACH: Peninsula Golf Course is located one mile north of the stoplight in Long Beach. A putting green, brand-new clubhouse and a fantastic restaurant are added amenities for golfers. The dining room is open to everyone. Peninsula Golf Course is a nine-hole par-33 course that is 2,057 yards in length with three par3 holes and six par-4 holes. The cozy course can be played in less than two hours and provides excellent conditions year around. The course is rated 60 for men and 64 for women and the slope rating is 90 for men and 100 for women. Peninsula Golf Course is located at 9604 Pacific Highway in Long Beach. Call 642-2828. SURFSIDE: Three miles north of the stoplight in Ocean Park is Surfside Golf Course. The course is 3,206 yards in length and is a nine-hole course that plays as a par 36. There are two par-3 holes, five par-4s, and two par-5 holes on the course. Surfside features three tees for men and two tees for women in an effort to accommodate golfers of

CHERI GROCOTT

BROKER/REALTOR

360-921-1970 web: www.lighthouseproperty.com email: cgrocott@lighthouseproperty.com

More than two dozen miles of sandy ocean beach are perfect for all sorts of vehicles, including this sailing race cart. A century ago, early car races and motorcycle rallies were staged there — KEVIN HEIMBIGNER PHOTO

any skill level. The course is rated 69 for men and 73 for women and has a slope of 122 for men and 125 for the ladies. A putting green, driving range, and club house all add to the golfer’s enjoyment. Tee times can be scheduled by calling 6654148. Surfside Golf Course is located at 31508 J Place, Ocean Park. The course is open year around.

(( wi-fi ))

YOUR

visits are

OUR

business! REALTY Ocean Park Office 25810 Vernon Avenue P.O. Box 431 • Ocean Park, WA 98640

10 • DISCOVERY COAST 2013 • www.chinookobserver.com

westgaterv@centurytel.net 20803 Pacific Hwy Ocean Park, WA 98640

oceanfront • cable tv • rec room • laundry

LONG BEACH RODEO EXCITING PROFESSIONAL COMPETITION

Come join all the cowboys and cowgirls at the Peninsula Saddle Club on July 26 and July 28 at 1 p.m. for the 68th annual Long Beach Rodeo. Events take place at 6407 Sandridge Road on the beautiful Long Beach Peninsula (1 1/4 mile north of the Hwy 101 junction on Sandridge Road). This Northwest Professional Rodeo Association rodeo is one of the longest running rodeos on the Northwest coast. This year’s show is sure to be one of the finest, thanks to the collaborative talents of great rodeo professionals and a team of wonderful volunteers. The Peninsula Saddle Club hosted its first rodeo in 1951. At that time, the rodeo was held just north of downtown Long Beach (where the fire hall is currently located). The Saddle Club moved to the present location in 1957. The rodeo gets started with a fun parade through downtown Long Beach in the evening of Friday, July 26. Start each day of the rodeo with a genuine cowboy breakfast in the clubhouse, from 7 a.m. until 11 a.m. Let the crew in the “chuck wagon” dish you up some hotcakes, eggs, ham, or biscuits and gravy. Don’t forget your coffee! Bring the whole family for the fun of a community tradition. Enjoy the beer garden during the show, or wan-

The Long Beach Rodeo in July and Junior Rodeo in August are hugely popular ways of experiencing the Old West here on America's farthest West Coast. — DAMIAN MULINIX PHOTO

der the grounds and visit more than a dozen vendors serving up treats or selling their wares. And, don’t forget the lunch concessions in the clubhouse where the crew will dish up burgers, hot dogs and more.

On Saturday, don’t run away after the show. That’s when they start family night. And remember that this is a two-day event. They do it all over again on Sunday. See you at the rodeo!

“Good Old-Fashioned” Hamburgers, Hot Dogs, Fish & Chips and Halibut Fish Tacos Freshly Made Clam Chowder in a Warm Sourdough Bread Bowl Seafood Specials Mon & Tues, 5pm-close Come Hungry! Mexican Fiesta! every Thurs 5pm-close with Authentic Homemade Cuisine & includes Dessert* Sweet Baby Back or Prime Rib Friday & Saturday nights, 5pm-close Sunday Breakfast Buffet 9am - 11:30am - Including Biscuits & Gravy, Eggs Benedict, Fresh Fruit, Coffee, Juice, Milk, Cheese Cake (chocolate or fruit) & More A LOCAL FAVORITE! Hand-Made Specialty Milk Shakes in 21 Flavors, Soft-Serve Ice Cream • Nightly Dinner Specials • Outside (Pet Friendly) Dining • Kids Menu Specials • Kite Room - Reserve for your next function

o We also d rders” “To Go O

www.hungryharbor.com 313 Pacific Hwy, Downtown Long Beach, WA Open Daily 10 a.m. - 9 p.m. 360-642-5555 *not always available in Summer months FREE

“Like Us” on...

WIFI

DISCOVERY COAST 2013 • www.chinookobserver.com • 11

WORLD FAMOUS SALT-WATER FISHING Nothing compares to the exhilaration of boating over waters where the Columbia River, having reached journey’s end, rushes into the Pacific Ocean. Add the thrill of catching large game fish and the experience will be imprinted in memory forever. Fortunately, these excursions are available to anyone, thanks to charter boats berthed at the Port of Ilwaco. Charters provide outings ranging from sightseeing to bottom- and deep-sea fishing. Everything is provided except personal clothing and favorite refreshments. Many anglers also fish from private boats, a great option if you’re prepared for the conditions. The view of the land from the seaward side — lighthouses, Astoria, Saddle Mountain and Tillamook Head — is often breathtaking. Crossing the bar, where river and ocean meet, is an exciting time as the skipper skillfully maneuvers the boat through often-turbulent waters to reach open sea. Sea lions bask on jetty rocks. Seals’ heads pop out of the water here and there, and seagulls fly overhead hoping for a handout. How can you catch a trophy-sized salmon or sturgeon if you don’t have a boat? Simple, head for the south jetty at Cape Disappointment or east of the Chinook tunnel and get ready for a fun day of sports fishing on a budget. You will need a stout 9- or 10-foot rod and a spinning reel large and strong enough to crank up at least 200 yards of 40-pound test line. A sliding swivel that can accommodate six to 16 ounces of pyramid sinker goes above the Dacron leader and a 2/0 or 3/0 hook is placed

Fresh water fishing

at the end of your gear. Bait of choice seems to be sand shrimp, but anchovy or smelt or anything else a scavenging sturgeon will engulf will do the trick. Cast toward Astoria, sit back to enjoy the comfort of your own rock, and wait for a bite. But be careful when you rear back to set the hook, jetty rocks can be slippery. If you fish east of the Chinook tunnel, the highway is only inches from your back and trucks, cars, and RVs zip past at 50 miles per hour.

Steelhead and trout are abundant in Pacific County. While ocean fishing at the beach is nationally known, many forget there are numerous rivers, streams and lakes perfect for family outings. Between Ilwaco and Seaview lies Black Lake, for which offers trout fishing to all ages. Island Lake is a little more isolated and farther north on the Peninsula, but is perfect for canoeing and fishing. Another popular fishing hole is Loomis Lake. Traveling from the Peninsula, the Naselle River, in addition to trout fishing, salmon fishing is allowed in several areas of the Naselle River in season. The same is true on the Willapa River near Raymond and South Bend and the Nemah on the east side of Willapa Bay. Turn near Naselle Youth Camp to get to Radar Lakes.

