Long Beach

 

After crossing the beautiful Astoria bridge we found ourselves in Washington and headed up to Long Beach where we were pleasantly greeted by cranberry bogs.  They weren't flooded, I guess that happens in October, but it was really fun to see how they grow.

 We also stumbled upon Marsh's Free Museum which is one of the most interesting places I've ever seen.  It is home to Jake the Alligator Man as well as several other must-see curiosities.  I was going to take some pictures, but I think that it is something that you have to see with your own eyes.  I am, however, a willing tour guide for anyone who is interested in making the trek out here for a visit.

 And if you do take me up on the invitation to visit our tour will sadly not include the Hungry Harbor where we unfortunately stopped for lunch.  The sign led me to believe it would have a pirate theme and decent coastal food, but in the end turned out to be false on both counts.  I was seduced by the skull with the fork and knife crossbones and failed to even think twice about entering an eating establishment with the name of Hungry Harbor. 

 Our next destination Cape Disappointment ended up being much less disappointing than our lunch had been.  We went out there to see the lighthouse.  When we got out of the car Rocky insisted that we tie her jacket around her waist like the old people we had been seeing at all our stops.  (Apparently the middle of September is prime time for touring oldies.)  When we tied it on she was so proud of how cool she looked.

 The lighthouse was beautiful and I after my experience with the Astoria Column I was only a little disappointed that the stairs were temporarily closed. 

 I took this picture because I felt like it was important to document.  Although you pretty much have to drag Rocky screaming into any type of indoor bathroom she thinks that it is absolutely imperative that any time she sees a Port-o-Potty that she must use it, which is pleasant for the lucky parent that gets to accompany her.  I didn't take a picture of all the outdoor potties that she used because I didn't really want to relive the moments, but this one was okay because Brandon took her. 

 And for those of you who are still hungry for more Goonies...here is Haystack Rock that was used as a key landmark in finding One-Eyed-Willie's treasure.

 As you can see two of the four of us were very enthusiastic about seeing it in person.  Maybe after they have actually seen Goonies they will have a change of heart.

 Rocky didn't cheer up again until we took her to her favorite Oregon destination...again...the Tillamook Cheese Factory (or fabrica which she always says because it is one of the words that she always says in Spanish.)

 Daisy had her chance to use her word "cheese" over and over while they sampled the different varieties and then of course we had to get some ice cream.  Now that I think about it the fabrica is one of my favorite places in Oregon too.

 Since we ended up not camping that night we had dinner on the way home.  This spot was surrounded by the ocean and was as beautiful as it was cold.  Luckily we had hot soup to warm us up.  We heated on our little stove that Rocky refers to as "the microwave". 

 And we finished with, s'mores.  Since there were no sticks to be found Brandon found some screwdrivers that filled in after being sterilized.

 Then we drove home and put our kids in their beds so that we could get a good nights sleep.
The end.