Our Sea Lion trip to Fort Clatsop cool and wet. Low clouds. The perfect mood for recapturing Lewis and Clark's November 1805-March 1806 winter stay. The slide show, wonderful interpretive exhibits and the fort replica all give a sense of an earlier time and place. But... oh, if only the walls could! Let's jump back to December 8, 1805. Captain Lewis has just returned to the main camp on the Pacific coast. His news was positive-"a good situation and elk sufficient to winter on." Two days later, the entire party ascended the Neutal (now Lewis and Clark) River for two miles to a conifer-covered point of land 300 yards from the river and 30 feet above high tide. Four miles from the ocean, they erected Fort Clatsop and lodged until March 23. Winter activities, so repetitive, included guard duty, elk hunting, trade with local Indians, cutting out and stitching 300+ pair of moccasins, boredom, colds and endless coughs, salt making, battling fleas, more boredom and rain, rain, rain. But what about the other side? Captain Clark worked on his marvelous maps. Lewis wrote long and often about the new plants and animals. There had to be laughter and music, plenty of stories, games, wonderful moments of friendship, learning new skills, watching a baby boy grow. The members of the expedition would never forget Fort Clatsop. Our visit, in spite of liquid sunshine, was certainly meaningful for all of us Sea Lion folks. We know we have visited a most special place in our nation's exploration history.