Today we continued following Lewis and Clark's path along the Columbia River all the way to the Pacific coast, where Lewis wrote in his journal in 1805: "Oh joy!" From the lighthouse at Fort Canby on Cape Disappointment, we had beautiful views of the Pacific Ocean and our first looks at brown pelicans.
Inside the interpretive center at Fort Canby, we enjoyed some wonderful exhibits that led us through Lewis and Clark's expedition. Some people walked out to the lighthouse and discovered a Pacific Treefrog. During the day, we had some great opportunities to walk under some large trees including western red cedar, sitka spruce, red alder, and western hemlock. In the moist forest, we heard ravens and kinglets calling, and some members of our group were intrigued by a banana slug along the trail.
During the day, we visited not only Fort Canby but also Fort Clatsop, the Astoria column, and the Maritime Museum. One of the guests told me that the Maritime Museum was her favorite museum of all time. Before cocktails and our final recap, we went out toward the Columbia bar, and as we started to leave the river, the birders were excited to see Heermann's gulls and lots of brown pelicans. What a great way to end the week of learning about Lewis and Clark and the Columbia and Snake Rivers!
