Leaving the Orondo/Wenatchee area, we made our way over to Mount St. Helens. Originally we wanted to drive the Mt. St. Helens Johnston Ridge Loop, but decided we didn't want to waste a whole day of gas and driving if we would not be able to clearly see anything. Instead, we decided to pop in to the Mt. St. Helens Visitor Centre in Castle Rock. The visitor centre is very educational; you will leave feeling enlightened about the events leading to, during, and after the eruption in 1980. After taking our turns in the visitor centre (we like to have one of us stay in the car with the dogs if possible), I noticed a nice trail to the side of the visitor centre that was pet friendly (Wahoo!!). The walking trail that lead into the wetlands was super easy and just what the dogs... ok let's be real... just what we ALL needed after being in the car for much too long due to inclement weather! Sadly, we never got to catch a glimpse of Mt. St. Helen's while walking the trail. Oh well, just an excuse to go back- just maybe not in the wet season.
While in the Mt. St. Helen's area, we also wanted to hike the Ape Canyon Trail. Zach is really into Bigfoot and there have been supposed sightings around the area, so the hike would have been really fun for us, but that is something we will have to save for another trip. Instead, we decided to continue on to Cape Disappointment State Park in hopes that the weather would improve!
Cape Disappointment State Park is located on the southern most peninsula of Washington state right on the coast, so even though we hoped the weather would improve, we knew that there really wasn't that great of a chance that the clouds would part and the sun would shine down on us. I was somewhat disappointed in Cape Disappointment (the name was quite fitting- haha). When I was planning our trip to Washington, I saw tons of beautiful pictures of this park and I am sure if we would have hit it on a sunny day it would have been awesome, but the only things we could see were things from the car (boo....). We were able to see the lighthouse and that was about it!
If you're planning on going to Cape Disappointment, make sure you check the weather!! On a nice day you will be surrounded by some seriously awesome views! Go check out Cape Disappointment's Waikiki Beach and Deadman's Cove on Pinterest! Seriously stunning!
-S
Up next: A very scary attempted cabin stay!
