Astoria and Fort Clatsop
Today we reached our journey’s end, geographically speaking: we awoke in Astoria, Oregon, near the mouth of the Columbia River where the Lewis and Clark expedition reached the Pacific Ocean. They had traveled more than 4,000 miles in 26 months in contrast to our own brief voyage of less than a week.
First, we toured the Columbia River Maritime Museum immediately adjacent to our dock, an impressive story of life at sea and on the lower Columbia River. Next we visited Fort Clatsop, where The Corps of Discovery spent the winter of 1805-1806 in the rain, eating moldy dried salmon, “poor tainted elk,” dogs, roots and berries. A seasonal ranger knowledgeable about the Lewis and Clark expedition led us through a visual presentation, then through the fort itself. Some of us visited the canoe landing where members of the expedition lost several canoes to the tide over the winter.
After our return to the Sea Lion for lunch and a brief rest, we struck out once more with a higher goal. We visited the Astoria Column above the city, which offered a view of the whole lower Columbia, Young’s Bay, the Netul (Lewis and Clark) River, Young’s River, and the countryside to the south including Saddle Mountain, which the captains described in their journals.
To add frosting to our experiential cake, we crossed the Astoria-Megler Bridge to visit the lighthouse at North Head, which gave us a fine view of the Washington side of the Columbia. Here, Lewis and Clark spent a miserable three weeks battling the elements. From the lighthouse, we could see the mouth of the Columbia, its flanking jetties, and Cape Disappointment.
Back to the Sea Lion for another superb dinner, our farewell meal with appropriate good-byes, the end of a fabulous journey.
Today we reached our journey’s end, geographically speaking: we awoke in Astoria, Oregon, near the mouth of the Columbia River where the Lewis and Clark expedition reached the Pacific Ocean. They had traveled more than 4,000 miles in 26 months in contrast to our own brief voyage of less than a week.
First, we toured the Columbia River Maritime Museum immediately adjacent to our dock, an impressive story of life at sea and on the lower Columbia River. Next we visited Fort Clatsop, where The Corps of Discovery spent the winter of 1805-1806 in the rain, eating moldy dried salmon, “poor tainted elk,” dogs, roots and berries. A seasonal ranger knowledgeable about the Lewis and Clark expedition led us through a visual presentation, then through the fort itself. Some of us visited the canoe landing where members of the expedition lost several canoes to the tide over the winter.
After our return to the Sea Lion for lunch and a brief rest, we struck out once more with a higher goal. We visited the Astoria Column above the city, which offered a view of the whole lower Columbia, Young’s Bay, the Netul (Lewis and Clark) River, Young’s River, and the countryside to the south including Saddle Mountain, which the captains described in their journals.
To add frosting to our experiential cake, we crossed the Astoria-Megler Bridge to visit the lighthouse at North Head, which gave us a fine view of the Washington side of the Columbia. Here, Lewis and Clark spent a miserable three weeks battling the elements. From the lighthouse, we could see the mouth of the Columbia, its flanking jetties, and Cape Disappointment.
Back to the Sea Lion for another superb dinner, our farewell meal with appropriate good-byes, the end of a fabulous journey.
