VW ADVENTURES

We point the Bus up the road, driving the Washington coast highway heading toward Raymond and on up to Westport. The coast is sparsely populated and relatively undeveloped. The towns are old, most looking like the development had been in the 30-50’s. The drive is fun, especially in the Westy, curving around the waterways. We see some open fields, some cattle grazing, and some little fishing towns.  South Bend is a cute little town with some personality.  A little ‘Espresso & Bakery’ looks inviting but is closed today — such luck! So we stop at the city park and have a fruit snack.  The park features an interesting WWII monument honoring a local hero. there is also a totem pole. Benches all around the park and the downtown area are inscribed with the donors names.

Back in the bus, we motor on toward Westport. We see cranberry ‘fields’ and even an Ocean  Spray distribution outlet but not in time for a picture as they always seem to be just around a curve.  The signs for Brady’s Oyster’s are intriguing and we are curious what kind of a place it is; however, we drive on by, never seeing an entrance. We realize we have missed it when we pass by a HUGE pile of shells just around another curve, (again without warning for any photo opportunities!) and decide the pile must be from Brady’s.  On the way out of another little town, we see an even bigger pile of oyster shells. Amazed at the size of this pile of shells, we are too far passed by the time we realize there is a real deer wandering across the base of it!  Still no pictures — without enough warning and then being inhibited by the small windows in a ’63 VW camper bus!

Hiking the steep 1/2 mile trail was invigorating and at least warmed us up and the view on top was worth the effort. Now the downhill hike is fun and we take time to stop to enjoy the views and vegetation.   The sun is still shining and the area is beginning to redeem itself. This history is fascinating and MIGHT lure us back for further investigation on another trip but today we will settle for this brief lesson of the Lewis & Clark expedition (and bit of WWII trivia) and decide to get back on the road. We drive into Ilwaco getting one last view of this quaint little village and it’s fishing boats and stopping to check out a cute little place called “All the Tea in China” (tea house and gifts) but it isn’t open, shucks.

The sign at the monument says it is a 1/2 mile to the viewpoint and rated as a medium or “moderate” hike.  The day is beautiful and we are curious and decide to investigate more. Besides, a hike would be fun; so we head up the hill.

The trail disappears into a dense growth of trees and vegetation but we think it must be an easy (- “moderate” -) 1/2 mile hike to the ocean, especially with Clark’s journal entry stating the landscape as ‘low and 1/2 mile wide to the main ocean”.   Well…it might be only .5 mile but it is an uphill climb and very steep in places, making that 1/2 mile seem much longer! And must not have been the land Clark was describing!