Astoria, Cape Disappointment and the Lewis & Clark Wildlife Refuge
Our Columbus Day started on the Columbia River where it meets the Pacific Ocean. As we were touring the area, we were particularly astute to the strong currents known to the area. They converge as the river forces its way to the sea. Observed were large waves crashing over the jetties that separate the river and the sea. These jetties are there to keep the bar open and free of sediment. Then too, there were swells produced by a pilot boat passing, as it transferred a pilot to a vessel waiting to navigate the channel. Once anchored, we could see that there were several ocean freighters awaiting similar assistance. As the fog lifted, we anchored in Astoria. The town of Astoria, being named after John J. Astor, where a fort/trading post was built in 1811 marking the site.
We disembarked National Geographic Sea Bird for our first stop of the morning, Fort Clatsop. The original fort was built in 1805. Lewis & Clark first moved into the fort on Christmas Day 1805 and left for home in March of the following year, after a harsh winter. Fort Clatsop was named for the Clatsop Indians, as it was built on their land. As we viewed the interior of the fort, the dwellings and rooms seemed quite small in comparison to modern day dwellings. It was surrounded by lush vegetation consisting of western red cedar, Sitka spruce and western hemlock. The current replica was built from plans that were found among the writings of Lewis & Clark.
Once we left Fort Clatsop, we arrived back into the town of Astoria to visit the Columbia River Maritime Museum. Driving into Astoria, we learned that there had been many canneries here. As the area became overfished, the canneries closed. Many of the workers in these canneries were Chinese. There were many Scandinavians and Finns that later came to the area. As the number of workers increased, so did union activity. Thus, the area became known as Finn Town and Union Town.
We arrived at the Columbia Maritime Museum. We were warmly greeted by a volunteer docent who gave us a short history of the area, Coast Guard rescue involvement, and modern day safety- at- sea maneuvers. We were told that this area has been known as the “Graveyard of the Pacific” due to the many ship fatalities. A visitor could spend a whole day in this museum and never see and learn all that it has to offer.
As the morning became afternoon, it was time to become one with nature. Many of us wanted to go on zodiac excursions to view our nature surrounding off the ship. Wow!!! What did we see! Our voyage was filled with surprises that excited us all. We viewed bird nests up close and waited to see their occupants! Bald eagles flew over several times, but unsure, we waited until they landed. Sure enough, they came home….We watched and they never knew we were there. We also viewed some great blue herons, hawks flying overhead and hundreds of ducks. Yes, we were with nature at its best.
So, as the afternoon wanes away, we look forward to a recap of all the days’ activities …. We are grateful to have shared so many memories on this voyage and the company of the wonderful crew members on this expedition.
