Astoria, Oregon
“Ocian in view, Oh the joy!” Captain William Clark’s relieved outburst upon finally reaching the waters of the Pacific Ocean precedes us by 200 years, and there is joy on reaching the ocean in our camp as well, as we face the brisk autumn winds and waves of the Columbia River bar and gaze seaward toward Cape Disappointment. There is sadness too, as we realize that this is our last wonderful day of exploration together.
Sea stories of shipwrecks and courageous rescues by the US Coast Guard captivate us at the Columbia River Maritime Museum. And a bit later standing where the Corps of Discovery stood at their winter home in Fort Clatsop makes it easy to imagine the hardships of that long wet winter in this coastal rainforest so far from home.
In the afternoon, many of us ventured across the Columbia River to Washington’s Long Beach Peninsula for a hike to Cape Disappointment Lighthouse and to visit the excellent Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center there. As we neared the entrance to the facility perched on a basalt outcrop high above the sea, three adult bald eagles flew out from the nearby Sitka spruce trees and circled above us, while an orange Coast Guard helicopter practiced rescue maneuvers in the sea below.
Following a stop to take in the view at the Astoria Column, we returned the Sea Lion to share the stories of the Corps of Discovery as well as the stories of our own expedition.
“Ocian in view, Oh the joy!” Captain William Clark’s relieved outburst upon finally reaching the waters of the Pacific Ocean precedes us by 200 years, and there is joy on reaching the ocean in our camp as well, as we face the brisk autumn winds and waves of the Columbia River bar and gaze seaward toward Cape Disappointment. There is sadness too, as we realize that this is our last wonderful day of exploration together.
Sea stories of shipwrecks and courageous rescues by the US Coast Guard captivate us at the Columbia River Maritime Museum. And a bit later standing where the Corps of Discovery stood at their winter home in Fort Clatsop makes it easy to imagine the hardships of that long wet winter in this coastal rainforest so far from home.
In the afternoon, many of us ventured across the Columbia River to Washington’s Long Beach Peninsula for a hike to Cape Disappointment Lighthouse and to visit the excellent Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center there. As we neared the entrance to the facility perched on a basalt outcrop high above the sea, three adult bald eagles flew out from the nearby Sitka spruce trees and circled above us, while an orange Coast Guard helicopter practiced rescue maneuvers in the sea below.
Following a stop to take in the view at the Astoria Column, we returned the Sea Lion to share the stories of the Corps of Discovery as well as the stories of our own expedition.