Boreas Bed and Breakfast Inn Enjoy great food at The Cove Restaurant in our new clubhouse! • Burgers • Reuben’s • Salads • Beer & Wine

BOREASINN.COM

607 OCEAN BEACH BOULEVARD N. LONG BEACH, WA 98631 360-642-8069 • 888-642-8069

9-Hole Public Course • Power Carts • Club Rentals • Dog Friendly

9604 Pacific Way (One mile north of downtown Long Beach)

360-642-2828 www.peninsulagolfcourse.com

• Spectacular ocean views • Five Romantic Suites • Private hot tub by the dunes • Gourmet breakfast included • Concierge Service • Seattle KING5 TV’s Best of the Northwest Great Escapes “Top 5 Best B&B” for four years running

look for seasonal specials online! Find Boreas Inn on Facebook– become a “Fan”!

12 • DISCOVERY COAST 2013 • www.chinookobserver.com

WHALE WATCHING

In recent years, an unprecedented number of blue whales — the largest animals to ever live — were sighted grazing above the deep Guide Canyon west of Long Beach Peninsula’s northern tip. This spring, a pod of orcas — killer whales — was spotted just offshore west of the Long Beach Golf Course. And gray whale sightings are routine in during spring and fall migrations. The Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center in Cape Disappointment State Park is a nice place to look for whale spouts. Although whale watching from the vantage of the interpretive center doesn’t reward the whale watcher with close-up encounters, it is satisfying nonetheless. Just knowing those huge creatures are passing by the mouth of the Columbia River is inspiring. The sheer quantity is what

most impresses — one day 178 whales were spotted in less than four hours! To maximize your own chances of seeing a whale, choose a day when the ocean is calm and winds are light. Early morning is best. If you watch from area beaches or jetties, don’t forget foul-weather clothing and mud-worthy hiking boots, bottled water, binoculars and a camera. For more information, visit www.whalespoken.org. In the winter of 2011-12, an unprecedented number of blue whales – the largest animals to ever live – were sighted grazing above the deep Guide Canyon west of Long Beach Peninsula’s northern tip.

30 Second Walk to Beach

Your first stop for Homes & Land on the Long Beach Peninsula Search all area listings www.pacreal.com New listings every day! 102 NE Bolstad - Long Beach 800-349-5446 360-642-3127 Member NWMLS

For Long & Short-term Rentals Contact...

888-879-5479 www.pacrentals.com • Ocean front & view vacation homes • All nonsmoking homes • Select pet friendly homes • Larger homes - up to 10 guests

Big Rig Friendly 60 Full Hookups (20, 30, 50 amps) Cable TV Immaculate Restrooms WiFi Pets Welcome Free our Children’s Playground a t yt e si Laundry & Propane Hospitality Hall for Groups

(360)-642-2231 (800)-645-6795

info@andersensRV.com • www.andersensRV.com

31/2 Miles North of Downtown Long Beach on 138th St.

DISCOVERY COAST 2013 • www.chinookobserver.com • 13

14 • DISCOVERY COAST 2013 • www.chinookobserver.com

CLAMMING

THE PENINSULA IS THE BEST PLACE IN WASHINGTON TO DIG RAZOR CLAMS Peninsula people are passionate about razor clams. And with good reason as this is usually the best place in the state to stalk the wily bivalves. Although rarely hampered because of a marine micro-organism found in razor clams which can be harmful to humans, in recent years conditions have always been fine. Good clamming is usually available along the entire Peninsula. However, the largest and most plentiful razor clams are usually found from Oysterville approach north to Leadbetter Point. As a general rule, clamming conditions are so good here that people drive for hundreds of miles to partake in this delicious family fun. You must keep the first 15 clams you dig, regardless of size or condition. Over-digging, throwing clams back, digging in closed areas, or digging out of season can result in hefty fines. Visitors are encouraged to contact the Department of Fish and Wildlife at 360-586-6129 for information about upcoming seasons and regulations or visit the WDFW online at http://wdfw.wa.gov/fishing/shellfish Jack’s Country Store maintains the excellent clam information website: www.razorclams.com

Razor clamming on a beautiful autumn evening has to be one of the world’s most scenic recreational activities. Most people nowadays prefer to use clam “guns,” hollow tubes that are driven into the sand above an unsuspecting clam. But you’ll still find many who swear by a good old-fashioned narrow-bladed shovel. — DAMIAN MULINIX PHOTO

STAY INFORMED Here are 3 easy ways to stay informed during emergency and hazardous weather events! 1. Like the Pacific County Emergency Management Agency Facebook page at www.facebook.com/pcema to follow frequent emergency management and preparedness dialogue. 2. Follow @PCEOCNews on Twitter to get updates from the Pacific County EOC when activated. If you are not signed up for Twitter, you can receive the same information via text message. Just text follow PCEOCNews to 40404. 3. Receive the latest emergency management information and hazardous weather notices by signing up for the PCEMA email list. Provide your name and email to sfritts@co.pacific.wa.us or drowlett@co.pacific.wa.us and include the word “Subscribe” in the subject line. You may also read these notices on the PCEMA Blog at www.pcema.blogspot.com

AHAB OUTDOOR WARNING SYSTEM During a routine TEST of the system, the siren will play the Westminster Chimes followed by a voice message. Upon issuance of a TSUNAMI WARNING the siren will play a wail sound and a voice message will follow advising a tsunami warning has been issued.

Pacific County Emergency Management Agency 360-875-9340 • 360-642-9340 PO Box 101 • 300 Memorial Drive South Bend, WA 98586 http://www.co.pacific.wa.us/pcema

The AHAB outdoor warning system is tested on the first Monday of every month at noon.

Dr. J. Stephen Bell walk-ins welcome 360.642.2662 117 Spruce Street

Ilwaco Urgent Care DISCOVERY COAST 2013 • www.chinookobserver.com • 15

Sights to see on & near Washington’s Long Beach Peninsula 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15.

16. 17.

Hiking trails Astoria-Megler Bridge Fort Columbia State Park Sea Resources salmon hatchery Historic area and Port of Chinook Prime salmon fishing grounds Ilwaco Airport: 2,500-foot runway Port of Ilwaco Ilwaco Heritage Museum Sturgeon fishing Public boat launching ramp U.S. Coast Guard Station and National Motor Lifeboat School Cape Disappointment Lighthouse, oldest in NW North Jetty; viewpoints, fishing, beach Lewis and Clark National and State Historical Park; Cape Disappointment State Park; Confluence Project designed by Maya Lin North Head Lighthouse, W.W.II bunkers Beard’s Hollow: beach access, surf fishing

Lewis and Clark National and State Historical Park

16 • DISCOVERY COAST 2013 • www.chinookobserver.com

18. Peninsula Visitors Bureau Information Center 19. World Kite Museum, stores, banks, restaurants, motels, parks, RV parks 20. Saddle Club, rodeo grounds 21. Rhododendron nursery 22. Cranberry bogs 23. Site of historic Klipsan Beach Lifesaving Station 24. Businesses: Restaurants, motels, parks, stores, banks, RV parks 25. State shellfish laboratory 26. Mooring basin, restaurants, oyster processing, boat launch 27. Golf, recreational facilities 28. Historic Oysterville, pioneer cemetery 29. Steelhead and trout fishing 30. Twenty-eight-mile hard-sand public beach, picnicking, kites, in-season clamming 31. Birdwatching: 200+ varieties 32. Migratory and upland bird hunting 33. Centennial murals 34. Tokeland

An osprey dines on some unfortunate smaller creature in a coastal tree. Along with bald eagles, hawks and falcons, these sea eagles are a frequent sight in Pacific County. — DAMIAN MULINIX PHOTO

