Another August is behind us and the sights and smells of September are upon us. As a boy, summer was my favorite season for obvious reasons, mainly the lack of school and the length of the days. As an employee of a state park, summer is the crazy, busy, hectic, and intense time of year. Overall the season went smoothly, considering the circumstances. There were exceptions of course; like the day the biggest tree in the park crashed down across the road to and from the lower parking lot at the Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center.

The Sitka spruce, which was hundreds of years old, and at least ten feet in diameter imploded on its rotten self and left visitors stuck in the parking lot for hours while it was being cleared from the road. I was sorry to see the big guy go but thankfully there are others to take its place. The new “biggest tree in the park” is found on the Coastal Forest Loop Trail which is accessible from the shuttle parking lot near the main park intersection. The tree is found on the last quarter of the mile and a half loop, you can’t miss it; I call it the “Grandpa tree.”

It’s no surprise that there is a plethora of wildlife at Cape Disappointment, it’s when you mix a bunch of tourists into the picture that it gets interesting. It’s surprising the number of visitors who act like they have never seen a deer before. I suppose it’s a bit endearing when the cars stop in the middle of the twisty road, digital and disposable cameras alike poking out of the windows, as if it were Yellowstone or something. Then there was the afternoon I pulled into the parking lot and there was a small crowd gathered in one corner. I went over to see what they were doing and I saw a little girl with a stuffed animal raccoon “playing” within a few feet of a mother raccoon protecting her twin offspring. “Step away from the raccoons!” I cautioned everyone as I was envisioning the worst case scenario. They were cute, the raccoons that is, poking their heads out of the rock retaining wall.

Beyond the natural phenomenon, there were the predictable technological challenges as well. Some evenings the Power Point projector wouldn’t “talk” with the laptop and our campfire programs were compromised. Then there was the first concert of the Waikiki Beach Concert Series. Carl Allen performed the Columbia River Songs of Woody Guthrie, first person style. Woody was hired by the Bonneville Power Administration to write songs promoting dams and hydropower and the electrification of rural Washington and Oregon. How ironic, hearing the lyrics, “you’re power is turning the darkness to dawn, roll on Columbia roll on” with cords running all over the place but no power. Oh well, it was a great show anyway and the outlets were up and running for the next concert.

I’m sure if you were to ask one of the park rangers about their summer, you’d get some different stories, some good, and some ugly. As an interpreter, I see the tourists’ in their best form, reading exhibits in the museum or enjoying an afternoon concert or evening campfire program. Although it can be challenging to answer the same questions day after day, I’m not complaining. I enjoy being able to share the stories of our parks, their history, both natural and cultural. I asked my co-workers what kind of adventures and challenges they remember from the summer. You know it’s been a smooth season when the only anecdote a staff member was able to drum up was when she heard a visitor exclaim, “There’s a light on in that lighthouse!” I love tourists, I love my job, I love summer; but unlike when I was a boy, I’m glad it’s almost over.