Day 17, END OF THE TRAIL

Friday, September 16, 2014

A day we've planned for and been anticipating for a long time...

The Expedition had worked much harder for this day than we.     How many million steps, how many million oar and paddle strokes to cover over 3000 miles of river and trail?  They hoped to find a US or British ship in the Columbia River estuary.  But, sailors knew to not be on this coast in the autumn or winter.   Far too much wind and rain and a lee shore.   So, the Expedition settled in to wait out the winter.

A special hello to several of our friends reading this blog:  Ron, up in NY, and Doug in VA.  

Rained all night here and was typical NW Oregon rain as we headed for Fort Clatsop.

Arrived at the site and found a nice Interpretive Center.

This museum concentrated almost totally on the time that Corps of Discovery spent on this wet peninsula, their preparations for the trip back, and their relationships with the local tribes.

Inside, we watched a well-done video and went through all the displays and gift shop.  A full-size statue of Lewis and Clark speaking with a local tribal chief dominated one area.

Outside, a statue of Sacagawe and little Pompey/Jean Baptiste.     Jean Baptiste Charbonneau was later adopted by William Clark after the death of his mother, was well-educated, lived a number of years in Europe, and died here in Oregon.

We slowly walked down the trail to Fort Clatsop, our objective for 17 days...   There it was.

Great to be here.   A 15 stars,15 stripes United States flag flies over the reconstructed fort, just as it did every day while the Corps of Discovery was here.   Then, as now, the flag had a very special meaning for these soldiers.  

Next, we went to Seaside, Oregon, to see the place where the the Corps of Discovery were at their westernmost position, the End of the Trail.    The rain and wind increased steadily and were almost torrential.

By now, we feel a strong bond, not only with these two leaders, but with the entire Corps of Discovery.    We know who we'd like to talk to, who is the best shot, who is the best fisherman, and who can best paddle a canoe or play the fiddle.    We've read books about them, shared their trail and campsites.   They live on in history and in the culture of the United States of America.

We decided we had to walk across the beach to the Pacific.    Winds were above 40 mph and we were laughing at how wet we'd become.

Unlike the good folks of the Expedition, we then took shelter in a coffee shop.   Revived, we traveled back to our campsite and suddenly the weather changed for the better.   The rain stopped and the sun emerged.

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Fort Stevens (dating to the  US Civil War) was across the road from our campground so we walked about 1.5 miles to the beach with Stella, the wonder dog.   Fort Stevens helped secure the approaches to the Portland harbor.

Wreck of the Peter Ireland, from 1906.

Looking north, toward the Columbia River.

Stella enjoying the beach.

Stella on driftwood.

Stella wanted to go into the water, too, so....back into the drink!  She now believes that the Pacific is one cold bathtub!

Team Yertle, Trail's End.

Linda adds:

It has been a wonderful adventure.  I am particularly proud of the fact that nine of the Corp of Discovery were Kentucky men and William Clark also came from Louisville, home of my family.

I have learned more about Lewis and Clark and the people (and dog) who traveled with them; the indians they met; Sacajawea and so much more.  The Flathead indians near this coastal site were very interesting.

This picture was from William Clark's journal depicting these Indians' flathead and the means by which they achieved this look, which they found very desirable....infants would be placed in a sort of press while their bones were still soft.  

The Clatsop and Chinook tribes made much of their clothing from woven cedar strips to include grass skirts and a conical hat to deflect the rain.  I would have liked to have had one of those out on the beach today.  They were good traders of various goods and had some experience with other Americans and other Europeans from ships that sailed up the coastline.  They thought these white people were bear-like because of their hairy faces.

Our journey west is drawing to an end, but keep tuned.  The adventure will continue as we move homeward, just as the Expedition's did in route back to St. Louis.