SOUTH PACIFIC COUNTY

WILDLIFE

When it comes to watching wildlife, the Discovery Coast is the place to be, with more bald eagles than anywhere south of Alaska, and more pelagic and coastal seabirds than anywhere else on the West Coast. Seals and otters, huge herds of deer and elk, migrating and resident songbirds and waterfowl all can be observed in numbers that will amaze the whole family. It’s time to discover just where these beauties can be seen! EAGLES, HAWKS AND FALCONS: Peregrine falcons are frequently observed swooping down from tree top perches as they intercept prey in Leadbetter Point State Park. Bald eagles and other birds of prey are often spotted anywhere in the vicinity of Willapa Bay and the Columbia River. They are particularly obvious along U.S. Highway 101 between the Astoria Bridge and Ilwaco. HERONS: Living here on the Discovery Coast we are fortunate indeed to have a very large and healthy population of great blue herons. They are quite common around the margins of Willapa Bay. PELICANS: Pelicans, cormorants, Caspian terns, kingfishers and other bird species all gather in great numbers along the Columbia River estuary east of Ilwaco, through Chinook and on past the Dismal Nitch unit of Lewis and Clark National Park. SWANS: Trumpeter and tundra swans can often be observed in Peninsula lakes, especially Black Lake near Ilwaco and Brisco Lake north of Long Beach. ELK: For something a bit larger, how about some elk watching? A short drive out to the Bear River area at the south end of Willapa National Wildlife Refuge situated on the east side of the bay is a good place to start. Elk also can often be spotted near the Naselle River. BLACK-TAILED DEER: Deer are almost too common to notice on the Peninsula and the mainland, chomping rosebushes wherever they go. GEESE AND DUCKS: Waterfowl in a myriad of colors can also be seen near the refuge headquarters. Casual sightings of dozens of species of ducks are quite common. Wood ducks are a particular favorite among area residents, many of whom build nesting boxes for them. RIVER OTTERS: If it’s something altogether different you’re looking for, how about putting the binocs to some river otters? They can often be seen swimming and frolicking in the canals and lakes in the center of the community of Surfside just west of Oysterville, or even in Black Lake or small creeks around Ilwaco. DISCOVERY COAST 2013 • www.chinookobserver.com • 17

OCEAN PARK

THE ESSENCE OF FRIENDLY SEASHORE LIFE

or a trip that bypasses crowded highways and returns your soul to a safer, more leisurely time, follow U.S. Highway 101 toward Washington state’s southern-most peninsula. Once there, head north on State Route 103 toward Ocean Park — a visitor-friendly area located at the “heart” of Washington’s most famous beach. If you are looking for a weekend or longer close to nature, activities that the entire family will never forget, festivals or events nearly every weekend of the year, beautiful scenery, historic landmarks, walking trails and seafood that can’t get any fresher, then treat yourself to the Ocean Park area. Please visit the Ocean Park Area Chamber of Commerce website “Directory” page and look under “All Members” for web page listings for each of many friendly local businesses. The

address is http://opwa.com. On the way north on State Route 103, you’ll pass by many areas worth exploring: Loomis Lake State Park; Loomis Lake fishing area; and the Klipsan Beach approach with its historic Coast Guard Life Saving Station, are some examples. A red flashing light marks the center of Ocean Park. Everything here is located “from the light.” In fact, they have only recently started using house numbers. Don’t worry about getting lost. There are plenty of places to get information. The Ocean Park Area Chamber of Commerce Office is two blocks east from “the light” on Bay Avenue and every business will gladly provide directions to points of interest. Scout out the many businesses that dot the road from Long Beach to Ocean Park and on to Oysterville. The variety is surprising. Ocean Park is home to two of the

The Ocean Park community hosts a classic end-of-summer bonfire on the beach approach on Labor Day Weekend. — DAMIAN MULINIX PHOTO

68 Years Serving 26205 Sandridge Road Ocean Park, WA 98640

Mention this ad and receive 10% off your stay

phone: (360) 665-3016 or (888) 862-9756 fax: 360-665-4697 charlesnelsonbandb.com email: cnbandb@willapabay.org

(expires 6/30/2014

Peninsula Church of Christ

C LL LLC

OPEN ALL YEAR ‘ROUND • Spacious, clean, comfortable modern rooms • In-room coffee, tea and refrigerators. Microwave by request. • Guest laundry facilities • Small pets welcome • Wi-Fi available • Kitchen Units • Color TV • Direct Dial phones • Hospitality room with kitchen (May be reserved for special occasions or meetings)

• Economy, group and winter rates

(360) 642-7036 • (360) 642-2114 www.peninsulachurchofchrist.com

In scenic Ilwaco, where the Columbia River greets the Pacific Ocean For Reservations Only

1-800-576-1032 P.O. Box 776, 126 Spruce • Hwy. 101 ILWACO, WA 98624

(360) 642-2387

www.heidisinnmotel.com

18 • DISCOVERY COAST 2013 • www.chinookobserver.com

PACIFIC AVENUE AT 14TH STREET NORTH LONG BEACH, WA LARGE GRASSY SITES GROUP MEETING HALL WALK TO DOWNTOWN STROLL TO THE BEACH WIFI & CABLE TV ACCESS For Reservations: PO Box 296 Long Beach, WA 98631

7709 Sandridge Rd. • Long Beach

Sunday Morning • 10:30 am

Visitors in Long Beach

Call: 1-888-567-1902 Local: 360-642-2711

www.driftwood-rvpark.net

largest grocery stores on the Peninsula, a hardware store and a pharmacy. There are galleries, gift shops, a bookstore, restaurants and lodging choices that include motels, cabins, historic bed and breakfasts, vacation rental homes, RV spaces and camping. You will find an opportunity to relax in Ocean Park. Have an espresso or lunch at the beach approach. Relax with a glass of wine and a sunset. Enjoy walking around town visiting artists, jewelers and crafters in their studios and shops. There are gift stores and a used bookstore carrying current and nostalgic items to browse. Tame your hunger at ice cream parlors, restaurants and watering holes. Jack’s Country Store is one of the prime places to get lost in. Tom or any employees of Jack’s Store will help you find your way. One of the many reasons to linger in these businesses is that some of the better storytellers can be found in them. The main attraction, and the reason most people come here, is the shore. The ocean is just a short walk west of “the light.” Here you are in the center of a grand beach that stretches more than 10 miles in each direction. Walk along the broad expanse of sand and stop to create a driftwood sculpture or build a

sandcastle. Fly a kite or fish for surfperch. Watch a flock of sea birds in synchronous flight or spy a hawk in search of prey. The beach is designated a state highway and automobiles can be driven on it. If you have a disabled friend or an aging relative, this is one of the few opportunities where they can be transported to the ocean’s edge for a real seashore experience. Couples and families You will find an enjoy the v a r i o u s opportunity to relax events that in Ocean Park. Peninsula Have an espresso communities host. The or lunch at the Garlic Festibeach approach. val, held the third weekRelax with a glass end in June, rejoices in of wine at sunset. the cloves that form the foundation for oodles of good food and good fun. The Old Fashioned Fourth of July Parade provides a rollicking family event that harkens back to family picnics and memorable experiences. See Ocean Park, page 20

Surf perch fishing is one of many exciting outdoors activities available in the Ocean Park area.Surf perch fishing is one of many exciting outdoors activities available in the Ocean Park area. — DAMIAN MULINIX PHOTO

Rusty’s Coin Shop DOUG SWANSON, OWNER

1406 Bay Avenue, Ocean Park, WA 98640 360-665-5200 • www.bayavenuegallery.com

l e m i

Visit our Website! Follow Us on

Nanci’s & la

Nanci Main and Jimella Lucas, owner/chefs of the legendary Ark Restaurant for 25 years, invite you to visit them at their much acclaimed Market Cafe in Klipsan Beach, Washington. • Casual Relaxed Dining • Fresh Seafood Market • Wines & Deli

Where the Locals Go

360-665-4847 • 21712 Pacific Way eat@jimellaandnancis.com jimellaandnancis.com

WE BUY, SELL AND TRADE COINS • GOLD • SILVER UNWANTED JEWELRY • GOLD TEETH OPEN WED. TO SUN. 11AM - 5PM • CLOSED MON. & TUE.

