Here I sit…at home…safe and sound, sitting in front of my computer writing my final post.
May 14, 1804 is the very day the Lewis and Clark Expedition began their journey. Read the journals of Gass and Whitehouse at the end of this post.
This is where I finished!
It feels strange to type these words. For so many days now I have held my cell phone and typed with my thumbs as I peered into the bright screen late at night hoping I pushed the right buttons. It was hard to see the words so I’m sure words came out garbled at times.
To start the day, I felt nervous about the effort it would take to get all the way to Ft. Clatsop. Every morning on this journey I felt this way…sort of an anxious churning inside. Every day, it took me up to an hour to overcome this knot and to turn it into positive motion. I usually listened to music, read my Bible, and just eased into the day. Often I would read comments from many of you in the morning which helped me get going. The conversations with you were so encouraging and helped me immensely. When people asked me if I was alone, I said, “I am physically riding my bike by myself but I wasn’t alone. I had lots of friends with me.” You made a big difference to me. So, again, THANK YOU for joining me on this bike adventure. I hope you were inspired and found adventure and fun as you followed me.
I rode into Fort Clatsop and was greeted by lots of cheering! what a great welcome! Randy-my husband, Andi-her husband, Mom and husband-came to celebrate my arrival. I was surprised and grateful for their presence. Andi’s mom, Barb, brought wonderful homemade peanut butter and chocolate chip cookies to munch on. Barb explained how she tried to think of a way to create an authentic variety of cookie based on what Lewis and Clark had available to them at the time of their arrival. After thinking about it early this morning, she realized it wasn’t possible to make an authentic cookie because there was no such thing as flour available at the time. So she made the next best thing…authentic Americana! Yummy!
Ranger Tom came out and led everyone in a Fort Clatsop/Lewis & Clark kind of cheer to make my finish official. Thank you for all the amazing comments, good wishes, prayers, phone calls, hospitality, and most of all your friendship.
Click on the title to watch the celebration videos:
Now for some pictures!
John and Kris, owners of the Bike Inn in Clatskanie
Guess where I was riding....
...arriving at Fort Clatsop!
Cheering and ApplauseWelcoming Party at Fort Clatsop...whoo-hoo!
Barb with the yummy Americana cookies!The wonderful welcoming committee!
- This is where I finished!
Lewis and Clark Journal entries for May 14, 1804…
Gass:
On Monday the 14th of May 1804, we left our establishment at the mouth of the river du Bois or Wood river, a small river which falls into the Mississippi, on the east-side, a mile below the Missouri, and having crossed the Mississippi proceeded up the Missouri on our intended voyage of discovery, under the command of Captain Clarke. Captain Lewis was to join us in two or three days on our passage. [12]
The corps consisted of forty-three men (including Captain Lewis and Captain Clarke, who were to command the expedition) part of the regular troops of the United States, and part engaged for this particular enterprize. The expedition was embarked on board a batteau and two periogues. The day was showery and in the evening we encamped on the north bank six miles up the river. Here we had leisure to reflect on our situation, and the nature of our engagements: and, as we had all entered this service as volunteers, to consider how far we stood pledged for the success of an expedition, which the government had projected; and which had been undertaken for the benefit and at the expence of the Union: of course of much interest and high expectation.
The best authenticated accounts informed us, that we were to pass through a country possessed by numerous, powerful and warlike nations of savages, of gigantic stature, fierce, treacherous and cruel; and particularly hostile to white men. And fame had united with tradition in opposing mountains to our course, which human enterprize and exertion would attempt in vain to pass. [13] The determined and resolute character, however, of the corps, and the confidence which pervaded all ranks dispelled every emotion of fear, and anxiety for the present; while a sense of duty, and of the honour, which would attend the completion of the object of the expedition; a wish to gratify the expectations of the government, and of our fellow citizens, with the feelings which novelty and discovery invariably inspire, seemed to insure to us ample support in our future toils, suffering and dangers.
