Bill and I just returned from our brief weekly disappearing act to eat Serious Pizza at Cape Disappointment State Park in Ilwaco on the Long Beach, Washington Peninsula. First of all, this park is NOT a disappointment–it is our favorite Washington State Park. It was named “Cape Disappointment” because in 1788, Captain John Meares, a fur trader, was disappointed because this was not the opening to the river–and is, in fact, is located just north of the infamous Mouth of the Columbia River! Cape Disappointment is also home to the National Park housing Maya Lin’s “Confluence Project” honoring the Indian tribes Lewis and Clark encountered at the confluences of the rivers on their journey west. Captain Clark and 11 of the “Corps of Discovery” hiked all over the land that is now Cape Disappointment State Park and from McKenzie Head, saw their first panoramic view of the Pacific Ocean! Then they proceeded to hike north up the Peninsula, right across the property that is now Boreas Inn, located on the 1805 high water mark. So you get to sleep right on the Lewis and Clark Trail!
Of course, one of the most scenic parts of the Park are the two lighthouses, The North Head Lighthouse and the Cape Disappointment Lighthouse. The North Head is easily explored by parking in the lot and walking down to the lighthouse on a road alongside the rock face overlooking the Pacific Ocean and just north of Benson Beach. This is a place to linger. All day. The waves, huge in the winter but omnipresent, are hypnotic. The color of the water seems to change from blue to green to gray in a storm, but always a stunning contrast with the white tips of the peaks of the waves. Whale watching from the North Head is often rewarding. We look for the clumps of kelp offshore and occasionally see the spouts. The pelicans, eagles, many varieties of gulls, terns and a huge array of seabirds make this spot make for some of the best birdwatching in the West. Cape D lighthouse is a hike from the Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center (in winter and anytime, the best view of the Mouth of the Columbia and the jetties), around Dead Man’s Cove. Our guests come from around the world to see these two lighthouses, within miles of Boreas!
I mentioned Serious Pizza! Well–seriously now, take the combination of a wood-fired pizza oven, burning cherry and apple, the “00 fino” flour imported from Italy, imported cheeses, meats from a great Seattle butcher chop and a location at Waikiki Beach at Cape D (as we call it), and you have not only the recipe for the best wood-fired pizza in Southwest Washington, but a spectacular setting near the amphitheater at Cape D State Park. With eagles flying overhead (perhaps looking hungrily at your pizza-or maybe at your dog) and osprey circling around with crows and gulls harrassing them, you have an experience you will never forget. Our favorite pizza is, you guessed it, “The Boreas”–the vegetarian pizza with garlic olive oil base, sundried tomatoes, artichoke hearts, olives and pepperoni. How special is it to have a pizza named after Boreas Inn? State Parks built Jim and Chi, the purveyors of this fine pizza, a permanent structure so that visitors to the park, including campers staying in the 240 campsites, can have pizza! We call ahead to avoid waiting perhaps an hour for the most memorable pizza. It’s truly Neopolitano–a thin delectable crust and just the right amount of cheese for a non-guilt producing light meal. They also have wood-fired oysters and mouth-watering wood-fired wings. Homemade ice cream and brownies….oh my! Watch for Jim and Chi’s Serious Pizza to come soon to the town of Long Beach!
I have attached a very fine video about Cape Disappointment State Park to this blog! It stars a few of our favorite State Park employees and some of the best scenery this area has to offer. The Park is located 10 minutes from Boreas Inn. We are soooo lucky to have Cape D State Park in our backyard. So come to Boreas Inn and we will direct you to our favorite park, Cape Disappointment! Enjoy the YouTube about Cape D.!
Bill and I take a lot of pictures of sunrises and sunsets wherever we happen to be. Bill is the sunrise and I’m the sunset specialist. He’s the more alert morning guy and I’m the evening person. We each think that the pics the other takes look a lot like the myriad of sunset and sunrise pics we’ve each taken, but to us they all look different and fascinating. So–this time of year at the beach is perfect for taking pictures–the light is beautiful, the rainbows sometimes are doubles and on the rare occasion, we have seen triples. We pull off the roads and whip out our cell phones if that’s all we have, and take pictures. We can’t help ourselves. From Boreas Inn decks and windows, if you have your camera ready, you can catch the eagles flying by and the marsh hawks cruising the dunes looking for prey. Wait for sundown, my favorite time and capture the beauty of the sun leaving for the day. At this time of year, the rebirth of my precious flowers in the (currently wild-looking) gardens , the wild weather and the promise of warmer days lift my spirits. Do you feel the same?
