Cape Disappointment

Here we go across the Columbia River again. Cape Disappointment is the SW corner of WA at the mouth of the Columbia. The bridge from Astoria is really high. Ocean going cargo ships have to get under there. The river is navigable up through Portland  and barges go up even farther.

Bridge before port of Astoria

Over the river we go

Ships in river waiting to be loaded or unloaded

The Corps of Discovery reached the Pacific Ocean here in 1805. They spent several miserable days at Dismal Nitch and moved down to Station Camp where there was a vote taken, that included the slave, York, and Sacagawea, which decided that they would spend the winter on the Oregon side of the river as there were reputed to be large herds of elk. Later, Clark led several men up the WA coast to see what the area was like.  Up near present day Long Beach, Clark saw his first sturgeon and was amazed at the size. It is also the home of the International Kite Museum. There are competitions here every year.

Big Bird Kite

Horse Kite

Clark and the Sturgeon

Farther up the beach, Clark carved his name in a tree. There is a memorial to this trip marking as far north on the coast that Clark ventured.

Clark's Tree

The carving

Plaque commemorating the end of the journey

There is a section of the Lewis and Clark Natl. Park at Cape Disappointment. There is a very well done Interpretive Center at the top of the bluff near the lighthouse.

Plaque at the center

As we drove back towards the bridge, we passed Station Camp and the Dismal Nitch. It was a beautiful day so we had trouble commiserating with the corps and the terrible time they had when trapped by a winter storm. This area is subject to really bad storms in the winter and is referred to as the graveyard of the Pacific.

 

Dismal Nitch

Then it was back across the river (again).