June 4 & 5, 2009
Cape Disappointment State Park & North Head Lighthouse

"cape" = A cape is a pointed piece of land adjacent to water on three sides and that sticks out into a sea, ocean, lake, or river.

Cape Disappointment is a headland located at the extreme southwestern corner of Washington State on the north side of the Columbia River bar. The point of the cape is located on the Pacific Ocean in Pacific County approximately two miles (3.2 km) southwest of the town of Ilwaco. It was named in 1788 by British fur trader John Meares who was sailing south from Nootka in search of trade. After a storm, he turned his ship around just north of the Cape and therefore just missed the discovery of the Columbia River.

The Cape is one of the places of the United States of America with the largest number of hours of fog, 2552 hours (equivalent to 106 days). Cape Disappointment State Park is located on the cape, as is the Cape Disappointment Lighthouse. United States Coast Guard Station Cape Disappointment is situated on the river nearby the state park. The station crewmembers perform 300–400 calls for assistance every year. -wiki

Completed in 1856, the Cape Disappointment Lighthouse guides sailors into the mouth of the Columbia River from the south. The century-old North Head Lighthouse, completed in 1898, guides mariners approaching from the north. Both lighthouses were taken under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Coast Guard in 1939. Cape Disappointment is the oldest functioning lighthouse on the west coast.

Nearby, the Columbia Bar (one of the most dangerous river bars in the world) is a system of bars and shoals at the mouth of the Columbia River between the U.S. states of Oregon and Washington. Here the river's current dissipates into the Pacific Ocean, often as large standing waves. The waves are partially caused by the deposition of sediment as the river slows as well as mixing with ocean waves. The waves, wind, and current wreak havoc with vessels of all sizes. The Columbia current varies from 4 to 7 knots westward and therefore into the predominantly westerly winds and ocean swells, creating significant surface conditions.

Unlike other major rivers, the current is focused "like a firehose" without the benefit of a river delta. Conditions can change from calm and serene to life-threatening breaking waves in as little as five minutes due to changes of direction of wind and ocean swell.

Since 1792, approximately 2,000 large ships have sunk in and around the Columbia Bar. The nearby United States Coast Guard station at Cape Disappointment, Washington is renowned for operating in some of the roughest sea conditions in the world and is also home to the National Motor Lifeboat School. It is the only school for rough weather and surf rescue operation in the United States and is respected internationally as a center of excellence for heavy boat operations. -wiki

 
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