360-783-COIN (2646)

100 Bolstad Ave E #105 Long Beach WA

Coin Collection Appraisals

DISCOVERY COAST 2013 • www.chinookobserver.com • 19

Ocean Park:

Continued From Page 19

it’s our

thAnniversary

100

E xperience the Peninsula’s historic spirit in this 1913 Craftsman home. Nestled on a quiet street, just a short walk to the ocean beach, shopping and restaurants.

C ountry breakfast served

amidst period furnishings and Indian artifacts. 26301 ‘N’ Place • P.O. Box 1549 Ocean Park, WA 98640 360.665.6993 • 866.665.6993 stay@georgejohnsonhouse.com www.georgejohnsonhouse.com Please contact us by email or phone for seasonal & special rates 20 • DISCOVERY COAST 2013 • www.chinookobserver.com

The weekend after Labor Day hums and roars with activity. The whole Peninsula is filled with custom cars participating in the Rod Run to the End of the World. The event begins with early registration on Friday afternoon, a slow drag on Friday night and climaxes with the car show on Saturday. Over 1,000 classic cars are on display. Throngs of visitors pour over the fit and finish of every one. There is, of course, ample time to exchange stories about your favorite car from an earlier time. The Peninsula is rich in history. The Chinook people, who were skillful traders and excellent seamen, first occupied the whole Peninsula area. After European seafarers discovered the area, a fur trade arose. Later, pioneers arrived at the mouth of the Columbia River and by the 1830s an oyster trade began in the Willapa Bay. Settlers soon followed. By 1850 there were permanent settlements around the bay. Oysterville soon dominated the area. The raucous nature of the town

and its vicinity convinced some that more uplifting environs would be desirable. Ocean Park was conceived as a summer camp for religious meetings. Currently open to the public, Ocean Park Resort started as a Methodist Church campground in 1906 and celebrated a century of operation three years ago. By the 1890s the land of Ocean Park was platted and sold. The Camping Association eventually moved to an 80-acre plat, 25 blocks north of “the light.” It is now known as the Ocean Park Retreat Center and United Methodist Camp. There are many older residences that date back to the late 1800s in Ocean Park. Much of the lumber, in fact entire buildings, were barged over from South Bend and the smaller villages on the east side of the bay and Long Island. Others were built from shipwrecks and their cargoes that washed up on the beach. A brochure for a walking tour of these homes is available on the Internet (www.opwa.com) and at the Ocean Park Area Chamber of Commerce office.

Opal Art in Ocean Park Ocean Aire RV Park is the Home of Opal Art, 25918 R Street in Ocean Park, WA. When you are in Ocean Park be sure to drop in and see our wonderfully special selection of Opal earrings, pendants and rings set in Sterling Silver by J.R. Opals show an ever-changing dancing fire depending on light intensity.

Opal Art can be found in the Office of

Ocean Aire RV Park

, where we invite you to check out our clean and friendly park. Located in Downtown Ocean Park– we are just blocks from restaurants, clubs, stores and of course the mighty Pacific Ocean.

Call Karen for park info at 360-665-4027 or J.R. at 360-244-1970 if a private showing at Opal Art is requested. Located behind Thriftway grocery at 25918 R Street, Ocean Park, WA • oceanair@willapabay.org

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FISH CLEANING Facility with running water to clean fish and clams.

Use Your smart phone to scan this QR code for more info.

Reservations 1-800-835-4634

25904 “R” St. • P.O. Box 339 • Ocean Park, WA 98640 • (360) 665-4585

DISCOVERY COAST 2013 • www.chinookobserver.com • 21

NAHCOTTA

A MUST VISIT FOR OYSTER LOVERS

Timeless. Invigorating. Delicious.

funbeach.com t 22 â&#x20AC;˘ DISCOVERY COAST 2013 â&#x20AC;˘ www.chinookobserver.com

An oyster dredge picks up a tub chock full of mature oysters from the fattening beds at the north end of Willapa Bay. A commercial "natural" set this year will help local growers considerably. â&#x20AC;&#x201D; KEVIN HEIMBIGNER PHOTO

Nahcotta is a great place to experience the traditions of Willapa Bay, centered on oysters, clamming and other pure and healthy â&#x20AC;&#x153;fishyâ&#x20AC;? business. A stroll around Nahcotta, looking at the boats and oyster processing equipment, is a great appetizer before sampling some fresh local seafood. Wandering around Nahcotta these days, one finds a tiny village rich in tradition and history, but little evidence of the battles that nearly tore the community in half more than a century ago. If the birth of Nahcotta came about with its platting and the struggle surrounding it in 1889, its conception may have taken place decades before when bands of Chinook Indians â&#x20AC;&#x201D; among them Chief Nahcati, for whom the village was named â&#x20AC;&#x201D; lived along the western shore of what was then Shoalwater Bay. Nahcatiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s camp was said to have been nestled near Paulâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Slough just south of the present Nahcotta mooring basin. Here the Indians found an abundance of fresh water, dry land, ample clams, oysters and salmon from the Shoalwater, and wild game in the forests. The settlements were well out of reach of the cold winter winds off the Pacific and far from the noise of pounding surf. By 1888, the first five miles of narrow-gauge railroad was laid northward from the docks at Ilwaco,

and by 1889 it reached Nahcotta. Here the tracks turned directly east and shot out over the bayshore on pilings to the deep Shoalwater channel, separating the community north from south. Ilwaco cannery owner B.A. Seaborg platted the town of Sealand on the north side of the tracks, while raiload owner Lewis Loomis took ownership of the Nahcotta townsite to the south. Both worked hard to reach their goals. The Sealand Hotal and the first post office rose on the north side, a general store and another hotel on the south. In fact, the town had almost two of everything â&#x20AC;&#x201D; two hotels, two saloons, two meat markets â&#x20AC;&#x201D; and only Loomis and Seaborg seemed to care. Despite the dispute between the two men, the community as a whole prospered. Oysters and other seafood was loaded on trains for shipment to Ilwaco, from where it was forwarded to San Francisco and other points to the south. Loomis won an eventual lawsuit, but the townâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s luck was about to run out â&#x20AC;&#x201D; for a few decades at least. In 1915, a chimney fire got out of hand and a strong southeast wind quickly spread the blaze throughout the business district. From that point on, the center of business on the Peninsulaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s north end shifted largely to Ocean Park, Nahcottaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s other sister village to the west.

OYSTERVILLE

THE PENINSULA’S LOVELY HISTORIC DISTRICT

he fictional Shangri-La is repaired by their private owners. Siman idyllic mountain valley ilar efforts are made by non-profit orwhere life is frozen in time ganizations to maintain and repair the and protected from the church and one-room schoolhouse. rough changes occurring elsewhere in The Oysterville Church Summer the world. Real-life Oysterville may Vespers are presented at 3 p.m. every not be so lucky as to completely es- Sunday from Father’s Day through cape the ravages of time and politics, Labor Day. The services are open to but strolling around it will restore everyone. The Jazz and Oyster festiyour faith that a kind of immortal val is set for Aug. 19 and features grace is possible. great Northwest jazz being played on The 80-acre Oysterville National the lawn of the Oysterville School. Historic District and the areas imme- Proceeds from the Jazz and Oyster diately adjacent to it are the heart of festival help support the Water Music Oysterville. With Willapa Bay as its Festival. The Water Music Festival’s backdrop, the historic district feels most popular concerts are the Oysterlike a movie back ville church conlot version of a certs, held in late The 80-acre National 19th century October. Historic District is in the coastal commuOld for a West nity. In fact, Coast town, Oysheart of Oysterville. With some structures is brand Willapa Bay as its backdrop, terville actually are from new in geoit feels like a 19th century graphic terms. the 19th century. Eight houses, a Oysterville could coastal community. church, the Oysbe the only place terville cannery and a one-room in the United States that has always schoolhouse are on the National Reg- had human occupants. Native Amerister of Historic Places. ican people probably settled OysterThough Oysterville is a ghost ville as soon as it was created. town, it has life. Oysterville’s post of- Chinook peoples came to the area fice is the oldest continuously operat- that is Oysterville at seasonal intering post office in Washington state. vals for untold centuries to harvest its The Oysterville Store sells groceries, bountiful oyster beds. souvenirs and gifts and is open year Oysterville was first settled in round. Oysterville Sea Farms sells 1841 by John Douglas, who married seafood from its farms and other a local Chinook woman. items as well. It was the California Gold Rush The Oysterville Church is open of 1849 that drew significant numeveryday of the year. The Oysterville bers of settlers of European descent cannery and all eight of the houses to Oysterville. Gold miners loved to listed on the National Register of His- spend their gold on Willapa Bay oystoric Places create almost constant ac- ters. Settlers and Chinook Peoples tivity as they are maintained and gladly filled schooners with oysters

