The storm is coming, I can smell the rain. My anticipation for the Lewis and Clark Bicentennial has been building like a giant storm cloud off the horizon. As you know, living here, the rain isn’t always a bad thing. All I have to do is put my swimsuit on and get wet. I’ve been working at the Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center at Cape Disappointment State Park for the last three and a half years. Since I’ve been here, there have been many special events, monuments built, and programs given. When I first visited the interpretive center, half of the building was brand new, but empty, and the other half was full of 25-year-old exhibits. I was hired right before the development of the new exhibits in anticipation of the Bicentennial, which was approaching fast. It didn’t take me long to realize that the momentum was building all around me. The distant thunder was heading this way.

That first winter on the job presented many interesting challenges. Within weeks of being here, the restrooms were demolished and a portable toilet was tied to the fence outside the center. The old exhibits were removed from the walls. We selected a few representative panels to spread around propped up on folding chairs in the non-construction areas of the building. I gave my first interpretive program that November for “Ocian In View.” I was so nervous talking to a mother and her two children about how Lewis and Clark traveled “into the unknown.” Growing up in Minnesota, I had very little education about the expedition and I had to make up for lost time. I spent hours of every day reading whatever I could about Lewis and Clark, trying to get a grasp of the facts and the significance of them. Participating in developing the new exhibits contributed to my understanding of the story and talking to visitors helped me to appreciate the impact of it on them.

With the dedication of the newly renovated Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center in March 2004 things were literally starting to come together. Visitors to the center shared our excitement for the new exhibits. Our staff was growing and the tour buses kept coming. After the interpretive center was completed, we hosted the new national park dedication, the Lewis and Clark stamp cancellation, and the new nickel dedication. These events convinced me that the storm was brewing to be a good one.

This community has shown a concentrated effort to share the legacy of the Lewis and Clark Expedition. Multiple public agencies and community groups have invested their time, knowledge, skills and money. Destination: The Pacific combined the efforts of both Washington and Oregon to create an educational and enjoyable experience for the nation. I’d like to encourage everyone to take advantage of the unique opportunities that are going to be offered this November. Take a guided boat tour of the Lower Columbia River, join hands across the Astoria-Megler Bridge, chat with some living historians, or take in a lecture or two.

Some people admire the members of the Lewis and Clark Expedition for their strength and courage. Others look at the captains as perfect examples of effective leadership. Many marvel at the natural landscape that the Corps of Discovery encountered during their travels. I see the journals as one of the Expedition’s major accomplishments. Without these written insights and observations the trip itself would have been long forgotten and its lessons lost. The Bicentennial of the Lewis and Clark Expedition is a chance to learn more about ourselves, our land, about how far we’ve come, and how far we have yet to travel. I get asked frequently how many people I expect will come here for the Bicentennial events. I have no idea; there are so many variables to consider. I do know that it smells great after a big shower and everything becomes a little greener.

Whatever happens, however many people visit, let’s be prepared to get a little wet. Read the journals, put your boots on, and jump into some puddles!