Epilogue

Well, by the looks of the blog, I would say a good time was had by all.  Time. Funny word.  At first it seemed like we had nothing but time.  Then as time went on we realized we were halfway through the trip.  Then only weeks away.  Now it is over.  It seems like it was just a moment in the scheme of things.

As Ralph and Carole said, we will all return to our “normal lives” once again. But we take with us the knowledge that we have gained new friendships that will last forever.  We take with us memories of a trip that over 200 years ago took about the same number of people over two years to travel as far as we did in under two months; and we traveled in their footsteps. 

On behalf of Phil and Sue, Spence and Madi and of course, Ron and Juanita Kohn, Founders/Owners of Adventure Caravans, thank you for traveling with us.  We hope to see you again.

Day 44 - Warrenton, Oregon

Independence Day
July 4, 2012


    Sadly, we have come to the end of our fantastic adventure.  The time has come to go our separate ways and take up our regular lives, but we have one bright, sunny day to enjoy before we leave.

Chef Larry

Flipping flapjacks

   
     Three couples left the campground early in the morning, but the rest of us enjoyed a final pancake breakfast in the rec hall.  Larry again put on his chef’s hat and fried up a great pile of pancakes for our last breakfast, while Sue brought out the sausages, juice and coffee.  

    The rest of us enjoyed the food and fellowship before posing for a shot to show off the “red, white, & blue” to celebrate the national holiday.    

L to R:  Ralph, Ada, Madi, Spence, Janet, Annita, Fred,
Peggy, Dick, Lil, Sue, June, Jane, Carolyn, Bob, Faye
and Phil showing their colors

We celebrated all anniversaries with a special cake
but Tom and Cloma win the prize with 64 years

Last night all the ladies with their new hand-crafted knit
necklaces posed together

Tom and Peggy and guest

Bob watches Joe 

It was a lazy day, doing last minute chores before starting for home.  Some did laundry, some worked on their units, others studied the maps, but most seemed content to rest and enjoy the beautiful day.

Faye and John remove decals

Ada, Lil, Donna, Peggy, Joe
Tom and Mario playing cards

   





    As we write this, we realize that one important segment of our group has been overlooked in the daily blog.  Captain Meriwether Lewis had his famous dog, Seaman, on their long trip, and we were also blessed with the company of some beautiful, playful and loveable pets.  It is only fitting that we include them in the final edition of our story.

Jimmy and Ava with Punkin

Jim with Gizmo and Bubbles

Peggy with Yoda meets Jerry with Diddy

Fred and Brandy with her
Fourth of July coif

Max is taking John for a walk

   

Madi and Missy

Jerry and Janet with the rest of the family
Tigra, Spanky and Bonita

          We hope everyone has a safe and successful trip home, as Captains Lewis and Clark did.  Hopefully, we will meet again on future adventures.

 Travel Safe! 

Ralph & Carole Brightwell #5

 

Day 43 - Warrenton, Oregon

Where have 43 days gone?  Our adventure will be over tomorrow.  BOO-HOO!  43 days ago we did not know each other.  We are now friends forever and will never forget our experiences.

The Adventure Caravans group of Lewis and Clark 2012 spent the day in various ways.

The Wagonmaster and Tailgunners and some of the ladies prepared our “last supper.”

Madi, Janet, Ada and Carole
preparing our meal

Susie and Janet hard at work
 in the kitchen

AND DURING THE DAY………………………………

·         Dick and Lil went to Seaside and saw the end of “the trail.”
·         Larry and Ada toured Astoria.
·         Ralph and Carole did laundry and played cards.
·         Bob and Janet went to Seaside.
·         Tom and Peggy went to Seaside
·         Jim walked the dogs seven times and Bettye entertained us with her ukulele at dinner.
·         Mario and Anita went to Pier 39 to look at boats.  They also did laundry and relaxed.
·         Jerry walked the 164 steps of the Astoria Column and Janet helped cook dinner.
·         Bob and Carolyn went to Rite-Aid for dental floss for knitting.
·         Gerald and Lula readied the RV and car for the journey home.
·         John and Faye were busy on the internet.
·         Guy and Betty Jo went to Seaside.
·         Fred was the big winner in a card game and Jane had her nails done.
·         John and June went shopping and toured Astoria even though they had GPS problems.
·         Joe and Domna met up with an old Delta mechanic friend.
·         Tom and Cloma celebrated their 64^th wedding anniversary.

The day ended with our “LAST SUPPER” together.

Tom and Cloma married
64 years!

Larry and Ada Beavers Rig #4

Day 42 - Warrenton, Oregon

Day 42. Last time I wrote these pages I was full of wonder. Now all I wonder about is where the Tour Guides get all their words???

Today's bus tour started with our last Seat Lottery.  Gerald is drawing his usual high number. But later he and Lula snuck closer to the front of the bus.

Drawing for seats

Our first stop was the objective of our trip. Fort Clatsop. 

