Jeff Litton, Naturalist/Certified Photo Instructor
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Daily Expedition
Reports
25 Oct 2017
Fort Clatsop, Astoria, and Cape Disappointment, 10/25/2017, National Geographic Sea Bird
Aboard the
National Geographic Sea Bird
Pacific Northwest
Our final day of exploration along the Lewis and Clark trail! Today we explored three sites: Fort Clatsop - the Corps of Discovery’s winter camp of 1805-06, the Columbia River Maritime Museum, and Cape Disappointment where Lewis and Clark finally dipped their toes in the waters of the Pacific Ocean.
Becky Timbers was born and raised in Vermont, where she spent her childhood exploring the outdoors and enjoying country life. She is fortunate to have parents who love to travel, so at an early age, she was bitten by the travel bug and subsequently s...
Jeff Litton is a dedicated advocate for our planet, igniting a passion within people to cherish our Earth. His circuitous journey involves leading individuals into the untamed wilderness, where he unveils the hidden splendor of the natural world. Jef...
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We took our Zodiacs to shore and boarded busses for our day’s adventure in and around Walla Walla, Washington. First stop for most was the Whitman Mission National Historic Site. This museum and park preserve the memory of a tragic altercation between Native Americans and early white missionaries that resulted in the death of thirteen missionary settlers and ultimately the decimation of the Cayuse native people of the Walla Walla area. The site is a beautiful and peaceful park with trails to the settler’s graves and a monument dedicated to the memory of the event. We left the mission site for lunch and wine tasting at the Three Rivers Winery in Walla Walla. After lunch, some of the group went venturing to the Fort Walla Walla Museum and others went directly to town. Among its many interesting artifacts, the museum displays a replica pioneer village with buildings reconstructed from original materials dating from the latter-half of the nineteenth century. Last stop for all before heading back to National Geographic Sea Lion was the beautiful downtown center of Walla Walla. While window shopping and exploring the town, nearly all our guests took advantage of a free ice-cream cone.
The Columbia River and its winds are unpredictable and sometimes strong, giving the area the reputation of being the wind surfing capital of the world. Wind aside, it did not stop our guests from making the best of the day, enjoying the indoor programs and time on board National Geographic Sea Bird . It was a chance to visit the bridge, read a book, or have a glass of wine with new friends in the lounge.
National Geographic Sea Lion transited east in the Columbia overnight and we awoke to an entirely different landscape. On the east of the Cascade Mountain Range, we started to see columnar basalt valleys accompanied by a much drier climate. We admired the new views and then spent the morning transiting through the John Day Dam Lock, rising over 100 feet. After crossing through the dam, we spent the afternoon exploring the Umatilla National Wildlife Refuge with its wonderful wetlands and migratory birds.
