Our family converged on Ocean Shores, Washington for the week of July 11, 2015 to July 17 for a reunion. On Saturday, July 11, Dave and I took the early arrivers, Lisa, Alyssa, and Bryce, down the coast to Astoria, Oregon. Many years ago, Dave read Stephen Ambrose's classic book about the Lewis & Clark expedition , and he has been fascinated ever since with their voyage. On July 11, we visited several Lewis & Clark sites, including Cape Disappointment, where Lewis & Clark first reached the Pacific Ocean, and Ft. Clatsop, where they spent their first winter. We hiked to the lighthouse on Cape Disappointment, built to warn ships of the turbulent, treacherous entrance to the Columbia River.
Whenever I am with the Flindt children, we pick a "dog of the day." Here are two of our prime candidates.
Ft. Clatsop is a national monument, with rangers leading tours and giving demonstrations. We met Camille and her family, who had driven west from SLC through Portland, and who joined us in Astoria. Bryce and Alyssa saw the word, "Fort," and gave sharp, military salutes.
We checked out the recreated cabins in which Lewis & Clark suffered through a cold, rainy Northwest winter during 1805-1806.
We watched a ranger show us how to fire an old-time, early 1800s musket.
The ranger put in ear plugs to protect himself from the noisy blast of the bullets.
His assistant moved far away to avoid a stray bullet.
BAM!
The next treat was a nature hike with a ranger who pointed out all the native plants and told us how the Native Americans had used them for food, boats, shelter, and medicine.
She passed out descriptions of various plants and let the children in the group read them.
We saw the trees that the Native Americans carved into canoes.
We saw the lake which was used for storage of logs, in the heyday of the timber industry.
We appreciated the beauty of a lone bird clinging to a branch.
When our hour with her was finished, the ranger sighed with relief!
We loved the Maritime Museum in Astoria.
Some of the exhibits were about the Northwest fishing industry and the days when there were canning companies in Astoria, processing the salmon which tried to find their way up the Columbia River and back home. Those days are long gone, as are the golden days of the timber barons.
Camille's kids--Jono, Annelise, Sophia, Ezra, and Mia--told us about their adventures visiting Portland's great science museum, OMSI, and eating from the many Portland food trucks.
The Maritime Museum had many displays about the treacherous waters where the Columbia meets the Pacific. The Coast Guard trains its rescue teams in Astoria, because the waters around Astoria are some of the most turbulent and dangerous on earth.
As part of our museum admission, we received a ticket to tour the "Columbia," a "lighthouse ship." For years, it was anchored five miles out at sea, warning ships of the choppy waters near the mouth of the Columbia River. Its crew lived for three-month stints in the tiny quarters below deck.
We also checked out an old time steamboat, now used to take week-long cruises along the Columbia River.
The long bridge across the Columbia River, leading from Oregon to Washington, is beautiful as well as useful.
Alyssa and Bryce posed near the huge rudder statue in front of the Maritime Museum, and then all of us--Flindts, Eberts, and Spendloves--ate a tailgate lunch from our car.
Before driving back to Ocean Shores, we explored an old shipwreck, now rusted into picturesque perfection.
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