Ocian in View!  O! The Joy.

Capt. William Clark wrote in his journal on November 7, 1805, "Ocian in View!  O! The Joy." He continued to write "Great joy in camp we are in View of the Ocian, this great Pacific Octean which we been So long to See. and the roreing or noise made by the waves brakeing on the rockey Shores may be heard distictly"

But Clark was wrong. He had only seen tidal movements and heard waves driven by wind crashing against rocks. Due to "disagreeable weather" it was another eight days before they actually reached the Pacific Ocean. On November 15 they reached the mouth of the Columbia River and camped by a deserted Chinook Indian village near Cape Disappointment and today's town of Chinook. On November 16, Sgt. Patrick Glass wrote "We are now at the end of our voyage, which has been completely accomplished according to the intension of the expedition, the object of which was to discover a passage by way of the Missouri and Columbia rivers to the Pacific Ocean..." The expedition had traveled eighteen months and over 4,000 miles from St. Louis to the Pacific Ocean.

The Corps of Discovery named their camp Station Camp and spent ten days there exploring up the coast of present-day Washington and looking for a suitable place to build a winter fort. Everyone cast a vote and it was decided to cross to the south side of the Columbia and build a fort near a spring a few miles inland. It is interesting everyone was given an equal vote including York, Clark's black slave, and Sacagawea, a Indian woman. It was the first recorded vote in U.S. history a black person and a Indian and woman.

The 33 people of the Corps of Discovery built a 50 x 50 foot fort and named it Fort Clatsop in honor of their neighboring Clatsop Indians. The Clatsop, Chinook and Nehalem Indians visited the fort daily and traded food for items from Lewis and Clark, items that were running in short supply. During their 106 days in the fort, Dec. 7, 1805 - Mar. 23, 1806, it rained every day but 12 and the men suffered from colds, influenza, rheumatism and other ailments the captains treated. Their clothing had rotted and fleas infested the blankets and hides of the bedding to such a degree that a full night's sleep was often impossible. The men engaged in a variety of tasks from servicing their weapons and preparing elk clothing and moccasins to making elk fat candles. Lewis made notes on plants, trees, fish and wildlife while Clark spent most of his time refining and updating maps of the country through which they had traveled.

A small group of men were sent fifteen miles southwest of Fort Clatsop to an ocean front site (present-day Seaside) to make salt from sea water. Day and night for seven weeks the men boiled sea water at the "salt works" over a rock furnace and produced four bushels, one bushel for winter's use and three bushels for the journey back to St. Louis.

On orders from President Thomas Jefferson, Captains Lewis and Clark were to explore the Missouri River to its source, then establish the most direct water route to the Pacific, making scientific and geographic observations along the way. They were also to learn what they could of the Indian tribes they encountered and impress them with technology and authority of the United States. "Mission accomplished."

Fort Clatsop was reconstructed in 1955 from a drawing by Clark and today it is owned and operated by the National Park Service. Interpreters in authentic costumes portray members of the expedition and demonstrate wilderness skills while a pathway leads visitors to the river where dugout canoes are located. The visitors center has exhibits and an excellent 32 minute movie about their journey westward.

We camped at Chinook, near Station Camp, and explored the Long Beach Peninsula much as Lewis and Clark nearly two hundred years earlier. Near Ilwaco and within a couple of miles are the Lewis and Clark Interpretative Center, Cape Disappointment Lighthouse and North Head Lighthouse. The interpretative center has been updated with exhibits and displays on the journey from beginning to end with an emphasis on the end of the journey. Also on display is the history of the lower Columbia River and its navigation. A hike along the seashore took us to Cape Disappointment Lighthouse (built 1856). The lighthouse was built as a navigation aid to ships entering the treacherous Columbia, known as the Graveyard of the Pacific. The lighthouse is automated and operated by the Coast Guard and is not open for tours. The North Head Lighthouse (built 1898) tour began in the keeper's office where artifacts and old pictures are displayed. Sixty-nine steps took us to the light gallery 194 feet above sea level that offered a gorgeous view of the ocean and coastline.

Long Beach is known as the Kite Capital of the World and is home of the Kite Museum and Hall of Fame. We were there during the week long 23rd Annual Kite Festival and we were not disappointed. Competition is strong among kite flyers and beautiful, small and large kites filled the sky. Before leaving Long Beach we saw the World's Largest Skillet.

Just north of Long Beach we toured the Cranberry Research Station, watched a movie on growing and harvesting cranberries and walked among cranberry fields. Cranberries are grown in only a few places in the world and the northwest coastal area produces about 25% of the world's cranberries. The area's 130 cranberry growers produce more than 15 million pounds annually. Further up the peninsula we found Oysterville and the Jazz and Oysters Festival. We watched oyster boats come in from Willapa Bay and unload their catches. The Willapa Bay Interpretative Center covers the history of the oyster industry in Washington. Sixteen percent of the nation's oysters are raised in Willapa Bay.

Lewis and Clark Trail - Wrap-up

We started the Lewis and Clark Trail on May 12 in St. Louis, Missouri and ended the Trail on August 18 in Chinook, Washington, a total of 99 days. We drove the motorhome 3,438 miles and the car many more miles while staying at 28 campgrounds or boondocking sites. This was a trip in the planning since 2001 and we think we did it right by taking our time and staying in small towns. Caravans were doing the Trail in 38 days or less and one itinerary was only 18 days from start to finish. Norm's sister Gloria and her husband Don Martin traveled with us in their Winnebago Journey and it was a plearure being with them. They are not only family - they are friends.

It rained 33 of the first 36 days of our trip but instead of rain we should say "flood." Day after day rain fell with high winds and twenty-two confirmed tornadoes touched down within ten miles of where we camped. It was not only wet and windy - it was cold often setting record lows where we traveled. Even though it was May, June and July, we did not wear short sleeves until we reached western Montana. But like Lewis and Clark when they encountered terrible weather, we pushed onward.

We learned much history not only about Lewis and Clark and the Corps of Discovery, but about the history of the United States. A pleasant surprise was studying the many Indian tribes the expedition encountered and learning their side of the story. Only on two occasions were the Indians hostile to the expedition while many tribes went out of their way helping Lewis and Clark with food, horses and guidance.

Of course we left the Trail several times to visit places like the Blue Bunny Ice Cream Museum in LeMars, Iowa, the National Music Museum in Vermillion, South Dakota and Glacier and Yellowstone National Parks. The highlights of the trip was small-town America like Fort Benton, Montana where we joined locals in becoming a part of their community for a few days. Every Sunday we tried to find a local Methodist Church and always found friendly congregations. The most interesting was a very small church on a Blackfeet Indian Reservation in Baab, Montana.

Just as Lewis and Clark completed their mission we completed ours and came away with a new understanding of our wonderful country.

There is one point many people do not know. President Thomas Jefferson considered the exploration a failure because a river route was not found across the United States. Lewis and Clark sent Jefferson many specimens of birds, animals and Indian artifacts and he sent some to Washington, DC, some to Philadelphia and keep the rest at Monticello, his home. Apparently he did not think the items were important because he never listed them and they soon disappeared.