ANN POWELL

BROKER/REALTOR

Direct 360-244-0698 Fax 360-665-6949 web: www.lighthouseproperty.com email: ann@topteamsold.com

REALTY Ocean Park Office 25810 Vernon Avenue P.O. Box 431 • Ocean Park, WA 98640

The Oysterville Church is an iconic image in Southwest Washington. — PATRICK WEBB PHOTO

to be shipped to San Francisco. By 1854, a community of several hundred, called Oyster Beach, existed here. On April 12, 1854, I.A. Clark filed a 161-acre land claim that encompassed all of what is now the Oysterville National Historic District. It was on Aug. 5, 1854, that community leaders decided that Oysterville was a better name than Oyster Beach or Shell Beach to represent their town, which grew to a population was about 800. Like all extraction businesses, the native oyster business came to an end.

Hotels, saloons and a college all disappeared as people left. Eventually, even the county seat was removed to South Bend on the east side of the bay. Oysterville exists primarily as a state of mind. A walk through Oysterville can reveal the supremacy of nature; evoking connections to generations goneby, while subtly forecasting the folly of generations present and future. Visitors often find themselves seeking sanctuary in the peace and insight they discovered here, long after they have left Oysterville.

ANTIQUES, COLLECTIBLES, BOOKS & FURNITURE Long Beach Peninsula

TRADING POST 22604 Pacific Hwy. Ocean Park, WA 98640

665-3611 • WE BUY ESTATES Open 7 Days a Week 10am-5pm • Bob & Brenda Hill DISCOVERY COAST 2013 • www.chinookobserver.com • 23

C R A N B E R RY RV PA R K 50+ PARK

Peninsula Arts Association Summer & Winter

Retired? Full-Time RV’er? Over 50?

2013 June 7 NW Garlic Poster Reveal Ocean Park July 4 Old Fashioned 4th Parade Ocean Park

We specialize in Full-Time RV’ers and our park is comfortable for Senior Retirement Living!

July 6 Starving Artist Sale Ocean Park Library October 11 to 14 43rd Fall Art Show Kite Museum, LB

Daily, Weekly & Monthly Rentals

November 29 & 30 PAA Studio Tour Peninsula Wide

Info & Reservations 360-642-2027

www.beachartist.org

1801 Cranberry Road Long Beach, WA

HT G I

HO U S

REALTY

www.lighthouseproperty.com

Ann Powell

360-244-0698

Broker/Realtor

Dan Whealdon

360-244-1933

Broker/Realtor

Kimberly Smith

360-783-2500

Northwest Multiple Listing Service

Bob Mathews

362-244-5522

Broker/Realtor

Holli Kemmer

Gary McGrew

360-244-1218

360-783-2831

Broker/Realtor

360-244-0523

Designated Broker/Owner

360-783-1275

Broker/Realtor

Todd Kaino

Believing & Involved in Our Community Call today for the service you deserve!

Becky Ellis

Broker/Realtor

Margaret Young

Rena Stinner

360-244-5443

Managing Broker/Realtor Broker/Realtor

Following the general path taken by Capt. William Clark and his men during their initial 1805 visit to the beach, our amazing Discovery Trail links the towns of Long Beach, Seaview and Ilwaco. The trail connects all the way from the northern city limits of Long Beach to Beards Hollow in Cape Disappointment State Park. From Beards Hollow, a short unpaved portion of the trail goes uphill to a spectacular overlook above the ocean. Again paved, it winds its way through the forest to Ilwaco. You’ll experience your inner Dan’l Boone. This is the best ocean-bordering biking and hiking path on the West Coast. A recent round trip of almost eight miles took about an hour and 15 minutes with a generous stop at Lewis and Clark’s tree in north Long Beach. A sculpture of a whale skeleton similar to the one Lewis and Clark found more than 200 years ago, a monolith with an explorer standing nearby, and dozens of informative signs add interest to the trail. A small wooden bridge, numerous twists and turns and the gently rolling dunes make for an interesting and comfortable ride. One suggestion is to head into the wind to start your trip and let the breeze push you along on the return trip. If eight miles and riding for over an hour is not in your plans, you may begin at either the Seaview or Long Beach approaches and cut your ride in half or in a third. The unpaved portion of the trail, from Beards Hollow to Ilwaco, includes some steep hills but is otherwise fine for fit walkers or mountain bikers. A wooden causeway leads over a pristine marsh just as the trail leaves the hollow. No motor vehicles are allowed on Discovery Trail. A mid-week ride on an amazing pathway, with sun and surf to the west and having the experience almost exclusively to yourself, just can’t be topped.

REALTORS® Making a Difference

www.cranberryrvpark.com

The Discovery Trail

360-751-0111

Brenda Bliss

360-783-2285

Broker/Realtor

Joanne Jenson

360-749-1196

Broker/Realtor

Ruth Ann Hocking

360-431-0660

Char Wolters

360-244-0825

Cheri Grocott

360-921-1970

Managing Broker/Realtor Broker/Realtor

Jon McManus

541-786-0035

Broker/Realtor

Sue Rogers

360-244-0119

Managing Broker/Realtor Managing Broker/Realtor Broker/Realtor

Katherine Mack

360-783-2699

Managing Broker/Realtor

Warren Ani

971-344-4649

Broker/Realtor

LONG BEACH 710 Pa cific Ave S 360-642-4461 • OCEAN PARK 25810 Vern o n Ave 360-665-4141 • SURFSIDE 31511 I S treet360-665-4114

Trust • Friendliness • Dedication 24 • DISCOVERY COAST 2013 • www.chinookobserver.com

CRANBERRIES

MANY ACRES OF BOG ON THE PENINSULA

ROD RUN

BEACH BARONS ANNUAL REV-UP

The annual cruise night during Rod Run to the End of the World; the weekend after Labor Day; is the culmination of summer fun on Washington's outer coast. — DAMIAN MULINIX PHOTO

A tiny red berry is big time from Seaview and Ilwaco, east to Chinook and north to the Ocean Park area. It’s a cranberry. The little berry is so big that the annual Cranberrian Fair is held in its honor. Cranberries make up a big part of the Peninsula’s personality, so much so that it’s impossible to imagine our home without its distinctive and colorful cranberry fields. Grayland, which straddles the Pacific-Grays Harbor county line, is also a major producing area. Other West Coast bogs are near Ocean Shores; in Bandon, Ore.; and in British Columbia. A celebration of local harvest including all things cranberry will take place on the Long Beach Peninsula, centered around the Columbia Pacific Heritage Museum in Ilwaco, on Oct. 13 and Oct. 14, from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. Foods, crafters, bog tours, and more will showcase the area’s rich heritage during the 93rd Annual Cranberrian Fair. Collectible Cranberrian Fair

buttons are $5 each and cover admission to all events at the Columbia Pacific Heritage Museum. The Cranberry Museum is free. As part of Cranberrian Fair activities, the Columbia Pacific Heritage Museum in Ilwaco will host a variety of vendors, offering handmade items such as pottery, jewelry, hand turned wooden bowls, paintings, cranberry vine baskets, homemade peach/cranberry pies, and more. Fair entrance includes full admission to the museum’s extensive exhibitions and the 1889 narrow gauge passenger car Nahcotta. From the Columbia Pacific Heritage Museum, the Cranberry Trolley will whisk visitors to the Pacific Coast Cranberry Research Foundation and Cranberry Museum. The museum’s gift shop is stocked with cranberry goodies. Watch the red berry harvest as part of the fair. For more information call 6423446 or visit columbiapacificheritagemuseum.org

