Well, things have changed since Lewis and Clark came through, but getting to the Pacific coast still takes some planning. There are several driving routes you can take from Seattle. None are direct, some require ferry rides, and the fastest ones are not especially scenic. When you finally escape the freeway, the busy highways wind through landscapes ravaged by clear-cut logging. On the Olympic Peninsula you'll see farmland and mill towns, and everywhere reminders of past rough use of the land.
Last week on our trip to Cannon Beach, we took a small detour through a picturesque corner of Washington state. This part of the Columbia River is rich in Lewis and Clark history:
(Click on map to enlarge)The town of Cathlamet is the seat of tiny Wahkiakum County in the southwest corner of the state. It sits on the banks of Puget Island, which is reached by bridge from the Washington side of the river. It was once the site of a large Native American settlement. Lewis and Clark came through here on their final leg to the Pacific coast, where they spent a miserable, rainy winter eating dried fish. But fur traders and settlers soon followed, and the generous tribes around Cathlamet were quickly decimated by disease.
Of course it helps to have a sparkling blue, autumn day, but I thought Puget Island had character and a certain rustic charm. The bridge to the island (and the island itself) are part of Washington state, but to get to Oregon from Puget Island you must take a ferry across the Columbia River. Below is a picture of the town ferry dock:
There were about 6 cars waiting for the ride ($5 one way.) The tiny platform below is actually the ferry:
Within a few minutes, we were all loaded and safely across the Columbia. From there, we headed down the highway to Astoria on the Oregon side of the river.
Here's the ferry deck supervisor :-)
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