Our day began with like weather that the Corps of Discovery experienced while at the mouth of the great Columbia River during the winter of 1805-1806. During the months they made Fort Clatsop their base of operations they saw only six days of sunshine! Undaunted by the fog, our own expedition explored the museum and reconstructed compound at Fort Clatsop in the early morning, and then before lunch aboard the National Geographic Sea Bird toured perhaps the greatest maritime museum in the United States—the Columbia River Maritime Museum in Astoria.
In the afternoon our expedition split into groups that either explored the sea lion and bird haunts west of Tongue Point in expedition landing craft or journeyed with our historian to the Washington bank of the Columbia River along a series of Lewis and Cark encampments and the ancient site of the Chinook City Qiyawaqilxam (“Middle Village”). A highlight of their own journeys of exploration awaited these Lewis and Clark Road Scholars when they were able to stand atop Cape Disappointment at the Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center, look out over the wide expanse of the Pacific, and with Captain Clark exclaim “Ocian in view! O! the joy.” What a fitting last full day of our wonderful journey down the Snake and Columbia Rivers.
Back aboard the National Geographic Sea Bird we all reminisced about our river adventures over the past week in a pumpkin and Halloween-decorated ship lounge. O! The joy of a fun and interesting expedition well-traveled!
