Finally the Pacific Ocean (CoD November, 1805)

The CoD could notice the effects of the ocean on the Columbia River almost 100 miles before seeing the ocean. They could see sea gulls, the changing tides and taste the salinity of the water. The CoD stayed on the north (Washington) side of the river as they approached the coast, as the river was getting wide (4 miles at Astoria) and rough. They were pinned down by storms on the Washington side and could find very little to eat. The first photo is of John and Pris on the beach at Disappointment State Park, Washington. This is few miles west of where the CoD camped in Washington. The second photo is of us, with a washed up boat above the beach with our RV in the background.
The local Indians told the CoD that there were plentiful elk on the south side of the river, so on November 24th, the CoD actually voted to cross the river to set up their winter quarters. On December 10, they started construction of what they would call Fort Clatsop, named after the local Indian tribe. The fort is southwest of current day Astoria, Oregon. The third photo shows us in front of the fort.
The winter would be a wet and miserable one for the CoD. It rained every day but 12. They did find ample elk for meat and bartered with the Indians for everything else.
The CoD left Fort Clatsop on March 23, 1806, homeward bound for the United States. They used their acquired knowledge to speed up their journey. They bargained for horses just above Portland and rode from there over the Bitterroots to traveler’s rest in Idaho. There they split into 3 groups. Lewis led a group north to explore the upper reaches of the Marias River, after which they floated down the Missouri to the confluence with the Yellowstone. Clark led a group down to the Yellowstone River and followed it to the confluence with the Missouri. The third group went back to the Great Falls, dug up the cached canoes and went down the Missouri to the confluence with the Yellowstone. Remarkably, they all arrived safely at the confluence and continued down the Missouri. They arrived at the Mandan villages on August 14th and said good bye to Charbonneau, Sacagawea and their son Pomp (Clark’s nickname for Jean Baptiste), now 19 months old. On September 23 the CoD arrived at St. Louis to one big party. No one in town thought they were still alive.
We did not follow the CoD back to St. Louis, as we also want to get home. What is so impressive is the audacity of their undertaking. They took on the unknown and seemed to do it in stride. It is an adventure today, even with our modern transportation.

Heading Downriver to the Pacific (CoD October-November, 1805)

The Nez Perce Indians helped the CoD coming out of the mountains and also guided them to a place on the Clearwater River, with large trees for canoe building. Here the CoD spent about 10 days recovering their health and building 6 new canoes to take them to the coast. The first photo shows Pris by a modern version of the canoes, this one built in the same manor as the CoD used. The Clearwater River is in the background. The Captains kept good records, including latitude and longitude measurements. About 100 yards to the left of Pris is where the measurement was reconstructed; this is what the CoD called “Canoe Camp”. The second photo is another picture of the Clearwater, about 10 miles downstream from Canoe Camp.
The Clearwater runs about 45 miles from Canoe Camp before entering the larger Snake River in current day Lewiston Idaho. Here the Snake River is running north/south, forming the border between Idaho and Washington. We spent 3 lovely days here at Hells Canyon State Park. It is right on the Snake River, with large camp sites and full hook ups. The large trees made the increasing temperatures tolerable. A beautiful swimming beach was only 30 seconds walk.
From Lewiston, the Snake runs about 130 miles west through Washington until it empties into the Columbia River, in what is called the Tri Cities area (Richland, Pasco and Kennewick). The Columbia is actually running north to south at this point. The third photo shows John and Pris at Sacajawea State Park, Washington. The Snake is coming in from the left, the Columbia is coming in from the right and the combined flow is going straight away behind us, which is to the south.
Yes, the spelling of the state park is correct. They have used the j, rather than the g, as most historians do. Even the plaques at the park use the g in describing her name.
We are staying in a private RV park in Richland, as the 4th holiday is approaching and public campgrounds are virtually full.