The annual cruise night during Rod Run to the End of the World; the weekend after Labor Day; is the culmination of summer fun on Washington's outer coast. — DAMIAN MULINIX PHOTO

September is synonymous with the Rod Run and the 2012 edition promises to be better than ever as about 1,000 vintage automobiles will again congregate at Wilson Field east of Ocean Park for the car show the Beach Barons started nearly three decades ago. Registration begins Friday, Sept. 7 at 9 a.m., and continues throughout the weekend for cars 1982 and earlier. Gates open at 8 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 8 for the general public to view the show and shine. On Friday, plan to attend the fun Slow Drags at the Port of Ilwaco, which start at 4 p.m. The Beach Barons will again be selling Rod Run T-shirts, sweatshirts and hats to the sounds of DJ music from the ‘50s and ‘60s. Saturday will feature a musical performance by the Fabulous Farelanes, a model car show and a pinewood derby.

Trophy judging will conclude at 2 p.m. Saturday. At 4:30 p.m., show participants will cruise north to Oysterville, over to Surfside and then south toward Long Beach. People would be well-advised to plan their personal driving needs around sharing the road with the vintage vehicles Saturday afternoon and evening. On Sunday, Sept. 9, gates will open at 8 a.m. with a treasure hunt starting at 9 a.m. DJs will be spinning great tunes, and trophies will be presented at 2 p.m. Spectator gate fees are $5 per person. Active duty service members with proper ID are admitted for no charge. Parking will be available at a few properties nearby. More information on the Beach Barons and the Rod Run is available on the club’s website: www.beachbarons.com, or by calling 360-665-3565.

Pacific Paciific County

Historical Society MUSEUM & VISITOR CENTER

Local and Northwest History Book Store • Maps and Charts www.pacificcohistory.org

OPEN EVERY DAY! 11 a.m. - 4 p.m. • FREE

ADMISSION 360-875-5224 • MP 54, Hwy. 101 - South Bend

DISCOVERY COAST 2013 • www.chinookobserver.com • 25

CARRIAGE MUSEUM CLASSIC VEHICLE SHOWCASE

This north Pacific County town may be small, but it is home to a BIG TIME museum! That’s what being said about the Northwest Carriage Museum in Raymond. This remarkable museum houses one of the finest collections of 19th century horse drawn vehicles in the entire country. A must see for any traveler visiting Southwest Washington, this unique museum with its gleaming pine floors, elegant lighting and unique gift shop is home to several original carriages used by the movie industry in the 1940s. Come see Belle Watling’s “Gone with the Wind” carriage, Shirley Temple’s C-Spring Victoria from “Little Princess” or pose in front of the carved-panel hearse used in Errol Flynn’s “Gentleman Jim.” A variety of other vehicles are also on display including an 1895 Studebaker buggy, the common man’s form of transportation in its day and the elegant Hansom Cab, used as a taxi in New York City in the 1890s.

The Northwest Carriage Museum in Raymond includes a remarkable cross-section of early vehicles, including this 19th century produce wagon. SUBMITTED PHOTO

Children will also enjoy dressing in period clothing, having their picture taken while sitting on top of the museum’s “Three Spring Democrat Wagon” and ringing the school bell on their visit to a single-room schoolhouse. Visitors a bit mechanically inclined will thoroughly enjoy the wheelwright and blacksmith displays. Everybody is welcome at the North-

west Carriage Museum and group tours for all ages are a specialty. RV clubs, schools, service group can call for special group discounts. The museum is along the shores of the pristine Willapa River at 314 Alder St., in historic Raymond. You can read more at www.nwcarriagemuseum.org or call 360-942-4150. Come get carried away at the Northwest Carriage Museum!

May Thru Sept: Wed–Sat 10-4 Sun–Tues 12-4 Winter Hours: Wed–Sat 10-4 Sunday 12-4

• FUN INTERACTIVE EXHIBITS • SCHOOL & GROUP TOURS AVAILABLE

magnificently restored, horse-drawn carriages. Circa 1890-1910 314 Alder St. • Raymond, WA 98577 (Located a the corner of Hwy 101 and State Rt 6)

(360) 942-4150 • nwcarriagemuseum.org

Bring in this ad for $1.00 off Admission to the Northwest Carriage Museum

Seafood & Grill Simply the finest seafood to be found...

Bob Mathews Broker/Realtor®

Your Long Beach Peninsula Professional

LIGHTHOUSE REALTY 360-244-5522 Direct bmathews@lighthouseproperty.com 31511 I Street, Ocean Park, WA 98640 Northwest Multiple Listing Service

26 • DISCOVERY COAST 2013 • www.chinookobserver.com

Critically Acclaimed Clam Chowder Award Winning Seafood 900 South Pacific Long Beach

(360) 642-4224

Jake the Alligator Man celebrates 75th B-day ... again LONG BEACH — Lucky local Jake the Alligator Man celebrates his fourth annual 75th birthday in style this Aug. 3 and 4 with a plethora of outrageous activities including a rousing bachelor party at the Long Beach Elks and a Bride of Jake pinup contest to choose his latest blushing bride. Last year, around 12 girls competed for the coveted title, including such varied characters as Catlin the Lobster Girl, born with lobster claws and thus abandoned on the banks of the Chehalis River; Marie Love’Bow, a voodoo gypsy from Louisiana; and Jessica the Bearded Lady, who was abandoned by her parents at the circus. One of the contestants, Betty Blue, self-described as a “day younger than spring” said that she’s always had a crush on Jake. And while the competition was stiff, she says, “I know Jake only has an eye for me.” But unfortunately for Betty, Jake’s scaly hand in marriage went to another hopeful, local girl Monica Midnight, aka Monica Morley, who has competed for a number of years and finally took home the prize. This year, she was a tad green from a love potion gone wrong that she made last year to try to win Jake’s heart. The title of bridesmaid went to another local, Katy Kosmic.

MARSH’S FREE MUSEUM FASCINATING, QUIRKY AND FUN

Jake the Alligator Man, a favorite of Marsh's Free Museum in Long Beach, occasionally makes forays away from his home to celebrate his birthday with his fans.— CATE GABLE PHOTO

When locals advise out-of-town guests about what to do, Marsh’s Free Museum inevitably is on the list. Some folks claim Jake the Alligator Man was a valet in a New Orleans brothel. Others say Jake the Alligator Man was a sideshow freak who smoked cigars and could nod yes or no to simple questions. A retired couple who drive from Kelso every summer to see Jake the Alligator man claim they remember him, alive and nodding, in a Texas carnival. For all the curiosities at Marsh’s Free Museum, 409 S. Pacific Avenue (State Route 103), in Long Beach, the boffo attraction is Jake the Alligator Man. Jake appears to be an ossified dwarf whose skin has turned a putrid black. From the waist down, Jake is an alligator, with scales and tail. For all the two-headed cows and Siamese-twin lambs, the world-class shell collection and nickel peep shows at Marsh’s Free Museum, the star remains Jake the Alligator Man. He perches in a glass case with a sign that reads “We have very little history on Jake.” And yet, history abounds at Marsh’s Free Museum, a citadel of wholesome hokum that is the best sort of attraction. It doesn’t cost anything to see Theda Bara’s headband or the Civil War leg irons or the spit-

toon from the Silver Dollar Saloon in Alder Gulch, Nev. On the main drag in Long Beach, Marsh’s Free Museum is the collection of Wellington Marsh Sr., who died in 1977, and his son Wellington Marsh Jr., who passed away in 1995. You can buy two bubble shells for a nickel. Where can you buy anything for 5 cents nowadays, let alone two for a nickel? Every customer receives a free seashell affixed to a small card. Marsh’s gives away 130,000 shells a year. Tourists think the shells come from Long Beach, glistening just out the back door, but they are actually from Mexico and the Philippines; the local surf pounds shells to pieces. Tourists remember places that give something for nothing, and they never forget Jake the Alligator Man. Long Beach antiques dealer Ray Pryor bought Jake at an auction when Whitney’s Museum in San Francisco, a similar palace of palaver, closed in 1965. Wellington Marsh Jr. “didn’t want to pay $750 for Jake but I talked him into it,” says his wife Marian. “If Grandpa and Dad walked in today, they would like this place,” David Marsh said. “See, they loved being entertained, they loved the old razzmatazz. They were showmen and businessmen.” DISCOVERY COAST 2013 • www.chinookobserver.com • 27

