THE Bridge to "Disappointment"

We stayed warm last night-we opened up both bags and put them on top of us & we were toasty! We slept in 'till 7:20-no trains, just a few fog horns tooting. put on the coffee & coke and make the long walk to the bathroom. It's rainy & foggy & we go to the KOA breakie-which is included in the cost of the site. Up to the KOA to internet, as we couldn't get it in our "remote" location in the back of the park last night. SUCCESS! we post the blog & check e-mails. Since it's rainy and cold we decide to go over the BIG bridge to Washington & vist the Lewis & Clark national Park at Cape Disappointment. It is the newest Nat'l park and very nice, but the BIG bridge-The Astoria Bridge- is 4 miles long and pretty high, and KK holds on for dear life! Throught a couple of towns and into the park. A very nice Interpretive center, with a $5 fee & well worth it. Nice design with a spiral, self-guided tour, & "magic rocks" to insert at various places to validate your "passport". There were some actual items owned by Patrick Gass of the Expedition and also each member of the Corps was listed and what happened to him or her after the return in '06. When we got there you could not see the water due to the dense fog, but after our 1 1/2 mile hike to the lighthouse, it was clearing off and the views were FAB! Once again, thousands of ferns, enormous firs with spanish moss laden branches. Back into town-River City-for a calzone at a local deli-homemade & really good! Back across the BIG bridge and to the scrapbook store where I left KK & rode to Fort Clatsop, a re-creation of the fort where the Corps spent the winter of '05/'06. A very small fort, like Fort Mandan, for 33 members to spend such along time..Dec 5th-Mar 2rd. But they kept busy, hunting, trading, making clothes (350 pairs of moccasins) for their return trip. Plus a live demo of a flintlock rife as used by the Corps, by Ranger Bob..nicely done. I leave the Fort, which also had a film & exhibits and head off toward Seaside, but it starts raining again and head back to camp. It's back to 58 degrees when I get back and KK has been out riding too, so hot showers feel real good! Off to supper at "Buoy 9" just up the road, with lots of locals & I go for the cod sandwich & chowder & KK has the Chinook Salmon--pretty good! and did I say a Longboard lager? Now back to the KOA Kafe for a little internet & postings. There's supposedly a BIG storm moving in, so we'll head out of here tomorrow, down to Seaside and head 'em east toward home. 30 miles & 900 ' today & KK had 17.