Astoria, Oregon
The Corps of Discovery felt great elation when they reached the mouth of the Columbia where they saw the Pacific Ocean for the first time on November 7th, 1806. We awoke today in Astoria with similar feelings of nearing the end of our journey down the Columbia on theSea Bird.
Today we gained a greater understanding of the history and culture of the area by visiting the Columbia River Maritime Museum where we saw displays focusing on the hazards for shipping in these turbulent waters. The exhibit showing how the U. S. Coast Guard trains its crews reminded us of the troubles that Lewis and Clark faced when paddling their canoes through the waves, wind, and rain in these waters.
We boarded buses that took us through the city of Astoria, once the home of dozens of sailing ships and salmon canneries, on the way to Fort Clatsop. The National Park Service is still in the process of building a new replica of Lewis and Clark’s winter quarters of 1805-06, the 1955 replica having burned in October of 2005. As we stood among the towering trees in the temperate rain forest around the fort, we came to a deeper understanding of the fortitude of the Corps of Discovery in enduring 107 days here, only 12 of which lacked rain.
We returned to the Sea Bird for lunch before heading out again by bus for a trip across the Columbia on the 4.1-mile long Astoria-Meglar Bridge. The main span of 1,232 feet is the longest continuous truss in the world. We saw from the bus the cove known as “Clark’s Dismal Nitch,” where the Corps was trapped by waves, wind, and rain for 5 nights, and the camp site called “Station Camp,” where each member of the Expedition voiced his or her opinion as to where the group should spend the winter. We drove to Cape Disappointment, Washington and after a short hike to the Pacific at Beard’s Hollow we understood more fully the emotions of Lewis and Clark when they finally reached the goal set for them by President Thomas Jefferson.
Some of us took the opportunity to visit the 125-foot tall Astoria Column, built in 1926, which commemorates the history of the area and offers magnificent views on this unusually clear day of the surrounding hills, the Columbia, and the Pacific. A final westward voyage of the Sea Bird took us to the Columbia Bar, where the collision of the mighty river with the powerful ocean creates the ever-changing sand bar that has wrecked thousands of ships over the centuries.
The evening re-cap and a farewell dinner provided a last chance to reflect on our voyage In the Wake of Lewis and Clark, the meaning of their epic adventure, and its significance to our country.
The Corps of Discovery felt great elation when they reached the mouth of the Columbia where they saw the Pacific Ocean for the first time on November 7th, 1806. We awoke today in Astoria with similar feelings of nearing the end of our journey down the Columbia on theSea Bird.
Today we gained a greater understanding of the history and culture of the area by visiting the Columbia River Maritime Museum where we saw displays focusing on the hazards for shipping in these turbulent waters. The exhibit showing how the U. S. Coast Guard trains its crews reminded us of the troubles that Lewis and Clark faced when paddling their canoes through the waves, wind, and rain in these waters.
We boarded buses that took us through the city of Astoria, once the home of dozens of sailing ships and salmon canneries, on the way to Fort Clatsop. The National Park Service is still in the process of building a new replica of Lewis and Clark’s winter quarters of 1805-06, the 1955 replica having burned in October of 2005. As we stood among the towering trees in the temperate rain forest around the fort, we came to a deeper understanding of the fortitude of the Corps of Discovery in enduring 107 days here, only 12 of which lacked rain.
We returned to the Sea Bird for lunch before heading out again by bus for a trip across the Columbia on the 4.1-mile long Astoria-Meglar Bridge. The main span of 1,232 feet is the longest continuous truss in the world. We saw from the bus the cove known as “Clark’s Dismal Nitch,” where the Corps was trapped by waves, wind, and rain for 5 nights, and the camp site called “Station Camp,” where each member of the Expedition voiced his or her opinion as to where the group should spend the winter. We drove to Cape Disappointment, Washington and after a short hike to the Pacific at Beard’s Hollow we understood more fully the emotions of Lewis and Clark when they finally reached the goal set for them by President Thomas Jefferson.
Some of us took the opportunity to visit the 125-foot tall Astoria Column, built in 1926, which commemorates the history of the area and offers magnificent views on this unusually clear day of the surrounding hills, the Columbia, and the Pacific. A final westward voyage of the Sea Bird took us to the Columbia Bar, where the collision of the mighty river with the powerful ocean creates the ever-changing sand bar that has wrecked thousands of ships over the centuries.
The evening re-cap and a farewell dinner provided a last chance to reflect on our voyage In the Wake of Lewis and Clark, the meaning of their epic adventure, and its significance to our country.