LONG ISLAND NATURE WONDERLAND

Long Island is a 4,700-acre nature wonderland. Home to an abundance of wild birds and animals, it contains one of the last remaining reproducing climax forests, a unique, 274-acre stand of cedars that first sprouted during a dramatic West Coast climate change some 4,000 years ago. The cedars average five to seven feet in diameter, although some are 11 feet wide. They average 150 to 160 feet in height. In 2005, a trail to the grove was dedicated to former Washington Congressman Don Bonker, who led efforts to preserve the cedar grove and Long Island for future generations. The grove is just one small part of the island, managed by the Wildlife

Service. Visitors to the island must provide their own boat to traverse an approximate 100-yard-wide channel from the boat launch at the refuge headquarters on U.S. 101, or launch at the Nahcotta Boat Basin for a crossing of approximately one mile. Other refuge units around the Peninsula offer their own unique attractions. INFORMATION: Phone the Willapa National Wildlife Refuge headquarters at 360-484-3482. Also check out the Friends of Willapa National Wildlife Refuge at www.willapabay.org/~fwnwr/ or write to the Friends at P.O. Box 1130, Ocean Park, WA 98640.

MUSIC IN THE GARDENS

Saturday s July 20 Long Beach Peninsula Garden Tour

JAZZ & OYSTERS

FESTIVA L 29TH Season s Bringing great music to Washington’s Long Beach Peninsula.

WaterMusicFestival.com

Sunday s Aug 18 Wilson Field, Ocean Park, WA

WATER MUSIC FESTIVAL Fri & Sat s Oct 11&12

TUBA CHRISTMAS Sunday s Dec 15

LEADBETTER POINT ACCESSIBLE WILDERNESS

Located at the northern tip of the Long Beach Peninsula, Leadbetter Point State Park is an amazing place. Adjacent to the Willapa National Wildlife Refuge this park features several hiking trails that either lead to the Pacific Ocean or along the Willapa Bay. The tip of the peninsula is an excellent birding location as many shorebirds rest and eat here. The forest is pristine and yet quite new in geologic

terms. Wander through the forest carpeted by Knickknick and coastal strawberry plants. Stop and admire the diversity of mushroom species found here in the fall. Bring boots or waders in the winter as trails frequently flood. Stroll the bay-side trails for a respite from the ocean’s winds or away from the summer’s mosquitoes. This park is one of those few special places where nature rules.

BULLDOG

FIREARMS & SUPPLY

• Gun Safety Classes* • Buy, Sell & Trade – New & Used Guns • Bluing • Custom Jeweling • Oregon Concealed Weapons Permit (CWP)* • Licensed Gunsmithing Available • Custom Leather Holsters– made to order for an exact fit *All courses taught by CERTIFIED INSTRUCTORS

Open Tues. - Sat. 10 am - 6 pm • Closed Sun. & Mon.

1808 Bay Ave., Ocean Park, WA 98640 • 360-665-3531 (behind the Bank of the Pacific)

Call us for reservations at:

1-800-4 CHOICE (360) 642-3714 Call for Reservations

(360) 642-2009

6409 Sandridge Road - Only 1 mile from the beach

WEEKEND VISITORS ALWAYS WELCOME! Indoor Stalls, Outdoor Paddocks, Indoor & Outdoor Arenas

Riding lessons & schooling horses

28 • DISCOVERY COAST 2013 • www.chinookobserver.com

• 42 large comfortable rooms • pets welcome and suites • non-smoking available • continental breakfast • heated pool in summer • fireplaces • easy walk to beach • kitchenettes & boardwalk • located downtown • free wi-fi connectivity • HBO 115 3rd st. sw long beach, wa 98631 www.choicehotels.com/hotel/wa192

STAYING SAFE ON THE PENINSULA

ADVICE FROM PACIFIC CO. FIRE DISTRICT The Peninsula is a wonderful place to visit. Pacific County Fire District 1 wants your stay to be an enjoyable one. Staying safe makes your visit so much nicer. It is sincerely hoped that you will never be faced with any emergencies, but in case you are, here is some information that will be useful. The Peninsula shoreline is designated as a state highway. All drivers and vehicles must be licensed and insured just as on any other state highway. The speed limit is 25 mph, with extra caution to be taken for other vehicles, pedestrians and beach debris. The beach is patrolled frequently and all laws are strictly enforced. Recreational beach fires are permitted 100 feet west (that’s towards the ocean) of the dune grass. Be aware of wind direction and be sure to completely extinguish the fire before leaving the area. Recreational and outdoor cooking fires are to be no more than 2 feet x 2 feet with seasoned wood or charcoal. If your fire gets out of control, you may be held personally responsible! If you have a vacation home on the Peninsula and are here to do some cleanup projects, be advised that there are designated “No Burn” areas on the Peninsula. Residential

yard debris burning is permitted at various times and under certain conditions in other areas with a burning permit. Burn permits may be obtained free of charge at Jack’s Country Store in Ocean Park, Pioneer Market in Long Beach, Seaview One Stop in Seaview, Fire District No. 1, Station 1 in Ocean Park and Station 2 in Seaview. For a recorded message on burn conditions, call 665-3508. Tsunami evacuation signs have been posted up and down the Peninsula in an effort to make people aware of evacuation routes. There may or may not be much warning time in such an emergency, so the best policy is to make your way to high ground as soon as possible. If you are on the beach and unable to get to high ground go inland as far as you can and pay close attention to emergency personnels. In the event of a sudden earthquake, be prepared to move to higher ground immediately, keeping clear of buildings, trees and power lines. Also be careful of damaged roads with gaps in the pavement. Do not call 911 and do not attempt to evacuate the Peninsula, there will not be enough time or access roads to accommodate an evacuation.

lAle m rgn e cy se rv ice s can e b re ac h d b e yc ali g 9 n 1 . A s via sito rit is ry ve important that you are aware of your surroundings and know your address if you are staying in a vacation rental. If emergency service personnel can’t find you, they can’t help you.

Wholesale and Retail Sales Located at 306 Dike Road on the Palix River in Bay Center

• • • • • • •

OPEN MON.-FRI. 10-4

Fresh Willapa Bay Oysters Farm-raised Steamer Clams Local Crab & Fish in Season Special Topless Party Oysters Free Samples Custom Orders Welcomed Pickled Salmon

360-875-5519

Toll-free 888-905-9079

Visit our online store www.baycenterfarms.com seafood@willapabay.org

U.S. COAST GUARD At the southernmost point of the Peninsula lies one of the oldest and busiest Coast Guard stations on the West Coast: Cape Disappointment and the U.S. Coast Guard Motor Lifeboat School. Because it guards what has been called the world’s most dangerous waters, the station is often called to aid foundering vessels and their crews. The river itself is dangerous, but when coupled with a strong outflowing (or ebb) tide, the clash between the outgoing current and the incoming ocean waves can be downright deadly. Numerous fishing and commercial vessels have fallen victim to the Columbia’s power combined with the dangerous offshore waters of the Pacific Ocean, with the area nicknamed “Graveyard of the Pacific” because of the number of vessels lost there at sea. Vessels stationed at the Cape include the 47-foot motor lifeboat, which was put through its initial sea trials at the Cape. Cape Disappointment is also home to the only motor lifeboat school in the United States. Originally established to serve the Coast Guard’s District 13, the school now accepts students from marine services worldwide. There are 36 students in each class. To get to the station from Ilwaco, follow the signs to Cape Disappointment and the station. Phone 642-2382 for more information.

