Astoria, Fort Clatsop & Cape Disappointment
A blue sky day at the coast on the first of November! That nearly says it all, though our adventures here at the mouth of the Columbia River were varied and far flung. Following an early visit to the creative and informative displays of the colorful maritime history here at the Columbia River Maritime Museum, we journeyed across Young’s Bay to visit the replica of Fort Clatsop, the 1805-1806 winter home of the Corps of Discovery. Sunlight reflected on last night’s raindrops dangling from the tips of the lacy branches of western hemlock while king boletus as well as other interesting mushrooms decorated the forest understory. This was nothing like the cold and soggy experience of the Corps and we must apologize for the unauthentic weather.
Most of the group traveled across the Astoria- Megler Bridge to visit the Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center at Cape Disappointment. Interesting activities were underway in the Pacific Ocean and the group marveled at the Coast Guard helicopter rescue drills and the two dredges working in the river mouth. Even on this calm day, the spray of the breaking waves could be seen in the distance, an indication of just how wild it must get during storms. But from our perch on the hill near the Cape Disappointment Lighthouse and later at Waikiki Beach, we basked in the late fall sunshine, hardly believing that this region is part of a rainforest.
We ended our stay at the Pacific Ocean with a reflective stroll along the artistic boardwalk representation of the travels of the Corps that was created by the well-known sculptor Maya Lin. It lead us to a driftwood strewn beach where we could touch the Pacific and know that we too had completed our westward journey.
A blue sky day at the coast on the first of November! That nearly says it all, though our adventures here at the mouth of the Columbia River were varied and far flung. Following an early visit to the creative and informative displays of the colorful maritime history here at the Columbia River Maritime Museum, we journeyed across Young’s Bay to visit the replica of Fort Clatsop, the 1805-1806 winter home of the Corps of Discovery. Sunlight reflected on last night’s raindrops dangling from the tips of the lacy branches of western hemlock while king boletus as well as other interesting mushrooms decorated the forest understory. This was nothing like the cold and soggy experience of the Corps and we must apologize for the unauthentic weather.
Most of the group traveled across the Astoria- Megler Bridge to visit the Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center at Cape Disappointment. Interesting activities were underway in the Pacific Ocean and the group marveled at the Coast Guard helicopter rescue drills and the two dredges working in the river mouth. Even on this calm day, the spray of the breaking waves could be seen in the distance, an indication of just how wild it must get during storms. But from our perch on the hill near the Cape Disappointment Lighthouse and later at Waikiki Beach, we basked in the late fall sunshine, hardly believing that this region is part of a rainforest.
We ended our stay at the Pacific Ocean with a reflective stroll along the artistic boardwalk representation of the travels of the Corps that was created by the well-known sculptor Maya Lin. It lead us to a driftwood strewn beach where we could touch the Pacific and know that we too had completed our westward journey.
