We reached the westernmost point of our journey today, standing on a beach looking out across the Pacific Ocean, much as Lewis and Clark had 194 years ago. The Sea Bird was moored in Astoria, Oregon for most of the day, while we visited Fort Clatsop and the broad, sandy beach at Fort Stevens.
Captains Meriwether Lewis and William Clark with their party of nearly 35 men spent the winter of 1805-06 at Fort Clatsop, near the Pacific, on the southern shore of the Columbia River. Several of the men spent a period of several weeks at a salt camp near Fort Stevens. Our day was unlike any that they experienced, with brilliant blue skies and continuing warm weather. At sunset, we sailed out to the sand bar at the mouth of the river and felt the gentle swell of the Pacific. We were also treated to a fine "green flash" as the final sliver of sun dropped below the horizon. A beautiful October day indeed.