The Sky is on Fire!
Born in the Year of the Dragon, sometimes I see them in the clouds…
We’re almost out of the woods on the Pacific Ocean having spent the entire night up and high on adrenaline. No big waves seem to be coming and we have survived (we hope!) the aftermath of the most devastating earthquake Japan can remember. Our Tsunami Tspecial is a once in a lifetime (hopefully) event–$125 per night for all the goodies and we will supply the complementary Tsunami Tsauce (Mimosa’s)–or you can have your champagne straight up! Come celebrate the ocean, from a distance, and please say prayers for our Japanese friends who have endured and are continuing to endure the worst disaster in recent history. Take advantage of your exhausted innkeepers–come cheer us up!
We promise you a beautiful, lazy weekend at Boreas if you decide to visit us. We have room for you and would love to cook up a storm in the morning if it’s not stormy enough outside–and even if it is. Don’ t listen to the weather guys–they are usually wrong, unless they tell you it’s going to be wonderful–because sunshine, rain, wind…it’s always wonderful here. The fireplaces beckon and we’re offering our Walk-in Special at our romantic getaway by the sea. $150 a night including our “perfectly plated” 3 course or more breakfast (plus tax of course). We don’t want to be lonely–so come to Long Beach and we will fix you up with two fabulous dinners out at our fine dinner houses and promise you the most relaxing weekend with fireplaces blazing and our new hot tub beckoning. We hope to see you soon!
Not only will you be treated to sumptuous beds with the softest linens and feather beds placing goose down above and below your tired and deserving bods enticing you to sleep like babies, you will be treated to a weekend of culinary expertise starting with your daily candle light brunch feast by the fireplace! With only one guest room remaining, you can count on these “simple” pleasures continuing on for President’s Day weekend (February 18,19,20–we have rooms available!) and throughout the year. Boreas Inn specializes in romance, there’s no doubt about it! We consistently treat our guests like royalty, but with style and humor (at least we hope you will think we’re humorous!). Fine dining, whether at the breakfast table at Boreas Inn, partnering with our local restaurants, is of crucial importance to all of us on the beautiful Long Beach Peninsula in SW Washington State. We are in “foodie heaven”. That’s why we all have to work out at the gym a few times a week! (New Year’s Resolution #1!)
Valentine’s Weekend calls upon not just us, but also our restauranteurs, to “pony up” with the most wonderful special Valentine’s weekend menu’s. Sample the Shelburne Inn Restaurant’s menu–itself a beautiful piece, not to mention the cuisine that completes their package! Take a peek at the hotlink and then let us know if you would like us to book you a table at The Shelburne Inn Restaurant over Valentine’s or President’s Day weekend!
Valentine's Day at Boreas Inn will be the highlight of your February!
Where else can you behold such open space on a beach anywhere in the country with a glorious winter sunset as the highlight of your day? Tonight the full moon will glisten off the water…with clear skies and a winter nip in the air… Come to a place where you will find beautiful surroundings, a beach that goes on forever, culminating in headlands with lighthouses, walking trails and bicycle paths along the ocean and through the wooded parklands. There is always something to entertain you whether visually, physically or spiritually–or all three at once. When you tire of that, you can sleep like a baby in the most comfortable beds with down over you and under you, dine on a breakfast that will last all day long, and perhaps just do nothing…until dinner of course, when you again DINE at the finest restaurants on Oregon/Washington coast. You work so that you can play! So play in Long Beach, Washington….a seriously perfect place to escape from the rest of the world. Boreas Inn is here for you! Come enjoy the sunsets. (Or when those aren’t available, enjoy the sound of the rain and the cozy fireplaces!)
Winter months are the best for viewing the surf from your car at Cape D.
