Lewis & Clark Journey Ends, Ours Begins

     For our next adventure, we decided to spend a couple of days in the Astoria area. Astoria is in the upper northwest corner of Oregon, on the coast and just across the Columbia River from Washington state.

     No trip up the Oregon coast is complete without a stop at the Tillamook Cheese headquarters. Here you can sample various cheeses (which are then available for purchase in copious quantities in the gift shop). Or you can sample a wide variety of ice cream. We bought some cheese for the road.

     We trekked further up US Highway 101 stopping first at Fort Stevens State Park. It is here that several ships have wrecked in the treacherous waters. There has also been an artillery outpost here from the Civil War until the end of WW II. One of the ships that wrecked here was the Peter Iredale. It is pictured above shortly after being beached ashore. Nowadays it looks like this...

     Almost all of the vessel has been salvaged except for this small portion of the bow. The waters here are especially dangerous because here is where the large quantity of fresh water flowing from the Columbia River meets with the ocean currents of the Pacific through a narrow opening called the Bar. The water can go from smooth and calm to 30' waves in moments and without warning. In fact, vessels that come into the river from the ocean must have a Bar Pilot on board to help navigate. After the ship clears the Bar and enters the Columbia River, then the Bar Pilot is replaced by a River Pilot who then assists in navigating upriver to Portland. The waters are so rough and unpredictable that the Coast Guard maintains a station at the mouth of the Bar just to rescue stranded vessels (which they do to the tune of 400+ per year!!). The Coast Guard also has their rough water rescue training center here.

What's left of an old artillery emplacement

     For those familiar with the travels of Lewis & Clark, you know that they reached the Pacific Ocean near here and established Fort Clatsop. They had been traveling across the country since leaving St. Louis on May 14, 1804. They spent the winter of December 1805 to March 1806 in the fort. They named it for the local Clatsop Indians whom Clark described as "close bargainers and who came to the fort almost daily to trade and to visit." As usual in the Pacific Northwest, of the 106 days that they spent in the fort, it rained all but 12 of them! Because of the humidity, the building materials of the fort have not withstood the test of time. Historians are confident that the current Fort Clatsop re-creation is located very near to the original spot, but everything you can see and visit is not original. There are many artifacts that survived their travels and many of them are on display at the Visitor's Center.

Welcome to Fort Clatsop!

Inside Lewis' & Clark's room

     While visiting the National Historical Park, we were treated to a demonstration by a Ranger in period costume. He demonstrated the proper use, and the hazards of, the Springfield flintlock rifle used by many on the expedition. It was very informative and the Ranger was quite humorous! The demonstration was capped off by the firing of a bread bullet (biodegradable and edible by the local wildlife).

Ready, Aim, Fire!