The Power of Water
Today was our day to discover Astoria, Oregon. Astoria’s history is greatly intertwined with its location at the intersection of the Pacific Ocean and the Columbia River. This morning we drove two hours from our TownePlace Suites in Vancouver, Washington, to visit the Maritime Museum, where we read about what makes the waters so important and so treacherous.
The Pacific Ocean is larger than all of the earth’s land area combined, and contains nearly twice the water of the Atlantic Ocean. The mouth of the Columbia River forcefully releases nearly 150 billion gallons of water per day into the Pacific. The collision of these two superpowers of nature results in turbulent waters even in the best weather conditions. Because of the many lives it takes, the area has been named “The Graveyard of the Pacific.”
Although the impact of these waters has been and continues to be devastating, men still seek to cross the waters to advance regional commerce through faster access to Portland.
Additionally, Fort Clatsop, the final destination of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, is nestled within the dense wooded areas of Astoria. They spent the winter of 1805/1806 at the fort before journeying back to the St. Louis area (a feat hard to comprehend). In the afternoon we visited Fort Clatsop on the Lewis and Clark National Historic Park campus (we slipped in just before they closed) and Long Beach. The Expedition chose the location of their fort based on the ample shelter from precipitation and access to water. An interpreter in the Park explained to us how the fort was located near a running stream which provided easy access to water, and that its location on a small river allowed for easy elk hunting and transport back to the fort. The influence of water on the community of Astoria in the past and present day was noteworthy, and reminded me to a lesser extent of my hometown.
Around midday we went to the Astoria column, a landmark recognizing westward expansion and discovery. We intended to hike to the column, but ended up driving up instead because we couldn’t find the trailhead. There was a beautiful view of the surrounding area at the top, and inscribed on the column was a tribute to the beginning of the Lewis and Clark Expedition in St. Louis (more specifically, Wood River, IL).
We searched for a restaurant on the drive home, but were unable to find one that could accommodate us after 8:30 PM.
On the drive home Dad and Tar helped me do some research on the next several days of our trip, including finding some good hikes to do in Mount Rainier National Park tomorrow and maybe Friday.
