Friday, September 14, 2018

Morning

We had an easy morning of nice showers and grocery shopping. We had lunch with Mom's Cousin Joy (DeBoer) Anema and husband Rich (Joy's parents were Lena Botbyl Deboer and Nicholas DeBoer. Lena was my Grandfather Peter Botbyl's sister).  What a great few hours with them to connect with their journey from Michigan to Washington, updates on their kids and grandkids, on Joy's twin brother Roy and wife Anita's kids Marvin, Steven and Susan? We updated Joy and Rich on our Botbyl heritage connections, cousins, Aunts, 

To the left of the dugout canoe is the Snake River and
to the right is the Columbia River.

To Wilma's left is the Snake and to the right is the
Columbia River.

Uncles with great stories and easy, humorous and joyful conversation. Both bring many talents and gifts to their friends and community in Kennewick, WA. Of course, Rich is a fly fisherman and both Joy and Rich camp, so they are just "normal folks."

Sacajawea Historical State Park and Interpretive Center, Pasco, WA

After lunch, we drove to the confluence of the Snake and Columbia Rivers where L&C camped before heading down river to some pretty spectacular, terror filled rapids and portages. The portaged over Celilo Falls, called "the great falls of the Columbia" but shot the Long and Short Narrows, much to the disbelief of the Indians who watched from shore.  The Falls and Narrows are now under water from a Army Corps of Engineers River dam. 

We toured the small, but very well organized and displayed artifacts, showcases, histories of native peoples and the Lewis and Clark camp at the Sacajawea Historical State Park and Interpretive Center in Pasco, WA. 

Where the Snake and Columbia rivers meet has been a meeting place and fishery for native tribes for centuries before L&C camped there. The museum gives testimony to Sacajawea' influence and the story and culture of Indians along the entire Columbia River.

Afterward we dined at Anthonys At Columbia Point for delicious fish dinners while we watched fishermen put in and take out their beautiful boats at a Columbia River access point. 

We plan tomorrow to camp past the Columbia River Gorge at Cascade Locks, OR on Saturday and Sunday and maybe Monday. This will allow us to take in some Columbia River Gorge and L&C sites before heading to the mouth of the Columbia River at Fort Canby, Cape Disappointment and Fort Clatsop, the end of the Corps of Discovery's journey.