It’s blowing hard in Long Beach, Washington. The weather is stormy, cold and for awhile this afternoon, the snowflakes were waltzing in all directions with the wind gusts directing their ballet! It was a joyful dance. Now it’s much warmer, 36, and rainy with gusty winds up to 30 or so. We had a relaxing holiday season with mellow guests and fireplaces crackling. Now it’s calm and far too peaceful, except for the weather. So the inn is getting painted, a little at a time by Bill. This weekend is looking quieter than most MLK weekends are. Ask for our Walk-in Special if you are very last minute in making plans! We are ready for guests…and we hope that they come! We have a few rooms remaining for Valentine’s Day weekend, February 11,12 and President’s Day weekend 18, 19, 20. I have been blocking out rooms for the Kite Festival and we have two upstairs rooms open for the week of August 14-21. The Stargazer is open the 18,19,20 of August for a three night stay. I know it’s far from now…but as they say, I’m just sayin’…!
Boreas Inn can be ALL YOURS, decorated with love for the 2010 Holiday. Rent one room or all five for $595 plus tax per night for a three-night minimum. This is a $320 per night savings!! Boreas Inn’s ready-made holiday removes the stress and will let you relax and enjoy the Holiday–invite the people you want to be with and let Susie and Bill do the rest of the arranging. Just bring your gifts for under the tree! This price includes our signature breakfasts and champagne on Christmas morning! Starting December 21 and ending December 27, you can rent Boreas for a grand and luxurious escape for you, your family and friends. You pick the three nights you’d like to stay, and we will supply an inn full of warmth and wonder and of course, breakfasts to die for! Susie and Bill will arrange your Christmas dinner at one of our fine restaurants open for Christmas (and Christmas Eve of course)!
We ask for a maximum of 10 people and no children under 10. Wander the beautiful beaches, sleep in fine linens under down and on top of our feather beds. Maybe you will be held captive by a big Pacific storm by one of the fireplaces or maybe the weather will be warm and sunny! Wander the Discover Trail and look for whales from the North Head Lighthouse or the Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center, dine out in our fabulous restaurants, take naps and soak in our brand new hot tub! Before somebody else grabs the chance, make your reservation now! If you book online, just request all of the Inn’s guest rooms, put in the three nights you would like to request and mention the Ready-Made Christmas Special and we will adjust the cost! Or feel free to call us at 888-842-8069. www.boreasinn.com This offer is not valid with gift certificates and there is a 30-day cancellation policy. We will hold the first night (plus tax) as deposit. Make your request soon!!!
Odell Hathaway, one of our most devoted friends and fans of Boreas Inn took this video of our brand new spa at dawn on the 3rd of September! So this is truly the Dawn of Boreas Inn’s New Hot Tub. Odell is so clever! The Space Odyssey music just fits!
Our Brand New Spa--Come Bubble Your Troubles Away!
The tub new spa is a bit smaller than our older one and very roomy for our “couples” only soaking. There are three seats, including two side-by-side recliners, 36 jets (!) and beautiful revolving underwater colors, if you like a little light. It’s hard to get a good picture of the new spa unless you dangled from the gazebo ceiling! The tub is made by Cal Spa’s division “OC Hot Tubs”. I thought Orange County motorcycles were gorgeous, but this spa is pretty lush! Bill and I tried it out on Thursday night and it was just perfect. The operations and materials are quite “green” and so far, our guests say they love the new spa. So in addition to fine regional cuisine, the most comfortable beds, and extra special whatever we can think of for our guests, we now have a new spa with a beautiful view. The ex-spa works fine–and we’re looking for a home for it. It sprung a leak around a seal (we think) but other than that, it works fine. So if one of our former guests would like it, we can arrange for that to happen. You will have to haul it away! It was very sad to see it leave the gazebo (and quite a project to get it out of there!)
Blaine took this video last week and it’s so beautiful! It is whale-watching season and we’ve had some great days to look for the migrating gray whales, heading north to Alaska! When you come stay at Boreas Inn, we will set you up to eat dinner at Blaine and Cheri Walker’s 42nd Street Cafe. Unique dining, and the coziest, most romantic Bed and Breakfast in Washington State are yours for the asking! Come visit soon–the whales will be running up the coast for the next couple of months and the weather in the Columbia Pacific region is alternating between being warm and glorious and… not!