The Appelo Archives Center in Naselle offers historic logging displays and photographs. Also displays on local Finnish history. Bookstore features books for sale, including the popular book, When Logging Was Logging. Open Tuesday through Friday, 10 to 4 and on Saturday, 10 to 2.

We ship fresh seafood anytime

www.appeloarchives.org (360) 484-7103. 1056 State Route 4, Naselle, Washington DISCOVERY COAST 2013 • www.chinookobserver.com • 29

to soothe sore muscles & relieve stress swedish massage, deep tissue massage & heated stone treatment gift certificates 28 years experience #12715

GRAVEYARD OF THE PACIFIC A DEADLY LEGACY

642-8227 • Seaview

A 1930s postcard shows a shipwreck that still partially emerges from the sands from time to time. — MATT WINTERS COLLECTION

GARY MCGREW, BROKER LET ME HELP YOU WITH YOUR REAL ESTATE NEEDS - Nearly 10 Years of Experience as a Real Estate Broker - Background and experience in mediation, negotiation, and neighborhood liveability

INVOLVED IN OUR COMMUNITY - President of the Ocean Park Area Chamber of Commerce - Chairman of the Annual NW Garlic Festival Planning Committee

REALTY

Ocean Park Office 25810 Vernon Avenue Toll Free (800) 854-0032 • Office 360-665-4141 Cell (360) 783-2831 gmcgrew@lighthouseproperty.com www.lighthouseproperty.com

30 • DISCOVERY COAST 2013 • www.chinookobserver.com

Innocent Peninsula sands hide the remains of many vessels. Lean into a gale on a stormy day on the rocky headlands overlooking Cape Disappointment State Park and you’ll be able to imagine ghost ships bearing down on the rocks, sails tattered and masts splintered, sailors praying for deliverance. These few miles of beach and cliffs, from Leadbetter Point in the north to Cape Disappointment in the south, have consumed more ships than just about any other real estate in the world. Why is it so dangerous here for ships? In the days before satellite navigation and cell phones, sailors sometimes had little idea where they were in relation to the shore, especially during raging winter storms that can last for weeks. Even when visibility was acceptable, ships often had trouble traversing the Columbia River bar, the area in which the gigantic flow of the river rushes headlong into towering ocean waves. Sailing ships had a terrible time getting into the Columbia, since the two natural channels through the broad, sediment-choked river mouth — particularly the north channel — forced ships to turn sideways to the wind and waves. Ships and lives are still lost today. A somewhat choppy but manageable river can suddenly twist itself into an unimaginable chaos of tossing, turning, icy water. The Ilwaco-based crab fleet,

which faces a season that starts in December, counts itself lucky to get through a year without fatalities. Recreational boaters also account for many lost lives nowadays — the river on a stormy day is no place for humans of any description, let alone amateurs. Four men lost their lives offshore in the winter of 2012, fishing in deep water — there will probably never be complete certainty about what happened. Almost 2,000 vessels of all types and about 700 lives have been claimed by the treacherous sea over the past 300 years. Some vessels were stranded, while others sunk outright or simply disappeared in that infamous triangle formed by Clatsop Spit, Leadbetter Point and Astoria. “Some boats survived the ordeal and went on to sail another day,” says local historian and author Nancy Lloyd. “Others were complete shipwrecks, a few of which are still in evidence. “The Bettie M is visible on Jetty A. The Peter Iredale may be the most photographed shipwreck anywhere. The Alice in Ocean Park occasionally shows a bit of skeleton. The Admiral Benson at Benson Beach continues to snag fishing gear. The list below — covering only the early period of local settlement — offers the name of the vessel, the year she went down, her country of origin, the type of vessel and the lives lost, if known.

BRENDA BLISS REALTOR/BROKER

CELL 360-783-2285 OFFICE 360-665-4141 X339 25810 Vernon Ave P.O. Box 431 Ocean Park, WA 98640

When you’re ready to BUY or SELL, you need a *REALTOR who has a proven marketing plan, track record of success and skilled in the art of negotiation. Call me for a FREE Market Analysis of your home today!

REALTY

NWMLS MEMBER RMLS MEMBER

BLISS CONSTRUCTION ROWLAND BLISS

783-2284 BLISSC*000M7 P.O. BOX 1483 LONG BEACH, WA 98631

NEW CONSTRUCTION & REMODELING COMMERCIAL & RESIDENTIAL 25 YEARS EXPERIENCE

CALL FOR YOUR FREE ESTIMATE TODAY

Rowland Bliss

BLISS CONSTRUCTION Cell Phone: 360-783-2284 Home Phone: 360-642-4539 E-mail: brendabliss@lighthouseproperty.com

ORIGINAL FINE ART on the waterfront port of ilwaco www.marie-powell.com

360-642-4040

DISCOVERY COAST 2013 • www.chinookobserver.com • 31

Ocean Park Area SW Washington’s Beach & Bay Wiegardt Studio Gallery Inc.

Charles Nelson Guest House

www.charlesnelsonbandb.com 1-(888)862-9756

Ocean Park Resort

www.opresort.com/html/app2.html 1-(800)835-4634

If you are looking for a weekend close to nature, activities that the entire family will never forget, festivals or events nearly every weekend of the year, beautiful scenery, historic landmarks, walking trails and seafood that can’t get any fresher, then treat yourself to SW Washington’s Ocean Park Area. Discover the history, festivals, food, and wildlife that made the region where the Columbia river meets the Pacific famous. Head to the coast! The Ocean Park Area Awaits! 2013 Local Events

Doc’s Tavern

1414 Bay Ave., Ocean Park, Wa. (360) 665-4105

Bailey’s Bakery & Cafe

*PAA Annual Spring Art Show - Apr 26 - 28

*Jazz & Oysters - Aug 18

*World’s Longest Garage Sale - May 24-27

*Labor Day Book Sale - Aug 31-Sep 2

*Annual NW Garlic Festival - Jun 15 & 16

*Community Bonfire Beach Approach - Aug 31

*Old Fashioned 4th of July Parade - Jul 4

*Rod Run to the End of the World - Sep 7 & 8

*Art in the Park - Jul 4

*PAA Annual Fall Art Show - October 11 - 14

*PAA Starving Artist’s Sale - Jul 6

*Water Music Festival - October 11 - 12

*Music in the Gardens - Jul 20

*PAA Studio Art Tour - November 29 & 30

www.ericwiegardt.com (360) 665-5976

Bay Avenue Gallery

www.bayavenuegallery.com (360) 665-5200

Jack’s Country Store

www.Jackscountrystore.com (360) 665-4989

Okie’s Thriftway

Ocean Park Area Chamber of Commerce www.baileysbakerycafe.com (360) 665-4449

Learn more about us at www.opwa.com/html/app2.html or call us toll free (888) 751-9354

www.okiesthriftway.com (360) 665-5222

Great Day Café

WorldMark Surfside Inn

Gary McGrew, Broker Lighthouse Realty

The Vintage Coastal Cabin

www.greatdaycafe.net (360) 244-3393

www.worldmarktheclub.com/ resorts/ss/ (360) 665-2000

www.McGrewCrew.com (360) 783-2831

1715 Bay Ave #3 Ocean Park (360) 355-5884