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Photos at left is hikers at Treasure Cove. Photos at right from top are Hobo Junction, Long Beach, Wash.; food from the Irish Table; Harry Potter Day at Time Enough Books; Cranberry Museum, Long Beach, Wash.
OUR COAST 13
he obvious pleasures of the coast are many and varied, but once you’ve become familiar with those, it’s fun to explore a little further out of the way for hidden treasures, be they weird antiques or natural wonders. Just north of Manzanita, the rocky area around Cape Falcon is full of secret stone cauldrons just waiting to be stumbled upon (but ideally not into). With names like Devil’s Cauldron and Treasure Cove, they can conjure up witches brewing eye-of-newt soup or just the world’s most scenic outdoor jacuzzi, depending on your mood and the weather. To find them – and you’ll need to do a bit of hunting around – start at the gravel parking outside of Oswald West State Park. Then take the mile-long path to Short Sand Beach, or opt for the high ground and instead head west, find the rough trail leading to the top of the hill and be sure to watch your step. For slightly more manicured outdoor activity, veer a mile or so off the main drag in Long Beach, Wash., to visit the Cranberry Museum. This small, sweet museum is run by the nonprofit Pacific Coast Cranberry Research Foundation on about 40 acres of cranberry bogs, some of which you can wan- der on a free, self-guided walking tour. In October, visitors can watch the berries being harvested. After your walk, duck into the museum (also free) to learn more about this quintessentially American fruit, including how it got its name and why continuing research on cranberry production is useful. You’ll also see examples of historic bog-farming equipment like mesh-backed scoops and tall, awkward-looking “bog boots,” necessary for picking berries without crushing the plants.
While you’re in the area, keep your undercaffeinated eyes open for an- other good find: Long Beach Coffee Roasters, a local small-batch roastery and cafe with a homey, comfortable feel, free wifi and excellent coffee drinks. Though it’s not strictly speaking a hidden treasure itself – on the contrary,
it’s large enough to cover a city block and smack in the middle of Ocean Park, Wash. – Jack’s Country Store contains all manner of secret nooks and crannies that are fascinating to explore. The store sells just about everything: groceries, hardware, novelties, children’s books, pots and pans, shampoo. You can pick up a Halloween costume, peruse the entire wall of hard candy hanging in bags, or surprise the kids with a “hatch and grow” sea turtle toy (note the warning on the package: “DO NOT EAT”).
An even weirder selection of oddities can be found at any of the little an- tique and secondhand shops that line U.S. Highway 101 all along the Penin- sula. Generally speaking, antique shops in the more developed tourist destinations, like Cannon Beach or Seaside, are rather strictly curated. But at the shops along the Long Beach Peninsula, nothing that washes ashore is too bizarre or beat up to be offered for your browsing pleasure. Fancy a terrify- ing Santa cookie jar? Maybe some framed advice in needlepoint? How about those paperback pulp detective novels? Board games based on the television shows of your childhood? Chances of finding any or all of these things are quite good. A few likely places to start include Hobo Junction and The Bay Trader in Long Beach and the Seaview Antique Mall. But really, your best bet is to slow your pace and simply follow your nose.
If the junk shops in Long Beach and Seaview are a little too refined for your taste, head directly to Ilwaco for a truly unfiltered selection of treas- ures. What you’ll find in the downtown shops here depends entirely on luck and the tides, but when it’s good, it’s great. And be sure to investigate the shops along Waterfront Walkway, down by the port; this stretch is sort of a
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