Whitehouse:
Monday 14th May 1804. [14] hard Showers of rain. this being the day appointed by Capt. Clark to Set out, a number of the Sitizens of Gotian [15] Settlement came to See us Start. we got in readiness. Capt. Lewis is now at St. Louis but will join us at St. Charls. about 3 Oclock P.M. Capt. Clark and the party consisting of three Sergeants and 38 men [16] who manned the Batteaux and perogues. we fired our Swivel [17] on the bow hoisted Sail and Set out in high Spirits for the western Expedition. we entered the mouth of the Missourie haveing a fair wind Sailed abt. 6 miles and Camped on the North Side.—
Lewis and Clark Bike Tour Blog 
Congrats on completing the trip in spite of wind, hills, truck traffic, rain, the stairs at Bonneville and the like. {L & C didn’t have it easy either you know. (-;} I hope you got everything out of the trip you desired; now you can start planning your next adventure.
PS–Did you take the map’s trip thorugh Portland or mine suggestion and if it was mine did it work for you. I meant to tell you to stay on the sidewalk on the St. Johns Bridge but forgot. It is too long of a hill with no space for a loaded bike.
“Bob the Biker Guy” — Multnomah Falls
Good to hear from you! It was fun to talk with you and sort through my logistical options. I imagine L & C had many of those kinds of conversations. I talked to several local folks about the route you described to me and in the end I stuck with my original plan and map. I felt safer following my written directions rather than verbal descriptions. I’m sure your route would have been great. Dave & eileen also talked about that route. I enjoyed going through Portland. As for the st. Johns bridge… I rode on the road and took up a lane. Cars were patient and it was a short bridge. I waited for a break in traffic and then made a pedal for it! The sidewalk looked ok…but I wouldn’t want to fall off it into traffic. It worked. Thanks for everything!
How wonderful to read that you are home safe and sound this lovely Sunday morning! I see lots of smiles in all the pictures. Yeaahhhhhh! Great adventure, drama and fun. Looking forward to seeing you soon.
It was wonderful to ride in to the sound of friends cheering! Thanks to my husband and Andi & family! I will see you soon….
Way to go Terri!
Yahoo! Thanks! Hey, how long has it been since we last saw each other? 20 plus years? What are you doing this summer? Do you want to go for a bike ride:)
You are very awesome to do this thing!!!
Thanks, Andrew! I was inspired by Lewis and Clark and the journey they described in their journals. I also have been inspired by other people who have jumped on their bikes and pedaled to all sorts of places around the world. Much of my inspiration came from reading aobut these amazing people. Awesome is a great word…I have a feeling that you will go on an adventure someday…and it will be AWESOME!
I was wondering why you wanted to do this exciting adventure and also how many day did take to gete there with your bike.
Dear Andrew–
You must be a “why” kind of guy! Not many people ask me why too often so I am a little surprised to have you ask. It is a little hard for me to answer but I will try:
I have a picture in my head to ride accross America someday and part of that picture is to invite students like yourself to come along. To inspire kids to do amazing things is important to me. I know you probably couldn’t come with me physically but maybe virtually…like through a blog or some sort of communication. I didn’t know anything about blogs before this Lewis and Clark tour. So this trip I just completed is an important practice for me. It has made me learn a lot about bike touring, blogging, connecting with you and your teacher. I also get to combine my job and my interest in bike touring but I didn’t know how that could work out. So, this was my first try at it all. After riding only 300 miles and to feel all the challenges makes me think hard about riding across America. “Can I do it?” This is the question in my mind as I finished the Lewis & Clark Tour. It seems so impossible to me. I have a lot to learn about bike riding and traveling by two wheels.
What do you want to do, Andrew? And why do you want to do it?!
And also thank you for doing this great adventure.
Wow! Good job riding the trip. I thought it was fun to check and see where you are. I wanted you to know that I didn’t notice any “garbled” words in your posts. You did a great job using that small keyboard. Hope you enjoyed your trip!
Your neighbor,
Sophia
Sophia, it has been fun being your neighbor and to watch you and your brother and sister grow up. Watching you learn to ride your bikes over the years has been fun for me too!
