William Clark, November 7, 1805
When Captain Clark wrote these words he was at camp opposite Pillar Rock on what is now the Washington shore of the Columbia and not truly in sight of the Pacific. But just before him, the river’s estuary widened to over five miles breadth, and he was not far wrong, the beaches of the Pacific lay only 20 miles ahead. After advancing to a difficult campsite further west on the river’s north shore, the Corps of Discovery crossed the wide estuary into the shelter of Young’s Bay, where they established their winter home of Fort Clatsop.
This morning we arrived in Astoria, Oregon, named for the John Jacob Astor party, and spent our day exploring this lovely little coastal town and its environs. Just above our dock, the excellent Columbia River Maritime Museum commemorates the early days of sail and steam on the river and the Pacific, and the brave men who crossed the treacherous bar between them. Moored alongside us was the Columbia Lightship which once marked the entrance to this hazardous passage. Following our visit to the museum, we boarded coaches and rode out to the site of Fort Clatsop, where we explored the visitor center and the near-perfect replica of the fort itself. This also gave us an opportunity for a short stroll in the temperate rainforest, among the towering spruce trees and lush ferns, a tremendous contrast to the semi-desert steppe we left behind only a day ago.
Leaving our moorage in the late afternoon we cruised west out to the mouth of the river for a view of the bar and the Pacific beyond. Changing weather during the day had chased away the blue skies we enjoyed yesterday and brought blustery winds and rain showers, which added to our feeling of solidarity with the Corps and their experience in the rainy winter of 1805/6. All around us sea lions barked, buoys clanged, lines of Brown Pelicans skimmed over the choppy water and we too felt great joy at coming to the far point of our journey, with the ocean in view.
