The Adventure: Hiking historicl trails and camping at Cape Disappointment, WA
The Beer: Wine Barrel Aged Saison from Fort George, Astoria, OR and Peach Break from Reach Break, Astoria, OR
We set up camp at Cape Disappointment after getting our beer in Astoria and crossing the beautiful bridge into Washington. The cape had three different bodies of water nearby, a lake, the Columbia River, and the ocean with trails to all of them. Lewis and Clark explored this area on their search for the Pacific Ocean and there were lots of markers commemorating their finds. We decided to take a trail labeled only “Battery 247”. We weren’t really sure what it was, but it seemed worth exploring. It turned out to be an artillery bunker built for the civil war and abandoned after WWII. The bunker was open and on three sides of it there were six foot wide steel circles where artillery would have been placed overlooking the water. It was a beautiful view and the mystery of the bunker added to it.
After that we took the trail to the Cape Disappointment lighthouse and ran into Fort Canby. This was a military fort that had resembled a small town during WWII. There were many interesting plaques explaining what life was like there for the soldiers and their families.
Then (I swear every trail led to a gem) we saw a little beach down the cliff and decided to explore. It was secluded and because of the unique geography of the cape it was a combination of fresh and saltwater. Our dog loved running around on the beach and she even jumped in for a swim since there weren’t too many waves.
We got our beer in Astoria at Fort George and Reach Break Brewing. Fort George is one of my favorite breweries in Oregon and they always have an imaginative selection of quality beer. We usually stop there for lunch but their patio was being renovated so we took a growler of the Wine Barrel Aged Saison to go. It was amazing. It had that rich, slightly tart flavor of a barrel aged beer with a hint of grapes.
Because we couldn’t eat at Fort George we tried a new brewery, Reach Break. It is a small brewery with a large patio and a Hawaiian BBQ food cart outside. I got the Peach Break Peach Saison because I can’t resist puns or fruity beers. This beer had a magical quality that I haven’t experienced before. As I was drinking it, it was a really smooth saison with a hint of peach, all pretty normal, but the real peach flavor hit in the aftertaste. It is a really special beer and I can’t wait to try more from Reach Break.
There was so much to discover in and around Cape Disappointment and I’m sure we would have found more if we had stayed longer.
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