October 8th, Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center

Monday the 8th we drove south to Ilwaco to Cape Disappointment State Park. There we went to the Lewis & Clark Interpretive Center. They have done a wonderful job of chronicling the journey westward to find the ocean. It starts with a movie which takes you through all their trials and tribulations. It is very well done and gives you an overall idea of the project. They have many displays of types of clothing, tools, food etc. There are lots of hands on projects for kids.

Outside the center you can look south to see the Cape Disappointment Lighthouse. We were standing on the top of a huge cliff and looking south where the Columbia River enters the ocean.

The rock down below is covered with Cormorants.

This was the replica of the dugout canoes they made to use on the Columbia River. The task here was to put in the boxes so you wouldn't tip over the canoe. Not an easy task.

We went from here to drive the rest of the loop 100 around to the harbor. We could see the entrance to the Columbia River and buoy markers. It has a narrow channel through sand bars to get up the river. There are many ships over the years that didn't make it. There is a whole story about the Graveyard of the Ships. Ilwaco is a fishing village and also houses the Coast Guard that works out of the Columbia River. There is a lot of history in this area.