Astoria—Columbia River Estuary
We have arrived at Astoria, the end of the outbound leg of the Lewis and Clark Expedition. We have to remember that they had to do the long journey back to St Louis the next spring and summer. Before heading to Fort Clatsop, the expedition winter home from December 1805 to March 1806, we visited the Columbia Maritime Museum. The museum is absolutely incredible. You can visit the museum spring and fall every year without getting tired of it. The exhibits change continuously. The museum has recently been remodeled and the centerpiece exhibit is Coast Guard rescue boat 33400 that pioneered modern day rescue on the Columbia River Bar. This boat is a ‘self-righting” boat that can be tipped over by the devastating waves of the river bar and will upright itself. It withstood the 40-foot seas of the Columbia Bar before a new generation replaced it in 1997. Other exhibits in the museum include the fishing industry history, the Columbia Lightship, as well as shipping and naval history of the area.
We then visited Fort Clatsop National Monument. This replica of the fort was constructed from the details obtained from the William Clark journals. The Corps’ time at Clatsop was less than hospitable as it rained on all except six days of their almost three-month stay. Many of us actually visited the inside of the fort, then headed down the trail to the canoe landing. Our naturalist pointed out the different plants and mentioned some of their uses by the natives. The wet weather of the week before gave us an opportunity to see a number of different types of fungi (mushrooms).
The expedition was the beginning of an overland migration of people and trade from the east. It was the end of life as the natives knew it. The Native Americans would be nearly wiped out by European diseases that they were not immune to. They were forced from their tribal lands by the influx of white settlers. The rule of the day, practiced by all countries, was to take the native lands for white settlement. There was no room for a wander-gathering society to co-exist in a European system of land ownership.
After lunch, our group again had several options: trips to the Astor Column, strolling through the downtown section of Astoria, going to the beach at Fort Stevens State Park or just staying on the boat to rest. The fort has now been decommissioned and no longer serves as the south guard at the mouth of the Columbia. We saw the wreck of the Peter Iredale that drifted onto the sands in 1906 after the wind suddenly stopped on its entrance to the Columbia River. Weather cooperated perfectly and has left the beach walkers with an hour of light breezes and sunshine to stroll the beaches that Lewis and Clack had walked nearly 200 years ago.
A fine dinner of Filet Mignon, scallops, Pasta Puttanesca or a combination of all after the Captain’s Farewell Cocktail and a recap of the day. We then proceeded on to Portland and off our separate way until the next great adventures.
We have arrived at Astoria, the end of the outbound leg of the Lewis and Clark Expedition. We have to remember that they had to do the long journey back to St Louis the next spring and summer. Before heading to Fort Clatsop, the expedition winter home from December 1805 to March 1806, we visited the Columbia Maritime Museum. The museum is absolutely incredible. You can visit the museum spring and fall every year without getting tired of it. The exhibits change continuously. The museum has recently been remodeled and the centerpiece exhibit is Coast Guard rescue boat 33400 that pioneered modern day rescue on the Columbia River Bar. This boat is a ‘self-righting” boat that can be tipped over by the devastating waves of the river bar and will upright itself. It withstood the 40-foot seas of the Columbia Bar before a new generation replaced it in 1997. Other exhibits in the museum include the fishing industry history, the Columbia Lightship, as well as shipping and naval history of the area.
We then visited Fort Clatsop National Monument. This replica of the fort was constructed from the details obtained from the William Clark journals. The Corps’ time at Clatsop was less than hospitable as it rained on all except six days of their almost three-month stay. Many of us actually visited the inside of the fort, then headed down the trail to the canoe landing. Our naturalist pointed out the different plants and mentioned some of their uses by the natives. The wet weather of the week before gave us an opportunity to see a number of different types of fungi (mushrooms).
The expedition was the beginning of an overland migration of people and trade from the east. It was the end of life as the natives knew it. The Native Americans would be nearly wiped out by European diseases that they were not immune to. They were forced from their tribal lands by the influx of white settlers. The rule of the day, practiced by all countries, was to take the native lands for white settlement. There was no room for a wander-gathering society to co-exist in a European system of land ownership.
After lunch, our group again had several options: trips to the Astor Column, strolling through the downtown section of Astoria, going to the beach at Fort Stevens State Park or just staying on the boat to rest. The fort has now been decommissioned and no longer serves as the south guard at the mouth of the Columbia. We saw the wreck of the Peter Iredale that drifted onto the sands in 1906 after the wind suddenly stopped on its entrance to the Columbia River. Weather cooperated perfectly and has left the beach walkers with an hour of light breezes and sunshine to stroll the beaches that Lewis and Clack had walked nearly 200 years ago.
A fine dinner of Filet Mignon, scallops, Pasta Puttanesca or a combination of all after the Captain’s Farewell Cocktail and a recap of the day. We then proceeded on to Portland and off our separate way until the next great adventures.
