'Sitting on the Dock of the Bay....'
.......watching the tide roll away'. - Otis Redding.
We've done quite a bit of that over the last couple of days. We camped next to a crabbing dock and happily sat watching all the boat activity and the seals playing as the sun went down on a perfect day.
The Oregon coast has a very soporific effect; so relaxing that all track of time is lost. We have been very fortunate with the weather as it is so often foggy until early afternoon here and the rain does pour. Clear, azure skies and warm sunshine made our explorations of this magnificent coastline a memorable experience. It is my second time here and, over the years, Adrian has heard me rave about it many times and agrees with me now that it is 'exceptional'. Endless, pristine beaches, rock pools stuffed with starfish and anemones, 8 inch long mussels, crashing waves and general all round gorgeousness. Definitely a world class coastline.
We managed some history too. Lewis and Clark, after their momentous feet in getting to the Pacific from St. Louis in 1806, spent the winter near modern day Astoria in a place they named 'Fort Clapsop' after the local tribe. They camped for 106 days and it rained for 94 of them. All the men (and the sole woman and her child) suffered with colds, influenza and rheumatism. Utter misery. They were hoping that a ship might pass and pick them up, but none did. Instead, in early April they set off to return the way they had come.
A facsimile of the fort now stands on the site. Clark's journals contained very detailed plans of the fort and described daily life. It is all fascinating. What they achieved was nothing short of magnificent on their expedition. Clark went on to have a happy, fulfilled life but Merryweather Lewis was a more tortured soul and died, probably by his own hand, in 1809.
Our journey is winding down now, just a few more days and we fly home. Still time for a few more adventures though.
We've done quite a bit of that over the last couple of days. We camped next to a crabbing dock and happily sat watching all the boat activity and the seals playing as the sun went down on a perfect day.
The Oregon coast has a very soporific effect; so relaxing that all track of time is lost. We have been very fortunate with the weather as it is so often foggy until early afternoon here and the rain does pour. Clear, azure skies and warm sunshine made our explorations of this magnificent coastline a memorable experience. It is my second time here and, over the years, Adrian has heard me rave about it many times and agrees with me now that it is 'exceptional'. Endless, pristine beaches, rock pools stuffed with starfish and anemones, 8 inch long mussels, crashing waves and general all round gorgeousness. Definitely a world class coastline.
We managed some history too. Lewis and Clark, after their momentous feet in getting to the Pacific from St. Louis in 1806, spent the winter near modern day Astoria in a place they named 'Fort Clapsop' after the local tribe. They camped for 106 days and it rained for 94 of them. All the men (and the sole woman and her child) suffered with colds, influenza and rheumatism. Utter misery. They were hoping that a ship might pass and pick them up, but none did. Instead, in early April they set off to return the way they had come.
A facsimile of the fort now stands on the site. Clark's journals contained very detailed plans of the fort and described daily life. It is all fascinating. What they achieved was nothing short of magnificent on their expedition. Clark went on to have a happy, fulfilled life but Merryweather Lewis was a more tortured soul and died, probably by his own hand, in 1809.
Our journey is winding down now, just a few more days and we fly home. Still time for a few more adventures though.
Comments
Post a Comment