The Oregon coast - at least the northern 2/3s of it - is a complex and beautiful mix of nature and history. Visiting Fort Clatsop again, for the first time in about fifty years, I am reminded of the Herculean efforts the Corps of Discovery invested in opening the Louisiana territory to America - and the economic and prideful results for our country embodied therein. Then down that coast, I recall that the Russian "westward movement" was an eastward expansion, across the Pacific, until they came to the daunting and foreboding cliffs of what became known as North America. Only tiny footprints of their colonization remain. All in all, a wonderful journey down a vaunted highway (US 101) and much more satisfying than my last attempt. RIP Kelly and Tanya.
Posted on: Thu, 29 Aug 2013 04:36:28 +0000