Thanks for checking on my progress. It was neat for me to know I had company along the way. You didn’t notice I had “garbled” words…Yay! There was one word that said “dollar” rather than saying (I think…) “Hollar.” I admit, I did go back the next day, a time or two, and clean up my words so it made sense! But I know there are goofy mistakes in there which makes it silly and kind of fun. Can you go back through it all and find my mistakes? Almost like a “Where’s Waldo?” I don’t mind making mistakes but I DID want you to know what I was talking about! Sitting here typing to you makes me appreciate my keyboard all the more! I got pretty good at thumb talking in the dark!
I did enjoy my trip especially since you and your classmates came along. I hope you learned a thing or two and that Lewis and Clark have become more real to you as well. See you around the neighborhood and the library this summer!
Hi Terri I hope you had a good time. I wish I could of went with you. Was the weather that you had the same as the weather lewis and clark had?
Hey, Trevor! It would have been so amazing to have you actually ride your bike with me! I would have loved that! Maybe you can go with me when you get a little older?! Or join me for a part of a day. Ok? Is it a deal? I also help ride with the 8th graders at Wood Middle School most years so maybe you could remind me about going with me when I see you in 8th grade.
Lewis and Clark had to deal with a lot of bad weather on their journey. They had cold and snow in the mountains during the winter they traveled West and then when they got to our area, the NW, they had tons of rain, cold and wind.Here’s a list of the Bad Weather they endured (I found this on the web!): Heavy rains, high winds, heat, sun, thunder storms, hail, lightning, flash floods, river snags, weather-induced boat spills, freezing rain/temperatures (-45 oF in North Dakota), ice/sleet/snow.
They had it so much worse than I did! As I rode my bike, I thought about them a lot. They were also hungry and had to hunt for their food. I just rode up to a restaurant and ordered food! They created a map as they traveled while I followed my printed map and saw all the information as I went. I even had a GPS on my phone so when I got lost in Walla Walla, I just looked on my GPS to see where I was and where I needed to go! I hope you learn more about the Lewis and Clark journey…it is very interesting! There are a lot of good books about it you can find at the library.
I hope to ride with you, Trevor, in the future…Ok?!
Great job hanging with it the whole way through. What was your favorite part of the whole trip? Also did you feel kind of lucky that you didn’t have to go over any mountains?
Your friend,
Sarah
Thanks, Sarah! Once I got past the first few days it got much easier to “hang in there!” So many good things happened it is hard to pick my favorite. The biggest thing is that I accomplished my goal–that was a great feeling for me as I pedaled into Fort Clatsop. I loved sharing the tour through my blog with everyone as I traveled through the days. It is like you were there right inside my tent as I described my day. Each day I met new friends along the way, at the bed and breakfast…along the roadside in Hood River…at Multnomah Falls…Vista House…Menucha…Corbett…all the way to the end. Everyday I had delightful and significant conversations about a variety of subjects–very motivating to me. I also got to spend wonderful time with my old friends who came out to have dinner with me when I was close to Portland. Old and new friends are important to me. I loved pedaling up the Old Historic Highway in the Columbia Gorge, stopping to take pictures and to just be quiet beside a waterfall. Soaking in the tub with epson salts at the Mosier House Bed & Breakfast made me melt until my sister surprised me! That was a favorite of mine–my sister surprising me! I faced all my fears and kept going, even when it meant getting off my bike and pushing it up the hill against the wind with trucks zooming by me. I didn’t let fear stop me. For some reason, tackling the stairs was one of my favorites. I thought of Lewis and Clark getting around waterfalls on the Columbia and here I was getting around stairs. It made me laugh to think about that. I enjoyed being so close to the physical world…trees, animals, moss, birds, water. To be in God’s creation was awesome! To have lunch with my husband in Walla Walla the first day of my ride was fun for me. I think taking a shower outside was a highlight! It was fun to hear the birds sing as I took my shower! I felt like I found family when I stayed with Pastor Paul and his wife Toni–such a time of friendship with them and their family. Wow…I guess I gave you a long answer! As time goes on, I’ll probably think of more favorite things!
It is fun to ask your family what their favorite thing of the day is when you gather to eat…I wonder what your family would say, Sarah, if you asked them that great question.
