In Ilwasco, WA

It seems extra chilly this morning, so I got a late start and headed to Lewis and Clark National Park. It's actually the site of Fort Clatsop, the last winter camp on the Lewis and Clark expedition before they headed back to St Louis in 1806.

Along with the museum displays, and a film, you can view the fort. It was constructed in 2006, as none of the original parts of the fort exists. The recreation was done from sketches and descriptions along the many documents that were created during this expedition.

The facts of this historical event are quite interesting. If you ever get a chance to watch the documentary Lewis and Clark, by Ken Burns, it's well worth the time to view.

I made it to Ilwaco, Washington and I'm waiting to meet up with my Dad's sister: Aunt Maria and her husband Jim, who are also RV traveling.

I spent the afternoon with them as we caught up and had great conversations. We took a walk to the town of Long Beach where they had a farmer's market along the pier. I found some fresh cherries, along with a jar of olives.

We drove to Cape Disappointment State Park, where we saw not one, but two lighthouses. One was recently renovated, so you could not get up to it too closely. However, it was beautiful, and to me looked like an art deco or early 20th century design. This location was the exact opposite of Fort Stevens, so I was on the north side of the Columbia River and at the north jetty. The project to build these jetties, were basically large boulder walls to channel and control the waters of the river and the sea. It took many years to construct and a railroad track was built first before the boulders could be brought in, via train.

I enjoyed a ribs and chicken dinner with Maria and Jim as we continued our long over due chat.







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