Tag: Washington

More from Long Beach

Dear Liza,

Long Beach, Washington has a population of about 1,500. It has one main street. By any definition, it is a small town. But in our short stay, we found a lot to see.

There is a half mile long boardwalk that lets you wander into the grassy sand dunes and feel the breeze, without scaring the birds.

There are statues of whales, turtles, and explorers.


There are sandcastles and kites.


And there is a delicious, silly restaurant called Lost Roo. This is where we had dinner, since the places that were still open at dinnertime were very loud and more bar-like than restaurants. Grandpa Nelson found this on the map and we got in the car and drove the mile or so. The parking lot was packed but their sign said, ”Lots of room inside!”, so we went in.

The silly started right away, with this towering kangaroo and joey keeping us company while we waited for our table.


The food was delicious and the service very friendly, and we left full, happy, and glad we had made the trip.

Eventually, when we had driven the country lanes, seen piles of oyster shells and bought some books on local history, it was time to head home. And that’s another story!

Love,

Grandma Judy

Long Beach, Washington

Dear Liza,

Once we crossed the Astoria-Megler Bridge, we were in Washington. The forest came right down to the ocean and everything felt very far away from the hustle and bustle of Portland. We drove up Highway 101 to Long Beach, where we had reservations for the night.

We haven’t checked to see if it actually IS the longest beach in the world, but the beach does go on for more than 25 miles! It is a classic northwest beach, too; flat and wide, with small ripples instead of crashing waves. It makes for very peaceful walking.

Long Beach, as it turns out, is where explorers Lewis and Clark first saw the Pacific Ocean in 1805.

There is a life-sized statue showing Captain William Clark standing by a ten foot long sturgeon, a huge fish that had been washed ashore. I loved the details of his hair and clothes! It seemed like you could just talk to him.

He wasn’t particularly chatty, however.

There were all sorts of inscriptions along the Discovery trail on the beach, telling about who was traveling with the explorers and what they found here.

York, Captain Clark’s servant, was the first African American to come to the northwest. According to the first hand accounts, York was important in making friends with the First Nations people living in the area, because his color set him apart from the ”others”, (the white explorers)making him seem less foreign.

We spent a while visiting with Capt. Clark, then continued on, leaving him with his true friends, the crows. There was a lot more to see.

And I will tell you about it tomorrow.

Love,

Grandma Judy