Concerning mountains…I didn’t have any mountain passes to travel on this tour but I had plenty of steep hills! Two summers ago I travelled around Central Oregon and pedaled up to Crater Lake–that was a highlight!
Sarah–I hope you come by the library and tell me your adventures and what your favorite things were. I’d love to hear about the amazing things you do!
Congratulations! You must very relieved to be at your house and not biking on the scary high way. What part of your trip do you think was most alike with Lewis and Clarks trip?
Love,
Hannah H
Hi Hannah,
I am relieved to be at my house and not battling the challenges of trucks on busy highways! Since this last September when I pushed my bike into your classroom to invite you on this journey, I have been preparing, planning and anticipating the bike tour I just finished. And now that it is finished, I AM relieved! It feels good to finish what I started.
What a good question you asked! The part of my trip that seemed most alike with Lewis and Clark was my first day when I experienced head winds, many miles in the saddle, getting lost in Walla Walla, yucky dinner smashed in my bike bag, threat of rattlesnakes and a cougar, along with setting up my tent for the first night of my tour. I felt so exhausted and stressed out! My journey was only 10 days; L & C were on their expedition for over 2 years facing so much more than I did.
Lewis & Clark met many people on their trip and often received help like directions, food, shelter, supplies, friendship. These are things that I experienced as well. One of my favorite things about this trip for me were the interactions I had with people along the way. My interactions were all very possitive; whereas, Lewis and Clark had positive and negative. Reading journals of L & C, it was interesting to me to learn about who helped them and who they didn’t get along with very well. When I had to push my bike up the stairs and carry all my stuff I imagined L & C having to do that around the waterfalls on the Columbia River. This thought brought smiles to me, though! When I got closer to the Pacific Ocean, I thought about how the expedition must have felt to finally get to the end of their journey westward. It is an exciting feeling and also a feeling of accomplishment.
Thanks for asking such a interesting question. You helped me think about in a new way so I could write to you my answer. Maybe others will apprecitate hearing the question and answer as well if they read this blog in the future. What interesting books are you going to read this summer, Hannah?
Good job Terri!!!!I loved how you arrived with excitment and the people all welcoming you when you got there. Hope to see you again!
Your friend,
Cheyenne
Thanks Cheyenne! When I rode my bike into the parking lot, I was so excited and did feel like I did do a good job even though I had to change my plans along the way. Having a few folks there to cheer made my day! As you know (remember the long bus ride?!) it is a long way to drive so I was happy there were a few wonderful friends and family to welcome me at the finish. Then the rangers came out and celebrated with me–that was fun. It was neat to hang around, sharing my adventure and eating the most delicious cookies. By the time I left, I felt very satisfied and very complete. Whenever you go through a challenging time and then come out ok, there is a feeling of confidence and peace that happens. I’m glad you could share in that moment. My husband did a good job of capturing what happened on video so I could share it with you all.
I know you will see me again! I will be in your school from the library sharing al sorts of fun opportunities with you and other students in the days and years to come. When you see me remind me you are from Mr. Danz class ok? If you see me around town make sure you stop me so we can talk. Hope you have a good summer…stop by the library sometime!
My dad is into bikes he loves to go
on bike rides with me he rides. He rides transit with his bike and then
rides the rest on his bike.How hard would it be to ride a bike with a hamster?
I have a hamster he is black and white his name is chunky jr he is a panda hamster.
Your friend,
Carly Fortino
Hi Carly–so your Dad is into bikes! That’s great! sounds like you get to ride with him and go places. Just think, when you get older and keep riding your bike you will be able to go farther and farther, maybe going on a trip like I just did! I can just imagine it! Maybe I will see you riding around town…wave and yell, “Hello!” I’d love to meet your family. Your dad is very committed to riding to work…I may have met him already, come to thing about it. Did he used to race bikes?
How hard would it be to ride a bike with a hamster? I love that question! The picture I get in my head is very funny. I’ll bet you can figure out a way as long as your hamster likes going for rides. Do you have a basket on your handlebars? I guess you would need to make sure he didn’t jump out and get hurt. Let me know if you figure it out!
See you around town and the library!