This is where the Discovery Corps spent their second winter after reaching their goal, the Pacific Ocean, in late November 1805. It was a miserable 4 months. Rain all but a few days and poor food. At the replica fort, a re-enactor, gave us a lesson about the flag that Lewis and Clark flew and presented to the Indian Tribes.

Learning about the 15 stripe flag

It was the 15 star and 15 stripe flag approved after Vermont and Kentucky entered the Union. He reminded us--it was the flag that flew over Fort Mc Henry during the bombardment of Baltimore during the War of 1812. It was the "Star Spangled Banner". 

The Interpretive Center had great displays, including a typical Northwest dugout canoe. They used this on the river and ocean, for travel, fishing, and whaling. This example was made more than 100 years ago.

Dugout canoe

The next stop was the Columbia River Maritime Museum. Fine displays about the treacherous waters where the river and ocean meet, called the Bar. 

After a stellar lunch at the Baked Alaska Resturant, in Astoria we headed to Cape Disappiontment. This predated Lewis and Clark. The British Navy was exploring the west coast, again for that elusive Northwest Passage. The Captain that arrived at the mouth of the Columbia River decided it was not a river, did not attempt to enter, and named the Promentory on the North side, Cape Disappointment. I guess because it was not the Passage. 

Lil and Dick Barrett Rig #3

Day 41 - Travel Day Portland, Oregon to Warrenton, Oregon

We had an unusual start to the day today.  First of all, Phil held the last travel briefing/driver’s meeting of the trip at 9:00 a.m. this morning.  Additionally, the day was overcast and gloomy.  Where did our beautiful sunny days go?

Grey skies

our last travel briefing :(

We left the campground at Portland to grey skies, with some “unmeasurable” precipitation hovering around us.  However, the scenery was beautiful along the way in spite of it.  Our trip was relatively short, only 120 miles today.  We drove past sloughs filled with lilly pads, then through the town of Longview, Washington.  Beautifully planned for industrial purposes, it is very picturesque, with its own Sacagawea River and Sacagawea Lake through the center of town.  

Sacagawea River in Longview

Lilly pads

The rest of the way was through some of the greenest corridors with lush, green forests, on both sides of the road and an abundance of lovely ferns growing everywhere, along with many, many stands of berry bushes.  You know you are in the Pacific Northwest!  Rainforest!  You could also begin to see blue skies and SUN!

Many stopped in Hunter for lunch and reported back to the rest of us that the meal was very good and large portions.  We arrived at our campground, Kampers West RV Park, in Warrenton, Washington by mid afternoon.    

Crossing the Astoria Megler Bridge (which is 4.1 miles long) was a bit of a challenge due to construction.  It went well though and soon we were arriving at the campground.

Bridge across the Columbia River

After getting settled in, we held our last craft class of the trip in the ample meeting room here at the RV park.  There were several ladies working on various projects.

Carole, Lula, Bettye, Donna, Annita, June, Madi
Carolyn, Faye and Ava working on crafts

Social hour

Immediately following (and coinciding with) our craft class, came the socializers.  It was social hour.  A good group of folks gathered to chat and visit this afternoon.

After a break for dinner, we were once again back in the meeting room for our promised ice cream social.  Our Wagonmasters spoiled us all again with some extra calories to keep our energy levels up for our busy day tomorrow.  

Yum!  One more scoop, please

June and John are enjoying theirs

As are the rest of the group!

Spence and Madi Schaaf, Tailgunners #2

Day 40 - Portland, Oregon

Today is Saturday, day 40 already! Well, we met our bus bright and early this morning at 8:00 AM sharp to go out to Mt. St. Helens. The weather was a bit overcast but no rain so far. We headed out and our 1st stop was Silver Lake visitor center where we watched a film, Intro to Mt St. Helens!

Not too long after our stop we headed to lunch!!  The Hoffstadt Bluffs.  Very nice enjoyed by all!  Next stop Johnson Ridge visitor center.  It was raining and we only saw the bottom of the Mt.  Boo! 

Top of Mt. St. Helens in the clouds

Mt. St. Helens erupted on May 18th, 1980.  The extensive amount of ash and rock filled the valleys below draining all of its small lakes.  Farther away pumice and ash formed layers that buried the landscape to depths of 10 feet or more.  The blast traveled up to 300 miles per hour taking the lives of 57 souls!  Most got out with their lives due to early warnings!

May 18, 1980

Toutle Valley filled with ash and rock

More devastation in the valley

Old growth forest - leveled

Five smaller explosive episodes occurred from May 25th thru Oct 16^th, 1980. Mt. St. Helens elevation before: 9,677 feet, after: 8,363 feet.  3.7 billion cubic yards of volume removed!  Buried 14 miles of the Toutle River Valley to an average depth of 150 feet, some depths up to 600 feet deep!  Wow!

Before: Elevation 9,677

After:  Elevation 8,363

All and all it was an awesome feat produced by "Mother Nature!!

Home safe and sound by 4:00 due to our great bus driver Karen. Tks. Karen! :-)

Phil & Sue Schaaf #1