Last Days in Oregon

Driving north on Oregon Coast...

Still driving...

A new vista at every turn (or tunnel)

Lewis & Clark - end of trail

Canoe docking location

Magnificent St Louis Arch (with Tina, Mike & Murray, 2007)

What a lovely coastal drive north to the aptly named & very popular town of Seaside, Oregon. While Murray was out on his walk, he met a local couple Kathleen & Bill who kindly invited us to a halibut (they fish in Alaska 3 weeks each year) dinner at their home, which was just across the road from our RV park. We walked over and arrived just in time to see a coyote slinking off into the woods and Bill hanging up his gun (hoping to scare it off). As well as coyotes, they often have elk in the back yard. While we were there horses were grazing happily, and a whole flock of wood ducks were waddling past the back door. The halibut was wonderful and the company was great. We really enjoy hearing about how the locals live - Bill is a builder and Kathleen is an accountant -their lively stories related to town politics and also Bill's hunting experiences. They have lived in the area all of their lives - and he tells of huge salmon (one was mounted on their wall) caught in the 'crick' not far from their property. All the big fish are gone from the rivers now...so they fly to Alaska instead. With their catch, they host a halibut dinner for 300 people each August at their home. It really is some house...Bill was hoping we would stay a few more days so that he could take Murray out Clam fishing, as a 'clam tide' was coming up in a few days, but the weather was cold and wet, so we decided to keep moving north. But not before Kathleen shared some tasty halibut recipes with me. Thanks Kathleen!

The next day we called into Fort Clatsop, Astoria (Oregon) which all Americans will know was the end of the journey for Lewis & Clark's (intrepid & most renowned adventurers who were first to do the western crossing to the Pacific Ocean, mapping the whole route). They crossed the Rocky Mountains and arrived in Oregon (it was just wilderness then) in November 1805. They built a winter fort, Fort Clatsop, and Murray & I checked it out under our umbrella - yes, it was a damp, cold day. We also saw the point where they docked their canoes at the mouth of the Columbia River. A truly amazing expedition that lasted just under 2.5 years and is remembered historically as the 'expansion of the west' and symbolised by the Gateway Arch in St Louis - the tallest man-made monument in the United States. Murray & I went up in the arch back in 2007 with St Louis friends Tina & Mike. That is when we first heard & learnt about Lewis & Clark. Now we have been to both Lewis & Clark winter camps - the other one being in Mandan, North Dakota.