20260401 Wednesday, April 1, 2026- A One Clam Day

20260401 Wednesday, April 1, 2026- A One Clam Day

Unfortunately, the weather forecast was accurate.  As daybreak approached, there was a steady heavy downpour of rain. 

We had departed the campsite at 6:30 am and promptly headed to the beach in search of any clam shows. Nevertheless, the persistent wind and heavy rain prevented us from witnessing a single classic show. Sheets of rain water erased any the moment they tried to form. Even Ben’s attempts to provoke a show with a pounding stick were unsuccessful. 

Despite the challenging conditions, Ben managed to elicit one clam show by digging a blind hole while Jan stood nearby. She was fortunate enough to witness the formation of the show and unearthed a small, yet genuine razor clam.

Due to the unfavorable weather, the beach was sparsely populated. However, we did encounter someone who had found two clams and had obtained two more from another individual who had also only found two but lacked the motivation to clean them. Jan kindly donated her clam to this person, hoping it would be enough for him to prepare a meal.

Consequently, we decided to head back to the RV at 7:30 am to get out of our wet rain gear and dry off. The Keurig was put to work making coffee. Jan brought breakfast burritos, which we warmed up in our microwave and enjoyed a satisfying breakfast and chat.

Preparing coffee and using the microwave on the inverter, drained the batteries from approximately 75% to 55%. Recognizing the need for battery recharge, we switched on the generator after 9am after Mark and Jan left to return to their motel room.
Although it would be nice to use the awning to shelter the entry from the rain, for some unknown reason, the awning wasn’t functioning. Fortunately, it didn’t end up getting stuck in the extended position. This issue will require further troubleshooting at home.  

At noon, we rendezvoused with Mark and Jan at Merino’s for lunch and had their excellent Fish and Chips.  We were able to cash in a full punch card for $10 off today. A freighter sailed along the jetty into Westport as we ate.  

After lunch, we did a driving tour of the Westport Jetty and Lighthouse state park facilities narrating over speakerphones as the torrential rain continued.  Mark and Jan then retreated to their motel room while we headed back to the RV to run the generator some more to recharge the batteries.  

In the afternoon, NASA was scheduled to launch the Artemis 2 moon mission so we headed over to Mark and Jan’s motel for a Blast Off party.  This mission is more than 2 years behind schedule, so it was hardly a sure thing, but to our surprise and relief, the launch went off without a hitch, boosting 4 NASA astronauts for the first time for a trip around the moon and back.

Returning to the RV, dinner was pasta with jarred Bertolli marinara sauce with green beans, rotisserie chicken and garlic bread with Mark and Jan, which made for a very pleasant evening sharing stories about travels and parenting.  

The weather ap says Westport received close to 1.5” of rain today, which we believe to be no exaggeration.  There is a 6” deep x 20’ puddle submersing part of the main campground drive, which is useful for rinsing sand and salt off the bottom of the Bronco if you go through it fast enough.  

There is still some rain and wind forecast for tomorrow, although there is at least some chance we will have good enough conditions for Mark and Jan to see a few classic clam shows and dig up a few more clams before calling their first razor clamming excursion a complete failure.  But we have enjoyed introducing them to at least a limited exposure to RV camping.