Today we are indeed in view of the ocean - here in Astoria at the mouth of the mighty Columbia River. Here as well, we follow the Corps of Discovery to their camp at Fort Clatsop and walk the forested grounds on which they wintered. A nearby herd of elk, perhaps descendants of those who fed the explorers, shared the sunshine with us.An earlier visit to the Columbia River Maritime Museum blends with an afternoon walk on a beach along the Oregon coast - "where the roaring made by the waves breaking on the rocky shores may be heard distinctly." (Wm. Clark)
As a final tribute to the Pacific, our own Captain pilots us aboard the Sea Lion "across the bar," the famous entrance through this equally dramatic River of the West. Tonight we share with one another the special spirit of our week's journey.
