Copalis, Washington
Bob had a great idea to bike the few blocks down to the beach for sunset. Much of the beach was solid enough to bike on and with the water and sun setting it provided an awesome mirror-like reflection, enhancing the sunset and our biking experience.
The name Copalis comes from a Native American Indian Tribe.
Peter Iredale Wreck – Northern Oregon
A short 1 mile from our state park camping spot and we were rewarded two nights in a row with a beautiful sunset. The Peter Iredale shipwreck silhouetted the sky.
The story goes….(as told by Wikipedia)
Peter Iredale was a four-masted steel barque sailing vessel that ran ashore October 25, 1906, on the Oregon coast en route to the Columbia River. She was abandoned on Clatsop Spit near Fort Stevens in Warrenton about four miles (6 km) south of the Columbia River channel. The wreckage is still visible, making it a popular tourist attraction as one of the most accessible shipwrecks of the Graveyard of the Pacific. No one was able to remove the boat, so it just stayed there. Over the last 101 years it has slowly deteriorated.
The Peter Iredale was a four-masted steel bark built in Maryport, England, in 1890 and owned by British shipping firm Iredale & Porter. On September 26, 1906, the Iredale left Salina Cruz, Mexico, bound for Portland, where it was to pick up a cargo of wheat for the United Kingdom. Despite encountering heavy fog, they managed to safely reach the mouth of the Columbia River early in the morning of October 25. The captain of the ship, H. Lawrence, later recalled that, as they waited for a pilot, “a heavy southeast wind blew and a strong current prevailed. Before the vessel could be veered around, she was in the breakers and all efforts to keep her off were unavailing.” The Iredale ran aground at Clatsop Beach, hitting so hard that three of her masts snapped from the impact. Fortunately, none of the crew were seriously injured. Captain Lawrence ordered that the ship be abandoned, and rockets were launched to signal for help. https://oregonhistoryproject.org/articles/historical-records/the-wreck-of-the-peter-iredale/