O the joy! On this last full day of our expedition down the exotic Snake and mighty Columbia Rivers, we first paid homage to the westernmost fortification built by the Corps of Discovery by visiting Fort Clatsop and its magnificent indoor, outdoor, and natural trail exhibits.
We next worked up an appetite for our last lunch aboard the National Geographic Sea Bird by visiting the dockside Columbia River Maritime Museum. After lunch, a third of our own ‘Party of Discovery’ examined the shops, Victorian buildings and monuments of historic and picturesque Astoria, Oregon. A second component of our party kayaked through the neighboring wetlands. The third and final squad of our party followed the trail of Lewis and Clarks’ last few campsites to the Pacific Coast and Cape Disappointment.
President Jefferson’s great commission to the Corps of Discovery had been to reach the Pacific Ocean, and we relived the excitement the Corps must have felt as we looked out upon the great expanse of the world’s largest ocean from the lofty Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center. Unlike the Lewis and Clark expedition, however, at the end of this magnificent day we had a ship waiting to assist us in our homeward journeys, and we enjoyed our final meal together aboard the hospitable National Geographic Sea Bird. O the joy of an expedition well completed!
