Meandering Our Way Home: Part I

Our first stop was in Copalis Beach, Washington, a tiny town known as the "Home of the Razor Clam," about 60 miles from Olympia. The community sits near the northern end of what is considered the greatest razor clam bed in the Pacific Northwest. Right around the corner from our RV park was Griffiths-Priday State Park, a 364-acre park at the mouth of the Copalis River. So, of course, we had to take the pups there to walk the trails and run along the beach leash free. They were in heaven.

The next day we headed north to Pacific Beach and took a long walk at Pacific Beach State Park. We stopped for lunch in a strange little community called Seabrook, built in 2004, based on the concept of "New Urbanism." They market it as a "sustainable haven." We thought it looked a little too much like the set of The Truman Show.

But the truffle oil three-cheese wild mushroom pizza we had there with a glass of Pinot was delicious.

Moving along, we drove about an hour and a half to another tiny sea town called South Bend. Nicknamed the “Oyster Capital of the World,” South Bend resides just outside of Willapa Bay, one of the country’s most plentiful oyster locations. Our RV park was about 10 minutes from the town, abutted against Willapa Bay, where the dogs could run leash free on a gorgeous beach.

As we drove around the area, we saw a number of oyster production facilities, each boasting mountainous piles of old oyster shells. We stopped at one, Goose Point Oysters, and bought two dozen oysters. Cliff made a homemade chipotle bourbon butter sauce and we feasted on delicious grilled oysters for several days.

One day, we drove about 45 minutes to Long Beach, WA. The Long Beach Peninsula is the longest contiguous beach in the U.S. at about 28 miles. We stopped for some delicious clam chowder and then walked it off on the Long Beach Boardwalk that stretches for almost half a mile along the beach.

We continued south in the motor home leaving Washington and crossing into Oregon via the four plus mile long Astoria–Megler Bridge. Our next stop: Fort Stevens State Park in Hammond, Oregon. Our friends Pam and Jim have always spoken highly of this park. They were right.

At 4,300 acres, Fort Stevens is the nation’s largest public campground. It was once a military installation used to guard the mouth of the Columbia River from the Civil War to World War II. The park features 15 miles of hiking/biking trails and a beautiful lake where you can canoe, paddle board, and fish. We were delighted by several sightings of a herd of elk adjacent to our camp site.

The dogs enjoyed daily trips to Clatsop Beach, where they could run and run and run...and where Chester could munch and munch and munch on old crab shells (bad dog!). Also on the beach are the remnants of the Peter Iredale, which ran aground in October, 1906. 

On our final day there, we hopped on our e-bikes and rode the park trails for several hours. The lush greenery was peaceful and soothing.